Puffin Cruise in Maine

[Kayaker72]

Hi all....it has been a busy week so I haven't been able to get to these photos until now. Last Sunday I went on a Puffin cruise toEastern Egg Rock, where they have been trying to restore the Puffin colonies, with great success. This is my first attempt at shooting RAW only and doing all editing in DPP, so comments and suggestions are welcome.


New Harbor, ME: Canon 7D, 15-85 @ 85 mm, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 100


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There are a lot of birds on eastern egg rock.100-400L @ 400 mm, 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 400


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400 mm, 1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 400


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400 mm, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 400


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400 mm, 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 400


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400 mm, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 400


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And we did see Puffins. I had expected to see some on rocks, but we saw them in the water or flying by (very quickly)


400 mm, 1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 400


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400 mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100


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The puffins surprised me in that they are small and have to flap their wings ~250/min to fly. So they move very fast.


400 mm, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 100


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400 mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100


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Back in New Harbor...100-400L @ 260 mm, 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 400


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And the lighthouse at the point....15-85 @ 27 mm, 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 400


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Thanks for viewing.


Brant

[Bill W]

Nice series Brant.....I

[Steve U]

It is a nice series Brant, the higher ISO on the fifth one helps make a great shot and the bottom two are great.


Nice work.

[Richard Lane]

Hi Brant,


It looks like a great place to shoot! Nice shots!


#1 watch the horizon.


#2 & 3 are a little underexposed, so add some exposure compensation. #3 looks a bit noisy, try adding noise reduction. You could also lower your SS in theses and lower your ISO, which will help with some of the noise.


#4, 5, 6 look very good. #4 is my favorite!


#9 & 10, the shutter-speed looks too slow. I

[Kayaker72]

Bill,


We vacationed in Bar Harbor and Acadia last fall and loved it. That trip was also the first time I had heard about the Puffin colonies in Maine. But we went in October, which is too late in the season for Puffins.


The puffin cruise from New Harbor did workout well for a day trip. We did a round trip, leaving in the afternoon and getting back late. It is a nice drive up, passing Portland and the LL Bean outlets/Freeport. We used Hardy Boat Cruises out of New Harbor, ME (hardyboat.com/puffin.htm). There is a fried seafood place called Shaws right above Hardy Boats there in New Harbor. Not much else in New Harbor for tourists, as the rest is residential. There are hotels a few miles away at the permaquid pennisula tip near the lighthouse or on the next peninsula to the south (Booth Bay).


The boat is reasonablely sized, but you may want to check the wave heights, we went out in ~4 ft waves and it was rocking quit a bit. The tour itself went by a little fast, but with all the rocking, that was probably a good thing for some people. Overall, you have 1/2 hr out, 1/2 hr at the island and 1/2 back. Going out and back is still nice as you can see islands and we also saw porpoises, loons and a few other birds. Peak season for Puffins is apparently July and August, but Hardy boats told us that there is already a record number of mating pairs on the island (~125). The upper deck is open so you can make your way side to side depending upon which side is facing the island.


I would recommend it and I would go again.


Steve...thanks for your comments. I really enjoy seeing which photos people on the forum like.


Rich....again, thanks for your comments. I really appreciate the detail and you have given me several ideas to try. You are right, I shot in Av mode. I do usually shoot in manual for BIF, but I decided to try Av mode because there was variation in the light and with the boat rocking so much, I didn

[Bill W]

Brant....thanks for the add