How to age the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Northern Gannet second year Dorsal View, Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 5D MKII, 300mm F2.8 IS Hand-held.  ISO 250, F4 1/2500s Manual. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Northern Gannet third year Dorsal View, Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 5D MKII, 300mm F2.8 IS Hand-held.  ISO 250, F3.5 1/2500s Manual. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Northern Gannet fourth year Dorsal View, Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 5D MKII, 300mm F2.8 IS Hand-held.  ISO 250, F4 1/2500s Manual. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Northern Gannet fifth year Mature Adult Dorsal View, Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure Island, Quebec Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 5D MKII, 300mm F2.8 IS Hand-held.  ISO 250, F4.5 1/2500s Manual. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

After spending more than 350 days ,over the years, up at the Northern Gannet colony on Bonaventure Island, I have quite a collection of images. Last year, I found a new spot to photograph vertical dorsal views of these striking seabirds. Spending time with your subject is the best way to study and learn about their every behavior. Always remember to try to cover every aspect of behavior and every age possible. Remember that you can turn your camera to vertical for a fresh perspective.

There are still a couple of spots left for the June 18-20, 2010 Gannets Galore Photo Safari Workshop

Viola Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

If you haven't done so already, there's still time to enter this prestigious competition. Entries can be submitted HERE until 9AM, Monday, March 8th, 2010. Be sure to read the new rules, most notably the need to submit images from a DSLR with a minimum 10 Mega pixel resolution. Why the new rules? ... Who knows? You are allowed to lightly crop your image, so perhaps the rule would have been better stated as a minimum file size, instead of making every image from the single most popular wildlife photography camera in recent history, the Canon EOS 1D Mark II (and the EOS 1D Mark IIN), ineligible.

Even when this was called the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the year, I though (and still do) that this competition should be called the wildlife IMAGE of the year competition. I really do feel that such a prestigious title should be awarded to the photographer with the best portfolio of wildlife images. One lucky shot shouldn't earn the title of Nature Photographer of the year in my humble opinion.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update 2.0.3

Canon has announced that the long awaited, video-related firmware for its EOS 5D Mark II will be available from mid-March. Firmware version 2.0.3 enables full 1080p HD video recording at 24, 25 and 29.97fps to match the PAL and NTSC broadcast standards. It also adds a new histogram display while shooting movies and allows users to manually control sound recording levels. Audio sampling frequency has also been increased to match broadcast material standards.
Press Release:
Canon adds 24 and 25fps HD Movie recording 
to the EOS 5D Mark II with Firmware 2.0.3
London, 2nd March 2010 – Canon today pre-announces the release of a firmware update for the multiple award-winning EOS 5D Mark II. Originally announced in late 2009, the update adds 24* and 25 frames per second (fps) recording to the camera’s EOS MOVIE video function, and will be available as a free download from the middle of March.

Developed following feedback from photographers and cinematographers, Firmware 2.0.3 further enhances the EOS 5D Mark II’s excellent video performance. The addition of new frame rates expands the camera’s video potential, providing film makers with the ability to shoot 1080p Full HD footage at 24fps (actual 23.976fps) – the optimum frame rate for cinematic video. 25fps support at both 1920x1080 and 640x480 resolutions will allow users to film at the frame rate required for the PAL broadcast standard, while the new firmware will also change the 30fps option to the NTSC video standard of 29.97fps. 

A new histogram display for shooting movies in manual exposure, shutter-priority (Tv) and aperture-priority (Av) have been added, and exposure modes will also be available in movie mode. Improved audio functionality will allow users to set sound record levels manually using a sound-level meter displayed on the LCD screen. The audio sampling frequency has also been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz, providing the optimum audio signal typically required for professional or broadcast material.

With its full frame CMOS sensor and compatibility with Canon’s wide range of premium lenses, the EOS 5D Mark II is already recognised for its outstanding HD video performance. Launched in September 2008, the camera immediately created a wide range of new possibilities for photographers and videographers, and the addition of new frame rates and manual audio levels extends those possibilities even further – allowing movie makers to shoot stunning movies to suit practically any creative purpose.
Extreme sports photographer Richard Walch was one of the first to be given the chance to use the newly updated EOS 5D Mark II to shoot the snowboarding movie “I Love My Friends”. Commenting on the EOS 5D Mark II’s video performance, Richard said: “The addition of the new frame rates opens up a whole new range of possibilities. If you’re a cinematographer, independent film maker or just enthusiastic about making your own movies, get out there and give it a try”. 

