Rainy day gull shot wins September photo contest

Joe Viola didn't think one of his bird photos was good enough for the Forest Preserve District’s photo contest, but his wife wisely nudged him to enter it.

The photo of the ring-billed gull in the rain at Whalon Lake Preserve in Naperville won September’s portion of the Preserve the Moment photo contest, which runs through December.

“There are a lot of really good photographers out on the trails, and I’m honored to have my shot chosen as the winner,” Viola said after being notified that he had the contest’s top picture for the second time this year. Viola also won in February with an eagle photo.

The Shorewood resident, who said he always keeps his camera nearby, was shopping with his wife, Noelle, in Naperville on a Sunday afternoon in September when they stopped at the preserve to watch the birds and other “critters” in the rain. 

“There were just a few cormorants and gulls hanging out by the boat ramp,” he said. “I got out, took a few shots of the gulls on the sticks and I didn’t think any of the shots would turn out that good in the rain. It’s difficult to focus on the subject through the rain so I wasn’t really expecting anything good.”

But when he got home, he said he was shocked to see some good pictures.

“My wife pushed me to submit this shot in the contest. I go through my shots for the month and pick 10 or so that I like and she helps narrow it down to five.”

Forest Preserve contest judges said they enjoyed the photo’s “vibe” and how the photographer made an ordinary bird feel cinematic.

“The rain. The gull’s expression. The moody colors. There’s something about this bird’s pose that feels so confident, like it knows it looks cool,” one judge noted.

Another judge said the beauty in the starkness of the photo stood out.

“It captured something that would be such an inconvenience to us — standing in the rain — but it was no bother to the gull. It was a nice reminder that as much as we admire and appreciate the wildlife we see every day, they live very different lives than we do.”

Honorable mentions were awarded to:

• Mark Hanna for a dappled fawn at O’Hara Woods Preserve.
  
• Laurie Lasseter for a turtle trudging along at Lockport-Prairie Nature Preserve.
  
• Bertrand Leclercq for a busy bee on an aster at Riverview-Farmstead Preserve.
  

Contest continues

Monthly winners from February through December will advance to the final round, where they will compete for likes on Facebook in January 2027 to determine first, second and third place overall.

Each monthly photo contest winner will receive a $75 gift card. Overall winners will receive Mastercard gift cards worth $500 for first place, $250 for second place and $150 for third place. At the end of the contest, three participants will be randomly selected to each receive a $75 Mastercard gift card.

The contest is made possible through the support of The Nature Foundation of Will County.

Participants are encouraged to read the rules before entering.

All photos must be taken in a Will County forest preserve. If you are not sure which location is a forest preserve, check out the Interactive Map, which shows all Forest Preserve District locations.