2001 Photo of the Year

e-mail: Chessie Johnson

Photograph: Bickering Gulls at Sunrise

Location: Brant Rock, MA USA

Date taken: January 13, 2002

Equipment used: Casio QV3000-ex

Web site: Chessie Online Photos

Field and Forest Gallery: Chessie Johnson Gallery

Comments: "I enjoy photographing herring gulls in their normal bickering and 'gullible' behavior. And, silhouetted against a brilliant sky, gulls turn just another 'seaside sunrise' into a treasured memory, filled with sounds of flapping wings & squawks."

Interview with Chessie Johnson

Field and Forest: How long have you been a photographer and what inspires your photography the most?

Chessie Johnson: I started taking photographs at age 20. For fun, I freelanced for magazines and later worked for NBC as videographer & editor for programming. I'm most inspired by the wildlife and landscapes close to home. Catching memories, keeping them close to my heart in photos for years to come, is my goal.

Field and Forest: How has your experience photographing seagulls affected your life?

Chessie Johnson: I'm now spending more time on the beach, in good weather and bad. Dawn and sunrise are my favorite times. Working with the seagulls, I've learned more about the ocean and its nuances, the tides, winds and other wildlife, than I would have in any other way. And I'm never alone -- 2 to 3 dozen gull friends join me immediately for my newest adventure.

Field and Forest: How did you get started photographing these birds?

Chessie Johnson: One day we were tossing bread to the gulls and I happened to point my digital at one of my favorites. When I saw the photo, I was stunned. The composition, their grace in flight, the delicate whites and grays accented by orange and red--my digital captured every twist and turn in flight, too fast for us to see.

Field and Forest: How long have you worked on this project and do you feel more passionate about this subject over others?

Chessie Johnson: I have been photographing seagulls for 1 1/2 years. My time with the gulls is filled with laughter by their antics, awe at their beauty and grace. And, just when I know there is not one more new photo of gulls that can be taken, I discover yet another series of seascapes featuring seagulls. I leave the beach and gulls eagerly awaiting our next time together.

Field and Forest: Some photographers would consider taking photos of seagulls to be on the level of photographing squirrels. What would you say to the critics?

Chessie Johnson: I have befriended squirrels and once spent a summer photographing a woodchuck. As an avid horse lover, I felt like a traitor at best. Squirrels and seagulls? Not so. It is a never-ending challenge to capture good composition in action shots, mid-flight, to perfect the depth of field at the correct shutter speed, interesting backgrounds, to choose the correct lighting for their delicate colors. Some days can be frustrating while others every photo is 'golden.' Photographing seagulls has improved all of my photography skills, especially my action shots.

Field and Forest: What are your feelings about seagulls in general?

Chessie Johnson: Seagulls are intelligent, personable, quarrelsome, eager to please, quick to learn and gullible at best. Each gull has a unique personality, a different pitched squawk. Some gulls -- everything they do is graceful. Other gulls are clowns. To capture the individuality of each gull is my goal.

Field and Forest: Have you learned anything interesting about seagulls you could share with us?

Chessie Johnson: Oh, where to begin? Like many animals, seagulls are sensitive to eye-to-eye contact. Often gulls view a camera lens as a possible predator's eye and will fly away. For some photos, I pretend I'm not looking at them and then quickly point the camera. It takes many hours to accustom the birds to the presence of me and my camera. I read seagulls have a gland in their forehead which converts the sea water they drink to fresh water. Watching gulls drink ocean water boggled my mind.

Once I touched a gull leg and expected the leg to feel something akin to a tough, rough chicken leg. Instead, the gull leg was warm, soft and felt like the foam ball used to exercise your hands at computers. Rudely, I once grabbed the tail feathers of a Brown Gull who was hogging the limelight. I felt the warmest, softest feathers I could have imagined -- softer than goose down. The gull squawked and I was left staring in amazement. Instead of taking photos, I wanted to hug a gull!

Gulls have one squawk for dog and a different squawk for cat. By their chatter, I know when other people walk onto the beach, or if a gull has found a seal or a fish. My favorite Catty gull soars high in the sky and squawks when he sees me--to be recognized and acknowledged feels nice. Of course, Catty is telling other gulls I might have treats... Catty and Mr. Ot find me first of all the gulls in our flock. Their eyesight and hearing is far better than ours.

