So little is known about a puffin’s life. On the Pacific side though, puffins are shy and reclusive. Do puffins migrate like other birds?Ītlantic puffins get most of the attention. When attempting flight, puffins bounce again and again across the surface of the water, until some unknown law of physics permits them to become free from the water’s pull and thus airborne. I can’t help but see similarities between puffins and Fred Flintstone, who would rev his car by plodding along the ground with his feet. When puffins take off from the water, it’s after a long struggle to get airborne. Puffins might be fast flyers, but it’s tough getting to that point. Here’s a chart showing the four species of puffins (courtesy of ) Around Kodiak Island (in the North Pacific) we are blessed with three out of four species. There are four kinds of puffins in the world (from largest to smallest): Tufted, horned, Atlantic, and the rhinoceros auklet. Puffins resemble the black and white Antarctic birds, but they are definitely not flightless. I used this image as the cover to one of my annual calendars. PUFFIN LOVE: Puffins often practice “beaking.” I’m not sure why except that it’s probably a form of communication. When spring arrives, though, their beaks return to their bright form, just in time for mating season. Just before winter the birds shed the outer layer of their bills, leaving them stubbier and duller. In late August, the reds and yellows begin to fade, the outer sheath begins to crack and ‘unzip’ from the beak. Puffin beaks change colorĪ puffin’s beak is large and technicolored. If you find yourself in Seward, Alaska, be sure to visit the Alaska SeaLife Center to watch puffins ‘perform’ underwater. Their movements are ballet-like, flapping their wings to drive them along and using their rudder-like feet like to steer. They can dive to 200 feet and stay underwater for up to two minutes. Like diving birds, puffins “fly” underwater. Tripods don’t work on boats! The good news is that the light was soft - perfect! (f/8, 1/1600 second, ISO 800). When photographing a white object against a dark background, I often underexpose (decrease my overall exposure) between one and two stops. This means the whites on the puffins’ head (and body, in the case of the horned puffin in the photo) to be overexposed or blown out, with no texture. That said, a dark background will cause your camera’s light meter to overexpose. The dark green water in the photo below is created by the spruce trees’ reflection of the water. Or in such a way that the water will take on the reflections of the shore, be it a grassy knoll, boats in the harbor, or trees. To create water that is richer and more complementary (rather than a bald, silver-gray color) try placing the bird between you and the shore. ![]() When photographing puffins, or any bird on the water, take into account your background. Otherwise, the dark wings will blur and disappear, which almost happened here.Ĭlick here to sign up for my newsletter: Monthly missives on photography, organic gardening, life, and recipes outside the cookbook. Try to keep your shutter speed at 1/1000 of a second or faster. See how the wings are starting to blur? The shutter speed is borderline too slow. In the photo below, (which I call “Run, Puffin, Run!”), my shutter speed was 1/500 of a second. “You need to anticipate the action or you’ll miss it every time.” ![]() “It’s no different than shooting a football game or a tennis match,” he said, pulling out a 500mm lens. Indeed, that’s how I learned to shoot puffins (with my camera), from a professional sports photographer. To successfully capture a puffin in flight, you must treat it as a sporting event. Like bumblebees, if they stop flapping their wings, they drop like a rock. Puffins can fly up to 40 miles per hour, beating their wings 5 to 7 times a second. Like this image? Ask Marion about re-prints. I knew I was pushing the limits, exposure-wise, but I like the results. In this case, a blurred background and lovely, blurred, backlit wings. Panning (moving) with moving objects always presents surprises.
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