‘A lovely opportunity to capture a funny moment’: Lorraine Poole’s best phone picture

<span>The Greedy Gull, 2021, shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.</span><span>Photograph: Lorraine Poole</span>
The Greedy Gull, 2021, shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.Photograph: Lorraine Poole

Photographer Lorraine Poole spotted the errant seagull before her dad did, busy as he was with his fish and chips. Poole, who is based in Scotland, was enjoying a seaside holiday in South Ayrshire with her parents when she noticed the bird peering down through her sunroof. She grabbed her phone, before alerting her dad to his meal’s admirer and recording his reaction.

“It was a lovely opportunity to capture a funny moment and my dad’s expression as it happened,” Poole says. “Later, I added a tiny bit of contrast and brightening but that was it; what you see here is what I saw in the moment.”

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Bill was 88 at the time. Poole paints the picture of a lifelong fisher and an engaging conversationalist. “He does have a lot of stories to tell! He also always dresses very smartly when out and about; I think it’s a generational thing,” she says. He’ll celebrate his 92nd birthday later this year, and since this photograph was taken, Bill and his wife have moved from Dorset to Girvan, where this was shot. Poole and her sister live close by and visit regularly.

“It means we all get to enjoy the seafront of this wonderful Scottish town every day. No more close encounters with gulls yet, though,” she adds.