Tips for photographing puffins on Skomer Island, Wales

Skomer is an incredible experience. Don't spend all your time looking through a viewfinder, but here are some tips based on my experience. All of the images in this post were taken on one trip to Skomer in July.

1. Pay attention to the background

Some of the puffins are standing on large areas of bare soil, which will give a uniform brown background. Others are standing in daisies or on grass, which lend themselves to a more colourful image.

There were times where I could photograph the same puffin with either a grey rock background, a brown soil background, or a blue sea background depending on how far down the path I walked. There are some especially interesting backgrounds, like the layers of rock in the cliff. Try to get a variety of shots.

A puffin bringing fish back for pufflings, with the cliff in the background

A puffin bringing fish back for pufflings with the sea as the background

2. Take some wider shots

It's tempting to shoot endless close-ups, but try some wide angle shots. Some of my favourite images from my visit are wider, showing the surrounding plants or other puffins.

A wider shot of puffins

3. Don't neglect other birds

Puffins are charming, but there are other majestic birds on the island, like ravens, curlews, and choughs. If you watch the other birds, you can see interesting interactions between species (in particular, you'll notice puffins scattering when gulls fly too low over them).

A curlew on a lichen-clad rock on Skomer

4. Watch carefully for behaviour shots

It's easy to snap puffins standing or sitting still, but watch a few individuals for a while and you'll get the chance to capture behaviour like flying, landing, beak tapping, collecting nest material, or returning with fish.

Beak tapping puffins on Skomer

5. Try different effects

Play around with conditions, backgrounds, shooting direction and settings to try and achieve effects like bokeh or softness provided by blurred bracken.

I'm fond of the two bokeh puffins in this image.

Bracken creates lovely soft colours and foreground

6. Crop can be your friend

You don't need a long lens on Skomer, because the puffins are so close. Although they seem fairly comfortable around humans, avoid pointing your lens in their face by cropping photos when you get home. As long as you've taken a sharp shot, you should be able to crop very close.

A heavily cropped image. Images on this page are compressed, but the full res image retains fantastic detail.

7. Embrace the conditions you get

Puffins in the rain would look incredible. Don't let a dull or quiet day dampen your enjoyment of this amazing island.

When I visited, many pufflings had fledged, meaning fewer opportunities for shots of adults returning with food. The breeding season was drawing to a close, meaning the puffins' cheeks were starting to turn dark and the colour in their beaks and legs was fading. This is a natural part of their seasonal cycle, and not something to feel disappointed about. On the contrary, it's a privilege to see any stage of the puffins' year.

You can see this puffin's face starting to darken for winter.

8. Don't focus on particular shots

I overheard a rather tense conversation between two photographers lamenting the shots they'd wanted to get but hadn't. Don't let specific goals or expectations spoil an incredible experience. There are so many background, foreground, and composition options on Skomer (not to mention the landscape and flora photo opportunities) that it's almost impossible not to come away with some images you love.

An unexpected shot: the angle of the layers of rock in the cliff face visible behind

9. Respect the birds and the island

You must stick strictly to the path on Skomer. A foot, bag, bum or even tripod leg off the path could collapse delicate burrows and trap or even kill adults or chicks inside. Under no circumstances should you step off the path.

Sadly, I saw someone walk off the path to take a photo during my visit - after the warden called him back, we watched in horror as burrows collapsed beneath his feet. Don't be that guy. Respect the habitat you're visiting and stay in the middle of the footpath.

Enjoy your visit! I'd love to see your photos. Check out my tips for visiting Skomer.