Field and Forest: What are some of the difficulties you've had to confront since you began documenting these birds?

Chessie Johnson: Sitting on icy cold ocean rocks at dawn comes to mind. Slipping on piles of icy seaweed. Becoming too involved in a photo as the incoming tide surrounds me--wading back to shore can be daunting. I worked many cold hours last winter and early spring with my gulls. Thought I was home free for a long, fun summer full of photos. Not so. My gulls flew away mid-spring to nest up the river. When they returned, it took us a long time to become reacquainted again.

Field and Forest: Tell us about an interesting experience you've had photographing the gulls.

Chessie Johnson: Just recently I told one of my favorite gulls, The Old Man of the Sea, a fair exchange would be his seafood for my French bread. At my next visit, The Old Man flew up beside me and plopped down a huge crab (sans pinchers). The crab started to crawl away. The Old Man picked up the crab in his beak and threw it over onto its back. I was laughing so hard, with tears in my eyes I thanked Old Man. He shook his head, grabbed the crab and flew away. Sure, it was a coincidence, right? Or, was it?

One question everyone asks is about seagull poop. I've lived on the beach for 10 years and have only been pooped on once. It's a trade off -- I give them treats and the gulls don't poop on me. :)

Field and Forest: Your photos seem to reveal 'personalities' in individual birds. Do they exhibit distinct behavioral differences?

Chessie Johnson: A few of my favorite gulls specialize in jumping into the air. It's difficult to time a photo perfectly, but when everything comes together, the gull looks like an angel or a storybook character. The photos are unlike any others I've seen of gulls. A few of the shy females, who stay on the outer edges of the flock, will fly in a large circle for one treat, catching it in the air. I use these gulls for my best flying photos. It makes one wonder if the calories in one treat is equal to calories burned flying in a large circle? It has taken me ten years to befriend one Black-backed gull I named Sooner. The other black-backed gulls are interested in me now, but Sooner won't let them near me.

Field and Forest: What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year with your gull photography.

Chessie Johnson: I was photographing our gulls this afternoon. The sky, ocean, lighting and colors were fantastic. Several photos I took today are unlike any others to date. Next year, I'd like to work on a style I happened onto quite by accident. The sky was a pale pink, the ocean a baby blue, while the gull was photographed at a slow shutter speed. The photo could have been a watercolor. The gull appeared to be painted by a few brush strokes, more impressionistic than realistic.

Field and Forest: Lets talk about your winning photo entry, "Bickering Gulls at Sunrise". Did you notice that incredible ballet of gulls and open wings when you made this photo and how did you feel about it when you saw it for the first time?

Chessie Johnson: I saw it immediately and it took my breath away! My camera should have been on sequence. Three wonderful photos and I caught one. In all the photos I've taken of gulls, there has not been another like this one.

Field and Forest: What are your personal feelings today about this image? Is it your favorite?

Chessie Johnson: I might see this photo differently than others might see it. For me, I see evolution, the sunrise symbolizing the dawn of time. The common gull of today is still wild, not too far removed from its prehistoric ancestor. The left gull is like the more like the common photo of a gull, while the middle gull is the wild predator, and the right gull is a bit less frightening. Yes, Bickering Gulls at Sunrise is one of my favorites. The sunrise was vibrant, due to volcanic activity in Mexico last year. And, I haven't seen another opportunity for a gull photo like this one.

Field and Forest: What are your top three tips for shooting better nature photos?

Chessie Johnson: First, I'd say take advantage of bad weather. Photographs taken either before or after a storm have an edge. Second, always take your camera around wildlife. The one-in-a-lifetime photo will most likely happen when you don't have your camera. That being said, always be ready for the unexpected--be prepared with your most likely camera settings ready. Third, and probably most important: Think about your photos and know your subjects and landscape. If you take a good photo, it can be made better. Lighting changes throughout the day and seasons and weather, so try similar photos at different times.

Field and Forest: What are your top three tips for photographing seagulls?

Chessie Johnson: Learning which gull photos and weather conditions go together is important. Seagulls can soar in place on strong winds and then dive for fantastic composition in photos. I've learned there is always a good gull photo for any weather condition. Realizing what works and what doesn't is the first step.

