Picture This

The Joy of Keeping Chickens

2008-05-11T06:12:00.008-05:00

It's official: Skyhorse Publishing's Fall 2008-Winter 2009 catalog arrived in the mail the other day, with The Joy of Keeping Chickens as one of their featured titles. The book's publication date is set for February 2009. Here's what the catalog says:

THE JOY OF KEEPING CHICKENS
The Ultimate Guide to Raising Poultry for Fun or Profit
Jennifer Megyesi
Photography by Geoff Hansen

Finally backyard farmers who want to keep a few hens for eggs have a bible that's attractive enough to leave out on the coffee table, and inexpensive enough to purchase on a whim. This comprehensive guide, written in charming prose from the perspective of an organic farmer, will appeal to readers who are interested in raising chickens, or simply want the best knowledge about how to cook them. With this in mind, farmer and animal expert Jennifer Megyesi discusses all the basic details or raising the birds — general biology, health, food, choosing breeds, and so on — and she cuts through the smoke to identify what terms like "organic," "free-range," and so on really mean for poultry farmers and consumers.

No chicken book would be complete without information on how to show chickens for prizes, and this is no different, but The Joy of Keeping Chickens also stresses the importance of self-sustainability and organic living, and the satisfaction of keeping heirloom breeds. Readers will appreciate the comprehensive nature of this readable, informative guide, and Megyesi's enthusiasm about keeping chickens. Coupled with Geoff Hansen's gorgeous full-color photographs, this text makes for an instant classic in the category.

$14.95 paperback original (Can. $16.95)
ISBN 978-1-60239-313-4
6" x 9" - 288 pages
100 color photographs
Nature
FEBRUARY

marionwlent.com

2008-04-28T23:06:00.008-05:00

After making a few finishing touches to the design, I just posted Marion Lent's new Web site to marionwlent.com – Marion used to live down the road from us and is a very talented artist. She and her family recently moved to upstate New York. We miss Marion, but she'll do well in her new digs with her fun and fanciful work. Click here to see the site.

The Sweet Smell of Spring

2008-04-06T22:28:00.004-05:00

Under chilly skies this afternoon, I briefly helped Mike Bogardus bring in sap for his family's maple sugaring operation. With 600-700 buckets to empty, he's happy to have a hand. As one of his neighbors said, it's nice to be working (and, for me, making photographs) when there's not much happening between seasons.

livingwithpigs.com

2008-04-06T09:10:00.003-05:00

With the book's publication only a couple of months away, livingwithpigs.com is now online. Chuck Wooster's introduction to Living with Pigs is there, along with a few photos from the book. Stay tuned – appearances and reviews of the book will also be posted as they come along.

Chandler Gallery - 100 Local Artists

2008-04-03T07:10:00.022-05:00

As part of the celebration of the Chandler Gallery's centennial, a show of 100 local artists is to open on Saturday, April 5. Zola the Tamworth pig will continue her tour of local galleries, representing herself well in an 11x14 frame in the Randolph, Vt., space. There's a reception on Saturday, April 5, from 6-8 p.m. The gallery's hours are Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-3 p.m. The show will be up until May 11.

On The Bus

2008-02-29T22:41:00.005-05:00

Today I was a chaperone on the bus for an after-school ski program travelling from Tunbridge to Woodstock. Between the frost heaves, excited kids ready to get outside and the country/western music amplified throughout the bus, it was a ride worthy of the Tunbridge Fair.

Tunbridge Town Report

2008-02-22T09:20:00.008-05:00

The Tunbridge Town Report arrived in the mail yesterday — sprinkled throughout are photographs from last year's A Day in the Life of Tunbridge project, made by a few town residents. While the effort raised money for the church steeple restoration fund, it's even better to see the civic pride it generated. A reminder: we're signing up volunteers for A Day in the Life of Strafford on July 5. Click here to read more about it.

Classic Auto Imports

2008-02-14T23:20:00.003-05:00

I've just finished updating the Classic Auto Imports Web site – based in Etna, N.H., they buy and sell interesting cars from England. Beautiful Morris Minor Travellers and Mini Coopers with updated mechanicals are their specialties. Click here to read more.

