Atlantic Puffin in Flight with Fish at Last Light & The Artistic Power of a Black Background

During my recent Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop, a puffin broke out of the shadows at last light. It was a beautiful, adrenaline-inducing sight for everyone. The setting sun cast a radiant, golden spotlight on the bird as it flew, illuminating its distinctive white chest and vibrant beak. In that rich, warm light, its bill full of freshly caught fish gleamed—a powerful testament to a successful hunt.

More than just a meal, that bountiful catch is nourishment for a puffling waiting safely in the burrow. The little one needs to gain weight and fat stores before following its instincts to learn to swim, fish, and fly on its own after its parents leave.

The Artistic Merit of a Black Background

The high-contrast black background is the secret to what makes this image so compelling. It's a key technique in bird photography that elevates the subject by making it stand out from the distractions of the environment. By simplifying the image, this method focuses the viewer's attention solely on the bird's shape, texture, and details. The result is a more dramatic and elegant scene that highlights the bird as the star of the show.

More Kudos

Thank you so much for the images and for sharing your time and knowledge with us! To single out a single favourite thing would be impossible, as the entire Workshop was truly wonderful. Everything from the setting, and being amongst so many puffins in their natural habitat, to the freedom to wander and explore with each other or on our own, to the excitement of forever searching the skies for a puffin with a mouth full of fish...  it was truly an incredible and unforgettable experience. I will never forget the wondrous feeling of standing on the beach, as countless puffins flew overhead (in arms reach!) into their burrows on the cliffs, knowing that this is all part of their annual journey and that most of the time they will be out at the sea, on their own... How lucky are we?!! Technically, my biggest takeaway is the focus (no pun intended) on getting everything right "in-camera" the first time, and getting to feel more comfortable trusting my histogram without stressing about ISO numbers. Clearly, from the feedback on my images, it was a very valuable lesson. 

I will forever have cherished memories of these whimsical and adorable seabirds, as well as new friendships with others I never would have had the opportunity to have met. 

I highly recommend this Workshop for anyone interested in a magical experience and opportunity to photograph puffins with an incredible, professional photographer and guide. Thank you again! It would be wonderful to be able to take part in another workshop, as all of them sound beyond extraordinary and you, as a guide and mentor along the way, make all the difference! - Randi Najac Arizona | USA Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Workshop August 2025

Atlantic Puffin Golden Light Flight with Fish (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, Frailecillo atlántico, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop, Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS Lens @644mm ISO 3,200, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish

Another Atlantic Puffin from my recently concluded Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshop in Quebec. I used my Sony Alpha 1 with the easy-to-carry Sony 200-600mm zoom lens to make this image hand-held as the Puffin circled before landing at its burrow. Everyone enjoyed the clear blue skies after several wet and rainy days.

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin workshop just announced

Another from my recent Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure in Quebec. An Atlantic puffin with a bill full of capelin in golden light against out-of-focus golden cliffs. This has quickly become one of my favourite images from one of my favourite places! There is no better place in the world to photograph than Puffin Paradise in Quebec, Canada.

Just announced! August 10-13, 2023 Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop

If you would like to photograph Atlantic Puffins flying with fish in golden light while eating gourmet food, consider joining me in August. Wait! Did I mention that we live in a recently renovated lighthouse? The trips were sold out completely, so I added August 10-13. My trips are timed perfectly so the babies are big enough to need constant feeding, but it ends just before the adults abandon them to fend for themselves.

““Puffins Galore” is a very apt name for this photography workshop with Christopher Dodds on L’Ile Aux Perroquets in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, and many shorebirds use this little island in the Mingan Archipelago as their nesting home during the breeding season and the place is alive with activity with many opportunities for images of birds in flight and birds around their burrows. Chris Dodds is acquainted with every aspect of puffin behaviour and is very generous with time and advice; he helped me improve my skills capturing images of fast-moving birds. Everyone in the group came away with images that they were thrilled with. The guest house on the island is a converted lighthouse keeper’s residence and provides a very comfortable experience. The meals alone would be worth the trip. Puffins Galore and much, much more!”

— Paul Ludden (Wisconsin, USA)

Atlantic puffin in flight with fish and golden light

Another from my recent Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure in Quebec. An Atlantic puffin with a bill full of capelin in golden light against out-of-focus golden cliffs. This has quickly become one of my favourite images from one of my favourite places! There is no better place in the world to photograph than Puffin Paradise in Quebec, Canada.

If you would like to photograph Atlantic Puffins flying with fish in golden light while eating gourmet food yourself, then consider joining me next August. Wait! Did I mention that we live in a recently renovated lighthouse? Spots are filling quickly. My trips are timed perfectly so the babies are big enough that they need constant feeding but ends just before the adults abandon the babies to fend for themselves.

Join me next year for my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure. Learn more HERE.

Atlantic puffin flying with bill full of Capelin

Another Atlantic puffin with bill full of fish image made with the camera set-up vertically. I like to try to push the limits of my hand eye coordination and try my hand at shooting with the camera turned to vertical. It can be remarkably challenging, but the results are sometimes spectacular. It is a great way to keep sharp - wink.

Atlantic puffin with fresh Capelin in flight

Trying to get on these speed demons as they emerge from heavy fog is an exercise in frustration. They seem to come out of nowhere at 55MPH. The key is to keep trying - smile.

Atlantic puffin bringing home breakfast

Be sure to let me know when to move past the Puffin with fish pictures; I have enough new content to post a new one every day for another year (at least). We had an awesome lunch in the lighthouse and went back down to the beach as the tide turned and the Puffins started to bring back loads of fish. Everyone was full and happy - smile.

Atlantic puffin flying with Capelin

The new Sony “Fish Eye Auto-Focus” did an exceptional job during my Deluxe Puffin Workshops - LOL!

