Heather Smith, Shoulder Buddy (PEOPLE 2026)

Web:

www.sunsetsandflowers.com

He'd wanted a bird that would sit on his shoulder for as long as I could remember. Not a cage bird. Not a bird that tolerated people from a distance. A proper shoulder buddy, the kind that just parks itself there and stays. When Chicken Nugget arrived, that was the first order of business. I'd been playing around with studio lighting setup and he wandered in with the cockatiel already in position, completely unbothered, like this was just a normal Tuesday. The black background, the dramatic light, that expression that's somewhere between proud and trying not to look too pleased about it. Chicken Nugget, for the record, looked equally composed. I didn't have to direct either of them. They were ready before I was.

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