Bald Eagles LOCK ON

Here is one from our last day of the second Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. I can’t say enough about the advantages of a camera (Sony A9 mark III) that captures 120 images per second! The time it takes to go through the photos is well rewarded with perfectly timed images like this one—smile!

Bald Eagles Lock On (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 14, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 2X Tele-extender @1,200mm ISO 8,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Slight crop. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Parakeet Auklet Calling

Did you know?: The Parakeet Auklet makes a series of rhythmic hoarse calls and a quavering squeal. Their function is unknown but could be associated with defending its burrow from intruders and strengthening the bond with its mate.

August 4th is International Owl Awareness Day

Here’s a Great Grey Owl to celebrate International Owl Awareness Day!

Immature Bald Eagle Portrait

A portrait of an immature Bald Eagle (1.5 yrs. old basic I plumage; mostly black beak and cere with ochre eyes) with a drop of ice at the end of it’s beak.

I probably spent half an hour with this beauty and it put on quite a show. I was lying on the ground and every time I lifted my foot behind me, it would fluff-up and look directly at me. I had plenty of time to increase my depth of field to f/20 to ensure sharpness from the tip of the beak to beyond the eyes.

Bald Eagle flying in snow

I’m hiding-out in the studio in self-isolation and spending time trying to distract myself from the news (bad news). Here’s another Bald Eagle headed straight at me from an EPIC shoot in the light snow. We made so many images in such great conditions! Let me know if you are getting sick of the Eagles……

Long-tailed Duck

Sitting on shore photographing the ducks and gulls at the end of the spit in Homer has always been a favorite pastime during any available downtime during my workshops. There is a pipe that expels effluent from the fish processing plant into the bay that all of the birds come to every 20 minutes or so. Sadly, the plant wasn’t in operation when the light was nice or the water flat this year. Luckily, this Long-tailed Duck flew right into the mass of Eagles during our shoot for 10 seconds one morning; it fluffed-up, spread it’s wings and took off when it realized it’s mistake :)

Getting off the boat and working with super telephoto lenses (Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens, Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @ 1,200mm) for the fishing images really isolates the Eagles from the water surface background. The Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless camera handles high ISO so well that noise is never a concern IF you expose the image correctly and try not to crop much. This image was shot vertical and is full frame on the width; I cropped off a little top & bottom to make a stronger composition with more visual impact.

Osprey with American Shad in Golden Light

If you want to make images like this while learning all of the intricacies of birds in flight photography (and birds on perches), then join the fun on Lake Blue Cypress in Florida this April. We cruise the sunrise and sunset hours away on a pontoon boat with hundreds of pairs of Ospreys bringing fish back to their babies in Florida’s golden light. Ospreys Galore and so much more promises to fill your Osprey portfolio with amazing action packed images. Read more about Ospreys Galore and so much more HERE.

Ospreys Galore Workshop

LIMITED SPACE STILL AVAILABLE April 5-7. Join me at the Crown Jewel of Florida, Lake Blue Cypress: The perfect habitat for the hundreds of Osprey nests that cover the ancient Cypress Trees which pierce the pristine water and surround the lake. We will have tons of opportunities to photograph Ospreys on their nests at (or below) eye level, diving for fish or gathering nesting material. Our trip is timed perfectly to see the parents bring fish to their babies. We will photograph other species of Florida birds and will have constant urges to capture the true beauty, spectacular sunrises and all it illuminates in landscape images of the unspoiled, wild and spectacular setting of Lake Blue Cypress. The included pontoon boat cruises are a photographer’s dream with too many Ospreys and Osprey nests to count!

I recently attended the Osprey safari offered by Chris Dodds, and I was positively thrilled with the excursion. The people in our small group were fantastic.  The environment was magical. The photographic opportunities were amazing and abundant. Every part of the physical expedition was most impressive, but what I was really taken with was the panoply of knowledge Chris demonstrated throughout the trip. Whether identifying various birds dozens of yards away simply by call, or exuding masterful control over the camera, Chris was able to display his expertise and offer assistance when needed. Chris is very amiable and approachable. No matter what skill level a photographer has, Chris always made one feel important with his one on one attention and did so without any air of condescension. It was very much like shooting with great friends with your own personal tutor to turn to if needed. I can honestly say that both my skill level and knowledge base increased from my trip with Chris. Thanks again Chris."

- Geoff Powell Vero Beach | FL | USA

Bald Eagle portrait in the rain

I was recently asked what the minimum shutter speed I feel comfortable shooting long lenses hand-held. I had to hesitate to answer, as it’s nothing I think about with the high ISO performance of my Sony cameras; It's not like the old film (slide) days when there were severe limits to image quality at higher ISO. I simply use whatever ISO I need to reach the desired shutter speed. So I decided to see if I could still hand-hold a 600mm lens with a 2X extender on it, and just how steady I might still be. Can I still hand-hold at 1/40s and still produce sharp results? Well, as this image demonstrates, yes, but I don’t need to, so I will continue to use my Wimberley head II on my tripod or crank-up the ISO to accommodate higher shutter speeds. There are two risks when trying to use as low an ISO as possible:

1. Don't get a critically sharp image before the subject moves away.

2. Miss unexpected action with inadequate shutter speed.

Pro tips for hand-holding long lenses:

1. Turn on the image stabilizer (camera and lens).

2. Control breathing to minimize movement.

3. Press your supporting arm into your body to form a triangle brace between your hand under the lens, your shoulder, and your torso.

