Great Grey Owls LOVERS

Happy Valentine's Day

This image was made in Ontario, Canada, on January 26, 2005. I have a series of about 80 images that I kept from this incredible moment in a field behind a water treatment plant in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. Witnessing the affection, vocalizations, and gestures these two Great Grey Owls performed was incredibly touching and unforgettable!

Great Grey Owls LOVERS (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ontario, Canada January 26, 2005. © Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon 1D Mark II with Canon 100-400 zoom lens @120mm. ISO 250 f/6.3 @ 1/1,600s.

Bird Photography Intentional Blur and Q&A

Q:

Christopher,

I am constantly gobsmacked by your exceptional images. The details are captivating to me. I do wonder if you ever slow down your shutter and create artistic blurs? - Peter Wentworth

Hi Peter,

Thank you. Yes, I am not typically a fan of intentional blurs, but I do occasionally play around and slow my shutter speed down. Here is a Great Gray Owl I recently photographed at 1/40s with the new Sony a1 and 200-600mm lens. I find the key to my liking an intentional or artistic blur is having the eye(s) relatively sharp.

Q:

Hello Christopher, I liked your comments on the new alpha 1. How did you find it with the 200-600 zoom. I use this lens with the a7r3. The combo I found a bit slow to focus with wildlife. Where you happy with it on the a1. I have preordered the a1 and hoping to not have to upgrade the lens. Best, - Steve Aidelbaum

Hi Steve,

I think you will notice a significant autofocus performance boost with the focus acquisition speed and AF responsiveness of the 200-600 with the a1 vs. the a7RIII.

Q:

Thank you for responding to my query (Antman) in the comments. I would value your opinion on the following.

If you could buy either the 600MM f4 or A1 what would you go for based on the pairing

A9 + 600mmF4 or A1 + 200-600MM.

I own the A9 + a7R4 and 200-600mm and am wondering what makes more sense. My gut feel says go for the 600mm f4. However, I have never used either and I cannot get to see or feel the 600mm f4 in Australia. Both options have advantages. - Thanks, Anthony Heuver

Hi Anthony,

The most practical and financially sensible direction here is to invest in glass and buy the 600mm f/4 GM lens that you will have for the rest of your life. Camera bodies are refreshed at a staggering pace and the used value of them seems to be diminishing at a faster and faster pace with each new release. You can get a great deal on a new a9 (the version I), or take advantage of the "depressed" market and get a lightly used one: remember the shutter count is much less relevant for a mirrorless camera body and if you use the electronic shutter to achieve the fastest capture rate of 20 fps, there are no moving parts. The a9II has better ergonomics and connectivity, but I see little reason to spend the extra cash at this time. Holding off on the newly released a1 until we see promotional discounts or used bodies on the market will give you time to save money toward the purchase and save on the initial investment.

Sony 200-600 with Sony A1 Image Quality

There has been a lot of chatter about the image quality of the Sony 200-600mm zoom lens when used with the new high-resolution Sony a1 camera body. My observations were limited in time and opportunity, but I don't see any issues with the incredible level of detail in this full-frame image of a Great Gray Owl in a snowstorm. I purposely tested the camera in the field as I typically use my equipment to produce the kind of images that excite me.

What I can tell you is that this may not be the best example to clearly define any issues that the lens may have when paired with an ultra-high-resolution camera. If I were to try to find a weakness, then I would test it for edge-to-edge sharpness, chromatic aberration, image degradation, and barrel distortion on something as simple as a black and white chessboard; an image with lots of contrast and linear lines. To test that most accurately and rule out any interference from traffic or ground tremor vibrations I would have to use one of only a very few seismically stable platforms that are typically used to test/measure helicopter or jet engine vibrations.

My advice is to completely ignore the critics who are photographing outside of their usual genre and posting bird pictures that most of us would throw in the trash: always to test equipment under the conditions that you would normally use it - smile.

