Looking Into the Coop

When a Chicken, a Car Window, and Ansel Adams Remind Us to Actually Pay Attention

There’s something unexpectedly profound about a chicken sticking its head out a window.

Feathers slightly ruffled. Eyes wide. Beak catching the breeze like it just discovered freedom for the first time.

And then there’s the quote from Ansel Adams:

“A photograph is usually looked at — seldom looked into.”

Now let’s be honest — when you first saw the chicken photo, you probably laughed. I did. It’s ridiculous. It’s light. It’s the kind of thing that makes you stop scrolling for half a second.

But here’s the twist.

If we actually look into it — really pause — there’s something more happening. The detail in the feathers. The curiosity in the eye. The wind shaping the moment. It’s not just a farm bird catching air. It’s motion. It’s perspective. It’s a reminder that even the most ordinary scene has layers if we’re willing to lean in.

We scroll past thousands of images a week. Most we “look at.” Very few we “look into.”

Sometimes it takes a chicken hanging out a window to remind us to slow down.

To notice texture.
To notice light.
To notice story.

And maybe that’s the whole point.

Not every deep thought has to come from a mountain vista or black-and-white masterpiece. Sometimes wisdom shows up with feathers flapping in the breeze.

Look closer.

There’s always more there than we think.