TOLONO, Ill. (WCIA) — In Our Town Tolono, there’s a unique group of chickens and ducks living a different lifestyle than most. They have spent a lot of time in front of a camera in the last six to seven years.
Shawn Carlson has about 80 chickens and 14 ducks running around her backyard.
“I’ll go out, get an idea for a photoshoot, and then I’ll walk out and say…’okay, who will fit this idea I have in my head?'” Carlson explained.
She has always been a natural around animals, after dressing them up for 4H costume contests as a kid.
So, when Carlson’s friend gifted her little hats for the chickens, her “Dapper Doodle Doos and Ducks” photography business took off.
“Started looking around for what else I could put on my chickens,” Carlson said.
About seven years later, she now also uses old children’s clothing, American Girl doll props and other fun accessories.
“I love making people smile and laugh about it,” she described.
Each photo shoot is a little different depending on the chicken’s personality.
“I have some chickens that are called ‘Polish,'” she said. “They have big feathers on their heads.”
To Carlson, they look like rock stars!
Then, the cute and fun poses turn into artwork like cards, magnets, and other types of prints.
It’s not always easy, and she knows working in this industry comes with a fair share of challenges. But at the end of the day, Carlson said it’s rewarding for both her and the chickens.
“It’s a lot of fun to put it all together and see what happens,” Carlson said with a laugh.
It doesn’t stop at just chicken photography, she also gives eggs to teachers at area schools. Each egg is a little different from each other, and classes watch them hatch into a diverse group of chicks.
If you want to support her business, Carlson has a lot of her artwork at area markets. She also sells magnets, photos, cards and other work on her Etsy page.
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