Atlantic Puffin flying directly toward the camera with fish in its bill, photographed full frame at 1200mm by Christopher Dodds on Île aux Perroquets, Quebec. — **Atlantic Puffin in Flight with Fish at 1200mm— Île aux Perroquets, Québec** (*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 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens and Sony 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm. ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s, manual exposure. Full-frame image.

How to Photograph Atlantic Puffins in Flight — Especially When They're Flying Straight at You

Christopher Dodds August 21, 2026

Photographing an Atlantic Puffin flying directly toward the camera is one of the toughest challenges in bird photography. Christopher Dodds explains the autofocus technology, tracking technique and 1/5,000-second shutter speed behind this full-frame image made at 1200mm.

Merlin flying with the remains of a small shorebird, possibly a White-rumped Sandpiper, photographed by Christopher Dodds with a Sony a9 III and 600mm f/4 lens with 1.4X teleconverter at 840mm. — **Merlin Carrying Prey in Flight** (Falco columbarius, Faucon émerillon, Esmerejón, MERL) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop , Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony a9 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens and Sony 1.4X Teleconverter @840 mm. ISO 20,000, f/5.6 @ 1/5,000s, manual exposure. Full-frame image.

Expect the Unexpected: A Merlin Flies By With Prey

Christopher Dodds August 20, 2026

We had been photographing Atlantic Puffins returning with fish since before sunrise when a different flight pattern caught my eye. Seconds later, a Merlin streaked past carrying what appears to be the back half of a White-rumped Sandpiper.

Atlantic Puffin flying with a bill full of fish photographed at close range in fog on Île aux Perroquets, Quebec, by Christopher Dodds. — **Atlantic Puffin with bill full of fish at 20,000 ISO — Île aux Perroquets, Québec** (*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 Mark III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens @ 600 mm. ISO 20,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s, manual exposure. Full-frame image top to bottom; cropped left and right to 4 x 5 aspect ratio.

Atlantic Puffin at ISO 20,000: Full Frame in the Fog

Christopher Dodds August 18, 2026

A foggy morning on Île aux Perroquets produced an unforgettable close encounter with an Atlantic Puffin carrying a bill full of fish. Photographed full frame at 600mm, 1/5,000 second and ISO 20,000, it's also a perfect example of why I don't fear high ISO when photographing birds in flight.