Ever since my first visit in 2021, I have been on the island of Grímsey every single year. The quietness, the abundant birdlife, its beauty, … It all draws me back to it every single time. The last three years, I have also brought other people there to discover its uniqueness in the form of a bird photography workshop. The primary focus of this workshop is to familiarise the participants with the intricacies of bird photography and it also serves as a great way to step into the world of compelling wildlife photography.
This year was, of course, no exception as I showed a new group of photo workshop participants why Grímsey is the best place in Iceland, and dare I say the world, to photograph puffins. But how was this year’s edition?
Interested in joining the 2025 edition of Puffins in the Midnight Sun? Make sure to sign up to my photography workshop waitlist to get notified as soon as the 2025 edition has been announced!
Photo Workshop Report
Every year the Puffins in the Midnight Sun photo workshop is very, very different. While the premise is the same (photographing puffins on a remote island & constructively critiquing images every day), the weather conditions really dictate everything. Last year, for example, we had multiple nights of beautiful coloured nights but we lacked moodier conditions. By comparison, this year, we did not get a single truly colourful night but we did get moodier conditions. Why is that important? The primary reason is that the behaviour of the birds can be completely different, which you will notice when looking at my favourite images of this year’s workshop.
This year the weather was considerably colder, with temperatures averaging between 3-5 degrees Celsius. Just two weeks before, we had a big snowstorm (you read that right) in North Iceland. This in turn has had a big effect on bird populations in Iceland. Fortunately, that didn’t let the spirit of our group down as we set out every single day to get the most out of the workshop. One thing I noticed was that there were considerably less birds with fish on the first few days, even though we planned this workshop even later in the year than before. Fortunately for us, as the workshop progressed, more and more birds showed up with freshly caught sand eel and even shrimp for their chicks.
The colder and moodier weather also meant we got to see the puffins exhibiting different behaviour compared to previous years. I observed many more birds grooming themselves, or other birds, while also huddling down to protect themselves from the wind. All of this made for new shots, some of which I hadn’t been able to capture before myself.
My Five Favourite Images Of This Photo Workshop
Being such a (intentionally) slow-paced photography workshop means that I also get the chance to capture a lot of photographs while leading the workshop. Below, I have selected five images that really stood out for me. Selecting only five was a difficult task, as I usually end up with several thousand images after this workshop.
Spoiler alert: I love puffin portraits!
Due to the windy and rainy conditions on one of the days, several puffins were hunkering down on the cliffs. This particular one looked as if he was so cozy. By sneaking up on the cliffs, I managed to get quite close and captured this lovely shot.
This image was taken using the Canon EOS R5 (https://geni.us/jvn-eosr5/) + Canon RF 100-500mm (https://geni.us/jvn-rf-100-500mm).
Several of the puffins we photographed were also grooming themselves or others. I particularly liked this one because I managed to get some nice foreground blur in the shot as well.
This image was taken using the Canon EOS R5 (https://geni.us/jvn-eosr5/) + Canon RF 100-500mm (https://geni.us/jvn-rf-100-500mm).
For the first time (even for me) I managed to capture a puffin holding shrimp in its bill. After having been to Grímsey so many times, and different time periods, I finally managed to capture it.
This image was taken using the Canon EOS R5 (https://geni.us/jvn-eosr5/) + Canon RF 100-500mm (https://geni.us/jvn-rf-100-500mm).
Often you will see a puffin walking around with seemingly random things they picked up around their burrows. This one was holding a beautiful white feather, which worked well with the harsh lighting conditions of that day.
This image was taken using the Canon EOS R5 (https://geni.us/jvn-eosr5/) + Canon RF 100-500mm (https://geni.us/jvn-rf-100-500mm).
A simple portrait but I really like this one. The foreground and background bokeh works well, the birds is very clean and well positioned, and there’s a small ‘extra’ with the wind pushing some of its feathers up.
This image was taken using the Canon EOS R5 (https://geni.us/jvn-eosr5/) + Canon RF 100-500mm (https://geni.us/jvn-rf-100-500mm).
Join Me In 2025!
Are you interested in joining me for the 2025 edition of this puffin photography workshop? Make sure to sign up to the photo workshop waitlist to get notified as soon as it’s announced. This workshop has a very limited amount of participants!
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Previous Participants Shared This About Their Experience…
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