Sarita Yeola
July 2025 - Atlantic Puffins
About the Image(s)
Atlantic Puffin with Sand Eeel's: This image was taken in Iceland end of June. The Puffins were flying in on the cliff where we were and they immediately enter their burrows so that no one else stole thier catch. This particular one though when it crash landed seemed to have lost its burrow, it kept peeking into several burrows before it disappeared into one. Some puffins will practice bringing in food even before they find a mate. It was a fun experience watching these hilarious birds. I cropped the original a little and adjusted the light settings for this final image.
Nikon Z8: 400mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 4500
5 comments posted
Love the determined walk of that puffin. Who doesn't love puffins?? Keeping or cropping the blurry ones in the background is a tricky decision. Not sure which I would go with. The main one is so great, I might be tempted to get rid of the others and expand the crop on the right with PS. Also, maybe lighted slightly the face on the dark side? Posted: 07/10/2025 13:27:35
Great bird, great action, in a tough side-lit situation. If you were just looking to improve the photo and not submit it to a contest, I'd 1) remove the puffins from the background, 2) select the subject in LR and use the adjustments available to de-shadow and make the subject lit more consistently, 3) select the background and blur or darken it a bit.
Just how I'd do it if it was me...but do whatever pleases your eye! Posted: 07/15/2025 02:28:31
Just how I'd do it if it was me...but do whatever pleases your eye! Posted: 07/15/2025 02:28:31
Great shot of that main Puffin, in my hierarchy the top two most interesting birds are the Puffin and the Burrowing Owl. Now you have seen them both! While I've yet to capture a Puffin.
Processing, I would most certainly remove the out of focus Puffins...your main one is so endearing it makes the other two unimportant...which is why you shot it that way. I did a sample....just to let you compare. It took me 2 minutes. I removed them in PS and changed the lighting on your subject just a small amount using shadows. This keeps your eye on your subject!! You can try and remove in LR, I just find it is a lot better in PS. Posted: 07/15/2025 18:06:26
Processing, I would most certainly remove the out of focus Puffins...your main one is so endearing it makes the other two unimportant...which is why you shot it that way. I did a sample....just to let you compare. It took me 2 minutes. I removed them in PS and changed the lighting on your subject just a small amount using shadows. This keeps your eye on your subject!! You can try and remove in LR, I just find it is a lot better in PS. Posted: 07/15/2025 18:06:26
You really captured the moment very well, Sarita. The primary puffin is the story, so I tend to agree with the others. However, I would approach it differently. Turn it into a vertical. Crop from both the left and the right. Then you'd have a really nice puffin portrait worthy of a contest or a print to share. Posted: 07/21/2025 20:27:18
I love this Sarita for all the reasons others have stated! I also agree with suggestions to decrease shadows and delete the two on the right. I like the horizontal perspective but if you are thinking of submitting for competition vertical might be the way to go. I'm just not sure there would be enough space to the right of the frame. One other minor suggestion is to erase that one blade of grass on his raised foot. Posted: 07/21/2025 21:16:22