The Art of the Puffin Portrait: Shallow Depth of Field and Perfect Exposure

There's a unique satisfaction in capturing a wildlife portrait that goes beyond simply documenting a subject. It's about crafting an image and using technical skills to create an image with visual impact. I achieved this while photographing an Atlantic Puffin, focusing on the interplay of shallow depth of field and precise exposure during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Lighthouse Adventure Workshop.

Using my Sony a9 III and the 600mm lens with a 2X teleconverter, I worked at the lens's minimum focusing distance, wide open, creating a beautifully shallow field depth, rendering the foreground and background grass as a soft, out-of-focus frame. With its head sticking out, the Puffin became the sharp, captivating focal point.

The cloudy, bright conditions made finding an angle with the perfect foreground, background, and Puffin pose easy without being concerned about harsh shadows spoiling the image. I aimed to capture rich detail in the highlights – the intricate details of the Puffin's feathers – while minimizing noise in the shadows, so careful attention to the exposure and histogram was key. The result is an image that showcases the Puffin's beauty and demonstrates the power of technical knowledge in wildlife photography.

Atlantic Puffin Portrait (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, Frailecillo atlántico, Frailecillo atlántico, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 5,000, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Northern Gannets Lovers

Sitting quietly and observing a colony of Northern Gannets interact is a magical gift. On a foggy morning in a sea of white, I picked out this loving couple with my telephoto lens, gently greeting one another after the closest bird returned from a fishing trip at sea. These beautiful birds pair for life (with frequent “out-of-nest” encounters - smile). Each season, they travel hundreds of miles to come together like long-lost lovers, to rekindle their commitment to one another before nesting. This was photographed in Eastern Quebec during my recent Gannets Galore and so much more workshops. I have pre-visualized this image for over a decade and come close several times, but the isolated subjects, eye contact and ethereal, diffused, low-contrast light make this one special for me; a favourite from the trip!

Northern Gannets Fencing (Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan, NOGA) from my GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP at Bonaventure Island, Quebec, Canada ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens & Sony 1.4X Tele-extender @840mm. ISO 1,250, f/6.3 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure. Full frame image.

Wood Duck in a berry tree at first light

The last morning of my Better than Bosque workshop was cold, windy and cloudy. We drove to Albuquerque to broaden our portfolio and look for ducks. A few Wood Ducks flew up into this tree to eat the berries as the sun broke through the clouds. I was lucky to get a few frames of a beautiful drake clear from the branches and obstructions before it flew off in the wrong direction. Reminds me of an ornament in a Christmas Tree - smile.

Wood Duck in berry tree at first light (Aix sponsa, Canard branchu, WODU). Photographed on the last morning (Dec. 9, 2023) of my Better than Bosque workshop on Dec. 9, 2023, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @1,200mm ISO 4,000, f/8 @ 1/5,000s. Full frame image. Manual exposure.

Join me in New Mexico Dec. 5-9, 2024 for my Better than Bosque workshop

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Join me in New Mexico Dec. 5-9, 2024 for my Better than Bosque workshop 🦆

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.

Snow Goose

A Snow Goose gently lands against the distant out-of-focus Cottonwood trees at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on the second day of my Best of Bosque workshop last December.

Atlantic Puffin in flight silhouette

I can love making silhouettes at sunset on windy days at seabird colonies :) The biggest mistake folks make is not using a fast enough shutter speed to capture sharp edges - wink.

Red Fox on the cliffs of Bonaventure Island

Aside from the 100,000’s seabirds on the cliffs of Bonaventure Island, there are always special treats available from the Zodiac for the adventurous photographers. Here is a Red Fox emerging from a hole in the rocks along the cliffs of Bonaventure Island. Photographed from our Zodiac during my Bonaventure Island Gannets Galore workshop.

