This Sandhill Crane was photographed during my Best of Bosque Workshop as it landed in golden light after a storm that brought record-breaking rainfall during a drought. The dark stormy sky was the perfect backdrop as hundreds of Sandhill Cranes started to land in the fields. My December workshop is full this year, but a couple of spots are left for 2024!
Sandhill Crane Banking
Another Sandhill Crane from my recent Best of Bosque workshop. This was made at my favourite spot along the north loop of the reserve; I just love the background!
Kudos:
Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico for my Dec. 5-9 workshop. LEARN MORE HERE.
Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico for my Dec. 5-9 workshop. LEARN MORE HERE.
Sandhill Crane FLYING OUT OF THE STORM
I mentioned the record-breaking rain that we had during my Best of Bosque workshop in an earlier post. This is the kind of dramatic image that can be made if the sky clears in the Southwest as the sun sets. The sky in the Northeast East was still full of clouds over the Sandia Mountains.
Sandhill Crane Golden Silhouette
As the sun set in the background, we focused on the golden reflection and the magical silhouettes that the Cranes projected. Exposure for these is easy: f/8, 1/5,000s (to freeze movement and get a sharp outline) and ISO 500. Adjust black point, colour temperature and contrast to artistic taste.
Sandhill Crane landing
We were lucky to find some fantastic opportunities yesterday during my Best of Bosque workshop in New Mexico. About 50 Cranes flew into this location close enough to get some great images with great backgrounds. This is one of my favourites from the day.
Peek-a-boo Sandhill Crane in flight
It was a very different day in Bosque del Apache yesterday after the rain. I invited the new group out to shoot for the afternoon before the workshop starts, but I changed my plans to bring them to another refuge because they had closed with impassable muddy roads. The light was still really dark and the roads were wet and muddy with much less bird activity today. Things should dry out quickly and I expect everyone will make an amazing portfolio of images over the course of the next five days.
Sandhill Crane landing head on
Here is a Sandhill Crane from yesterday morning while scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop. Although the light was dark and overcast, the background and head-on landings made it an epic morning for me. While most are complaining that there are no cornfields near accessible roads, the backgrounds this year are fantastic - far better than chopped cornfields of years gone by :)
Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE
🦆
Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE 🦆
Sandhill Crane
A Sandhill Crane in flight from my Best of Bosque workshop last December. I love the fire-like background in this frame.
Special thanks to Raquel Rizzuto Hitchcock from Sony of Canada for the images.
Sandhill Crane Predawn Call
Here is another Sandhill Crane from my Better than Bosque workshop last December 7. It was dark, the air was cold, but still and we listened to the chorus of Sandhill Cranes waking for a good long while before they started to fly out. The dark overcast conditions were perfect for low contrast out-of-focus backgrounds. The key when working at high ISOs like 16,000 is to expose the image perfectly and try your best to capture full-frame images that don’t require cropping (or much cropping).
Join me in New Mexico from Dec. 5-9 for my Best of Bosque Workshop Adventure.
☞
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE OR SIGN-UP
Join me in New Mexico from Dec. 5-9 for my Best of Bosque Workshop Adventure. ☞ CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE OR SIGN-UP
Sandhill Crane on final approach
Here is another Sandhill Crane from my Best of Bosque workshop last December. It is surprisingly difficult to to get a head-on landing image with the head and neck clear of the wings and body. As always, having five full days and an abundance of subjects and activity with an ounce of patience paid off - wink.
Sandhill Crane Dream what makes a successful intentional blur
I am not a huge fan of most of the intentional blurs that I see. I really feel there needs to be more than trying to make something out of a “mistake”. The vast majority of these types of images lack light; yeah, photographers try it when there is not enough light, but I mean they lack the quality of light to make them shine and stand out as art. In this case, I absolutely love the dreamy, rusty, oranges and texture in the background.
Dream of Sandhill Cranes? Join me at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for my Dec. 5-9 Best of Bosque Workshop. Learn More HERE.
Sandhill Crane Landing
A Sandhill Crane lands directly toward us during my Best of Bosque workshop last December. The vast majority of Sandhill Cranes fly in family units with two adults and one juvenile, so isolating a single bird is always the challenge :)
I still have a couple of openings for my Dec. 5-9, 2022 Best of Bosque Workshop due to cancellations. Join me for an incredible adventure to photograph Cranes, Geese, Ducks and so much more!
Sandhill Crane Calling Silhouette
A silhouette of a Sandhill Crane calling with the high desert mountains in the background. Join me in New Mexico from Dec. 5-9 for my Best of Bosque workshop. Learn More HERE.
Sandhill Crane Landing at Last Light
After a cold morning start and a brutally harsh sunny day, we were rewarded with the warmest, sweetest last light and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes landing in front of us.
