Curious Harp Seal Pup

Facts About Harp Seals

1. Harp seals grow up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long and weigh up to 300 pounds (136 kg).

2. Harp seals can live for an estimated 30 years.

3. Harp seal pups are born with long white fur that helps them absorb sunlight and stay warm while they’re still developing blubber. Pups shed their white fur after about three to four weeks old.

4. Harp seals are highly migratory and can travel more than 3,100 miles (4,989 km) roundtrip to feed.

5. Harp seals can stay underwater for at least 16 minutes at a time.

6. Harp seals Harp seals are named for the curved, black patch on their backs, which resembles a harp.1

7. Harp seals have a diverse diet, eating at least 67 species of fish and 70 species of invertebrates.

8. Harp seals prefer shallow water but can dive as deep as 1,312 feet (400 m).

9. Harp seals are the most abundant species of pinniped (seals, sea lions and walruses) in the northern hemisphere.

10. Aside from sharks, killer whales, and polar bears, the seals' worst enemies are human hunters.

Harp Seal Whitecoat Pup

The harp seal pup often has a yellow-white coat at birth due to staining from amniotic fluid, but after one to three days, the coat turns white and stays white for 2–3 weeks, until the first molt.

Harp Seal mother and pup HOWL

Dr. Jack Terhune studied seal communication at the University of New Brunswick and has measured the amplitude of seal calls. His research has shown that harp seals, often living in groups of up to 150, can alter the pitch of their calls so that each seal can be heard. Off the coast of Newfoundland, there are between 5.5 and 6.5 million harp seals in regular migration up and down the eastern seaboard. One seal’s call could be heard by 10,000 other seals at a range of two to four kilometers away, so the changes of pitch and frequency are important to avoid overlap.

Bald Eagle Winterscape

I’ve long been wary about joining a workshop with a “big name” pro. I’ve heard (and witnessed) a litany of workshop horrors, ranging from egomaniac leaders to unwieldy, unhappy groups. Plus, as a professional photographer, I did not think that I would learn much from a workshop. Indeed, I teach photography and postproduction.

Chris Dodds’ Eagles Galore workshop changed my mind. Although he is a supremely talented photographer, Chris is approachable and friendly, and he works tirelessly to make sure that everyone in the group has a fantastic experience. He limits the workshops to a small, manageable size. And, in spite of my I’m-a-professional-and-don’t-need-help attitude, I am a better photographer for having joined the workshop. After spending a week with Chris, my flight photography is materially improved. (Chris is an expert on the nuances of servo autofocus, for example.) Chris also taught several useful post-production techniques that I now use routinely in my workflow.

The true measure of any photo trip, however, is the photos. Chris’ stated goal is for every workshop participant to go home with images that Chris would be proud to call his own. He means it. The eagle photography was fantastic. I came home with several dozen “portfolio grade” images, plus thousands of strong shots. Indeed, the single biggest complaint from my fellow workshop participants is the number of eagle shots that they had to sort through when they got home.

I’ve already registered for another workshop with Chris.

Andrew Kelley Denver, Colorado USA

Bald Eagle LOCK-ON

“I love Alaska and had been dreaming of taking an Eagle photography workshop and decided to sign up with Chris. I am so glad I chose Chris for a lot of reasons. The workshop was very well organized. Chris provides the attendees with a list of suggested clothing to be sure you are comfortable in the Alaskan winter weather. He provided us with a list of suggested equipment so that we knew exactly what was needed to get the kind of photos posted on his workshop page. The group was limited to 5 attendees, so we each had ample opportunity to get feedback and suggestions from Chris. Chris is extremely knowledgable about Kachemak Bay and knows where to go to get the best shots depending on the wind and the weather, and whether there is sun or snow. Chris uses the same boat and captain for this workshop, so the captain knows exactly what Chris wants to do and how to get us into those best areas…. Chris believes in safety above all else, but snow, sleet and rain did not keep us from going out. In fact, it made for some great photos depicting the Alaskan winter eagle environment. It was an amazing trip and I got a lot of great photos and learned so much! I would definitely choose Chris for another birding workshop as he is dedicated to doing everything he can to make sure you come home with lots of amazing photographs! Thanks, Chris, for a fantastic workshop and wonderful adventure!”

— Jessica Duke Eagle Nest, NM, USA

Save the date! I will be hosting a presentation at The Camera Store sponsored by Sony of Canada on Dec. 9, 2020 at 19:00 MST. The event is free and open to all. Register HERE.

