Savannah Sparrow on Fireweed

A Savannah Sparrow posed on some Fireweed during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshop in Quebec. Savannah Sparrows nest on the island and are easy to photograph as they forage and return to their nests with food for their babies.

Atlantic Puffins in flight with fish

We got photobombed while I was tracking the nearest Puffin as it brought fish back to its baby during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshops in Quebec. Join me at the best location in the world to photograph Puffins bringing home fish. It was one of those days when it got cloudy and we were having so much fun that we stayed out late in the dark; notice my ISO of 32,000 :)

Atlantic Puffin landing at the puffinry

There are still only a couple of rooms left for the recently added August 10-13, 2023 Deluxe fishing Puffin workshop :)

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish (Capelin) in sweet light

Join me for a DREAMY DELUXE ATLANTIC PUFFIN WORKSHOP from August 10-13, 2023. It all starts when we arrive on the tiny island and move into the newly renovated lighthouse accommodations; We will be living only feet away from the many Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and Common Murres that call the island home - all of the photography is within 200 meters (200 yards) of our bedrooms! This is THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD to photograph Atlantic Puffins; in sweet light, in flight and bringing home loads of fish to their babies! The included gourmet food is a bonus - smile!

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish and Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop Update

I love the painterly quality of this image captured before sunrise in light fog during my Deluxe Puffins Galore Workshop last August 11 (2022). I processed another version with more contrast, virtually eliminating the fog, but I prefer this version. Notice that I chose to use 10,000 ISO to properly expose the image while using an action-stopping 1/5,000s shutter speed. My Sony 200-600mm has become my most used and much-loved lens :)

This is a dream deluxe photography tour: Dreamlike accommodations in a newly restored lighthouse just feet away from nesting Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills on a small island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, with gourmet food.

• Timed to coincide with the very best time to be at the colony with the Puffins returning with fish to feed their young.

• Group size limited to 5-8 photographers (price is per person in single or double occupancy as desired, with only five rooms available).

• Exclusive use of the lighthouse and accommodations mean that we will be the island’s only inhabitants.

• The small group size means more assistance and one-on-one guidance and coaching for every participant.

• Long lenses are not mandatory for this tour; 200-600mm reach is adequate for an impressive portfolio.

• Photographers of all levels are welcome, the tour pace will suit everyone’s needs and skill level.

• Owners of all camera brands are welcome; my 40 years of professional photography include the last five years as a Sony ambassador, 16 years using Canon as a Canon Northern Explorer of Light and 16 years using Nikon before that. I can help anyone with any brand improve their photography.

• Christopher Dodds has over 39 years of experience in the great Canadian outdoors with the Puffins.

Grizzly Coastal Brown Bear Mother and Cub

Another image from my recent ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP in Alaska. After another of Melissa’s epic home-cooked meals on our private charter ship, we returned to shore in heavy overcast and foggy conditions and spent a few hours waiting for this mother and cub to wake up from their afternoon nap :)

Grizzly Brown Bear second summer cub in the rain

A second summer Coastal Brown Bear grazing in the rain from my recently concluded ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP. I love cloudy and overcast light, especially when it is misty or drizzling in Katmai. The short grass in mid-June offers amazing low-angle images possible. The bears love the sweet, high-protein sedge and spend much time grazing like cows - smile.

One of the few reliable food sources for bears in the spring is Lyngbye's sedge (Carex lyngbyaei). On the Pacific coast of Katmai, large numbers of bears gather to graze like cattle when this sedge emerges in salt marshes. As it begins to grow, Lyngbye’s sedge is relatively high in protein and lower in crude fibre, making it easier for bears to digest and extract nutrition.

Harbor (or harbour) seal

Although the primary “focus” of my ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF ALASKA WORKSHOP is the bears, we get distracted occasionally. This Harbour seal lounged on the rocks at low tide while we cruised Kukak Bay for bears clamming from our boat.

Grizzly bear mother and cub running

We had a fabulous time with this mother and cub during my recently concluded ULTIMATE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI WORKSHOP. Contrary to most assumptions about how aggressive a mother is when protecting her cubs, the mother bears of the Katmai coast seek us out as protection from the big boars (the male bears). We sat with his mother and cub for hours as they slept on the ground pointed away from us with their noses pointed into the wind and us as protection downwind. The moment she caught the scent of a big male, she ran for cover, and they ran past us, spraying mud as they escaped.

Tree swallow in flight

Here is a Tree swallow in flight from my recently concluded Ultimate Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai workshop in Alaska. Yes, there will be loads of bear images to follow, but I thought that I would start with something different - smile.

Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish on green

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop Update

Only two rooms are left for my recently added August 10-13, 2023, Deluxe Atlantic Puffins, and so much more workshops. If you want to master birds in flight photography and create a complete portfolio of Atlantic puffin images, this trip is for you. The trip is timed to maximize photographic opportunities of Puffins bringing loads of fish back to their babies.

