Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta, Canard Pilet, NOPI) Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 600mm f/4 L IS II USM & 2X III Tele-converter. ISO 640, F8 1/2,500s Manual Mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Here's a Northern Pintail from my Better than Bosque workshop last December. I'm about to lead my sold-out workshop there and have added the dates for next year to my workshop page HERE.

KUDOS:

Your Better than Bosque trip was a real eye-opener for me. I thought I had a handle on my photographic techniques, and thought I was at the top of my game. Wow, was I wrong! I had no idea how much I would learn from you when I decided to sign-up; I thought you would show us your secret spots and that would justify the tuition for me. I made a great friend, learned more than I could have imagined and got the best images I have ever made (thousands of them). Thank you for an EPIC trip. I will be back for another of your amazing workshops soon.

Chris Smith England

Great Gray Owl WINTERWINGS

Great Gray Owl WINTERWINGS (Strix Nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm F4 L IS USM. ISO 2,500, F5.5 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO ORDER A PRINT OR LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Kudos:

My criteria for signing up for a photo workshop are:  the opportunity to get some very strong images, to learn new things related to capture, post processing, & animal behavior and to have an enjoyable experience.
Your recent owl workshop met these criteria in spades thanks to your expertise, knowledge, & leadership. You did everything humanly possible to make the workshop as successful as possible for your clients.

I have been on many photo workshops.  Yours are now on my short "A" list which means i shall be a repeat client beyond the puffin photo workshop this July. Thank you again for the outstanding owl workshop.

Carl Zanoni Connecticut, USA

Learn more about my Snowy Winter Owl Workshops HERE.

Great Grey Owl THE HUNTRESS

Great Gray Owl THE HUNTRESS (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. ISO 640, f/2.8 @ 1/3,200s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

KUDOS:

I wanted to thank you for a wonderful winter owling workshop last week.  It was great to be in the field with you and I learned a great deal about the birds, environment and my camera.  Thanks so much for being such a great naturalist, photographer and trip leader.  I will go on another trip with you in the future.

Lynda Goff
(Professor Emeritus Ecology & Evolutionary Biology UC Santa Cruz) Santa Cruz, California, USA

Learn more about my Snowy Winter Owl Workshops HERE.

Snowy Owl BANKING ON PASTEL SKY

Snowy Owl BANKING ON PASTEL SKY  (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontario, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 600mm f/4 L IS II USM. ISO 3,200, f/5.6 @ 1/1,250s Manual. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

In my last blog post, I shared an image called Morning Glory. As the the sun continued to rise that morning, the colors in the sky against the retreating fog continued their spectacular show. For more information about my Winter Owl Workshops, CLICK HERE.

KUDOS:

Deep knowledge of animal behaviour and their habitats combined with photographic talent, knowledge and years of experience are the ingredients of trips/workshops guided by Chris Dodds! I had the privilege to join Chris on various trips and experienced unique tailor made experiences, enabling creative and artistic photography. I enjoyed every minute and highly recommend this to colleague nature photographers that like to explore and enjoy the best Nature can offer.

Jan van der Greef The Netherlands

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Hawk Owl GROUND EFFECT (Surnia ulula, Chouette épervière, NHOW) Ontario ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D Mark II, 100-400mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM @ 250mm. ISO400, f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

There are still a couple of openings due to cancellation for the upcomming winter owl season. Find out more about my Snowy Winter Owl Workshop HERE.

KUDOS

Thank you so much for a memorable week during your Snowy Owl Workshop, I have enjoyed it immensely.

The week has been EPIC, Exhilarating Pictures, Instructional Colossus, what more can I say.

It has been a long held ambition of mine to photograph Snowy Owls and in choosing your trip all my expectations have been filled and some. The company has been an important and enjoyable part of the trip and I will recall with great fondness many of  the hilarious moments we have shared together.

I appreciate all the hard work that you have put in to ensure the success of our trip and I wish to thank you for that.

I hope the season continues to go well for you and I wish you happiness in your life.  

Again a heartfelt thanks.

John Sheppard Banbury | England

Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk Vertical Bank (Buteo Lagopus, Buse Pattue, RLHA) southeastern corner of Ontario ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D MArk IV, 500mm f/4 L IS USM. ISO800, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Rough-legged Hawk Hovering (Buteo Lagopus, Buse Pattue, RLHA) southeastern corner of Ontario ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D MArk IV, 500mm f/4 L IS USM. ISO800, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

A Rough-legged Hawk put on quite a show for my Snowy Winter Owl Workshop Group. We were all sitting low and still, and quite close to a snowy owl when this Rough-Legged Hawk swooped down and started to harass the Owl. Interesting to note that fewer Rough-legged Hawks are recorded during Christmas bird counts where Red-tailed Hawks are doing well; The Red-tailed Hawks stay on their territory year round, and they vigorously defend it against the winter visitors.

 

Kudos

Winter owl photography was near the top of my bucket list.  My research kept ending up with one name, Christopher Dodds.  I had participated in nine previous field instructional photo tours throughout the USA, Canada, Japan and the Falklands with six different professional photographers all of which were excellent but this one was a cut above.