The Camera Store and Sony Presents Bird & Nature Photography with Sony Mirrorless Cameras

I am looking forward to a whole bunch of virtual presentations in the near future. Join me at The Camera Store on December 9 for a virtual presentation sponsored by Sony of Canada.

Bald Eagle

I recently returned from Chris’s Eagle Workshop in Homer Alaska. Over the years, I have traveled extensively and can say without hesitating that this was the best trip I’ve ever been on. Chris is a very cordial but no nonsense guy. Everything about the trip was organized to the max. I’ve been photographing wildlife for 35 years and thought I had a pretty good idea about how to do it so I wasn’t expecting to learn a whole lot that was new. Wrong! Over the years, other “professionals” had encouraged me to shoot in aperture priority or auto ISO. When Chris told us he was going to teach us to set our camera exposures manually, I thought that sounded like a lot of unnecessary effort. That notion turned out to be false. If you attend this workshop and don’t already shoot in manual mode, your life will be changed. The exposures of the photos I took are spot on and better than any I have ever achieved.

In addition to the new material I learned, the “eagle shooting” was beyond anything one could ever imagine. It was both action packed and challenging. Our group was only five people and Chris bent over backward to make sure that each of us got the best photos of our lives. Even though I had substantial problems with my equipment, I now have more killer eagle photos than I could have ever hoped for. If you want an informative and fun packed trip, I encourage you to sign up for this or any of Chris’s workshops. I have signed up again for next year’s Eagle Workshop, in spite of my truck load of eagle photos, which I believe tells the whole story.”

— Ron Brown Colorado USA

Bald Eagle fishing in golden light

“Chris, Thanks for another great photo adventure to Alaska during your Eagles of Alaska photograpic Expedition!!!!!!
This is the third trip with you and they keep getting better. Always challenging. Always easy-going. Always taking my photography forward. (Take a look at my site for a few new pictures from Alaska.) Your instruction is the best I've experience in taking these kinds of trips. You always seem to know where to put us in the absolute best place. Top Notch!!!! Can't wait till the next one.....wherever that might be. Thanks again!!!!!!!”

— Jeff Moore Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA

Bald Eagle

The Versatility of the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens for bird/wildlife photographers is hard to beat! This image was made at 200mm which is where I reset the lens after each flight sequence so that I wouldn’t clip wings when the next Eagle flew-in or took-off. My LAST POST (Bald Eagle Singing) is a portrait with the same lens at 600mm. The edge-to-edge sharpness is incredible and the value is off the charts.

Bald Eagle Singing

ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker is as close as I can describe the song of the Bald Eagle. Always sends shivers down my spine. and I never tire of it.

The biggest mistake most people make when trying to photograph singing birds is not using a fast enough shutter speed; those mandibles don’t stop moving!

The second biggest mistake is framing the image too tight. Eagles usually move their head while calling; often, but not always, stretching out toward the sky, so be ready to rotate your camera to vertical.

Bald Eagle STORMFLIGHT

An image from an epic day during my last Bald Eagle Workshop in Alaska. I love photographing on overcast days, especially when there is a fresh blanket of snow to reflect the ambient light and illuminate the underside of dark bards like the Eagle here. The big problem is all of the resulting images have bright white backgrounds (if you expose the subject correctly) without much (if any) detail in the sky. To solve the problem, and make the image resemble what we saw with our eyes, I replaced the white sky in the image with a separate image of the sky in Photoshop. The resulting composite image has loads of visual impact.

Bald Eagle Wings

Here’s a Bald Eagle that seemed to be showing off its wings during an awesome afternoon during my Bald Eagle Workshop in early March. We were starting to hear more about the spread of COVID-19, but never imagined it would stop tourism, travel and have such a devastating impact on so many people and families around the world. This was the last workshop I hosted before the COVID chaos, so I am grateful that I had such amazing clients to share it with.

Did you know? When a bald eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will lose a feather on the other in order to keep its balance.

Great Gray Owl HOP

KUDOS:

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip with Chris photographing snowy owls.

Chris’s knowledge of the location of the owls each day was key to all the participants getting great opportunities to photograph the owls.

What made the trip a great success for me was Chris’ easy and informative style in communicating camera settings and techniques for best results.

I would highly recommend a trip with Chris.

- Ian Brennan Ireland

Northern Hawk Owl

Chris Dodds knows how to do a workshop!

