Gary Luhm and Jay Galvin Are the Latest Photographers of the Month

Long-time Eastside Audubon Photography Group members Gary Luhm and Jay Galvin are the latest Photographers of the Month award winners.

Harlequin Duck by Gary Luhm
**Photo details:** All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:
Lens 100-400 mm | 1/2,000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

Gary Luhm, a long-time member of the Eastside Audubon photography group, was again named in November the Photographer of the Month for a shot of a Harlequin duck taking off.
Luhm, an expert kayaker, shot the image from a kayak on Chuckanut Bay south of Bellingham.

“Harlequin Duck are frequently found there, and on this day, I captured several portraits of both males and females”, he said.

“I hadn't captured a flight shot of a Harlequin Duck in many years. Pushing the bird to fly is unethical, and unwise as well because they will fly away from you and you rarely get another chance,” he added.

“In this case, I was crouched low in the kayak and got some portraits, but some approaching kayakers drove the bird toward me because they were likely oblivious to the bird. I stayed still and crouched low, and this male Harlequin chose to fly right past my side to ‘safer’ waters. I was very pleased that the camera's bird-eye focus stuck with the bird as it launched. “

To see more of Gary's work, including dozens of photos and kayak tips, go to his website at www.garyluhm.net

Harlequin Duck Taking Off by Gary Luhm
**Photo details:** All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:
Lens 100-400 mm | 1/2,000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

Jay Galvin is the December Photographer of the Month

Coot by Jay Galvin
**Photo details:** Canon 5D Mark IV | Tamron 150-600 mm lens | 1 /640 of a second at f/9 | ISO 800

Jay Galvin, a talented, long-time member of the Eastside Audubon Society photography group, was selected as the Photographer of the Month in December for his series of photos of Coots he shot in the Auburn area.

“The North side of the pond is bordered by huge Cottonwood trees which make for a beautiful background in the fall,” he said.

“This pond attracts many species of waterfowl in the fall and winter including cormorants, common mergansers, widgeon, blue herons, cackling geese, kingfishers, and shore birds,” he added.

Jay also won the award in July for a series of Virginia Rail photos. More of Jay’s work is available on Facebook.

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.