# The sunlight that might seem best can burn out the delicate whites on gulls or leave their feathers yellow or dark. Experiment with more evenly lit days and sometimes use a flash. Perfect lighting makes perfect photos.

# Enjoy gulls. Know what gulls can do and how to entice them into repeating themselves. This takes patience, but it's far easier to learn bird photography on flying gulls than other flying birds.

Field and Forest: Anything else you'd like to say?

Chessie Johnson: I can't stress enough how much fun the seagulls are by themselves. Everytime, we come back laughing. My neighbors come to me with tales of humor--'You won't believe what those gulls did now!' I can believe it, because they make me laugh. Next year I will be moving to Maine. Leaving my gulls will be traumatic, but I'm hoping to find a flock of ravens. From what I've seen, ravens have many of the seagull qualities, and more.

Befriend a gull. Have fun. Seagulls are full of surprises!

Judge's Comments:

The Field and Forest Photo of the Year is chosen from the winning entries for the year and announced as soon as possible in the year following the regular bi-monthly contest year. All first, second and third place winners, along with all honorable mention awards, are automatically entered into the Field and Forest Photo of the Year competition. Chessie won a first place in Contest #1 - 2001 judged by Quentin Nardi of Outside Magazine. Chessie Johnson was formerly known as Norma Strouse.

This photo had strong competition but it remained a unanimous choice all the way through to that difficult decision between the last two photos. Interestingly the "runner up" (we don't have an award like that - but the choice did come down to two photos) was a photograph of a water dwelling bird. So it looks like the best spot to hang out last year for Field and Forest contest winners was at the beach.

Composition: The horizon elements in this image almost draw the horizontal rule of thirds composition for the viewer. The horizon line and the line of rocks at the beach dividing the image into three basic strata. But it is the arcing line of the gulls dissecting those imaginary lines which add interest to the overall composition. If you're unsure what we're talking about then imagine how the image would look if any one of the gulls were "removed" from the image. Without all of those gulls the image would fail compositionally. Remove all of the gulls and the image would still have good composition but it would lack compositional interest which is usually created by what we call photographic "entry points" which lead the viewer into the primary elements of an image.

Lighting/Color: It's difficult to beat the warm light of a sunrise or sunset when you're shooting photos. But in this photo it isn't just that beautiful golden sky which makes the lighting work to its benefit - but rather it is the warmth combined by the backlighting of the gulls. If this image was lighted from the front then we would miss that beautiful spray of warmth spreading across the wing tips of the birds and the gull at far right would begin to vanish into the dark rock behind. Notice that tiny splash of light hitting the tail feathers of the gull at far right. These are the kinds of things good light does to help take an image from being merely good to being outstanding.

Aesthetics: It is a beautiful image which evokes the gracefulness not only of the rise and fall of gull wings but the quiet roll of the ocean behind lighted by the warm effervescent sky at sunrise. In the background a lone bird floats on the water and adds an extra layer of information to the image and aesthetic intelligence to the scene. It is a moment of intense grace. You can almost hear the ocean and gulls when you view this photo.

Difficulty: We do not consider the difficulty of an image in the judging process unless there is no clear distinction between two images. Hence a beautiful image of a two wolves fighting on Alaskan tundra would win over an equally beautiful image of a butterfly on a flower taken in your backyard. This year's Photo of the Year was not chosen for its difficulty level because it was not necessary. The photo stood on other merits. However, it is fitting to say that they last three winners of the Field and Forest Photo of the Year competition were all a result of intense photography of a single subject or area. Our first winner spent a year photographing deer at a nearby park. Last year's winner has been documenting a single area near his home and this year Chessie won with one photo from one and a half years of gull photography at a beach near her home. In other words - each of these photographers went through a lot of 'difficulty" in obtaining that one winning image - if for no other reason than the sheer difficulty of repeated trips.

Creativity/Originality: Here's an interesting situation ... we see a lot of photos of seagulls, ducks, squirrels and butterflies at Field and Forest. In other words - photographs of seagulls are pretty common. But they seldom win. Chessie has done something unique and original with this subject through her repeated efforts to record the bird's natural beauty. The winning photo exhibits the best qualities of any great nature photo and rivals the best in originality as a result.