Shawn Thomas Photography

Thank you!

Juvenile bald eagle on a dead snag over the marsh. Blackwater NWR. #birds #baldeagle #wildlifephotography #raptor

White pelican and pilings. Blackwater NWR, January 2025. #birds #pelican #wildlifephotography #minimalism

Short-eared owl working the marsh at Blackwater NWR. January 2025. #birds #shortearedowl #wildlifephotography #owl

Something special about that glow though. Nothing like the sunrises on a marsh. #birds #wildlife #photography #owls

Coming in for a landing #birds #eagles #photography #wildlife

How do you even respond to this? Also it's not just me right this is like a really rude thing to do?

Any insight from other folks who have had this happen would be appreciated, names removed because I'm not out to attack anyone or anything, just honestly shocked.

#photography

I spent the last 3 days out in the marshes of the eastern shore watching short eared owls, I trip I postponed last year but wasn't willing to miss again. #birds #owls #marsh #photography #wildlife

My first craft fair. Wish me luck :)

I spent a long time trying to figure out why I like this image so much. It took me painting lines on it to figure it out. Movement, tension to release, every bit of clutter and branches all flow to the same open spot. Y'all ever take an image you love and have no idea why? #birds

Challenge Accepted: A Month with OM System's Flagship Gear OM System saw my daughter's work, noticed I shoot Nikon, and sent me their flagship gear for a month. No sponsorship, just honest feedback. Could their best keep up with how I actually shoot? Challenge accepted.

New Blog out now:
OM System saw my daughter's work, noticed I shoot Nikon, and sent me their flagship gear for a month to see what I could do with it.
Challenge accepted. #birds

Different things for different folks. I loved trying the system it’s an excellent bit of kit, my daughter shoots it daily, the company was fantastic to work with. I could happily shoot with it, if they added a simulated electronic shutter sound :P

It’s a great camera, but the way I shoot, and where, I can’t zoom with my feet, so cropping and the deeper focal range for bokeh are very important to me. Plus high iso performance while maintaining DR. Again no real complaints it was great to use, I’m not ready to switch though. I’ll lug 10 lbs.

I also have to remember I’m on Bluesky. My thesis for this is much longer on instagram where I have character count lol :P

I get where you’re coming from. I think today with a super light pf lenses it’s a harder sell. But more than that, for me, I haven’t found my massive lens to hold me back at all, I still shoot handheld, I still move constantly, and full frame characteristics are very much my style.

Looking back on my month with OM's flagship. Fantastic camera, incredible tech, held back by a small sensor. Would I recommend it? My daughter wouldn't use anything else. That tells you everything.
#omsystem #birds #bnw #wildlifephotography #birdphotography

Bald eagle, backlit through branches. A week of testing OM's flagship gear against how I actually shoot, handheld, reactive, tricky light. It kept up. Challenge met. More than that I had fun testing it. #omsystem #birds #baldeagle #wildlifephotography #birdphotography

Smaller sensor, fewer megapixels. Can't crop as much, so I had to compose instead. Pushed me into environmental shots I wouldn't normally take. Stretched me as a photographer.
#omsystem #birds #wildlifephotography #composition #storytelling

Fast action is where gear either keeps up or gets left behind. 50fps raw and sticky AF that tracked through wing beats. No complaints. I do wish they had a fake shutter sound though.
#omsystem #birds #bif #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #actionphotography

I live for tricky light. Backlit, dramatic shadows, conditions where most gear struggles. The 300mm f/4 handled it without fuss.
#omsystem #birds #mallard #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #dramaticlight

Wouldn't have gotten this shot with my 600mm, it was too close. Sometimes I miss having a good versatile zoom, was fun to get to play with one. The zoom saved it.
#omsystem #birds #mallard #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #perfecttiming

Yeah I mean digital photography is astonishing. We live in like the golden age of it all. It’s never been more affordable or accessible with cheaper glass and modern post processing you can be a wildlife photographer now without being rich. I love that :)

Both of these are OM. The short form text didn’t let me be very clear. One I took one my 10 year old daughter took.

I have not found my Nikon gear to be fragile at all. It’s fallen in waterfalls, been dropped, all still working great. And for wildlife IMO the glass is unmatched (the offer more super teles across the range than anyone)

Yeah they sent me some stuff to play with for a month. (My 10 year old daughter is an OM shooter)

Thank you!

I mean I was happy to get to try it but I’m a Nikon shooter myself.

I shoot moody. I shoot fog. I shoot what shows up. Today that was geese. That's more than enough. OM kept up with the fog pretty good too.
#omsystem #birds #canadagoose #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #foggymorning

Thanks.

Yeah probably. Complex stories are hard with strict character limits lol.