Tufted Puffins

[gail bisson]

Not the most artistic "wow" shot but I was thrilled to be able to even get their shots. And on a rock with no poop! A lifer for me!
On Sledge Island ( off Nome)
Canon 1DX
F 600mm and 1.4x
ISO 800
SS 1/500
F 8.0
To get these shots, we got out of the little motorboat and climbed up onto the packed ice floes surrounding and abutting the island. In some places this allowed us to get up 40 or 50 feet high so we were able to get shots that were not so steep. Only Matthew Studebaker and myself and Emily were brave/crazy enough to do this. Lots of cracks in the ice and slippery. The other 3 guys stayed in the boat!! Would love to go back with an 800mm!!!
PP : 40% crop,increased exposure by .3, NR to certain areas in BG and not flowers, levels, Detail extractor ( NIK EFEX PRO plug-in) on the blacks at 10% and 3% on the whites, USM to JPEG 30%/0.3
Comments and critiques always learned from and appreciated with thanks,
Gail

[Richard Stern]

Hi Gail,

I love it! The birds are cute, well exposed and have good poses/ expressions. I think the crop, with the gray granite and the lichen complementing each other, makes for a better picture than one of the birds alone would have. I love the texture and color of the gray granite slab. All the pictures I have taken of Atlantic Puffins on th Bird Islands in Cape Breton have poop on the rocks! You do get to some neat places!

Richard

[Marina Scarr]

Lucky you, Gail, and glad to hear that you and Emily made the climb. It paid off! I really like this image. The colors and setting are awesome, as is your PS work!

[Grace Scalzo]

Beautiful image, Gail. Great sense of place and cute poses on the puffins.

[Satish Ranadive]

Wonderful image with beautiful poses of both birds.Beautiful colors,nice environment and composition.

Regards,
Satish.

[David Salem]

Way to get out there Gail. Thats how you get "the shot". Worth the effort to get a unique lifer. I like the overall scene and the colors are beautiful. Well done

[jack williamson]

Love all the colors in this, the puffins look very good. Great work- climbing and imaging!

Jack

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, both Puffins well exposed and in focus ( DOF ) and great that the RHS Puffin gave you a look back pose looking the same direction as the other. The lichen on the rocks adds some lovely colour, and I like that both Puffins are separated from the BG rocks.

Glad you got some good gym work in climbing to achieve the shot.