The focus of my July 2026 trip to the Canadian Maritimes and Downeast Maine was a four-day workshop co-hosted with Maine photographers Ben Williamson and Jack Sullivan. We had 12 photographers join us from as far away as California to photograph the Atlantic puffin colony on Machias Seal Island. This little rocky island in the grey zone of the Bay of Fundy is home to roughly 16,000 nesting birds and is the only island in the lower 48 with public access to nesting puffins. Thanks to exclusive access arranged through Bold Coast Charters, our group spent two mornings shooting from blinds right on the island, about as close as you can responsibly get to an active seabird colony. We got lucky with conditions, in the sense that we got a bit of everything: bright sun on the first morning, thick fog rolling in on the second. Both days produced completely different images - and honestly, the foggy morning may have been the more atmospheric of the two.
The group at Machias Seal Island on Day 2 of the photography workshop.
Puffin portrait on day 2 of the photography workshop at Machias Seal Island.
Loaded up in the skiff in preparation for the landing on Machias Seal Island on day 2 of the workshop.
Photographer Renee Richards is all smiles after landing on Machias Seal Island. Landings onto the island are not guaranteed and our group lucked out with two perfect weather days!
Photographer Kathe Kane walking out to the blind on Machias Seal Island. Kathe has been participating in my workshops since 2018 and this was her third workshop in Maine with me.
We lucked out and got to see the Canadian Coast Guard helicopter land with supplies for the lighthouse keepers on Machias Seal Island.
A homebase in Lubec
Walking to West Quoddy Lighthouse in the fog on day 2 of the photography workshop.
Many of my photography students from Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia joined for this leg of the trip, and we based ourselves in Lubec for the workshop. Between puffin outings, the group photographed the landscapes and the seafood industry of the Downeast region, and we ate exceptionally well - I sourced fresh seafood directly from local fishermen for the group throughout our stay. There's something about eating what you've just spent the day photographing that rounds out the whole experience. This marked my fourth consecutive year of hosting workshops in the Lubec area.
The group at Little River Lighthouse near the mouth of the Cutler Harbor.
Lobstermen out of Cutler, Maine hauling gear in morning light in front of the Little River Lighthouse.
The Lubec Channel Lighthouse locally known as the ‘spark plug’ on day 2 of the photography workshop.
A New Experience, A Great Workshop
Machias Seal Island was a new experience for me and it turned into a genuinely great experience for my workshop alumni who made the trip from the mid-Atlantic region. Watching a group see Machias Seal Island and the working waterfronts of Maine for the first time was a highlight in its own right. None of this would have been possible without a few key partners: huge thanks to Ben Williamson and Jack Sullivan for co-hosting, to Captain Bob, Abby, Linus, and Renee of Bold Coast Charters for making the puffin access possible, and to the Eastland Motel for hosting us in Lubec.
