Mick Thompson Wins July Photo of the Month for Stunning Puffin Shots

**Lens (35 mm equivalent):** 1000 mm **| Exposure:** 1/12800 sec | **Aperture:** f/5.6 | **ISO:** 3200

Mick Thompson is the winner of the Eastside Audubon Photography Award for July, honored for his captivating images of tufted puffins captured off Smith Island near Anacortes. This marks Thompson’s second consecutive win, following his June award.

Thompson’s unique style emphasizes close, low-angle shots to highlight his subjects, minimizing the background. He is a longtime member of Eastside Audubon and donates all of his photos to nonprofit and educational organizations. Additionally, he serves as a judge for the National Audubon’s annual photo contest.

For the award-winning photos, Thompson and two friends rented a small charter boat from Anacortes for three hours. “Thankfully, the island is off-limits to visitors, but the waters around the island can have puffins fishing for themselves and their young,” he says. “We had good luck with the weather and with the puffins. They came close on multiple occasions.”

Thompson described the challenge of capturing sharp shots amid the movement of the boat and the birds. “The boat was small enough that we could get down low in the back to get eye-level shots. The challenge was getting sharp shots of the birds in a nice composition. This was because there was so much movement to compensate for. The boat was not only moving forward but was also bobbing up and down on the waves which were, fortunately, small that day. Then there was the movement of the puffins, who were usually swimming forward, and also bobbing up and down.”

Thompson highly recommends the Spirit of Orca charter company.

To achieve the shots, Thompson used a high ISO and wide-open aperture to maximize shutter speed on his OM-1 Mark II with the OM System 150-400 mm lens and a 1.25x built-in converter, providing up to the 35-millimeter equivalent of 1000 mm of reach.

The Eastside Audubon Photography Group July meeting was characterized by dozens of outstanding photographs presented by 15 attendees. Four members showcased photos recently shot in South America.

TO SEE MORE OF MICK’S WORK

For those interested in exploring more of Mick Thompson's photography, his Instagram page offers a collection of his work. His photos are also found across the Eastside Audubon website and communications.

Photo Details

All photos were shot with an Olympus OM System OM-1 Mark II camera with an Olympus M 150-400 mm lens and a 1.25x built-in converter.

**Lens (35 mm equivalent):** 1000 mm **| Exposure:** 1/1000 sec | **Aperture:** f/6.3 | **ISO:** 3200

**Lens (35 mm equivalent):** 1000 mm **| Exposure:** 1/8000 sec | **Aperture:** f/5.6 | **ISO:** 3200

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.