The Third Way to Skin a Flying Puffin

What’s Up?

Grimsey continues to be fabulous. The rain is long gone and has been replaced by gloriously cloudy-bright skies that are prefect for photography. We have worked the Black Guillemots around the harbor, found a Common Ringed-Plover nest with three eggs, spent Wednesday morning photographing Northern Fulmars in flight and with chicks, and have enjoyed the best-in-the-world Atlantic Puffin photography. If anyone tells you that they will take you to the greatest-ever puffin photo location and they are not talking about Grimsey Island, they are simply not telling the truth. Grimsey is simply incredible.

On Wednesday afternoon, trip leader Greg Downing took the ferry back to the mainland with Eugen and Kevin who will be flying back to the states on Friday morning. They are all looking forward to one more chance at the Red-throated Loons. I will be photographing on Grimsey till Greg gets back with Bruce Dudek a week from today.

Today is Thursday 10 July 2023. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

If you would like info on the 2024 and/or the 2025 puffin trips, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here.

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This image was created on 17 July 2023 at Grimsey Island, Iceland. Standing at full height on a small rise, I used the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod topped by the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 8:07:40pm on cloudy evening. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #1: Atlantic Puffin wheeling in flight with fish for chick in burrow

Getting Ready to Shoot Flight

When you approach a flight photography situation, take a few minutes to analyze things. Ask yourself, “Where is the wind from?” Note the quality and direction of the light. Most importantly, study the patterns of the birds in flight. After you consider all the factors, choose what you think is the best gear, pick what you think is the best spot, and get to work. That is what Greg and I have done every day. Because Greg knew all the best flight spots, our job was easy; especially since we are pretty much on the same wave length.

The Third Way to Shoot Puffins in Flight

One Wednesday morning I created many sharp flight images of Northern Fulmars in flight while handling the 600mm f/4 with the 1.4X TC. As the birds came by every minute or two, handholding the 6 1/2 pound lens was do-able. With the puffins flying in non-stop, handholding was out of the question so I put the 600 f/4 GM on the tripod, and thanks to the fact that the birds were flying predictable paths and were being slowed down by the wind, I was quite successful. If you cannot hold a big lens comfortably, get it on the tripod with a /Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro and make some great images. Comfortably.

This image was also created on 17 July 2023 at Grimsey Island, Iceland. Standing at full height on a small rise, I used the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod topped by the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 4000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 8:15:32pm on cloudy evening. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2: Atlantic Puffin incoming with suffused yellow flower background

A Great Move

I was shooting the braking, incoming puffins against the white sky when Greg shouted over the wind, “Come on up here and you can get a sweet yellow flower background. So I walked back up the hill a bit, and did just that. I believe that the flowers are Arctic poppies.

This image was also created on 17 July 2023 at Grimsey Island, Iceland. Standing at full height on a small rise, I used the Robus RC-5558-3 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod topped by the Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 8:29:27pm on cloudy evening. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #3: Atlantic Puffin small in the frame with flowers

Puffin Scapes and Flight Creativity

Autofocus with the current mirrorless gear is so good that once you have the basics down, learn to acquire focus quickly, can routinely create sharp images and keep the bird in the frame while tracking it in flight, you will often have five- or ten- or fifteen-frame sequences from which to choose the best wing positions and flight poses. The size of the bird in the frame will vary from situation to situation. As you pan with the the subject, the backgrounds will vary as well. Once you have acquired the necessary skills, the very best images are often serendipitous. The more sharp frames you can create, the greater the chance of making something special.

Your Call?

Which of today’s featured images do you like best? Why?

Typos

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