Sony a1 Bird Eye AF The Real Test

To truly test the bird eye AF of the newly launched Sony a1, I needed to find a moving bird against a distracting background that would normally confuse the camera's AF system into focusing on the background. Sounds easier than it was, as I first had to overcome my natural reflex of finding birds and animals against nice clean out-of-focus backgrounds. This image is perfect to demonstrate the ridiculous accuracy of the bird eye autofocus of the Sony a1: Not only is the background close and cluttered (photographing the subject further from the background would have made the background more out of focus and made the whole test easier for the camera), but the subject is relatively low contrast against it. The random scattering of snow covered branches is harder for most autofocus systems to negate when compared to the predictable vertical tree trunks on the edge of a deciduous forest. It was remarkable to see the camera lock onto the eye and follow it through a sequence of 40 images that were all razor-sharp.

Sony a1 Bird Eye Autofocus ROCKS

I have been lucky to have had several shoots with this beautiful Great Gray Owl relatively close to home in Southwestern Quebec. It was the perfect model for my recent test of the Sony Alpha A1 for Sony of Canada. It is amazing to think back on all of the owls I have photographed over the years and I can’t remember the last time I got to photograph one completely alone without a group of eager winter owl workshop participants, so this is one silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the travel/workshop industry.

In truth, this is a big and relatively slow moving owl. I would have loved to test the camera and it’s built-in and industry leading bird eye auto-focus on some small and fast moving Auklets in The Pribilofs or Atlantic Puffins in Quebec.

The a1 locked onto the owls eye instantly and stayed locked-on to the eye until the owl’s head turned away from the camera; that is when a larger focus target locked-onto it’s head, and quickly regained it’s lock on the eye as soon as it looked back towards me. The bird eye autofocus in extremely impressive and when combined with the camera’s ability to verify focus 120 per second (twice as often than the a9 & a9II) it truly is a game changer! Does it work every time? Almost; the only time it had a little trouble so far was when pointed at a dark bird in low contract light when it tried hard, but ended-up choosing the bird’s shoulder instead of it’s dark eye.

Great Gray Owl PEEK-A-BOO

I love being in the woods looking for owls and I love feeling that something is watching me even more, as was the case here - smile.

The most remarkable moment with this Great Gray Owl was a group of about 14 birders who walked past me and the owl without even replying to my “hello”. No reply, eyes down as if they had already decided that they were not going to see an owl; so they didn’t get to see the owl :)

Great Gray Owl in November Sleet

Another recent Great Gray Owl image made with the incredibly versatile Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens as I zoomed out to 210mm. The Sony a9II eye autofocus locked onto the eyes immediately and tracked the owl with ease.

Rechargable hand warmer battery pack review

I have accidentally found an incredible solution to my cold fingers that result from Raynaud’s Disease. The OCOOPA Fast-Charging 10,000mAh back-up battery and handwarmer with PD & QC 3.0 has three temperature settings and heats both sides of its excellent Ergonomic Design: The upper-wide, lower-narrow design is more suitable for grasping than the oval shape, fits the natural curve of your palm and is anti-slip. High-grade silicone oil surface coating, soft and delicate to the touch, also has superior thermal conductivity.

The hottest setting is almost too hot to handle and the units I tested lasted for nearly four hours on high, and more than 12 hours on the lowest setting.

Recharging is super fast; I used an 18W USB wall charger, and it only took three hours and 12 minutes to charge a completely drained unit.

These are an excellent power source and back-up battery for your mirrorless camera and mobile phone as well.

I have now have four of these with me at all times while in the field: one for each loose fitting mitten, and two extra fully charged units as backups in case I accidentally forgot to turn off or charge them. On the coldest of days, I can use the two extras as heaters in the inside pockets of my parka.

Supoort this site by ordering here:

Great Gray Owl WINTER DREAM

Great Grey Owl WINTER DREAM (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens  @220mm ISO 4,000, f/5.6 @ 1/3,200s Manual exposure. Full Frame.

Here's a Great Gray Owl in a snowstorm; perhaps one of my favorite subjects in my favorite weather. Only 1/4 turn to zoom from 200mm to 600mm with the new Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens is fantastic!

