The six shots
01
The cliff-edge portrait
A puffin on the grassy rim in low gold light. Get to its level; wait for the catchlight in the eye.
02
Puffin in flight, beak full
A bird returning with a silver row of sand eels. Fast shutter (1/2500s+), track it in against the wind.
03
A pair "billing"
Two birds tapping beaks — the tender behaviour frame. Eye level, clean background of sea.
04
Puffin against sea and sky
The bird small on the cliff with the blue ocean behind and below. A cleaner, wider composition.
05
The colony scene
Dozens of birds along a cliff at golden hour — a wider frame that shows the throng and the place.
06
Low among the flowers
A puffin framed through summer sea-pinks. Shoot low through foreground blooms for a soft, seasonal frame.
Gear: a 100-400 / 100-500 is plenty — puffins are approachable, so extreme reach isn't needed; add a wide for colony and landscape frames. A fast shutter for the beak-full flight shot.
Before you go
The settings and kit decisions this trip will ask of you.
Before you goBirds in Flight: The Settings, and Why Yours Are SoftThe exact shutter, aperture, ISO and autofocus for birds in flight — and the two reasons your keeper rate is low. A settings table, plus how to fix a soft file.Read the write-up →Before you goShutter Speed for Birds in Flight, by SpeciesThe right shutter speed for birds in flight depends on the wingbeat, not a single number. A table by bird type, plus what to do when the light runs out.Read the write-up →
Common questions
When is the best time to photograph Iceland's puffin cliffs?
Mid-May to mid-August, while the puffins are ashore breeding
What is the best light in Iceland's puffin cliffs?
The long, low golden evenings; puffins are most active as the light softens
What gear should I take to Iceland's puffin cliffs?
a 100-400 / 100-500 is plenty — puffins are approachable, so extreme reach isn't needed; add a wide for colony and landscape frames. A fast shutter for the beak-full flight shot.
Your own brief
Plan your own Iceland's puffin cliffs brief
Ten shots, the conditions, the gear and the questions to ask your guide — built for your dates, your kit and your subjects.
Plan my briefFree critique
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Upload one frame and get an honest read: what is working, the one fix that matters, and the exact settings to change next time.
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