Cock of the Walk; 16 x 20 in

The Artist

Randall Whitehead has been capturing moments through photography since college. He grew up in Delaware, and after graduating he drove across the country to San Francisco, a city where he had never been, knew no one and did not have a job. There he started as a photojournalist for magazines and newspapers, then moved into art photography as he documented the people he has met and the places he has discovered over the years. 

Artist Statement

Until I visited Key West in February of this year, I really had never paid much attention to roosters and hens. On the island they are everywhere. These previously domesticated fowl, known as Gypsy Chickens, run wild all over the island and number in the thousands. It has been this way for nearly 40 years when cock fighting was outlawed, and the roosters were released to fend on their own. The roosters crow all day and all night, not just at dawn. This incessant cacophony has become part of the aural texture of island living. They hang out in contained flocks. Usually consisting of a cockerel, a juvenal rooster and two or three hens. Each of the groups have their own territories which they guard from other marauding chickens. Now I see these birds from a different perspective. Their feathers are vibrantly colored. They seem almost regal. Taking their picture was not a huge challenge. If you have some food, they are very willing to pose. I wanted to photograph them at night to accentuate the richness of their plumage and allow them to take center stage. The resulting images feel like portraits of aristocrats from the Italian Renaissance or even the fanciful bird masks worn during the Carnival of Venice. Although admittedly one hen looks like she has just gotten her passport photo taken.