KUDOS

I wanted to thank you for a wonderful winter owling workshop last week.  It was great to be in the field with you and I learned a great deal about the birds, environment and my camera.  Thanks so much for being such a great naturalist, photographer and trip leader.  I will go on another trip with you in the future.

Lynda Goff (Professor Emeritus Ecology & Evolutionary Biology UC Santa Cruz) Santa Cruz, California, USA

Thanks, Lynda! To learn more about my workshops CLICK HERE.

Great Gray Owl OLD MAN WINTER

Great Grey Owl OLD MAN WINTER (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D Mark II, 400mm f/4L Is USM. ISO 640, F9 1/1,000s Manual Exposure. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE AN IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

KUDOS:

I was impressed on how much Chris cared about making sure everyone was learning, engaged, and getting the most out of the trip. I look forward to my next workshop with Chris!

Michael Lyncheski Gladstone, New Jersey, USA

Learn more about my Snowy Winter Owl Workshops HERE.

Happy New Year

Great Grey Owl WINTERWINGS  (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm f/4 L IS USM. ISO 2,500 f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Here's to a phenomenal 2014 filled with much health, love, joy, light, adventure and tons of awesome images! 2013 was like a dream for me, and I thank you all for making my dreams come true!

Facebook Fan Page

If you like the images presented here, do stop-by and "LIKE" my Facebook fan page to see more content: https://www.facebook.com/chrisdoddsphoto

Merry Christmas Happy Holidays Thank You

Great Grey Owl SOLITUDE (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 70-300mm F4-5.6 L IS USM @244mm with Jobu L-Bracket  Hand Held ISO 3,200s, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Peace, Joy & Love

To everyone who visited this blog or my Facebook page, attended a workshop, safari, seminar or lecture, purchased a print or licensed an image: Thank you for making 2013 my best year yet. I am so very lucky and grateful!

Photo Geek Christmas Party - Last Chance

Great Grey Owl SOLITUDE (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 70-300mm F4-5.6 L IS USM @244mm with Jobu L-Bracket  Hand Held ISO 3,200s, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Photo Geek Christmas Party - Last Chance

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

If you are in the Montreal area on March 9, 2013, then you would be foolish to miss out on this opportunity to get a two hour mini, but intensive, workshop/seminar. It is an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit Le Nichoir. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. 100% of the bargain $18.00 entry fee goes to the largest bird rehab center in Canada and the door prizes are, frankly, over-the-top! Special thanks to our sponsors:

• Jobu Designs (use coupon code NATURE to save 15%)
• Canon Canada
• Tamarac Camera Bags  (now distributed in Canada by Canon Canada)
• Think Tank Photo
• Nik Software (use coupon code CDODDS to save 15%)
• Digimarc for images (use coupon code NATUREPHOTOGRAPHY to save 30%)
• LensCoat
• Photo Life Magazine
• Eckla Gear Carts
• Outdoor Photo Gear
• Cotton Carrier

WANTED: Nikon 500mm f4 lens (AFS with or without VR)

If you, or anyone you know has a Nikon 500mm f4 lens for sale (AFS with or without VR), then please contact Andre in Calgary, AB at: andretc@telus.net

Lens Choice - The Right Nut for the Bolt

Great Grey Owl Takeoff from Birch Perch  (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 300mm F2.8 L IS USM with Jobu L-Bracket  Hand Held ISO 1600, f/6.3 @ 1/2,000s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Lens Choice: The Right Nut for the Bolt

He's another from my Snowy Winter Owl Workshop / Safari. We had tons of fun with a couple of Great Grey Owls that we had all to ourselves. Learning to wait for "the moment" and trying to get folks to use shorter lenses is often the most challenging part of my job during a workshop. Most everyone that invests in huge telephoto lenses wants to use them; even if it isn't the right nut for the bolt - smile. You can imagine just how small the owl looks on this perch with it's wings closed, but I would have clipped the wings if I had chosen my 500mm lens when it took-off. I often use my beloved 70-300mm f/4-5.6 or 300mm f/2.8 Knowing when to use which lens is a crutial key to a successful shoot.