The best field photography instructors are professionals, formally trained in photography and have extensive experience in studio work as well as other areas.  Chris Dodds comes with those credentials and 20 plus years as an outdoor photographer and is a sub specialist in winter owl photographyHe understands and teaches from the basics to the most advanced science and technical knowledge in the field.

Beyond the photography Chris’ Owl Prowl stands out as the model for a highly successful experience.  After 20 plus years of developing relationships and infrastructure his photo tours are characterized by superb organization, logistic, transportation, and communication.  We stayed on schedule at a relaxed pace and he was always mindful of our small group's personal safety during extreme weather conditions.

The return on my investment and expectations in Chris Dodds' Great Owl Prowl was excellent.  It's true! you get what you pay for.

CJ Hockett Vermont USA

Aguchik Island Bald Eagle Nest

Bald Eagle Juvenile on nest with Fireweed (Hailiaeetus leucocephalus, Pygarge a tete blanche, BAEA) Aguchik Island, Kukak Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX Mark II, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM @400mm. ISO 800, f/18 @ 1/250s Manual. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

Here's a Juvenile Bald Eagle on it's nest on Aguchik Island in Kukak Bay, Katmai National Park from this summer. I've seen loads of Bald Eagle nests, but none were quite this beautiful.

Compared to most other raptors which mostly nest in April or May, bald eagles are early breeders: nest building or reinforcing is often by mid-February, egg laying is often late February (sometimes during deep snow in the North), and incubation is usually mid-March and early May. Eggs hatch from mid April to early May, and the young fledge late June to early July. The nest is the largest of any bird in North America; it is used repeatedly over many years and with new material added each year may eventually be as large as 4 m (13 ft) deep, 2.5 m (8.2 ft) across and weigh 1 metric ton; one nest in Florida was found to be 6.1 m (20 ft) deep, 2.9 meters (9.5 ft) across, and to weigh 2.7 metric tons). This nest is on record as the largest tree nest ever recorded for any animal. Usually nests are used for under five years or so, as they either collapse in storms or break the branches supporting them by their sheer weight. However, one nest in the Midwest was occupied continuously for at least 34 years. The nest is built out of branches, usually in large trees found near water. When breeding where there are no trees, the bald eagle will nest on the ground, as has been recorded largely in areas largely isolated from terrestrial predators, such as Amchitka Island in Alaska. - Wikipedia


Kudos

The Puffins Galore Workshop on I'ile aux Perroquets exceeded my expectations. Chris is an exceptional photographer, teacher, and all around good guy.  He was quick to point out the best photographic opportunities for the group, taking into account the constantly changing weather, light and tides.  He was always available to answer questions and give tips, catering to all levels of experience in the group.  The accommodations were excellent and the food was first rate. Our chefs/housekeepers/hostesses, Louise and Johanne, were amazing. The photographic opportunities were endless with an unbelievable number of puffins as well as razorbills, guillemots, gulls, whales and seals.  This was my first photography workshop and I am looking forward to my next adventure with Chris.

Mark Adkins Rochester| MN

Snowy Owl TUNDRA GHOST High Imapct vs Low Impact Images

 

Snowy Owl TUNDRA GHOST (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) Ontrario. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM ISO 2,000 f/5.6 @ 1/4,000s Manual mode. PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION HERE.

High Impact vs. Low Impact images

We all know the “shock & awe” value of a close-up action image posted to your favourite critique forum, web site, Facebook Page, Instagram or Twitter feed; The instant connection between the viewer and the high impact, awe inspiring thumbnail is often rewarded with lots of Likes, comments and kudos. Do you take the time to step back, zoom-out and see the bigger picture? Do you think about more distant views?   Do you think about including some habitat in your images? Do you strive to make the kind of image that often looks better on your wall or in a calendar, but is often over-looked on websites because the thumbnail is not as visually “exciting”? Do you think about making "low impact" images?

More Kudos: Chris Dodds knows how to do a workshop!

I had the pleasure of attending Chris' Snowy Owl Workshop this past January. To be honest, I did not know much about Chris before the trip. All I knew was the quality of his images on his website and that I wanted Snowy owl pictures. Needless to say, Chris met and exceeded my expectations. He goes over and above to get you in the right place at the right time to capture the best images possible. Having been on numerous workshops around the world with various leaders, I can say Chris worked harder than most..... He also made sure that we were in position to get a variety of images and not just 1000 photos of the same animal behavior. Chris knows his birds and what they are going to do next (as much as humanly possible). He teaches in a way that things make sense. I was getting frustrated with my photography before this trip. I was able to get great shots before the workshop but felt that the percentage of great shots to missed shots needed to be better. Chris explained ways to change a few of my bad habits in a way that no one else ever did. I have tried manual exposure in the past but never got comfortable with it but after a day or two with Chris it clicked in my mind and my images improved and percentage of keepers went up.
If you get a chance to go on a workshop with Chris I would highly recommend it. I know I will again.