"An excellent professor of the art"

"Now in September, with the images of our Northern Gannet workshop processed and filed, I want to thank you for your outstanding planning and execution of our adventure/trek/shoot on Bonaventure Island this summer. It was a pleasure to be your customer/client.
 Your execution provided an experience to make it one of the two best that I have been a part of in my many years of summer shoots. Given the uncertainties of rain, tides, winds, and clouds, you exploited so well every opportunity that came our way. On these trips the purpose is to get good looks at the birds. The some 3,100 exposures that I came home with were solid evidence that I got the looks at this magnificent gannet I was hoping for ---I netted many quality images. Good stuff now in the files. 
Our housing was just what we want: accessible, comfortable, clean and a good buy. The schedule was chock full, we did not have avoidable down minutes, and we squeezed all of the looks available to us out of the time and conditions available. The access to an ATV to tote our gear from the dock to the colony, for a guy of my age, was a real plus and that comes about only with your obvious advance work and solid relationships with the park folks.
 The trip on the water to the far side of the island was a highlight for me and shows best your foresight and planning to get us in not otherwise available, shooting positions. That was unique time, extraordinary. 
But most of all, Chris, your ever-present availability to be immediately responsive to our technical photographic and logistical questions makes this trip so exceptional. So many of the shoot producers put themselves above and before the client-photographer and are spending more time getting their own shots or just not being around when you need their advice. You stay available to provide professional guidance to the guys and gals paying for the experience. I observed that no question is too mundane; you patiently helped the rookies, just as you did the most advanced. Personally, I improved my techniques and banked a good range of knowledge, thanks to you. 
 

My summary: You are an excellent professor of the art, a solid expedition planner, a constant steward of the details, and a good guy with whom to spend days on a trek. 
I'm very interested in getting some Spring/nesting shots of that Atlantic Puffin. If you put together such a trip, please let me know. 
I look forward to another shoot with the unique Dodds' touch. 
Continued success to you, with all best wishes,

Andy Hays Chicago, Illinois, USA"

Learn more about the Gannets Galore Workshop Adventure with Christopher Dodds CLICK HERE

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Learn more about the Gannets Galore Workshop Adventure with Christopher Dodds CLICK HERE 〰️

Northern Gannets SPOONING

Here is an image from 2013 that I have looked at so many times! It is extraordinary how affectionate Gannets can be!

There is still a couple of spots available for my June Gannets trips due to unvaccinated participants who decided to postpone another year.

Join me for the ultimate immersive bird photography workshop! We start each day onboard a 28-foot Zodiac Hurricane under the bird-filled cliffs of Bonaventure Island. We’ll be photographing diving Gannets, Common Murres, Razorbills, Harlequin Ducks, and Black Guillemots while getting close to Grey Seals and Whales. After our daily Zodiac adventure, it’s off to the colony with the park staff transporting our gear on their Kawasaki Mule, making our walk an easy and pleasant one!

Gannets Galore on Bonaventure Island Last minute openings

June 8-10, 2022 Gannets Galore and so much more

I have just had a couple of spots open up on my June 8-10, 2022 Gannets Galore (and so much more) workshop in Percé, Quebec, Canada.

It is easy to see why National Geographic Traveler Magazine rates Gaspé number 3 destination in the world: 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."

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 favourite 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

Blackburnian Warbler with dinner

Last-minute opening for May 7-11, 2022 Songbirds of Pelee Workshop

There is a sudden last-minute opening for my May 7-11, 2022 Songbirds of Pelee Workshop due to illness. Join me at the premier location to photograph North-American spring migration. CLICK HERE for more details.

Secrets of a World-Renowned Bird Photographer with Christopher Dodds a Free Webinar Sponsored by Sony and Gentec International

Secrets of a World-Renowned Bird Photographer with Christopher Dodds: A Free Webinar Sponsored by Sony and Gentec International.

Join me for a free webinar sponsored by Sony and Gentec International on March 24, 2022, at 7 PM EST. Reserve your spot now:

Secrets of a World-Renowned Bird Photographer w/ Christopher Dodds Registration, Thu, 24 Mar 2022 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite