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Rajan Parrikar wrote:
There are several locations in Iceland amenable to puffin photography. Heimaey is one choice and the tourists will be a bother only during daytime. Assuming you are serious about photography, in July you will have the entire night to yourself and 99/100 of the Instagram chumps will be in their hotel rooms by 7 pm and in bed by 10. There is Dyrhólaey but that location has some restrictions as it is a sensitive breeding ground. Another option on the South coast is Ingólfshöfði where you are taken in a hay cart. ( https://www.fromcoasttomountains.com/ingolfshofdi-puffin-tour )
My recommendation is, skip the South coast puffins altogether. Instead, go to either Látrabjarg in the Westfjords or to the tiny island Grímsey in the North (it is the only part of Icelandic territory that lies on/within the Arctic Circle). There are other places but they will need special arrangements.
Logistically Látrabjarg will be more convenient. You can stay at Breiðavík - https://breidavik.is - from where the cliffs are a 15 mins drive. Another lodging option is Patreksfjörður, a drive of 45-60 mins. Borgarfjörður Eystri in the East Fjords is also a popular puffins site.
Exercise caution and common sense at Látrabjarg (and in Iceland in general). Much of Iceland is still wild and there isn't the kind of signage you find in the USA about possible dangers. Stay well clear of the cliff edges (photographers have fallen to their death here) despite the temptation to get closer. The ground is often very soft and wind gusts can also take you by surprise.
The last photo at this link should offer an idea of the general scene -
https://blog.parrikar.com/2020/05/29/puffin-latrabjarg-iceland/
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I went to both the Látrabjarg Cliffs as well as Grimséy Island in July 2019. They both offer fabulous photo opportunities but at least in my experience the opportunities are very different between the two. The puffins at Látrabjarg are very used to people and one can get very close; full-frame shots are practically possible with an iPhone. The setting is also very nice with flowers in bloom and distant backgrounds because of the cliff top location. But at least when I was there the opportunities to photograph puffins with fish/sand eels were very limited. First, very few puffins came in with fish when I was there. Secondly, when they did, they were coming literally straight up from the ocean far below, so there was only a second or two between when one was able to spot them and when they landed. Finally, at least when I was there, the few that came in with fish quickly disappeared into their burrows. I was only able to get a couple of quick shots. But got plenty of great puffin portraits, just without fish.
Grimséy is totally different. First there are many, many more puffins nesting there. Secondly, they are virtually constantly coming in with sand eels, krill, or a mixture of the two. They also circle multiple times at cliff top (i.e., eye) level giving one multiple very close shots. And the backgrounds are varied—distant water or cliff tops of varying colors, all nicely blurred due to the distance. Finally, when they land they tend to pose for a long time, often 10 minutes or more, looking around and giving one nonstop photo opportunities. And while the puffins on Grimséy are certainly a bit more skittish than those at Látrabjarg, it is still possible to get full frame portraits at focal lengths of 300-500mm. The link below will give you an idea of the type of shots one can get at Grimséy; a previous poster has already shown photos from Látrabjarg.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9cadpq4sw44wflg/AAC7hz8a1dHaWti5lrzJgrnGa?dl=0
Good luck with your travels. I can honestly say that Grimséy was one of the most fun photography trips I have ever gone on!
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