Last night Christopher Dodds was our guest speaker at The Montreal Camera Club's opening meeting of our 2013-14 season. The club over the years has had many guest speakers, but last night was something extra special. We had a full house and for a little over 2 hours everyone was just hanging on to every word that was spoken and in awe of every images that was shown. I can't ever remember all the people in the hall being so quiet. It is a tribute to Christopher and his speaking ability and the way he shares his knowledge of photography and the equipment he uses. It was a great evening I wish everyone could have been there.
Thank you Canon Canada for making all this possible. I am sure that I won't be the only one to tell you that you have a gem on your Canon Northern Explorer of Light team in Christopher Dodds.
Thank you once again.
John Zimmerman Past President, Montreal Camera Club
This Safari is worth the price of admission
I am writing this to the people that visit your blog and wonder about going on your African (Zambian) Photographic Safari.
I have a brief history with Chris Dodds. There first time I went on a workshop with him was to photograph Canada Geese on the other side of the Quebec border with Ontario, followed by a trip to see the thousands of Snow Geese in Quebec. Finally in 2008 I went to the Gannets Galore Workshop in Ile Bonaventure and what an fantastic experience that was. I continued to talk about it till late 2012 thinking that it was my ultimate photographic experience.
Chris, in late 2011 you talked to me about the African Photographic Safari and I told you what a great idea it was and that it always has been a dream of mine to go there.
I told you to pencil in my name and once details firmed up I would see if it would be practical for me to go. That Christmas I went to Disney World and went to their Safari thinking that it might be my only one. Early in 2012 you gave me the details of the trip and honestly I thought it was a bit pricey, but knowing the experiences I have had with you, I knew it was going to be worth it. I finally signed up with you and October couldn’t come fast enough.
For those of you that have never been with Chris on any of his workshops this Safari is worth the price of admission. I could go on forever telling you about the great experience I had, the fantastic people I met, the animals and birds I saw, the delicious food I ate and the photographic lessons I got. Can you imagine seeing a leopard with her 6 week old cub and being able to photograph them with only one other vehicle around. Now that is privacy. You are a great leader and have such great vision and are willing to go the extra mile to make sure that we are happy, well fed, hydrated, safe and learn a lot. I know that I had commented about the price, I can tell you it was worth every penny and more.
Chris, thank you for turning my dream into a collection of great memories that I will talk about for the rest of my life.
John Zimmerman President, Montreal Camera Club
I found the workshop very educational
I want to thank you for the photography workshop you led to Ile Bonaventure, an area of Canada I probably would have never visited and for the opportunity to meet and enjoy the company of the other photographers that attended. I found the workshop very educational. It catered to all levels of photographers. You managed to spend quality time with everyone helping us learn from your experiences as a bird photographer. I learned how to properly use my handheld light meter, how to improve my flash photography and that you can shoot in rain and fog with excellent results. Once we got inside you had a very interesting guest speaker and on the other nights during the Photoshop tutorials, you changed me from a lazy user to a more skilled user without taking up much more time on the computer. The accommodations you arranged and your dining suggestions were wonderful. Overall I would say that I would be happy to attend your workshops whenever I get a chance to do so.
Keep up the good work.
John Zimmerman (President Montreal Camera Club) Montreal, Quebec, Canada