4. Position your legs so they are a little wider than your shoulders.

5. Align your body so it is perpendicular to your subject.

6. Control shutter finger movement; press slowly.
   

Black Guillemot landing with fish

If you thought it took skill to photograph the fast and erratic Atlantic Puffins in flight, then you have never tried to get a Black Guillemot in flight. We had a lot of fun with them bringing fish home to their babies during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshop.

Great Black-backed Gull with baby Common Eider

Apex predators and opportunistic hunters, the Great Black-backed Gull is the largest member of the gull family. We regularly see them scooping-up the baby Common Eiders that visit us for overnight safety on L'ile aux Perroquettes during my Deluxe Puffins Galore (and so much more) workshop. This beast scooped-up four baby Eiders at quite a distance in a short amount of time, then it suddenly veered around and started to fly toward us with a helpless baby in its deadly grasp. I usually shoot full-frame as a personal challenge to make better quality images but cropped away about 50% of this one to get a closer view. I am impressed at the image quality after the crop at 20,000 ISO.
Though it was once a cute little baby Common Eider, nature is not always cute and cuddly :(

Atlantic Puffin Wide Wings

There is nothing quite like sitting on a rock behind your camera and having hundreds of Puffins swirling around directly in front of you; it's hard to explain how much fun it is to photograph them coming directly towards you. This happens a couple of times each day during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore (and so much more) workshop.
This is the first image I made with the (then) brand new Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS Lens and I threw the Sony FE 2X on to test the combo for fast-moving flight photography. I think it passed the test with flying colors - smile.

Laughing Herring Gull Portrait

Another image from my Deluxe Puffins Galore (and so much more) Photo Tour. Again from an overcast and wet day in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Cameras record light as we see it; we see light, not darkness, and that is what your camera records. As such, it is critically important to get the very best exposure to maximize details and minimize noise - you need to do this in the camera to achieve the very best results; particularly with a white subject!

We carefully set-up our long lenses on the beach and remained as motionless as a group can. We were rewarded with many great opportunities in a short period.

This is a calling Herring Gull; this species is very noisy and well known for its loud laughing call. Gulls fascinate me, mostly because there are only 36 species in North and South America, but they can be so challenging to identify with their many varied plumages (none of them are called a "Seagull"). One of the most interesting facts about the Herring Gull is their tendency to nest on the same site for more than 20 years. On average, they live for about 30 years in the wild, but some have been known to survive to be 49 years old!

Savannah Sparrow with Lunch

Cold, wet and rainy days make for color saturation and naturally diffused light that I just love for this kind of intimate portrait of the Savannah Sparrow with a mouth full of food as it pauses before delivering take-out to it's demanding babies.

I was on a small island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence during my Deluxe Puffins Galore (and so much more) Workshop trying to convince my group to skip the Puffins and Razorbill for just long enough to grab a portrait - I think everyone was pleased with their results!

Atlantic Puffin with baby food

Most up-to-date cameras handle high ISO well, but the Sony a9 is exceptional. To be successful in extreme conditions always remember to expose properly and work with minimal crops. This image was made during last summer’s Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop in Quebec. The sweet light quickly faded as fog started to roll in and I really wanted to keep my shutter speed up at 1/5,000s, so I jacked-up the ISO to 20,000. Trying to track these fast moving bullets headed directly toward you is not quite as easy as you may think - smile.

Arctic Tern with fish

I always arrive in Anchorage a few days before my Saint Paul Island and Bear Boat Workshop and one of my favorite things to do as soon as I unpack is head over to Potter Marsh to photograph the Arctic Terns. Their speed and agility is incredible, especially when there is a gusty wind along the Cook Inlet. It is a great way to unwind from the stress of travel with too many connections and the ever-shrinking seats in airplanes (not to mention the stresses and worry of getting my camera equipment onboard with me as a carry-on).

Coastal Brown Bear on a log

Here’s a Coastal Brown Bear cub checking out the view from the log during my Ultimate Katmai Coastal Brown Bear Boat trip in Katmai National Park, Alaska. We were watching a couple of 3 year old twins grazing the sweet protein rich grass when this one decided it had to stroll over and check-out the view from the log. Most of the time it spent on the log looking away from us, but it did finally turn our way for a photograph :)

Great Gray Owl a la Sony a9 and 400mm f/2.8 G Master lens with 2X teleconverter

Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) ©Christopher Dodds  Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter ISO 2,000, F5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.

In case you missed it, I wrote a mini-review of the new Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS in my last blog post HERE. Here's an image of a Great Grey Owl with the Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter.

I continue to be amazed by the speed and accuracy of the Sony auto-focus. It truly is unbelievable!

Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.