J.K. Putnam Photography bi-monthly newsletter

Feb 17, 2024

Island Time

News and announcements from J.K. Putnam Photography

After seven years of leading workshops focused on photographing puffins you’d think I’d have grown tired of these birds. Not the case… in fact, I’m just getting started. So far, all of my trips have lead us to Machias Seal Island, famous here in Maine for being the only place in the U.S. where you can get on land with Atlantic puffins. It’s one of my favorite workshops of the year and I hope to be leading it for many years to come. But I can’t stop there! MSI is amazing but it has its limitations and I have been working hard to find locations that provide an even more rewarding experience… which led me to Île aux Perroquets, a tiny island that sits at the western end of the Mingan Archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec, Canada.

A stay on Île aux Perroquets is an unforgettable experience. I traveled there this past June as part of a two-week road trip through Quebec with my wife, five-year-old son, and two-month-old daughter. To date, this was one of my favorite travel experiences of my life, held up against trips to Tanzania, Alaska, Japan, and Australia. The cities are well known for their European feel but the landscapes of Quebec were unexpectedly beautiful. Our route along the North shore of the St. Lawrence looked like a mix of Highway 1 in California and Maine’s Bold Coast with dramatic coastal scenery on one side and boreal forest as far as the eye can see on the other. Our final destination was Île aux Perroquets where we spent three comfortable nights eating wonderful food, enjoying each other’s company, and, for me, photographing Atlantic puffins (and other birds) to my heart’s content. Not only did we have the island almost all to ourselves we were able to move around the island freely for close-up views of puffins all day long and in all types of light. No blinds and no time limits! I knew I had to show this place to others. In fact, I was so excited about it I teased it to the participants of my Machias Seal Island workshop a month later. Long story short, my first Île aux Perroquets workshop was sold out before even being planned.

Here’s the part where I apologize… you’re on my mailing list, you’re supposed to get first dibs, right? Logistically and financially this was a tricky workshop to plan. Having interested people ahead of fully planning this trip made it possible. But don’t worry, I plan to host this workshop annually beginning in 2025. Until then, For info on the workshop and to view more images from the island you can view the listing HERE.

You can also check out a short video I made from the island HERE.

Acadia and Beyond

Featuring trips to the Atlantic puffin nesting colony on Machias Seal Island.

Despite the many benefits Île aux Perroquets has over Machias Seal Island I will say this… MSI is the BEST place in the world for close up photography of puffins. You can’t get any closer than this. Acadia and Beyond will be a little different this year. Yes, we’ll still kick it off with a lobster bake at my home in Southwest Harbor, Yes, we’ll still spend time photographing Acadia. So what’s different? First of all, we bought out the boat! We will have a nice big group of fifteen people which includes three instructors. As always, Nathaniel Child will be joining us (how could we do this without him), but this year we’ll also have Mr. Benjamin WIlliamson along for the ride. Oh, and we’ll be making three trips to MSI instead of two.

Registration is now open for Acadia and Beyond and as a subscriber you are the first to know! For more info and to register go HERE. This workshop fills up fast!

Monhegan Island

Speaking of Ben WIlliamson, we just wrapped a very fun and very successful second run on our Winter in Acadia workshop… and we’re ready for more! Watch for info in the coming months on how to join us in 2025. Need a Ben and John fix before then? Join us on Monhegan Island this August! Hmm… another island. Are you noticing a theme? If you’ve been to Monhegan, you know. If you haven’t… you have to see this place to believe it. More info HERE.

Monhegan Island by Benjamin Williamson

Self-Expression through Nature Photography

This April the Wendell Gilley Museum and I are offering a special, one-day workshop opportunity in Acadia here on Mount Desert Island (I know, I know, most of my workshops take place in Acadia on MDI, I’m just pointing it out to keep with the island theme). This workshop will focus on visual story telling and connecting you with your photography through personal experiences. Learn more HERE.