Canon Service Notice for EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X

From Canon Canada SERVICE NOTICE:

Affected Products
EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera
EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera

Depending upon the shooting conditions, it may take slightly longer for the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X digital SLR cameras to acquire focus when using the Speedlite's AF Assist Beam, compared with that of the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV digital SLR cameras using the Speedlite's AF Assist Beam.

We are developing a solution to enhance the focusing feature for the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X and plan to release a firmware update based on following estimated schedule:

     EOS 5D Mark III: (estimated) Late April, 2013
     EOS-1D X: (estimated) Late May, 2013

Le Nichoir Fundraiser

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

If you are in the Montreal area on March 9, 2013, then you would be foolish to miss out on this opportunity to get a two hour mini, but intensive, workshop/seminar. 100% of the bargain $18.00 entry fee goes to the largest bird rehab center in Canada and the door prizes are, frankly, over-the-top! Special thanks to our sponsors:

• Jobu Designs (use coupon code NATURE to save 15%)
• Canon Canada
• Think Tank Photo
• Nik Software (use coupon code CDODDS to save 15%)
• Digimarc for images (use coupon code NATUREPHOTOGRAPHY to save 30%)
• LensCoat
• Photo Life Magazine
• Eckla Gear Carts
• Outdoor Photo Gear
• Cotton Carrier

Jobu Designs Canon 1DX L-Bracket announced

Great Grey Owl TWO STEP (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Gatineau, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm F4 L IS, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3 ISO 2,500s, f/4 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Well, I've lost track of time and think I'm about to leave for week number six or seven of my winter Snowy Owl photographic workshop safaris. Here's one from last week during an epic shoot in a field of fresh snow. Do note the exposure used reflects that is was cloudy and almost dark - Read more about Sunny 16 Rule from a prior blog enty.

New Jobu Designs 1DX L-Bracket

 
Jobu Designs has come up with a unique way of solving the mounting problems with the Pro size Canon camera bodies. The LB-C1DX is a two-piece L bracket with unique side-plate that only contours to the back of the camera, leaving lots of room out front for access to the battery and rubber covers. They have also integrated a unique magnetically captured hex wrench in the base plate. The tiny magnet will hold several pounds of steel, so the hex wrench is securely attached without rattling, yet it is still easy to remove. Shoot in portrait or landscape, or remove the side-arm easily and use just the base-plate if you want to save weight and space in your backpack. Proudly made of solid aircraft grade aluminum in Canada, it is compatible with most Arca-Swiss type clamps.

SAVE 15% OFF your purchase at the JOBU store and support this site just by using the coupon code "NATURE" at the Jobu website store checkout HERE.

Le Nichoir Photo Geek Christmas Party Fundraiser

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

Join me, Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds, on March 9, 2013 at 6:30 PM at the Casgrain Theatre (CEGEP John Abbot College 21275 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3L9, Canada) for an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit Le Nichoir. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. Over one hundred of his images will be projected, many unseen.  Everyone is welcome!
Hurry! Only 280 seats. Tickets are only $18.00 each and are available for advance purchase only - every penny is collected by, and goes to Le Nichoir. Please call or email Le Nichoir (communication@lenichoir.org 450-458-2809) to secure your tickets, or make a donation if you can't make it (be sure to tell them it's on behalf of Chris' Photo Geek Christmas Party) Major credit cards and cheques accepted. There will be ample time to mingle, meet my friends and contacts and share some of your images with others, so feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favourite images to share. I hope to see you there and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

The door prizes were over the top last year, and thanks to my good friends and sponsors, we have secured an even better stash for this year.

• Jobu Designs (use cupon code NATURE to save 15%)
• Canon Canada
• Think Tank Photo
• Nik Software
• Digimarc for images (use cupon code NATUREPHOTOGRAPHY to save 30%)
• LensCoat
• Photo Life Magazine
• Eckla Gear Carts
• Outdoor Photo Gear
• Cotton Carrier
  

If you would like to contribute door prizes for, or sponsor, this worthy cause, please email me (chris@chrisdoddsphoto.com) to discuss. It's a great way to have your product or brand mentioned in every blog post until the main event while helping an awesome cause!

