Lundy
Lundy is an island in the Bristol channel just 3.5 miles long. I have visited it for many years with my family, and in the summer of 2018 I was a long term volunteer. I surveyed puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars, and seals, and spent my free time making films about the seabirds and seals.
In particular I focused on filming and photographing auks underwater. A very large number of photographs are taken of puffins on land, yet this misrepresents where they spend most of their lives. Auks (especially guillemots and razorbills) are very clumsy on land and inefficient at flying, because their short wings and position of the legs far back on the body are perfect adaptations for swimming underwater, but not for movement on land and in the air. Underwater, they use their wings to “fly”. Witnessing this was undoubtedly the most incredible wildlife experience I have ever had. In order to get the best light, and because I was surveying and doing other jobs during the day, I snorkelled with the auks only at sunrise and sunset. The light underwater at these times is absolutely unreal and the bubble trails coming from the birds’ feathers are lit up.
As I watched the sun set behind the auks on the water, I set about thinking how I would photograph a puffin on a wave silhouetted against the sunset. To do this, I made a raft out of old plastic bottles and bits of wood, so that I could float the camera as close to the water level as possible. This was incredibly unsuccessful, due to the vertical movement of both the raft and the puffins, and the fact that the sun was in my eyes, making it very hard to line up a puffin with the sunset.
I also photographed and filmed seals underwater at sunrise and sunset. This was much easier because they are incredibly inquisitive, however it was harder to get more original and different shots. I mainly aimed for half in half out shots, showing the habitat both above and below the water. At sunrise, the problem is that there is too much contrast between above and below. I used a graduated filter to reduce this, however a much stronger graduated filter and / or an underwater flash would be required to get the sun rising over the horizon with a seal below. This is something I will try again.
Read MoreIn particular I focused on filming and photographing auks underwater. A very large number of photographs are taken of puffins on land, yet this misrepresents where they spend most of their lives. Auks (especially guillemots and razorbills) are very clumsy on land and inefficient at flying, because their short wings and position of the legs far back on the body are perfect adaptations for swimming underwater, but not for movement on land and in the air. Underwater, they use their wings to “fly”. Witnessing this was undoubtedly the most incredible wildlife experience I have ever had. In order to get the best light, and because I was surveying and doing other jobs during the day, I snorkelled with the auks only at sunrise and sunset. The light underwater at these times is absolutely unreal and the bubble trails coming from the birds’ feathers are lit up.
As I watched the sun set behind the auks on the water, I set about thinking how I would photograph a puffin on a wave silhouetted against the sunset. To do this, I made a raft out of old plastic bottles and bits of wood, so that I could float the camera as close to the water level as possible. This was incredibly unsuccessful, due to the vertical movement of both the raft and the puffins, and the fact that the sun was in my eyes, making it very hard to line up a puffin with the sunset.
I also photographed and filmed seals underwater at sunrise and sunset. This was much easier because they are incredibly inquisitive, however it was harder to get more original and different shots. I mainly aimed for half in half out shots, showing the habitat both above and below the water. At sunrise, the problem is that there is too much contrast between above and below. I used a graduated filter to reduce this, however a much stronger graduated filter and / or an underwater flash would be required to get the sun rising over the horizon with a seal below. This is something I will try again.
