Atlantic Puffins!

John-G · Jun 19, 2003

Incredible Mohit, thank you so much for sharing. I've been on a few Puffin cruises out of Bar Harbor but nothing like you're showing. Can you give us any details on the excursion ? How does one go about booking a photography safari to Machias Island ? I would be very interested in something like that on one of my trips to Maine.

I love the Maine coast and try to visit there every other year or so.

Thanks again.

John

Mohit said:
I was at Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine (way northeast
US for those outside the country) for a couple of days of shooting
Atlantic Puffins - what a blast! You get to spend about an hour or
two in a small blind, with puffins (and razorbills as well as
terns) on rocks from 4-10 feet away.

I shot with a 1D and 100-400mm L handheld (sometimes on a bean bag)
through the small openings, no fill flash possible. Here are some
images; I created a 3Mb self-executable slide show of several
favorites, download that file at
http://www.mcconceptphotography.com/fora/puffins.exee (remove the
second "e" on the extension; the forum software wouldn't let me
post a link to an exectuable).

Mohit

Robert D. McGee · Jun 19, 2003

I am "blown away" by the quality and beauty of these photographs!

Thanks for sharing - I will be sharing this with friends and family!

Dale53

Mohit · Jun 20, 2003

Eric, John, and others interested in the trip details:

I took a boat from Jonesport, ME to Machias Seal Island - it's run by Norton of Jonesport (see http://www.machiassealisland.com for their info). Cost is $60 per trip; about an hour and a half ride each way, and you get anywhere from an hour to two in the blind (goes by quickly, but it's plenty of time!).

Jonesport is about an hour and a half's drive East of Bar Harbor. We stayed at a nice B&B in Jonesport itself, as that was the focus of our three-day trip. Went out twice to the island, wanted to make sure we got out at least once because varaiable weather can cause you not to land on the island.

There is another boat that runs from Cutler, ME as well. A Google search on "Machias Seal Island puffins" should bring up a host of info

Hope that helps, let me know if I can provide any further details.

Thanks,
Mohit

Woody W. · Jun 20, 2003

--

Woody -

Eqiupment: Lots.

Favorite Quote: 'Never let the quest for the Perfect become the enemy of the Excellent'

Scott Denmark · Jun 20, 2003

Great shots. Were these all at the 400 range of the lens. Seem very sharp. I thought I heard that the 100- 400 wasn't very sharp at the long end.

Scott...

Mohit said:
I was at Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine (way northeast
US for those outside the country) for a couple of days of shooting
Atlantic Puffins - what a blast! You get to spend about an hour or
two in a small blind, with puffins (and razorbills as well as
terns) on rocks from 4-10 feet away.

I shot with a 1D and 100-400mm L handheld (sometimes on a bean bag)
through the small openings, no fill flash possible. Here are some
images; I created a 3Mb self-executable slide show of several
favorites, download that file at
http://www.mcconceptphotography.com/fora/puffins.exee (remove the
second "e" on the extension; the forum software wouldn't let me
post a link to an exectuable).

Mohit

gladys s · Jun 20, 2003

Lucky You .... what wonderful shots, love them all...

--
gladys

Canon 10D

http://www.pbase.com/gladys ( pbase supporter)

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections

Mohit · Jun 20, 2003

Scott,

Scott Denmark said:
Great shots. Were these all at the 400 range of the lens. Seem
very sharp. I thought I heard that the 100- 400 wasn't very sharp
at the long end.

Most of the close-ups were shot at 400mm, typically around f8 and ISO 200. The light was decent, so I was able to stop down a bit from wide-open, still keeping a decent shutter speed. I rested the lens hood on the blind opening, or on a bean bag placed on the ledge. Full body shots, especially those with multiple birds in the frame, were shot anywhere in between, typically around 150-200mm. At times, I had to back off a bit because the birds were just inside the minimum focusing distance

The 100-400mm L is an excellent lens, even usable at wide-open. I'm sure the 300/2.8L or 400/2.8L is much better, but those are amongst the best telephotos from any manufacturer. The flexibility of the zoom was very helpful in this situation, and it's size and weight compared to the super telephotos is welcome.

Now if I go back I might consider renting one of those telephotos, just to have some nice shots at f2.8 or f4; but I'll still take the 100-400mm along - it's a great lens for a variety of situations!

Mohit

Paul Pope · Jun 20, 2003

Great shots ....fabulous !

