The Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle photography holiday is a deliberately focused wildlife photography experience built around one of the UK’s most iconic seabirds, photographed in one of its most productive breeding locations. Running from 12th – 17th June 2027, this small-group trip is designed for photographers who want time, access, & repeatable photographic opportunities rather than a rushed itinerary.
Based entirely on Fair Isle, Scotland, this trip coincides with the peak puffin breeding season, when birds are settled, behaviour is predictable, & photographic access is at its strongest. With only two places now remaining, this departure is close to selling out.
Why photograph Atlantic Puffins on Fair Isle?
Fair Isle sits between Orkney & Shetland in the North Sea & supports internationally important seabird colonies. During June, the island becomes one of the most reliable places in Europe to photograph Atlantic Puffins at close range, often without the need for hides.
Puffins nest directly beside cliff edges & grassy slopes, allowing photographers to work at eye level, control backgrounds, & photograph natural behaviour without disturbance. The combination of proximity, clean sightlines, & long daylight hours makes Fair Isle uniquely productive for puffin photography.
Unlike mainland colonies with day-visitor restrictions, staying overnight on Fair Isle allows access to early morning & late evening light. This creates opportunities for softer backgrounds, warmer tones, & more controlled compositions that are simply not possible on day-trip locations.
Photographic focus of the trip
The Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle photography holiday is not about covering multiple species or locations. It is about working one subject well. Over the course of five nights, photographers have repeated opportunities to refine their approach to puffin photography, improving consistency & image quality.
Key photographic opportunities include:
Close-range puffin portraits with clean, natural backgrounds, puffins carrying nesting material or fish, flight photography against sea & sky, behavioural interactions around burrows, & wide-angle environmental images showing puffins within the Fair Isle landscape.
While Atlantic Puffins are the primary focus, Fair Isle also supports species such as razorbills, guillemots, Arctic terns, & skuas, offering additional variety when conditions allow.
Guided by Robin Lowry
This photography holiday is guided by Robin Lowry, who leads the majority of NaturesLens puffin photography trips. Robin is known for his calm, methodical approach & for helping photographers produce strong images consistently rather than relying on chance encounters.
Guidance is practical & photographic rather than theoretical, covering positioning, background control, exposure decisions, autofocus setup, & anticipating puffin behaviour. Support is always tailored to individual experience levels, whether refining technique or building confidence with seabird photography for the first time.
Group size is kept small to ensure access, flexibility, & meaningful one-to-one time in the field.
June – peak season for Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle
June is widely regarded as the best month to photograph the Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle. Birds are actively feeding chicks, flight activity is constant, & behaviour is repeatable across multiple sessions. Long daylight hours allow photography early in the morning & late into the evening, when light quality is at its best.
Weather conditions on Fair Isle are variable, but this variability often works in a photographer’s favour, producing dramatic skies, textured light, & a wide range of photographic conditions over a short period.
included
The £2,499 price includes:
Five nights full-board accommodation on Fair Isle, all guided photography sessions with Robin Lowry, small-group access to key puffin areas, & a carefully paced itinerary designed around light & bird behaviour.
Travel to & from Shetland, personal camera equipment, travel insurance, & incidental expenses are not included.
Who this trip is for?
This trip is suited to photographers who want to slow down, observe behaviour, & build a cohesive body of work rather than collect one-off images. It works equally well for photographers new to seabirds & those looking to refine an existing portfolio of puffin images.
If your goal is to return home with consistently strong photographs of Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle, taken in good light with experienced guidance, this trip is designed for exactly that.
Availability – only two places remaining
The Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle Photography Holiday running from 12th – 17th June 2027 now has only two places remaining. Demand for Fair Isle puffin photography is consistently high due to the island’s limited accommodation & access.
Once full, no additional spaces can be added – View full itinerary & availability
Related Atlantic Puffins of Fair Isle Photography Holidays
If you're interested in Atlantic Puffin photography, the following list of our upcoming photography holidays may be of interest.
- NaturesLens wildlife photography holidays are structured around photographic opportunity — every schedule decision is made around light, behaviour, & access.
- Small groups of 4–8 photographers ensure unhurried positions & individual guidance.
- Single occupancy accommodation is included as standard across the majority of our trips.