Pictures at a Revolution

2008-02-06T23:49:00.001-05:00

Creating Web sites keeps me busy during Winter's short days and long nights. I just finished making one for Mark Harris' new book, Pictures at a Revolution. Mark talks about the history of five movies and how they changed Hollywood in the 1960s. Click here to see the site and read more about the book, coming out in mid-February.

The Benefits of an Ice Storm

2008-02-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

On Friday, we had some pretty miserable weather. Coming from the sky, in this order: snow, freezing rain, sleet, freezing rain, and finally, lots of rain. The next day my daughter's pal had a sledding birthday party. The hard-packed snow made for fast, Olympic-quality runs. No wonder all the kids wore helmets.

A Day in the Life of Strafford

2008-01-27T17:37:00.001-05:00

After the success of last year's A Day in the Life of Tunbridge, we've been asked to go over the hill to do a project in Strafford, Vt., this coming summer. A Day in the Life of Strafford is to be held on Saturday, July 5, as a fund-raiser for the Morrill Memorial & Harris Library. I hope we have volunteers photographers returning from last year's project and newcomers as well. Click here to read more about the project. A sign-up sheet can be downloaded there as well.

Tunbridge Artists' Show

2008-01-19T15:37:00.001-05:00

Two framed photographs from Living with Pigs are a part of a raffle to benefit ArtSpace at the Tunbridge Library. The show of 30 Tunbridge artists is to open at the library on Sunday, January 27, with a reception from 3-5 p.m. The show closes on February 29, but raffle tickets will be for sale until Memorial Day. For more information, call 802-889-9404.

The Joy of Keeping Chickens

2008-01-19T00:06:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, I started doing photography for The Joy of Keeping Chickens. Author Jennifer Megyesi and I attended the annual Poultry Show hosted by the Northeastern Poultry Congress in West Springfield, Mass., to gather information and photographs for the book. It was great to see so many kids who are interested in raising and showing chickens.

Jillian Noble, 9, of Dracut, Mass., waits with her Modern Game chicken during the Junior Showmanship competition. Noble has been showing chickens for four years.

Portfolio Updates

2008-01-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

I've updated the portfolio on my Web site with a few new pictures, including these two that I did for the Valley News in 2007. While I'm parked in front of a computer most of the time at work, I do enjoy getting out-and-about to do newspaper photography.

In the photograph above, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton listens to an interviewer's question during an editorial board meeting in West Lebanon, N.H. Below, Dartmouth goaltender Sean Milligan winces as the team's trainer looks at his injured shoulder during the NCAA playoff game against the University of Vermont.

May not be reprinted without permission

Finding the Doorbell

2008-01-05T18:11:00.001-05:00

As a follow-up to her successful stage show, Cindy Pierce has taken her funny and frank talk about sex into the publishing world. Co-written with her friend Edie Thys Morgan, Finding the Doorbell: Sexual Satisfaction for the Long Haul is in stores now. Cindy is one of the many interesting people I have met as their wedding photographer. Since then, I've helped Cindy with photography, Web sites and other design work as part of her new career as a comic. Click here to read more about the book.

Living with Turkeys?

2007-12-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

The turkeys have come back to roost – or at least to eat the bird seed in our backyard. For the second year in a row, a flock of about a dozen or so parade down the hill from the woods to see what's for dinner. It always entertains my visiting in-laws.

Living with Pigs Cover

2007-12-24T09:21:00.002-05:00

Globe Pequot Press' Spring-Summer 2008 catalog arrived in the mail the other day – the cover for the upcoming book Living with Pigs has been revealed! Click here to read more about the book. Look for it on store shelves in July 2008.

Peeper Poster

2007-12-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

This past fall, Valley News staff photographer Jason Johns created a beautiful page of photographs of fall leaves. I helped out with the design and in getting a keepsake poster made. They're finished and are now available for purchase. Click here to obtain an order form.

