Antique Aviary

As a very young girl my fondest memory was sitting on my grandmother’s porch while she showed me tintypes of my great grandmother and other loved ones. Holding these tintypes in my hand and gazing into the eyes of my ancestors while hearing stories of my grandmother’s childhood was an experience I hold dear to my heart. Those tintypes were my first exposure to the art of photography. My series Antique Aviary is a melding of my lifelong passion for birds, my wildlife photography and my deep appreciation of the tintype aesthetic.

The earth’s climate is changing at an unprecedented rate affecting the avian population around the globe. Unfortunately, birds react to environmental cues that trigger their biological clocks. Amounts of light and degrees in temperature are prime signals for avian migration and reproductive performance. Bird species will begin nesting as increases in temperatures dictate and offspring will hatch into a seasonal variation which contains life-threatening precipitation causing avian mortality rates to climb. The American Bird Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation are alarmed that migrating avian populations following varying climate signals become out of sync with the availability of food sources such as insects and flowers. These adverse impacts put many species in danger of future extinction. Personally, I feel a deep desire to document and celebrate the beauty of avian wildlife while faithfully attempting to heighten awareness concerning the need to protect and preserve these majestic creatures.