I chose an image titled “Young Short-eared Owl, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts” photographed by ornithologist Herbert Keightley Job (1864-1933). 

Herbert Keightley Job was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and went on to claim the titles of minister, lecturer, author, pioneer wildlife photographer, and ornithologist during his lifetime. He served many roles as an ornithologist, including being the State Ornithologist of Connecticut from 1908 to 1914, and being a member of the Connecticut Agricultural College, which is today known as the University of Connecticut Storrs from 1914 to 1924. He fulfilled several different roles after the aforementioned, as well as photographing the collection of photos my object is included in, titled, “Early Ornithology Lantern Slides,” before his passing in 1933. 

The type of bird shown in my image is a Short-Eared Owl, as can be deduced from the title of the photograph. The owl in this photograph in particular appears to be in the early stages of life and was possibly startled by Job as he took the picture.  

There are a couple of reasons why I chose this object in particular. There were plenty of options amongst the birds showed and portrayed in the many photographs and drawings included in Job’s collection. I chose this image for one because it was taken in Massachusetts which happens to be my home state. The title immediately drew me in, as I have lived in Worcester, Massachusetts my entire life and have never seen a bird like that. The second reason I chose this object is that the bird itself terrified me. I realize that this sounds dramatic, I wasn’t shivering with fear when I first viewed it, but I was most definitely unsettled enough to burst out laughing in an attempt to place my feelings somewhere that made sense to me. The bird’s eyes were just so beady and it’s pupils were so defined by the yellow irises that I felt as though the bird were staring into my soul. This is why I felt I had to transform the object.  

The object itself was already transformed in my mind per se upon first viewing it, into the feelings that overwhelmed me. I make music whenever I feel something or view something or do something that doesn’t really have a comfortable place in my subconscious. For instance, if I want to be friends with someone who hates me, I write a song about it. If I hurt someone and never have a chance to apologize, I make a song. If I view my parents fighting as a small child, I write a song about it. If I’m terrified by a tiny bird whose piercing stare just seems to be unforgettable, I make a song. I transform my feelings and therefore the catalyst of those feelings, into something I can work with. Thus I chose to transform this object because it made me so uncomfortable. But that isn’t to say that I think it’s an awful image or anything like that. I believe that all the creatures God gave us on this planet are beautiful and deserve appreciation, which is why I made sure not to bash the bird in my song. I acknowledge that the bird makes me uncomfortable, but that I still sit confused by how beautifully disturbing it is. I hope that others are able to appreciate this picture in its entirety and, if they find themselves to be disturbed, are able to find a sense of reprieve in my song.