Atlantic puffin in golden sunshine, Svalbard. Canon 1Ds Mark IV, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/640 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200
I photographed this Atlantic puffin along the shores of the Island of Spitzbergen in Svalbard, on a sunny, calm evening. I’m familiar with the horned and tufted puffin that inhabit Alaska, but this was my first sighting of the Atlantic puffin. They are bright and colorful like the other gregarious puffins. As is often the case with telephoto photography, the background means a lot (presuming you have an interesting subject to begin with) and I found this blue/gold pattern of the water to be very pleasing. It is a mixed reflection of the blue sky and island hillside lit with golden sunshine. I was driving a skiff filled with photographers, so I was only able to grab a few shots here and there when not navigating. I’m sure the rest of the people in the boat got some great puffin shots.
