Tufted Puffin Portrait OUT OF THE SHADOWS

There are few experiences as captivating as observing wildlife in their natural habitat, and for me, one of the most profound is on the remote cliffs of Saint Paul Island, Alaska. As a workshop leader, guiding participants to the very edges of dramatic cliff faces, we're often privileged to witness a breathtaking spectacle: seabirds, silhouetted in the dramatic shadows cast by their towering homes, bustling with life.

Saint Paul Island is a jewel among the Pribilof Islands, a small archipelago nestled in the vast expanse of the Bering Sea, a watery frontier between Alaska and Russia. This isolation is precisely what makes it such a vital haven for millions of migratory birds, transforming its rugged cliffs into bustling, cacophonous cities of feathers and squawks during breeding season.

Among the many species that call Saint Paul Island home, the Tufted Puffin stands out as a true icon. With their distinctive bright orange bills, white facial plumes, and human-hair-like "tufts" of golden feathers streaming back from their eyes, they are beautiful and fun to photograph. Saint Paul Island boasts significant breeding colonies of these charismatic birds, offering unparalleled opportunities for observation and photography.

Of course, getting to such a remote and wild place presents its own set of challenges. Air travel to Saint Paul Island has been an adventure in recent years. But for those dedicated to experiencing this extraordinary ecosystem firsthand, the rewards are immeasurable.

And speaking of rewards, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm working on something truly special for 2026 to make these incredible cliffside encounters even more accessible. Stay tuned for details – Saint Paul Island is calling, and I can't wait to share its wonders with you.

Tufted Puffin Vertical Portrait(Fratercula cirrhata, Macareux huppe, Frailecillo coletudo, TUPU) Saint Paul Island, AK ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm. ISO 1,600, f/16 @ 1/800s Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my Saint Paul Island, AK workshop next July to learn more CLICK HERE.

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Don't Miss Out! Last Chance for Atlantic Puffin Photography in Quebec!

Two spots have unexpectedly become available due to cancellation for my highly sought-after and consistently sold-out Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore workshop, taking place from August 10 to 13, 2025, in beautiful Quebec! Due to last-minute cancellations, this is your rare opportunity to join an unforgettable photography experience.

This workshop is perfectly timed to maximize your chances of capturing those iconic shots of Atlantic Puffins with their beaks absolutely brimming with fish. Imagine filling your portfolio with incredible, dynamic images!

As always, this deluxe experience includes charming lighthouse accommodations and gourmet meals, ensuring your comfort and enjoyment throughout the trip. Click the image below to learn more.

Tufted Puffin in flight with fish

I am about to start my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshop in Quebec, so I thought I would share a TUFTED PUFFIN in flight with a mouth full of fish for its baby. Image created hand-held from the boat as we commuted from ship to shore during my Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska.

Tufted Puffin in flight with feather

Here’s a Tufted Puffin flying straight up the cliff towards me against receding sea foam below. The Sony bird eye auto-focus really improved the keeper rate while doing this type of extreme birds in flight photography - smile.

Tufted Puffin Portrait Bad Hair Day

A curious Tufted Puffin was photographed while pointing my lens straight down off the cliffs of Saint Paul Island during my recent workshop.

Tufted Puffin BIRD OF A FEATHER

Here’s a Tufted Puffin from my recently concluded Saint Paul Island Workshop. Birds often bring nesting material back to the nest, and I have seen my share of plastic waste, so this one came together nicely when the bird’s pose, background and that feather all aligned in a pleasing way :)

Tufted Puffin dorsal view in flight & Top 10 Puffin Facts

Top 10 Puffin Facts:

10. Puffins only possess Technicolor bills—and their matching orange feet—during the spring breeding season. Just before winter sets in, they shed the colorful outer bill, leaving a noticeably smaller and duller-colored beak.

9. There are four species of puffins, three of which are slightly distinguishable from one another. The Atlantic and horned puffins look quite similar, with the exception of a blue-grey triangle at the base of the Atlantic puffin’s beak. During the mating season, straw-like feathers protrude from the crown of the tufted puffin’s head. The fourth species, the rhinoceros auklet, doesn’t look like the other three – it’s ashen colored, with a rhino-like protrusion during the breeding season. But it’s still technically a puffin.

