“Leading Flight”

Location: Pacific City, Oregon (2021)

Seagulls take flight during the last light on a late winter afternoon in Pacific City, Oregon.

I was hoping for the sun to break free through the fast-moving clouds that rolled overhead. The clouds were constantly changing their shape. Like the waves breaking onto the beach the sky would change in the span of a minute. The wind was blustery – I could feel it pressing against me like the firmness of a father’s gentle touch.

As I waited in vain for the sun to appear, seagulls to my left started to take flight. As they began to appear through my camera’s viewfinder, I quickly adjusted my camera settings in order to freeze their moment.

Just as quickly as the changing clouds and the breaking surf, the seagulls were gone. Off to their final roosting place for the evening.