“I had the pleasure of attending Chris' Snowy Owl Workshop this past January. To be honest, I did not know much about Chris before the trip. All I knew was the quality of his images on his website and that I wanted Snowy owl pictures. Needless to say, Chris met and exceeded my expectations. He goes over and above to get you in the right place at the right time to capture the best images possible. Having been on numerous workshops around the world with various leaders, I can say Chris worked harder than most..... He also made sure that we were in position to get a variety of images and not just 1000 photos of the same animal behavior. Chris knows his birds and what they are going to do next (as much as humanly possible). He teaches in a way that things make sense. I was getting frustrated with my photography before this trip. I was able to get great shots before the workshop but felt that the percentage of great shots to missed shots needed to be better. Chris explained ways to change a few of my bad habits in a way that no one else ever did. I have tried manual exposure in the past but never got comfortable with it but after a day or two with Chris it clicked in my mind and my images improved and percentage of keepers went up.

If you get a chance to go on a workshop with Chris I would highly recommend it. I know I will again.”

- Rick Susi Orlando, FL, USA

Snowy Owl Dorsal View

Q: Hi Chris, I have been told a few times by other photographers that I should throw away any picture that does not include both eyes. Do you follow this rule?

-James Bauer

A: Hi James, Absolutely not! While it is rare for me to keep an image where you can’t see at least one eye, it does happen. The dorsal view of the Snowy Owl here is a good example of when that works. Browse through the images in this blog and you will see many images with just one eye visible to the viewer.

As for what to throw away, once you have deleted any images that are out of focus, or obvious immediate failures, it is up to you what to keep. We all have different tastes and storage is cheap these days. Keep the images that you like - smile!

Raccoon @ 10,000 ISO

We were the very first to make our way to “The Tip” during spring migration in May 2019 and we disturbed this Raccoon while eating what looked like a Blackburnian Warbler as we rounded the corner in the shuttle. It had finished its snack by the time we got back to it with our cameras, but we felt compelled to photograph it anyway.

The Tip of the peninsula of Point Pelee is the Southernmost point of Canada. Every spring people from around the world visit the point for the opportunity to observe the sudden influx of migratory songbirds. The tip is just south of the 42nd parallel, which is as far south as Barcelona and Rome.

Raccoons are clever and resourceful animals. ... Raccoons eat berries, other fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. They also eat insects, eggs, poultry, rats, squirrels, small livestock, birds, fish, snakes, crawfish, worms, frogs, and mollusks. Additionally, raccoons will eat pet food, carrion, and human garbage.

Pine Warbler in a Pine Tree

My Niece and I went to Point Pelee with Chris Dodds Photo and it was a terrific experience. He is very knowledgeable with birds, their species, their calls and is quite witty. If you listen when he tells you to bring certain things on your trip and when he talks about camera usage etc you will gain so much from your time with him! He knows his clientele very well and try’s to cater to them. He has a good analogy on some things and makes you focus on the details. It was an enjoyable week!

- Karen Galati Ontario, Canada

Pine Warbler

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

Horned Puffin in flight

“My truest feelings for my Saint Paul Island experiences were self-expressed spontaneously and subconsciously when, as our plane taxied down the runway on our return home, I choked up at the thought that our unique week together was over. Special thanks go to you, Chris, for your special help: giving me physical support to deal with the slipperies in the early days before I developed my sea-legs, directing me to good spots for close-up photos, helping me get into and out of them as needed, and especially for your converting me to use the Manual setting for my exposures. The true value of the latter became evident as I scanned my photo results on the computer. I confess I was plenty tired physically at the end of our week, but it was a week that in retrospect I would not have missed.”

— Charles Wyttenback Cape Cod | Massachusetts | USA

Coastal Brown Bear Mother with cub

At the end of a very long day hiking around Katmai National Park (Alaska) in the rain knee-deep in mud this mother and cub seemed to look as wet and muddy as I felt - smile. As always in Katmai, we respect the bears from a distance, but they usually tend to gravitate to my group as a trusted shield from the roaming adult males (called boars) and move closer to us. I can see from the timestamps on the images that we spent 44 minutes waiting for both of them to look our way at the same time; we were lucky to have the added bonus of the cub touching mom :)

Since the sky is much brighter than the bears, it was extremely bright and washed-out in the image, so I replaced the background sky to make the scene resemble more closely what my eyes saw.