Mick Thompson Wins Eastside Audubon Photo Award for June
Lens (35 mm equivalent): 513 mm | Exposure: 1/6400 sec | Aperture: f/8 | ISO: 6400
Mick Thompson is the Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month for June. His award-winning photos capture a swallow in flight at Marymoor Park. Thompson, a long-time member of Eastside Audubon, is renowned for his significant photography contributions to the organization's website and his work with Bird Note. He is also a judge for the National Audubon’s annual photo contest.
In recent months, Thompson has dedicated himself to mastering the challenging art of photographing birds in flight. "Birds in flight are a special challenge because it's so hard to initially get them in your viewfinder, and then it's super hard to get sharp shots because the birds are moving so quickly while you are also moving your camera," he says.
Lens (35 mm equivalent): 601 mm | Exposure: 1/4000 sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 3200
PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT
Thompson shared some technical advice that has been crucial to his success. "You need to use very fast shutter speeds, 1/3000 to 1/5000 per second, with the aperture wide open," he says. "This usually requires a very high ISO so exposing to the right is important, letting in as much light as possible without blowing out the highlights," he adds. "My default ISO for birds in flight is 3200."
New camera technologies have also played a vital role in improving his results. "It's very helpful to get in as much practice as possible, so going to a park with gulls or any flying birds is a good idea," he says.
"I'm finding the trick to getting them in the viewfinder is to point to a spot slightly ahead of the flying bird and let it fly into your view," he explains. "If I point my camera right at the bird, by the time I put the camera up to my eye, the bird is gone."
EMBRACING NEW CAMERA TECHNOLOGIES
Lens (35 mm equivalent): 561 mm | Exposure: 1/5000 sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 3200
Thompson's current camera, the Olympus OM-1 Mark II, features advanced AI Subject Detection Autofocus. "The new cameras have AI Subject Detection Autofocus," he says. "They are smart enough to recognize a bird and will attempt to automatically focus on it. Even then, the percentage of sharp shots is very small. So patience and persistence are the key," he says.
He also emphasized the importance of a fast frame rate as he typically shoots at 50 frames per second.
Thompson's photography style is characterized by both artistic flair and technical excellence. He is self-taught and began his journey into bird photography in 1986. However, it wasn't until about 12 years ago that he started to invest significant time into this passion.
TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK
For those interested in exploring more of Mick Thompson's photography, his Instagram page offers a collection of his work.
Photo Details
All photos were shot with an Olympus OM System OM-1 Mark II camera with an Olympus M 150-400 mm lens.
About the Eastside Audubon Photograph of the Month Award
The Photo of the Month award was instituted to recognize the work of the Photo Group Members. The group members meet monthly to show their latest photos and videos as well as share their knowledge of photography and wildlife. To attend the meetings, please join the group’s announcement list.