We would start each day with a 200-meter (200 yards) walk down to the beach well before sunrise and then photograph until the light shifted to the harsh side before heading back up to the lighthouse for our freshly cooked breakfast. The kitchen crew (Jeannine, Brigitte and Jean-Paul) did an exceptional job cooking our delicious meals and meeting everyone’s dietary and allergy needs. Oh, did I mention the endless supply of freshly ground and brewed coffee? Expresso, latte, cappuccino, Café au lait? Life is good with exceptional coffee :)

This image was made the moment we went back down to the beach after breakfast; I think the Puffins had the same idea and it seemed like hundreds of Puffins were returning with bills full of fish.

I never tire of Puffins - lol.

Razorbill in flight with Capelin fish

Unlike the Puffins that usually circle a few times before landing and scurrying into their burrows, the Razorbills usually just fly straight in on the first attempt. This Razorbill made a few attempts before it landed, and banked right in front of us a few times before finally landing.

Atlantic puffin flying with fish at first light

We were all down on the beach and ready before the sun rose at 04:48 and there really weren’t any birds flying around. The air was warm and still. As the intensity of the sun rose, a gentle breeze turned gusty and Puffins started to appear with bills full of fish. The first dozen flew away from us as they landed, but then the wind shifted and we had dozens of amazing opportunities as they brought home loads of fish for their babies - smile.

Atlantic Puffin with fish on green in golden light

Are you getting sick of Puffin images yet? How about Puffin with fish images? LOL.

If you really want to up your birds in flight game, try turning the camera to vertical or portrait orientation: the challenge is a tough one, but will help you learn to acquire fast moving targets more reliably - smile.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish (Capelin) dorsal view

Everyone who joined my five sold-out Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventures had some pretty epic opportunities with the Puffins bringing fish back to their babies. Upon reflection, there seemed to be more Puffins and more of them had fish. A sign that the colony is doing well despite many other seabird colonies being ravaged by the Avian flu.

Next year’s trips are starting to fill already, so don’t wait until it is too late to join the Puffin fun.

Razorbill in flight with Capelin fish

A Razorbill brings Capelin fish back to its nesting site to feed its baby. The very last frame of a sequence of 32 was captured; This one was chosen for the visible Capelin head and its position.

Atlantic puffin with bill full of fish

Here is an Atlantic puffin bringing a bill full of fish (Capelin) to its baby. The background is out of focus seaweed covered rocks. It was a dark and stormy morning and I opted to start to lower my shutter speed (to 3,200/second) once I got to ISO 12,800.

Atlantic puffin with fish silhouette

Here is a silhouette of an Atlantic puffin returning to its nest with some Capelin for dinner. I absolutely love the light shining through the translucent fish tails and the little parts of the Puffin’s primary feathers where the red shines through.

Atlantic puffin in flight with Capelin on golden cliffs

An Atlantic Puffin brings Capelin (fish) to its baby in a cliff-top burrow. The sun rose through a bizarre melange of light fog and residual smoke from forest fires further north. The resulting golden honey-brown light only lasted a short while before a heavy blanket of fog rolled in.

As much as I love shooting tight, frame-filling action images, I always make sure to cover the bases for all uses and shoot some images where the subject is less than 30% of the frame; a requirement often requested from magazines and calendars.

Atlantic puffin with bill full of fish

Everyone who joined my five back-to-back sold-out Deluxe Atlantic puffin workshops in Quebec was treated to many opportunities with Puffins bringing back fish for their babies. Many of the Puffins were bringing back mixed loads of Sand Lance and Capelin, while others brought back different sizes of the same species. The colony is in fine form with more Puffins than seen on past trips.

This image was made on a foggy morning with the Puffins appearing out of the fog so fast, it was like a video game; so many Puffins with fish, but really challenging photography.

Atlantic Puffin CATCH OF THE DAY

Atlantic Puffin CATCH OF THE DAY (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada, Réserve de parc national du Canada de l'Archipel-de-Mingan, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE100-400 F4.5-5.6 G Master OSS @ 400mm. Full frame image. ISO 800 f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure mode. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

Getting back to the immense number of Puffin images produced with the Sony a9 & Sony 100-400 G Master during my Deluxe Puffins Galore workshop in July/August. Here is another Puffin with Capelin image; full frame at 400mm. I have said it before, and I will say it again: The new auto-focus is unstoppable! The number of Puffins returning to their burrows with Capelin was similar to other years, but the number of tack sharp images @ 20fps was tough to edit thanks to the Sony a9.

Sony RX-10 mark IV Mini-review

I am in the midst of preparing for a bunch of presentations, but want to share that I  received my Sony RX-10 Mark IV a couple of weeks  ago, and the first results are remarkable. Although it won't fit in a pocket (I didn't expect it to, and my phone is already there and ready for those shots), the idea is to always have a camera with me that has fast auto-focus (.03 second focus acquisition), 24 frames per second and a built-in zoom that covers from 24 to 600mm at f/4. This is for those times when you see a something and wish you had brought your full camera rig. Of course, like all things in the photography world, there are trade-offs, so you shouldn't expect it to produce files like the a9 at higher ISO. Overall, the Sony RX-10 Mark IV has impressed and delivers everything promised. It is a great introduction to the Sony world for those photographers fully invested in other brands, and a great camera choice for all naturalists, birders or sports fans and parents!

Canon Lenses for Sale

Email me an offer! chris@chrisdoddsphoto.com

• SOLD: Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x
• SOLD: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Telephoto Lens
• SOLD: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Zoom Lens (Version I) 
• SOLD: Canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM Lens
• SOLD: Canon Speedlight 580EX II Flash