Don’t Chirp at Me, Mate!

When your co-star has claws, attitude, and absolutely no intention of behaving!

Model: @macwillow on Instagram

This is one of those images that was never planned, but came out great! The whole shoot was organised by Harriet SFX around a Viking theme, and we had four models rotating through a forested location along with a selection of birds of prey. Which already sounds like a lot to juggle, and it was, but in the best possible way.

Mark is one of those people who just gets it. You do not have to coax anything out of him. He steps straight into character and then pushes it further than you expect. Add in the fact that he pulls some very expressive faces and suddenly you have a setup where anything could happen, and usually does.

This particular moment came from what can only be described as a full blown (fun) argument between Mark and the bird. I am fairly sure the bird had opinions. Mark definitely had opinions. And they were both quite vocal about it. Trying to shoot while laughing is not ideal from a technical standpoint, but sometimes you just have to accept that you are not going to be a perfectly composed professional in that moment. You are going to be slightly hunched over, trying to hold the camera steady while your brain is going “please do not ruin this shot by shaking”.

For context, the bird looks to be a Harris hawk, which would make sense given the setting and the handling style. They are known for being quite interactive and responsive, which absolutely tracks with what we were seeing. The team from A R D Birds of Prey in Roliston were on hand the entire time, making sure the birds were comfortable and not being pushed beyond what they were happy with. That makes a huge difference because it means you can focus on the image without worrying about whether the animal is being stressed.

From a photography perspective, this is very much about timing and framing. You cannot direct a moment like this. You have to be ready for it. The composition is intentionally tight, keeping both faces close enough that the interaction becomes the entire story. The background is soft and unobtrusive, which helps isolate the subjects and stops the forest from becoming visually noisy.

Lighting is natural and fairly even, which works in your favour here. You want the detail in both the human subject and the bird to come through clearly. The textures in Mark’s beard, the markings on his face, the feathers of the hawk… they all add to the richness of the image without needing heavy manipulation.

Colour-wise, I kept things grounded. There is a temptation with themed shoots to push everything into a very stylised grade, but this one works because it feels believable. The tones are slightly warmed, which suits the woodland setting and the Viking aesthetic, but not so far that it loses its natural feel.

What I like most about this image is that it has personality. It is not just a portrait of a Viking with a bird. It is a moment between two characters who both seem equally unimpressed with each other. There is humour in it, but also a sense of presence. It feels alive, which is not always easy to achieve in a posed environment.

Also, for the record, I still do not know who won the argument!

Inspiration
I went into this shoot with a very open mindset and let the interactions between the models, the setting, and the animals guide what I captured rather than trying to impose a fixed idea.

Want to see more photos like this?
👉 Check out my Fantasy portfolio

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Curious how I approach shoots like this?
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Summary
A Viking fantasy portrait capturing a spontaneous and character-driven interaction between model and bird of prey in a natural woodland setting.