8. The puffins’ genus name, Fratercula, comes from the Latin for “little brother.” The name refers to the sea bird’s black and white plumage, which was said to resemble the robes that monks once wore.

7. A puffin weighs about the same as a can of Coke.

6. Puffins lay just one egg per year—and usually with the same mate. Like some penguins, both parents take turns incubating the egg and caring for the chick.

5. Puffins may chatter up a storm at their breeding colonies, but they remain perfectly silent while at sea.

4. There are currently eight isles around the world named Puffin Island—so named because they all are or once were home to large colonies of puffins.

3. A puffin can fly as fast as 55 mph. Compared with other auks, which tend to stay just a few feet above the sea, puffins usually maintain a cruising altitude of around 30 feet.

2. brilliantly colored beaks of Atlantic Puffins also light-up -- like a glow stick! -- when exposed to ultra-violet (UV) light.

1.Puffins are one of the few birds that have the ability to hold several small fish in their bills at a time. Their raspy tongues and spiny palates allow them to firm grasp 10 to 12 fish during one foraging trip. They thus can bring more food back to their young compared with other seabirds that tend to swallow and regurgitate meals for their chicks.

Tufted Puffin Portrait

I could spend hours perched on a cliff in front of a bird at the minimum focusing distance of my camera. I love the slight reflection of the cliffs in the eye of this Tufted Puffin.

Q: “Chris, I met you at the Toronto photography show in Dec 2019” (ProFusion where I was presenting for Sony) “where you were showing your Sony work. We spoke and then exchanged some emails later - I was inquiring if you ever used auto iso etc. 
Looking again at your portfolio, I had some questions on your technique to achieve the amazingly clean backgrounds that you do. I bought a Sony RX10m4 .. enjoying that ……… Also wondered if you are doing any virtual seminars. Thanks” - Ken Wagner

A: Hi Ken!

The trick to the out-of-focus backgrounds is to find a subject and angle that offers a distant, but pleasing background. Even with a slow lens with a maximum aperture opening of f/11 will produce pleasing out-of-focus backgrounds if the subject is at the minimum focusing distance and the background is far enough away.

I have a bunch of virtual seminars booked with camera clubs, but none scheduled for an open audience at this time; stay tuned here for an announcement in the future.

Tufted Puffin In Flight with nesting material

Sitting on top of cliffs with my lens pointed down tracking seabirds might be one of my favourite things to do. This is a Tufted Puffin bringing some nesting material back to its rocky crevice nest.

The Tufted Puffin is among the Alaskan seabirds facing the challenges of climate change and dying in large numbers. Be sure to read more here:

Unusual mortality of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) in the eastern Bering Sea (May, 2019)

Shoot Vertical

Parakeet Auklet DORSAL VIEW (Fratercula cirrhata, Macareux huppé, TUPU) Saint Paul Island, The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Canon 1DX, 600mm F4 L IS II USM Handheld. Full Frame. ISO 800 f/4.5 @ 1/4,000s Manual Mode. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

Here's another image from my Saint Paul Island Expedition; A Parakeet Auklet against the pastel Bering Sea. Shooting small birds in flight while holding the camera vertically is quite a challenge; shooting over the top of a cliff while pointing down and looking at the Bering Sea below adds a whole new dimension and is not for the faint of heart. As always, practice is the key to success and best done in excess well before your departure to any exotic location.