Last year we raised over $2,500.00 and I am asking for your help to at least double that!

Winter Snowy Owl Workshop Safari Testimonials

Great Grey Owl FROSTED FLAKES (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ottawa, Ontario ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm F4 L IS, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3 ISO 1,600s, f/5.6 @ 1/1,600s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Here's a couple of the testimonials that I have received from my recent Snowy Winter Owl Workshops:

"Being a female on my first photo safari, I had some apprehensions.  I worried about safety, that I wasn't a good enough photographer for someone with Chris's acclaim, and that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group on treks. My fears subsided on Day One, and I knew this would be a week I would never forget.  With the small group size, Chris was able to give each member the level of instruction they needed.  Beyond having great opportunities for owl pictures, I learned helpful things about owl behaviour, owl spotting techniques, operating the camera, processing images,  best clothing and gear for winter, and things like the "Dodds duffel toss" that help prevent injuries while putting my camera backpack on.
Chris has an extensive knowledge of exposure theory. He is a patient teacher, skilled in helping his participants gain a deep understanding of this critical element of photography. He demonstrated why it is important to capture as much detail as possible for the best possible print, then showed us how to accomplish it. During the week of ever changing light, he kept checking our work to make sure we were getting the best possible results.
I usually learn from books and enjoy photography as a solitary pursuit, but I enjoyed the camaraderie of this group experience and received many tips on world travel. The photo safari gave me time to immerse myself in photography and nature.  I'm already planning my next safari with Chris."

- Karen Miller (Author of Chippy Chipmunck) Pennsylvania | USA

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"My criteria for signing up for a photo workshop are:  the opportunity to get some very strong images, to learn new things related to capture, post processing, & animal behavior and to have an enjoyable experience. 

Your recent owl workshop met these criteria in spades thanks to your expertise, knowledge, & leadership. You did everything humanly possible to make the workshop as successful as possible for your clients.

I have been on many photo workshops.  Yours are now on my short "A" list which means i shall be a repeat client beyond the puffin photo workshop this July. Thank you again for the outstanding owl workshop."

- Carl Zanoni Connecticut | USA

Le Nichoir Fundraiser

If you are around the Montreal area on March 9, 2013, please do join me for a two hour mini-workshop at an extremely low price for an extremely good cause:

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

Join me, Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds, on March 9, 2013 at 6:30 PM at the Casgrain Theatre (CEGEP John Abbot College 21275 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3L9, Canada) for an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit Le Nichoir. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. Over one hundred of his images will be projected, many unseen.  Everyone is welcome!
Hurry! Only 280 seats. Tickets are only $18.00 each and are available for advance purchase only - every penny is collected by, and goes to Le Nichoir. Please call or email Le Nichoir (communication@lenichoir.org 450-458-2809) to secure your tickets, or make a donation if you can't make it (be sure to tell them it's on behalf of Chris' Photo Geek Christmas Party) Major credit cards and cheques accepted. There will be ample time to mingle, meet my friends and contacts and share some of your images with others, so feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favourite images to share. I hope to see you there and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

The door prizes were over the top last year, and thanks to my good friends and sponsors, we have secured an even better stash for this year.

• Jobu Designs (use cupon code NATURE to save 15%)
• Canon Canada
• Think Tank Photo
• Nik Software
• Digimarc for images (use cupon code NATUREPHOTOGRAPHY to save 30%)
• LensCoat
• Photo Life Magazine
• Eckla Gear Carts
• Outdoor Photo Gear
• Cotton Carrier
  

If you would like to contribute door prizes for, or sponsor, this worthy cause, please email me (chris@chrisdoddsphoto.com) to discuss. It's a great way to have your product or brand mentioned in every blog post until the main event while helping an awesome cause!

Last year we raised over $2,500.00 and I am asking for your help to at least double that!