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Shawn Thomas Photography

@understudy77.bsky.social

2.4K followers 520 following 890 posts

Picture taker of nature and wildlife Lover of birds and pretty sights Clicker of links Leader of incidents Keeper of horrible hours Advocator of equality Practicer of kindness Preferrer of big forks/small spoons User of turn signals www.shawnthomas.art

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · May 19

Hey, I’m Shawn.
I take pictures of birds who ignore me and landscapes that don’t care i’m there.

Advocate for conservation, equality, and the correct use of turn signals (I’ll take any use really these days).

Liberal. Husband. Dad.

www.shawnthomas.art

#birds #wildlife #nature #photography

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 8h

Day 4 of my National Aviary portrait series. Might be my favorite image from the day, hard to beat this intensity.
#birds #pelican #birdportrait #wildlifephotography #nationalaviary #birdphotography

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 1d

Day three of my National Aviary bird portraits. The Southern Bald Ibis. A species I’ve never seen in the wild, and a rare chance to shoot a clean portrait like this at just 200mm.

#birds #ibis #wildlifephotography #birdportrait #birdphotography #nationalaviary

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 2d

New Blog: All about my trip to the @national aviary to celebrate my daughters 10th birthday:

blog.shawnthomas.art/national-avi...

#birds

A Trip to the National Aviary

The National Aviary turned out to be a perfect birthday gift for a kid obsessed with birds and a great excuse for me to do some portrait work I’d never get to try in the wild. From open habitats to co...

blog.shawnthomas.art

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 2d

Day two of National Aviary Bird Portrait Week. The Black-faced Ibis was a species I’d never seen in person. Getting to photograph birds like this up close was a real highlight.
#birds #blackfacediis #birdportrait #wildlifephotography #aviarybirds #birdwatching #nationalaviary

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 3d

Went to the Aviary for my kid’s 10th birthday and came home with a card full of portraits. Kicking off a weeklong feature with this crested coua, all style, all stare.
Blog coming tomorrow.
#birds #birdphotography #birdportrait #nationalaviary

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 4d

Big lens small frog. This is Scout. He guards the path.
#macro #wildlife #frog #treefrog #amphibian #nature #macrophotography #naturephotography

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 5d

Food time. It’s hard work pulling these out of the surf, and hard chasing these little guys while they do it. Early light, wet feet, almost a wet camera.
#birds #shorebirds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephoto #birdlovers #coastalbirds #naturelovers #beachlife

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 6d

Been sitting on this one since last fall. I love the clean diagonal line and how it splits the frame. Excited for the leaves to start turning again.
#birds #birdphotography #wildlife #naturephotography #mockingbird #autumncolors #wildlifephotography #closeup

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 7d

Don’t be afraid to shoot through things. A few leaves in front of the lens can add depth and a sense of place. It’s not always about a clean portrait.
#birds #owl #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #barredowl

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 8d

Eh while I love Nikon all the cameras these days are fantastic. It’s a mix of field technique, putting my body in uncomfortable positions, and a flair for post processing mostly lol. That said thank you so much for the very generous compliment. Happy to chat technique anytime :)

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 8d

I have a thing for glowing wings.
@nikonusa @nikonoutdoors
#birds #osprey #raptor #birdofprey #wildlifephotography #flightshot #bird_brilliance #raptorshots #birdlovers #naturephotography #birdsofnorthamerica

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 9d

The little warblers get so ridiculously fluffy in winter. I love it.
#birds #wildlife #warbler #nature #birdphotography

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 9d

Just published my field review of the Nikon 600mm f/4. Not a pixel-peeper dive, more about how it actually performs chasing birds in real light and weather. Link in comments. #birds #wildlifephotography #nikon

blog.shawnthomas.art/nikon-600mm-...

Review: The Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC

I love the Nikon 600mm f4, but the real question is do you need it? In this review we’ll look at real comparisons, the questions to ask yourself, and the tradeoffs that come with a sixteen thousand do...

blog.shawnthomas.art

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 10d

When I grow up I wanna be just like dad.
#birds #duckling #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birdphotography

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 11d

Silhouette and bokeh. Beach light just makes it easy.
#birds #wildlifephotography #beachphotography #silhouette #shorebird #backlight #sunsetshot #naturephotography #birdphotography

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 12d

Black Skimmer skimming at sunset. I like to darken the foreground and lift the background in shots like this to add depth and help the subject stand out. Simple move, big impact.
#birds #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #naturephotography #shorebirds #coastalbirds #waterbirds

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 13d

Tree frog macro and tried for the shine on this one. A little gloss goes a long way when the light is right, and the light is always right when you use a flash and diffuser.
#macro #frog #wildlifephotography #nature #closeup #outdoorphotography #macrophotography

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 14d

I don’t know how I skipped this one. Found it going back through old edits and immediately flagged it. That pop of blue in a sea of yellow is just so satisfying. Worth the second look. #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturelovers #photooftheday

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 15d

Used to think this frame was too blurry. Came back to it months later and realized it’s got so much motion and energy. Funny how tastes evolve.

#birds #birdphotography #baldEagle #naturephotography #wildlifephoto #wildlifephotographer #bestbirdshots #natgeo #animalplanet

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 16d

That’s awesome! It’s amazing what the iPhone can do these days. I never woulda guessed but you will be quite happy as you move into a big camera. More control is always nice :)

Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 16d

The next trick is use a linear mask just up from the bottom a little and darken it slightly. It’ll pull you into the image more :)

Always happy to support a fellow birder too!

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 16d

See I love that pano crop. It just works especially on kind of busy scenes like this. Well done :)

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Reposted by Shawn Thomas Photography

Kelsey Lagunas @kelseyelagunas.bsky.social · 16d

Blue Jay snags an acorn at the saltwater marsh #birds

Blue jay slightly crouched in position to down another acorn

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 16d

Just playing with light here. I wanted to see how much glow I could pull out of the heron without blowing the shot. Low key and backlit for a whole different vibe.
#birds #heron #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #naturelovers #birding

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Shawn Thomas Photography @understudy77.bsky.social · 16d

Well go ahead and post it I wanna see :)

And yeah I’ve been finding this style to be more and more fitting lately.