GOOGLE BUYS WOMAN'S PERFECTLY TIMED PHOTO OF A SEAGULL EATING A FRY FOR CAMPAIGN
Being in the right place at the right time is not something you can plan for. Especially not when something unexpected happens. However, some of the most memorable one-of-a-kind photos are because of just that...
In 2011 Hannah Huxford got her "right time right place" moment when she was visiting the English seaside town of Bridlington. You see, her husband had just bought a bag of hot fries. Enter the protagonist in this tale.
While eating their fries, they couldn't stop noticing a seagull eyeing their fries. "I started taking photographs [with an iPhone 3] of the seagull as my husband threw the chips (fries) at him," said Huxford.
One image stood out among all the others. Huxford caught the exact moment the fry landed in the seagull's mouth, right before their feathery friend was about to close it. Soon, the image went viral on social media and was even featured by the BBC.
Just when she thought social media had moved on from the incredible image, Huxford received a curious DM on Instagram after she reposted the pic. "I got a private message from a lady who was part of a creative company. At the time, it was from a private account, so I ignored it."
The woman, however, did not stop there. "She tracked me down through one of my blogs which had my email on it."
The woman told Huxford that she worked for a design firm in London and that the company would like to license the image for one of their billboard campaigns. Huxford agreed with the woman, and soon she was signing "a load of confidentiality agreements."
It wasn't long until she started seeing her photograph used in advertising campaigns for Google across England and Ireland. The image will also be featured for 12 months online.
Spotting several billboards, Huxford and her husband snapped some photos of the advertisements with her picture on display. "Seeing my photograph on a billboard was absolutely mind-blowing."
"I am a creative person, and it will now inspire me to keep going with my photography. I hope it will inspire others in the art and the photographic world, and the creatives just keep going. You never know who's going to spot you. You never know when you're going to have that big chance."