Seagull Chase

I've gone to Block Island with my dad for about a week every summer for the past 10 years at least. I always use this commitment-free opportunity to improve my photography and develop new perspectives on familiar subjects. This past summer, I devoted some of my efforts to sunsets, which rarely disappoint on Block Island. One evening while I was down on the beach, I encountered a seagull in the surf, and immediately envisioned this shot. But I had to work for it: I chased this poor juvenile back and forth for half-an-hour, trying to simultaneously keep the camera level, keep the bird framed with the sky, and run, all while trying to predict the direction the bird would flee and periodically adjusting the camera's settings as night closed in. So by the time I got this shot, neither I nor the seagull were anywhere near as calm as this photo appears.