Rick Susi  Orlando, FL, USA

 

READ MORE TESTIMONIALS HERE

Carl from Survivor Africa survives my winter owl prowl

Great Gray Owl SYMETRY  (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM. ISO 1,250, f/3.5 @ 1/4,000s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Here's a note I received from Carl Bilancione, or "Dr. B" from Survivor: Africa television fame, after he attended (survived) my Snowy Winter Owl Workshop. It's not too late for you to get in on the action this winter; there are just a few spots left. Read more HERE.

KUDOS:

I'm happy to say I survived  Africa and now I survived the bitter cold and wind of Ontario. Once I saw the movie the "Big Year"  the Snowy Owl went to the top of my bucket list. There was only one photographer who combined excellence and instruction that I wanted to help me achieve capturing the Snowy Owl; Chris Dodds. Chris is an amazing photographer who taught our group to use manual setting and fully explain the technical aspects of our cameras(we were all Nikon users & Chris is a Canon guy). Chris made sure we were all in the position to capture a great image and he constantly was helping us and reviewing our skill set and lack of skill set. I was able to get a lot of great images and fully understand photography at a professional level. I am now a better photographer.. His preparation for his workshop was the best I have been part of. The small group workshop allowed Chris to spend individual time with each of us and that was the real bonus. If you want to capture great images and learn from a master photographer there is no one better in my opinion. The workshop and the accommodations were great. I look forward to my next outing with Chris.


Carl Bilancione (Survivor Africa contestant) Winter Park, Florida

Jacques-Andre Dupont Guest Blog Kudos

Northern Gannet LOVERS (Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan, NOGA) Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec Image Copyright and courtesy ©Jacques-Andre Dupont All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 7D mark II, 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 L IS II (@263mm). ISO 800, F5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual mode.

I received a wonderful letter from J.A. (Jacques-Andre) Dupont; a wonderful person, and great photographer. As an educator and workshop/safari leader, I love sharing what I've learned during my workshops and it truly is wonderful to see a workshop participant improve their skills and learn how to reliably create awesome images filled with visual impact during a workshop/safari. Congratulations, J.A., much continued success. Many thanks for your wonderful letter. - Christopher Dodds.

Without further ado, here's J.A. Dupont:

This is a testament to my The butterfly photo effect or how my Chris Dodds workshops started things for me:
 
Dear Chris,
 
I wanted to write you a few words to tell you the story of how meeting you created a true butterfly effect for me.
 
I have been on two workshops so far with you.  Last year we did the Atlantic Puffin on beautiful Mingan Islands. And this year we did the Northern Gannet on the world renowned Bonaventure Island.
 
Both workshops were outstanding in many waysI learned quite a lot on a technical level.  But I believe that your workshops helped me do much more…  In a way, you helped me open my (photo) eyes.  You have showed me how to look at the birds, understand their behaviour and in a way use my images to bring them to life. You have helped me understand light in a new way, so the animals are almost as beautiful as in real life.   And you help me dig deeper within the tools that I brought with me; and of course I mean my Canon DSLR and my trusted L series lenses.
 
Both workshops were also amazing because you helped us discover amazing sights for wildlife photography and animals that are highly photogenic.
 
So in a nutshell, I believe I am a better photographer because of you.
 
And because of these two amazing photo trips and your guidance, I got to live quite a rushing experience in the last few weeks.
 
It all started after I put my gannet pictures on National Geographic web site.
 
Just a few days after I uploaded them online, things started to move in a new way for me.
 
👍🏻It started by two of my pictures making the cut by being selected in the Daily Dozen section of National Geographic web site.
 
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/6491757/
 
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/6516046/
 
Then it went on turbo gear.  The next four things all happened within 48 hours
 
👍🏻I was contacted by a National Geograhic photo editor who offered to do a feature on my series of gannet photos as well as an interview with me. See the interview HERE.

👍🏻National Geographic Senior Photo Editor also contacted me because she wanted one of my photos to be Photo of the Day on National Geographic (as photo of the day you get to be published on all Nat Geo social media platforms and you are on the first page of the web site… I received 21 000 likes on facebook just from being on their Facebook page). See the National Geographic Photo of the Day HERE.

👍🏻A 500PX editor contacted me because a Spanish magazine wanted to licence one of the photos for a feature (yet to be published). See my 500px portfolio HERE.

👍🏻And finally Solent News, a UK News and Photo agency contacted me to represent me and sell my pictures. After we agreed, my gannet pictures were published within a few days in the London’s Daily Telegraph. See the Daily Telegraph image HERE.

👍🏻And in the paper version:

👍🏻This same agency is now selling other of my photos.
 
👍🏻And to top this tsunami of photography love, I was published last week in Canadian Geographic Special Collector Edition Best Wildlife Photography with a Cedar Waxwing photo. 
 
👍🏻And then last week I received an email and learned that three of my Gannets Photos were selected by Canadian Geographic as finalists in this year Wildlife Photography of the Year Photo Competition!
 
So this long email, is just my way of saying thank you. I feel very lucky to have been taught by you and this will not be the last time!
 
Best,

Jacques-Andre Dupont Montreal Canada