Mohit said:
I was at Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine (way northeast
US for those outside the country) for a couple of days of shooting
Atlantic Puffins - what a blast! You get to spend about an hour or
two in a small blind, with puffins (and razorbills as well as
terns) on rocks from 4-10 feet away.

I shot with a 1D and 100-400mm L handheld (sometimes on a bean bag)
through the small openings, no fill flash possible. Here are some
images; I created a 3Mb self-executable slide show of several
favorites, download that file at
http://www.mcconceptphotography.com/fora/puffins.exee (remove the
second "e" on the extension; the forum software wouldn't let me
post a link to an exectuable).

Mohit

--
'Stop it now or you will go blind'

EricF · Jun 20, 2003

I'm booking my boat... Thanks much for the info.

When you say you couldn't use a flash, was it because of the blind openning blocks the light? I do notice the shadow areas on your pics ...

Mohit said:
Eric, John, and others interested in the trip details:

I took a boat from Jonesport, ME to Machias Seal Island - it's run
by Norton of Jonesport (see http://www.machiassealisland.com for
their info). Cost is $60 per trip; about an hour and a half ride
each way, and you get anywhere from an hour to two in the blind
(goes by quickly, but it's plenty of time!).

Jonesport is about an hour and a half's drive East of Bar Harbor.
We stayed at a nice B&B in Jonesport itself, as that was the focus
of our three-day trip. Went out twice to the island, wanted to
make sure we got out at least once because varaiable weather can
cause you not to land on the island.

There is another boat that runs from Cutler, ME as well. A Google
search on "Machias Seal Island puffins" should bring up a host of
info

Hope that helps, let me know if I can provide any further details.

Thanks,
Mohit

RichW · Jun 21, 2003

Mohit said:
I was at Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine (way northeast
US for those outside the country) for a couple of days of shooting
Atlantic Puffins - what a blast! You get to spend about an hour or
two in a small blind, with puffins (and razorbills as well as
terns) on rocks from 4-10 feet away.

I shot with a 1D and 100-400mm L handheld (sometimes on a bean bag)
through the small openings, no fill flash possible. Here are some
images; I created a 3Mb self-executable slide show of several
favorites, download that file at
http://www.mcconceptphotography.com/fora/puffins.exee (remove the
second "e" on the extension; the forum software wouldn't let me
post a link to an exectuable).

Mohit

Mohit · Jun 21, 2003

Eric,

EricF said:
When you say you couldn't use a flash, was it because of the blind
openning blocks the light? I do notice the shadow areas on your
pics ...

Yes, the blind openings are pretty small (though some are slight larger than others); an on-camera flash would be blocked by the blind wall. Now, there are openings right next to or above one another, so you could use an off-camera shoe cord and hold (or clamp) the flash to another blind.

That is what I'd recommend if you want to use flash; maybe use a Bogen super clamp and attach the flash to an opening near your lens.

Enjoy!

Mohit

Admiral Nelson · Jun 21, 2003

Mohit said:
I was at Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine (way northeast
US for those outside the country) for a couple of days of shooting
Atlantic Puffins - what a blast! You get to spend about an hour or
two in a small blind, with puffins (and razorbills as well as
terns) on rocks from 4-10 feet away.

I shot with a 1D and 100-400mm L handheld (sometimes on a bean bag)
through the small openings, no fill flash possible. Here are some
images; I created a 3Mb self-executable slide show of several
favorites, download that file at
http://www.mcconceptphotography.com/fora/puffins.exee (remove the
second "e" on the extension; the forum software wouldn't let me
post a link to an exectuable).

Mohit

Admiral Nelson · Jun 21, 2003

Sorry about the last post.
Mohit, well done, can you tell me what font you are using to sign your photos?

Lee Rothman · Jun 21, 2003

they almost like more like a painting then a real creature. Nice composition also.

Mohit · Jun 21, 2003

Admiral Nelson said:
Mohit, well done, can you tell me what font you are using to sign
your photos?

It's a font called "***** Cakes" I believe, funky name, and I don't recall where I got it from. Try a Google search, should come up easily.

Mohit

Mohit · Jun 21, 2003

Lee,

Member said:
they almost like more like a painting then a real creature. Nice
composition also.

They really are unusual looking, and I like the dramatic closeups which really show the colorful and intricate facial detail. Comical too!

Mohit

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Atlantic Puffins!

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