TheNextCrossing

Well, it's a Puffin!

While travelling around Iceland, we visited Cape Ingólfshöfði (I am not joking, that is properly spelled), and got a chance to get up close and personal with...
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While travelling around Iceland, we visited Cape Ingólfshöfði (I am not joking, that is properly spelled), and got a chance to get up close and personal with a bunch of these lovely, amazing creatures... truly unforgettable!
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OLYMPUS E-M1MarkII

settings

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 400 Shutter 1/1600 Focal Length 210/1

upload_date

Jun, 2018

Views

2151

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+591

Awards

Contest Finalist in Animals With Wings Photo Contest

Featured

Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 5

Peer Award

+544

Top Choice

+28

Magnificent Capture

+21

Absolute Masterpiece

+19

Superb Composition

+11

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

Virtuoso

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

+18

Happy

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Behind The Lens

Location

We spent two weeks in Iceland, doing the full ring trip. One of the places we visited was the Ingólfshöfði Cape - a nature reserve on the south coast of Iceland. Its cliffs are a home to a sizeable puffin colony...

Time

We unfortunately spent only two hours there, between 13:00 and 15:00. It was a very bright, sunny, Icelandic summer day, and although it was midday during our visit, the high latitude prevented the harsh overhead lighting, providing for the pleasing shadows...

Lighting

Again, as so many times before, the Sun is your best friend when it comes to nature and wildlife photography, but it can also be your worst enemy ;) On this occasion, we got really lucky with the strong, warm, sidelight...

Equipment

Olympus E-M1 Mark II and Olympus 40-150 F2.8 with 1.4TC...

Inspiration

It's the puffins, the penguins of the North, need I say more :) These birds are so amazing, very funny on land and when taking off, but incredible flyers once airborne. Also, they are generally not afraid of men, so you can get very close to the edges of the cliffs where they roost and land, sit down and enjoy countless moments observing their antics. Moreover, they are quite inquisitive, so they are more likely than not to notice and inspect you as well...

Editing

Nothing more than the standard cropping, sharpening, clarity, and so on (all in Lightroom)...

In my camera bag

I embraced miniaturisation and went smaller and smaller as the years went by, so my Mamiya kit was replaced by Canon 5D and L lenses in their various iterations, only for them to be absolutely successfully supplanted by a m43 kit, which, I must say, reignited my love for photography big time. So, my kit now comprises of Olympus E-M1 MkII and a number of Olympus lenses - 7-14 F2.8, 40-150 F2.8, 12-100 F4, 60 F2.8 macro, and pretty much all their fast primes... getting ready to purchase 300 F4 or 150-400 F4.5 as well, depending on the price of the latter... I also carry a Sirui aluminium tripod (an amazing, unbeatable value for money), but am considering going carbon fibre, either Sirui or Peak Design...

Feedback

When I do this trip again, and I will, I will communicate with the tour operator in advance, and arrange to stay 2-3 lengths of the tour, going out with the first group, and returning with one of the afternoon groups. My biggest regret is the short time we spent with the puffins - they are so enchanting and I am still wondering about all the photos I could have taken had I stayed there longer. Other than that, you really can get quite close to the birds, they are very relaxed in human presence. Beware of getting too close to the cliffs, for two reasons: well, it is dangerous for you, and you may inadvertently ruin a puffin's nest - they roost in shallow tunnels, dug right at the cliffs' edges, and a grown man can easily break through the roof of their nests...

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TheNextCrossing

Well, it's a Puffin!

While travelling around Iceland, we visited Cape Ingólfshöfði (I am not joking, that is properly spelled), and got a chance to get up close and personal with...
Read more

Views

Likes

Awards

Emotions

Top Ranks

Categories

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Discover more photos See all

Behind The Lens

Location

Time

Lighting

Equipment

Inspiration

Editing

In my camera bag

Feedback

See more amazing photos, follow TheNextCrossing

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TheNextCrossing

Well, it's a Puffin!

While travelling around Iceland, we visited Cape Ingólfshöfði (I am not joking, that is properly spelled), and got a chance to get up close and personal with... Read more

Views

Likes

Awards

Emotions

Top Ranks

Categories

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

Same photographer See allBehind The Lens

Discover more photos See all

Behind The Lens

Location

Time

Lighting

Equipment

Inspiration

Editing

In my camera bag

Feedback

See more amazing photos, follow TheNextCrossing

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

While travelling around Iceland, we visited Cape Ingólfshöfði (I am not joking, that is properly spelled), and got a chance to get up close and personal with...
Read more

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.