Tufted Puffins, Pribilof Islands, Alaska #3015

Persistence and patience are absolutely critical components of being a successful wildlife/nature photographer. The wild card is luck and this image is a great example. I was hanging out with the puffin on the left on the sea birds cliffs of St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs. The bird was totally comfortable with me as I waited for a long time for something to happen. Watching a bird sitting on a rock for half an hour and not really moving around is kind of like watching paint dry, but at that moment this bird was my best subject. I knew I could not get lazy and let my focus lapse. Then out of nowhere another puffin does a fly by. I hit the motor drive and the shot was in the bag. A photographer always has to be ready. Thank you for visiting. Enjoy – Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 80-400mm, Digital Capture, hand held ©Mark Kelley