“I Love My Friends” shot by Richard Walch on the EOS 5D Mark II with the new firmware includes a look behind the scenes video is available to view at http://www.canon-europe.com/eos5dmarkII. 

The firmware will be available to download from mid-March from the Canon website http://www.canon.com/eos-d/


National Geographic Traveller rates Gaspé #3 Best-Rated Travel Destination in the world

Northern Gannets LOVE, Morus Bassanus, Fou de Bassan Bonaventure Island, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKII, 300mm F2.8 and 1.4XII Tele-converter  ISO 250, F8 1/800s Manual. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE AN IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

National Geographic Traveler Magazine rates Gaspé number 3 destination in the world:

Subject to development, mass tourism, pollution, globalization - are the world's great places still...great? Jay Walljasper writes on page 50 of the November / December 2009 edition of National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Gaspé ranks # 3 in the world - Congratulations Gaspé!
jutting into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the colorful Gaspé Peninsula  offers "oceanfront, islands, and inland mountains" within "excellent parks and reserves," along with "authentic Francophone" villages. A big part of the area's appeal is "tourism development largely on a human scale." READ MORE HERE

Click HERE for more information on the Gannets of Bonaventure Island Photo Safari at The Parc National de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé and my very favorite bird photography location on planet Earth!

Testimonial

"I just returned from attending my first workshop, my first time in “the Gaspé” and my first experience with shooting birds in flight and I thought I’d share a bit about the experience…

The workshop was given by Christopher Dodds who is often referred to as one of the very best nature photographers in Canada. We were going to spend three days shooting Gannets on L’Ile Bonaventure, Québec (about 30 minutes off the Percé harbour and close to the famous Percé Rock). The Island is a protected habitat for Gannets and access to the Island is only allowed when the Parks Canada staff are there from about 9am to 5pm.

It’s a long uphill climb from the wharf to the top where the birds are, and Park staff say most people take about 45 minutes to an hour. Chris and I made it in about 30 minutes the first day (and got it down to about 25 minutes the following days but if he wanted to, I’m sure Chris could do it in 15!). We could hear the Gannets long before we got to the top and the first view of them – literally thousands and thousands of them – was breathtaking. The unofficial current estimate is at over 500,000 Gannets, now making this the largest colony in the world!

I can't speak highly enough about the experience of shooting with Chris Dodds. Chris is absolutely amazing. He's got tremendous experience and a great eye. The whole experience was way better than my expectations. He’s a far better photographer and workshop leader than I expected. Not only does he produce incredible work, he has the technical knowledge and experience to make this a really worthwhile learning experience. And he gives what is truly a “workshop”, in that he gives constant tips and coaching to make sure all participants are learning (no matter what their experience is or how stubborn and set in their ways they might be – like myself). He doesn’t just lead you to a subject (as many other workshops do), but he gives all the technical support and training you could wish for; he makes sure you are learning the photo techniques needed to improve. Chris and I knocked heads quite a bit those first days (he was right – I was wrong) as he stuck with trying to get me to improve and get out of my comfortable rut.

I liked those three days (and the one pre-workshop day) so much that I decided to stay for a second three-day workshop and luckily Chris still had a spot available. Not only that, but I’m certainly going to return to shoot those Gannets again, hopefully with Chris. In fact I’d love to take any workshop Chris was leading.

We were shooting ALL day... from the time we got to the top until we had to leave. There was absolutely no shortage of birds or birds in flight and that's unlike any other avian photography venue in the world from what everyone was saying. Elsewhere you only have a few hours to shoot and then the birds are gone. We were always the first ones on the Island (with the Park staff) and the last ones to leave (again with the staff).

Chris is so well known there (and so highly regarded) that he and his group were certainly given privileges and access that someone on their own wouldn't get. If (I should say when) I do this again, I'm going to do it with Chris on one of his workshops.

And with Chris, everything was organized for us including lunches; access and transportation to the island, accommodations and of course the great training. I wouldn't do it any other way.

Believe me, if you took such a workshop with Chris you wouldn't regret it! And his repeat clients (of which there were many in both the 3-day workshops I attended) had nothing but raves for him.

An absolutely fabulous time!"

Eldor Gemst | Montreal | QC | Canada

Comments welcome & appreciated.