Canon Elan IIe, tripod
Canon 75-300 at 95mm
Fuji Provia 100
Exposure unrecorded
Cooperation
seagull sunrise

Animals are notorious for not cooperating with the photographer. If you've never actually tried it, you may not realize how hard it is to make a decent, even semi-artistic composition that involves wildlife in some way. The details of the scene or location may lend itself to placing an animal in a particular point and position, but waiting for it to happen can take loads of patience, and repeated attempts. Especially in conditions like this, where the sun would get too high and too bright in a matter of minutes.

For this photo, patience and luck won out. The birds were all over the place this morning, but mostly crossing the frame. Abruptly I was provided with the opportunity to catch a bird in a position that emphasized the depth of the photo, very dynamic with wings raised slightly and feet extended back, placed well in the frame and aimed right at the sun — kind of a euphemism, in a way. My wait while staring through the viewfinder had paid off. You can't set these up, you can only be ready when they happen...