📸 MAINE PHOTO WORKSHOP: Puffins, Seascapes, Landscapes, Lighthouses and More

• Join us on July 28th: Boat ride, photographing puffins and other birds and the rest of the days wandering around small seafaring towns, lighthouses, beaches, etc. No super long lens is needed for the puffins! Quintessential Maine including puffins, seascapes, landscapes, lighthouse, creative images, ICM, pareidolia, Razorbills, and other birds! And did we say Puffins, those cute football-shaped, Penguin-like, with their colorful, mini-toucan beaks

• Machias Seal Island with the largest Puffin Colony on the Maine Coast. Migratory seabirds including Atlantic puffins, Razorbills, Common murres, and Arctic terns use this island for stopovers and breeding. Machias Seal Island is the only place accessible from the USA where the public can photograph Atlantic puffins from land, and Bold Coast Charter Co. is the only USA tour authorized to make landings on the island. Long lenses are NOT required. We have tickets for a boat ride to see and photograph puffins, razorbills, seals, a lighthouse, etc. As long as the weather cooperates, we will also have the opportunity to make a landing on the island and photograph puffins and razorbills up close from a blind. The island has many birds! Some of the puffins and razorbills are just a few feet away. Note that this is the only location in the United States where we can step foot on an island inhabited by puffins, this is very different from other boat tours that are unable to do so. However, please keep in mind that this trip and the landing is subject to weather conditions. We will have photographic opportunities on the way to and from the island, we will spend ~ 2hrs on the island (about 1 hour in the blind).

• Includes:

  • One night lodging (meals and transportation are on your own)/

  • Boatride & island landing & puffin photography from the blinds (weather permitting)

  • Insight and advice from Two OM System Ambassadors (Any camera system welcome; We can help anyone with any brand improve their photography). We will have a bird settings and bird practice session.

Description of MAINE PHOTO WORKSHOP: Puffins, Seascapes, Lighthouses, and More

Join us for an unforgettable photography adventure along the Bold Coast of Maine! Immerse yourself in the quintessential beauty of Maine as we capture stunning seascapes, landscapes, and the charming West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. But that’s just the beginning!

Prepare to be enchanted by adorable puffins, those football-shaped wonders with their colorful, mini-toucan beaks. Our journey takes us to Machias Seal Island, home to the largest puffin colony on the Maine Coast. Here, amidst breathtaking natural scenery, migratory seabirds including Atlantic puffins, Razorbills, Common murres, and Arctic terns grace us with their presence, offering ample opportunities for captivating photographs. The day spent on a boat ride, where we’ll get up close and personal with puffins and other fascinating avian species. Feel the thrill as you capture these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, against the backdrop of the rugged Maine coastline.

Regardless of what camera system you are using, our experts are here to help you enhance your photography skills and unleash your creative potential. Come and experience quintessential Maine including puffins, seascapes, landscapes, creative images, ICM, pareidolia, did we say puffins, and other birds. If you want to photograph puffins this is a trip for you. You will hear the pitter-patter of cute little puffin feet right above you! No super long lens is needed! as you will photograph them with an average zoom lenses (12-100mm, 70-200mm, 40-150, 100-400, etc.). Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on a photography workshop like no other, where every moment promises to be a masterpiece in the making. Join us on the Bold Coast of Maine and let your creativity soar!

Things to bring:

• Enthusiasm (any skill level welcome)

• Camera (any model)

• Dress in layers

• Lots of memory cards

• ALL of your camera batteries

• Snacks and water

7/28 - Depart from Cutler Harbor ~7am for landing on and photography in blinds on Machias Seal Island.

Weather permitting, depart from Cutler Harbor 7am and arrive at Machias Seal Island about one hour later. Machias Seal Island is the only place accessible from the USA where the public can photograph Atlantic puffins from land, and Bold Coast Charter Co. is the only USA tour authorized to make landings on the island. Long lenses are NOT required. We have tickets for a boat ride to see and photograph puffins, razorbills, seals, a lighthouse, etc. As long as the weather cooperates, we will also have the opportunity to make a landing on the island and photograph puffins and razorbills up close from a blind. The island has many birds! Some of the puffins and razorbills are just a few feet away. Note that this is the only location in the United States where we can step foot on an island inhabited by puffins, this is very different from other boat tours that are unable to do so. However, please keep in mind that this trip and the landing is subject to weather conditions. We will have photographic opportunities on the way to and from the island, we will spend ~ 2hrs on the island (about 1 hour in the blind). Approximate numbers of nesting seabird species are as follows: 5000 Atlantic puffins, 4000 Razorbills, 800 Common murres, 800 Arctic terns, 200 Common Eiders. In addition to the puffins and other nesting migratory seabird species, the tour will provide an opportunity to view seals, usually both Common seals and Grey seals, Bald eagles, porpoises, dolphins and pelagic seabird species. Upon return to Cutler harbor, we will eat lunch together (meal not included).

Activity Level Rating: 2 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)

General workshop rating is 1. Puffin rating is 2.

Participants should be in good health and self-sufficient enough to carry their own gear. Participants should also be able to climb in and out of boats in sometimes slippery conditions carrying photo gear. They should also be comfortable with boats and changing sea conditions. The trip to photograph Atlantic Puffins will involve traveling 10 miles out into the Gulf of Maine aboard a 40-foot boat. It is about a 45-minute ride each way.

Getting onto the island from the boat can be an adventure all in itself, from Bold Coast Charter Co: Island landings involve participants transferring from the tour vessel into a large outboard-powered skiff which is navigated to a designated landing area on the rocky shoreline. Depending on the sea conditions, there is a possibility of wet feet, although most days we manage to keep everyone completely dry. While assistance is provided at every stage of the landing, conditions are slippery, and a degree of physical mobility and surefootedness is required.

Skill Level and Photo Equipment Recommendations

• Wide angle lens, medium telephoto (40-150mm OM, 70-200mm Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.), telephoto (100-400mm) ( 200-500mm- optional)

  • Bear in mind multiple participants will be in a blind. Too much gear could make it difficult to move around.  We recommend bringing no more than two cameras bodies each with a lens attached into the blind. Too tight for a tripod, you can easily handhold or rest the lens on the bottom of the blind window.

• All your batteries and SD/Compact flash cards

• Optional: binocular

Pack for change of weather.  Its Maine! Raincoat, hat, pants, shoes, etc. Bug spray, sunscreen, etc.  Bring a Windbreaker and pullover to keep warm on the boat ride.

Itinerary Changes

The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.

Travel Insurance

As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons

Please note that this and all classes/workshops have no refunds. By signing up for our classes/tours/workshops, you agree to our terms and conditions, see http://www.lisaandtomphotography.com/p/workshops.html