BRENDAN BURDEN

Fancy Pigeons

Fancy Pigeons

This project is ongoing
2019 - /
To most, pigeons are ubiquitous urban pests. They’re something one rarely delights in or takes pleasure in seeing. But this hasn’t always been so—it could actually be the love of pigeons that has made them such a common, mundane part of our landscape. Humans have been domesticating pigeons for at least 10,000 years, and the pigeon was likely the first domesticated bird. Fancy pigeons, kept primarily for their beauty, have been around almost as long, and were depicted on Egyptian tomb hieroglyphs.

In this series, Brendan Burden explores the unexpected and often under-appreciated beauty of the lowly pigeon. Through the use of formal portrait techniques, the pigeon is presented with an esteem normally reserved for less humble subjects. This unconventional contrast provides a new perspective on something many people see every day and give little consideration to.  

-Shortlisted for The Royal Photographic Society IPA 163
-Merit Award INT’L Paperworks 2023
-featured in Colossal August 2023
-featured in Imagine5 2023

Black Modena Bronze Shield

Black Modena Bronze Shield

Crested Pigeon

Crested Pigeon

Ring Necked Dove

Ring Necked Dove

Indian Fantail

Indian Fantail

Domestic Flight

Domestic Flight

Lavender Racing Homer

Lavender Racing Homer

Copper Black Wing Archangel

Copper Black Wing Archangel

Egyptian Swift

Egyptian Swift

Racing Pigeon

Racing Pigeon

Ash Red Homing Pigeon

Ash Red Homing Pigeon

Diamond Dove

Diamond Dove

Crested Pigeon II

Crested Pigeon II

English Long Faced Tumbler

English Long Faced Tumbler

Yellow Komorner Tumbler II

Yellow Komorner Tumbler II

Baldhead Roller

Baldhead Roller

Yellow Komorner Tumbler

Yellow Komorner Tumbler