Santa Came to Town

2007-12-09T23:06:00.001-05:00

During a special story hour at the Tunbridge Library, children in town get to see Santa and Mrs. Claus, otherwise known as community stalwarts Euclid and Priscilla Farnham. It's always fun to see the kids' reaction. This year, I was asked to photograph the event for the library. Euclid said he's been donning the same Santa suit for 30 years, but he's been through a few beards.

Wellspring School Silent Auction

2007-12-07T13:22:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, December 8, the Wellspring School holds its annual silent auction, its big fundraiser of the year. Of the many items up for bid is a framed print of Zola, the Tamworth shoat, grazing in the pasture at Hogwash Farm in Norwich, Vt. (which is featured in the upcoming book Living with Pigs by Chuck Wooster. The auction begins at 5 p.m. at the Vershire Town Center. Call 802-685-3181 for more information.

The Joy of Keeping Chickens

2007-12-07T08:06:00.001-05:00

Back to the coop I go – once again, I'll be working with my favorite editor Ann Treistman to make photographs for another farming book, The Joy of Keeping Chickens, to be produced by Skyhorse Publishing in 2009. My friend, Jennifer Megyesi (whose family was the subject of Nicola Smith's excellent account of their organic farm, Harvest), has signed up to write the book. Not only will there be the basics of raising chickens for eggs and meat in the book, but also stories about things that scare chickens in the night, the organic egg craze and even show chickens! The Northeast Poultry Congress is coming up Jan. 12-13 at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in Springfield, Mass. It's quite the sight to see. I'll be back for more...

A bantam Sebright Golden is curious about a camera lens poking into its cage at the Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Mass., in January 2006.

All Around The Barnyard

2007-11-27T01:02:00.000-05:00

All Around The Barnyard, an art show of 25 photographs, is coming to the end of its six-month run at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture's offices at 109 State Street in Montpelier. The work reflects the book work I've done on farms in Vermont, published in six books. The show will be coming down later in December. If you can't make it to Montpelier, a similar show is up at the offices of the Windsor County State's Attorney in White River Junction, Vt. Or click here to see the whole show online.

In the photograph above, Governor Jim Douglas enjoys an ice cream cone while talking with Deputy Secretary for Development Anson Tebbetts at the show's opening in July.

A selection of photographs from the show, from top to bottom: A group of Shetland yearling rams walk down their pasture at Maple Ridge Sheep Farm in Braintree, Vt. A Columbian Wyandotte hen scratches for seeds, insects and pebbles in the woods behind the chicken coop on Carrie Maynard's property in South Royalton, Vt. Chocolate — a Quarter Horse — doesn't mind the light snow falling on a winter morning in Anne Adams' pasture in Strafford, Vt.

New Wedding Samples

2007-11-22T18:11:00.002-05:00

I had another busy wedding season in 2007. I've finally updated my Web site with a new set of samples of my work from the past summer. Click here to see the full site. Here's a few to whet your whistle:

From top to bottom are photographs from the weddings of Maggie and Chris in New Haven, Vt., in September, Alison and Dylan in West Newbury, Vt., in October, Kate and Welly in Little Compton, R.I., in August, Alison and Andy in Manchester, Vt., in June and Mima and Todd in Hartland in October.

Thinking Visual

2007-11-18T08:01:00.001-05:00

During the first half of 2007, I photographed countless pieces of fabric that Sonja Hakala shaped into quilts. The result is Teach Yourself VISUALLY Quilting, printed by Wiley Publishing in early November 2007. We came up with about 650 photographs for the book. Sonja did an amazing job, not only in writing the book and creating the pieces we photographed, but keeping keeping it all straight.

At left, Dori Galton's beautiful quilt finds a fitting place to be displayed at the Pomfret (Vt.) Town Hall. And one toothless model enjoys the comfort of a cozy quilt at right.

Vermont Weddings

2007-11-16T00:32:00.001-05:00

In October 2006, I was fortunate to be a part of Helen and Chris' wedding in Stowe, Vt. The wedding is featured in Vermont Magazine's Annual Wedding Guide. I enjoyed my time as their photographer and am happy to see the couple's wedding day highlighted in the publication.

The photograph at right was taken during our tour around town for formals — it was one of my favorites from the wedding season.