Tufted Puffin Safari Workshop Update

Tufted Puffin PORTRAIT (Fratercula cirrhata, Macareux huppé, TUPU) Saint Paul Island, The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS , 1.4X Teleconverter III & 25mm Extension Tube, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3 ISO 400 f/9 @ 1/400s Manual Mode. Fill flash Canon Speedlite 580EX II with Better Beamer in manual mode. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

Upcoming workshops:  http://bit.ly/X7GaVv

Better Bird Photography Portraits

Parakeet Auklet Portrait (Fratercula cirrhata, Macareux huppé, TUPU) Saint Paul Island, The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, Alaska. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS , 2X Teleconverter III & Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3. Full Frame. ISO 400 f/14 @ 1/200s Manual Mode. Fill flash Canon Speedlite 580EX II with Better Beamer @ -1&2/3. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

Better Bird Photography Portraits

Bird photographers are often guilty of spending all of their time photographing the action and drama of birds in flight, and often skip the investment of the time required to create great portraits. I sell far more static portraits than action, or "birds-in-flight" images. Don't get me wrong; Birds-in-flight are my favorite challenge, just remember to diversify your images by going for portraits as well. It can be quite rewarding to see and study the intricate details revealed in a good portrait - check-out the unique (and cool) bill of this Parakeet Auklet. Here's a few tips to help you out next time you are out and about with your camera.

• Try to get closer your subject without disturbing it. This one sounds easy, but wild birds are wild, take your time and avoid walking or crawling directly at your subject. Take your time and make regular stops to let your subject accept you.
  
• Use a long lens and extender to help you get close without disturbance, and to take advantage of the long focal length to help blur the background and isolate the subject. I often add an extension tube to get even closer.
  
• Try to choose an interesting background. Finding an interesting background will help you stand-out among the many. In this Parakeet Auklet portrait, I carefully chose the out of focus lichens as my background to set it apart from the typical blue sky of a clear day, or the white, or high-key, background of a cloudy day.
• Invest in the composition. Carefully compose your portrait so that it is visually pleasing. Try to avoid a boring compositions with centred subjects. Compose a full frame image in the camera - to get the most pixels on your subject and as a challenge to get better and make better image in the camera.
• Wait for the pose and head angle. All to often, I see portraits that resemble snap shots. This is often the result of poor head angle or a bad pose. I try to get the subject and it's head parallel to my sensor for most head shot type portraits, but do sometimes strive for the head-on look; the latter often in overcast conditions to avoid harsh shadows.
• Choose your light. On clear days, choose the golden hours of sunrise or sunset to get the soft warm tones without harsh shadows. Be sure to point your shadow directly at the bird when the sun rises and gets harsher, and be sure the near side of the face is illuminated and there is a catch-light in the eye. Bright, cloudy and overcast conditions are great for digital portraits; there's no shadows to worry about, and we can photograph all day long. Avoid flash when the light is golden, but do try to add a kiss of fill flash when its overcast.
• Be sure the image is sharp and properly exposed. Sounds easy enough, but try to remind yourself to use good long lens technique, a good tripod head and a sturdy tripod.
  

Second Annual Photo Geek Christmas Party

More prizes have arrived from these great sponsors! Jobu Designs (makers of my favorite Gimbal Head - the Jobu Jr. 3), FirstPass Image downloader & Editor, Think-Tank Photo, Cotton Carrier and DigiMarc for Images have all jumped on-board and offered tons of prizes to show their suppoort for my Second Annual Photo Geek Christmas Party. I expect other sponsors to make offerings and encourage contributions - email me if you would like to donate and promote your product chris(at)chrisdoddsphoto(dot)com

Join me, Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds, on November 30, 2011 at 7:30 PM at the Hudson Village Theatre (28 Wharf Road, Hudson, QC   J0P 1H0) for an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit this great cause which is so close to my heart. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. Over one hundred of my images will be projected, many unseen.  Everyone is welcome!
Hurry! Only 148 seats. Tickets are only $15.00 each and are available for advance purchase only - every penny is collected by, and goes to Le Nichoir. Please call or email Le Nichoir (communication@lenichoir.org 450-458-2809) to secure your tickets, or make a donation if you can't make it (be sure to tell them it's on behalf of Chris' Photo Geek Christmas Party) Major credit cards and cheques accepted. Finger food and hors d'oeuvres are included and there will be a cash bar (please drink responsibly).
There will be ample time to mingle, meet my friends and contacts and share some of your images with others, so feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favourite images to share. I hope to see you there and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

Read more about it HERE