Join me for my Best of Bosque Workshop December 5-9 in Socorro, New Mexico (near Albuquerque). Learn more HERE.
Sandhill Crane Pair Silhouette
What can I say? I am a sucker for silhouettes. The biggest challenge once I found a suitable location with some vegetation to frame the image, was getting the pair with opposing wing positions.
Sandhill Crane Full Moon Silhouette
A mated pair of Sandhill Cranes silhouetted against the full moon from my Best of Bosque workshop. This image was created in-camera with a single exposure. I used creative license and adjusted the black point, contrast and white balance dramatically. I am very excited that there will be a full moon in the middle of my Dec. 5-9 workshop on Dec. 7 :) Click HERE to learn more or sign-up for my Dec. 5-9, 2022 Best of Bosque workshop adventure.
Sandhill Crane Landing in Golden Light
A Sandhill Crane lands in the very fist golden rays of high desert (5,000ft) light. You always know that you are in for a treat when the light and wind align from behind you :)
Join me Dec 5-9 for my Best of Bosque workshop adventure. Learn More HERE.
🪶
Join me Dec 5-9 for my Best of Bosque workshop adventure. Learn More HERE. 🪶
Sandhill Crane in flight Silhouette
The single most important parts of a successful silhouette (to me) are ensuring that the wings, neck/head/bill, legs and feet are free and clear of each other - I see so many images with the head or bill intersecting a wing or the body. The best way to achieve this is to invest the time in the field in the best location.
I still have a couple of openings due to cancellation for my Dec. 5-9, 2022 Best of Bosque trip. Learn more HERE.
Sandhill Crane Silhouette
The first image from a newly discovered folder of silhouettes from my Better than Bosque workshop last December. I am looking forward to digging through the rest ;)
Learn more about my Better than Bosque workshop HERE.
Best of Bosque 1 opening due to cancellation Dec 6 to 10 2021
UPDATE: NOW SOLD OUT!
Best of Bosque Dec. 6 to 10, 2021 One spot open due to cancellation
A winter paradise for Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes and many other birds, Bosque del Apache is located along the Rio Grande River near Socorro, New Mexico. Touted as the Crown Jewel for bird photography by many, Bosque does offer some incredible images, but there is so much more to the area than just this one place. After many, many years of visiting the refuge and surrounding areas, I've decided to offer another photographic workshop there . This is, by far, the very best New Mexico has to offer in the winter; we will visit Bosque del Apache NWR when the conditions are right, but you will also have the opportunity to join me and learn where all of the other amazing, and somewhat secret spots are. We will visit some of my old haunts, blinds and secret locations.
Join world-renowned Canadian nature photographer, blogger, photo educator, lecturer, Sony ambassador and X-rite Master Coloratti Christopher Dodds in, and around, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for 5 action-filled days of incredible bird photography, learning and fun!
The trip is timed to coincide with the very best time to be at Bosque del Apache NWR for fall migration.
Includes five days of professional instruction and guiding and logistics management by Christopher Dodds. Not included in the price is your transportation, hotels (I have a block of discounted rooms available at a discounted rate), park access fees, meals, drinks, souvenirs or other expenses of a personal nature.
Who should attend: This workshop is highly recommended for any level photographer. Whether you are completely new to nature photography, an experienced amateur, or a seasoned pro. There will be something to photograph and we will have plenty of time to tailor your instruction to your abilities. The seasoned pro can take full advantage of the logistics, my site and subject knowledge.
Getting there: Socorro is 73 miles from Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ).
Details: An extremely detailed email with the precise itinerary, hotel recommendations (for the night before your workshop), camera gear suggestions and tested clothing checklist will be emailed after registration is complete.
“My recent trip with Chris Dodds to the Bosque del Apache reserve was a roaring success! Five full days of shooting opportunities were exactly what I bargained for, and great lessons were learned. Specifically, high-quality results come with time, patience, and attention to detail. My experience with Chris gave me a taste of all three in a truly relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Each and every one of our five days working primarily with snow geese and sandhill cranes offered welcome variation in conditions to provide a broad package of opportunities. I left the workshop with a full portfolio of portraits, flight shots, behaviors, and great shots of those magnificent “blast offs” of thousands of white geese and elegant cranes, all under excellent light conditions for bird photography. Chris is a master at choosing and teaching about the best positioning for photos (clouds, sun, wind, behavior etc.) It was a busy time, with all the instruction I wanted, and that’s exactly how it should be!
I most admired Chris Dodds’ active coaching combined with openness to questions at any time. Chris was often right next to us shooting away and teaching-by-example, but his clear priority was to boost the abilities of each participant, no matter whether they were beginners or pros. It is a rare ability to coach a well-experienced photographer one moment, and then patiently help a newbie with a point-and-shoot learn how to set up their tripod!
I’m busily planning another trip or two with Chris!”
— Darrell Vodopich, Waco, Texas