Photography Club
The Eastside Audubon Photography Group brings together bird photography enthusiasts from all over Western Washington. Join us for our monthly virtual meetings to share photos, tips, and techniques on the second Thursday of the month at 7pm.
Want to Join Us?
Our meetings are open to everyone. You can be an experienced photographer, a beginner, or someone who loves bird photos. Our monthly Zoom meetings are the perfect place for you.
Our group includes both beginners and experts. We all love nature photography. Often, the stories behind our photos matter more than the photos themselves.
Stay Updated
Sign up for our mailing list to know about our meetings. Want more details? Contact Leah Turner, our group leader. We’d love to see you at our next meeting!
As a special offer during the holiday season, Eastside Audubon sent out 10 Eastside Audubon cards featuring images by Mick Thompson, Don and Margaret Larkin, and Leah Turner. It was a wonderful way to share the love of birds with friends and family.
Learn about the photographers below.
Don and Margaret Larkin
Don and Margaret Larkin are a husband and wife team who enjoy wildlife and landscape photography. They have both been featured in NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association) and contributed images to the Eastside Audubon’s Photo of the Month. They hope that nature photography can inspire people to cherish and preserve the beauty of wildlife and wild places.
Mick Thompson
Mick Thompson is a bird photographer philanthropist. He has donated the use of his photos to Eastside Audubon for the website, social media, and newsletters. His photos are also used by National Audubon Society and other chapters, BirdNote, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Department, and many others. He spends his year between Seattle and Tucson, Arizona.
Leah Turner
A lifelong birdwatcher, she discovered her passion for bird photography a few years ago and now serves as President of Eastside Audubon’s Photography Club. Leah enjoys traveling the world to photograph unique bird species, and her images have been featured in the Seattle Times, NPR’s BirdNote, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International, Wild Birds Unlimited’s BirdSpotter, and more.
Field Trips
Sometimes, we organize specific bird photography field trips. To find out when, check our calendar for upcoming trips and events.
Our regular bird walks and field trips are also a great way to practice bird photography, joining a group of experts that can help with spotting and identification of birds!
Photo of the Month
The Photo of the Month Award is usually awarded monthly to a Photography Group participant for photography excellence, especially hard-to-find birds. See examples of previous winners.
Leah Turner is the latest winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for her photograph of a Victoria’s Riflebird taken in the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland, Australia.
Three photographers—Margaret Larkin, Dorothy Sowell, and Morgan Sidoine—share the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for October, each recognized for outstanding images capturing distinctive bird species in striking moments.
Kyle Callahan is the September winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for his photograph of an American White Pelican taken at the Baylands Preserve near Palo Alto, California.
Joe Siebert is the August winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for his photograph of a Hudsonian Godwit captured during a birding trip to Manitoba, Canada.
Nancy Tom is the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for July, recognized for her dramatic image of a Rufous Hummingbird feeding a fledgling in her backyard.
Dorothy Sowell is the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for June for her photo of an Evening Grosbeak, captured near her home in Issaquah.
Mike Hoefgen has earned the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor for May for his image of a mother Rufous Hummingbird feeding her young at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. This is Mike’s second time winning the award.
Jesse Gaulin is the Eastside Audubon Photo Group’s latest Photographer of the Month for his image of a Varied Thrush taken at Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland. This marks Jesse’s first time receiving the monthly recognition.
Leah Turner has been named the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for March, recognized for her stunning image of a Great Gray Owl taken at the Sax-Zim Bog in Northern Minnesota.
Mike Hoefgen has been named the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for February, recognized for his striking image of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Juanita Bay Park.
The January 2025 Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month honor goes to Cyndy Eng for her striking photograph of an American Crow against a vibrant rainbow backdrop.
Mick Thompson was named the Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month for his innovative Broad-billed Hummingbird video, shot in Arizona. This marks Thompson's fifth win and is the first time a video has claimed the honor.
The Eastside Audubon Society named Don Larkin and Jeff Lane as the November winners for their remarkable wildlife photographs.
The Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for October was presented to four photographers—Mick Thompson, Michael Hoefgen, Sam Wilder, and Amanda Buse.
Leah Turner and Mick Thompson were named co-winners of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for September. Leah won for her shots of elusive Common Loons at Semiahmoo Spit, south of Vancouver, B.C., while Mick earned recognition for his photos of long-eared owls taken at Boundary Bay in British Columbia.
Leah Turner has once again claimed the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for August, marking her fifth win. Leah's winning photograph features the uncommon Williamson's Sapsucker, a bird seldom seen in Washington State.
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.
Mick Thompson is the Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month for June. His award-winning photos capture a swallow in flight at Marymoor Park.
Jim Avery won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for May with his captivating shot of a Wilson’s Warbler.
Gary Luhm won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor in April for his photos of a Pileated Woodpecker. This marks his fourth time receiving this accolade.
Kyle Callahan was the winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month contest in March for a stunning series of photos he shot of a flock of snow geese taking off.
Don Larkin was honored with the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month for a captivating action shot of a Belted Kingfisher diving at the Edmonds Marina.
First-time presenter Holly Hauser won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month Award in January for a series of shots that capture the mating ritual of Clark’s Grebe.
Leah Turner won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor in December for a series of hummingbird photos.
Liliana Aguila won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor for a series of shots of a short-eared owl she photographed at Marymoor Park in early November.
Gary Luhm won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor in October for his photos of Green Herons shot along the Sammamish River in Kenmore.
Leah Turner won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor in September for her photos of Greater Yellowlegs shot at the Redmond Retention Pond.
Leah Turner won the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor in August for her photos of puffins shot near Smith Island in the Salish Sea. This was the second time Leah has won the award.
Margaret Larkin won the Photograph of the Month in July for her shots of a Calliope Hummingbird that she shot during a recent trip to the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Leah Turner and Jim Avery were the co-winners of the Eastside Audubon Photograph of the Month award in May. Amanda Buse was the winner of the June Photo of the Month contest for her stunning photos of Eagles.
Phone Apps
Birding Photographers
Photography Tips
A telephoto lens is essential (300 mm to 600 mm).
Research bird habits and habitats for better shots.
Use a fast shutter speed: 1/1000s or faster to freeze motion and get sharper images.
High ISO helps compensate for fast shutter speeds.
Use continuous focus for moving subjects.
Try to focus on the eyes (Mirrorless cameras excel at this).
Shoot in RAW: This gives you more flexibility during post-processing.
Get eye level for simple backgrounds and bring more focus to the bird.