“I want to thank you again for one of the best photo workshops I have ever attended. The trip to Northern Quebec to photo Puffins was truly an adventure. I was very impressed with the planning you put into ever aspect of the tour. Everything ran smoothly and the opportunity to photograph these amazing birds was an experience I will not soon forget. I also appreciate the time you spent with each of us to make sure we got the best possible result from whatever equipment we were using. Your technique for reducing noise while maximizing detail when shooting at high ISO’s was particularly helpful. No one had ever explained the science behind this and now it makes a lot of sense. This trip was everything I had hoped for and I look forward to joining you again in the future.”

— Chuck Raines Camarillo, California

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop in dream lighthouse accommodations

It’s not too late! Join me in Quebec, Canada, at the best location on the planet to photograph Atlantic Puffins while enjoying gourmet food and dreamlike accommodations in a newly restored lighthouse.

Loads of Puffins will frantically return to their nests with loads of fish to feed their growing babies.

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop in Quebec update

Join me in Quebec from August 10-13, 2023 for a dream Atlantic Puffin workshop a la Deluxe version. The adventure is based on a small island and we live in a renovated lighthouse - imagine! The food is gourmet and the photographic opportunities will be endless! Perfectly timed to get the Puffins bringing fish home to their babies.

Deluxe Atlantic Puffin Workshop Update

Learn more and sign-up here

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Learn more and sign-up here 🪶

Join me, Canadian Wildlife Photographer Christopher Dodds, for a  dream Puffin photography workshop/safari. This trip will be limited to 5-8 participants and will surely be the trip of a lifetime for anyone seeking to get close and personal (safely) to Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills. We will be the island's only inhabitants, sleeping within 50 feet of the nesting Puffins and Razorbills! Gourmet meals included! Dawn to dusk Puffin photography.

I have been searching for the ultimate destination for an Atlantic Puffin workshop/safari for a very long time.  The mandate was simple; find a location that is within reach, safe and easy to get to without a dangerous boat landing on slippery rocks and a place where we can get close to these comical little seabirds without hauling our gear up and over, huge distances or having to hang over towering cliffs; a place where anyone can comfortably reach, regardless of age or physical ability; a place with reliable, safe and easy boat landings. I have photographed Atlantic Puffins in Iceland, England, Scotland, Wales, Maine, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Quebec; All of these "known" places have their drawbacks. I can't imagine subjecting my clients to abuse.  Mission accomplished; I have found Puffin Paradise. This is the very best place in the world to photograph Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills fishing, with fish in their bills, in-flight and in golden light.

A dream location: The island is less than 100 meters (yards) by 330 meters (yards), or 1km (.6 miles) in circumference and is like a sloped golf green rising from sea level to only 12 meters (yards) high. This means you have Puffins at eye level, above and below you. There is no balancing of cliffs! There are many backgrounds to choose from sky, cliffs and green vegetation!

July 29 to August 13 is timed perfectly to coincide with the most Puffins bringing fish back to their babies: We have had incredible success on these dates every year.

Includes four days of professional instruction and guidance by Christopher Dodds, boat transportation to and from the island, three nights of single occupancy accommodation, gourmet meals, non-alcoholic beverages, and logistics management. Not included in the price is your transportation to Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec, Canada, hotels for any nights before or after your workshop, souvenirs or any other expenses of a personal nature like alcohol.

This is a dream deluxe photography tour: Dreamlike accommodations in a newly restored lighthouse just feet away from nesting Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills on a small island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, with gourmet food. We photograph the Puffins only 200 yards (meters) from our dining room and bedrooms.

Northern Gannet in flight with seaweed

A Northern Gannet landing with seaweed during my recent GANNETS GALORE WORKSHOP on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. The heavy fog during our first day became patchy, and I made this image while wandering between the main colony and the tower during a brief window of light fog at the end of the first day.

There are many ways of dealing with fog post-capture, including the dehaze tool, curves and levels adjustments, etc. I usually try to preserve the foggy scene but occasionally process a foggy image so the result negates any sign of the fog.

Common Murre (bridled) calling in flight

The opportunities were endless during the early morning boat cruise below the cliffs of BONAVENTURE ISLAND during my recent GANNETS GALORE and so much more workshop.

I love the white spectacles on this bridled common Murre. The key to success while working at 20,000 ISO is to pay particular attention to two things:

1. Ensure you have exposed the image correctly and pushed the whites all the way to the right of the histogram; correcting a poorly exposed image will always result in much more noise than getting it right in the camera.

2. Try to work full-frame; the more you crop an image, the more you magnify any noise that there may be.

Northern Gannet foggy landing

A Northern Gannet landing in the fog from my recent GANNETS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE WORKSHOP on Bonaventure Island in Quebec. I always keep an eye open for unique backgrounds and love the foggy background here; I think this was the only bird that swung around and landed away from the gentle breeze.

Northern Gannet flying with seaweed

The early morning boat excursion under the cliffs of BONAVENTURE ISLAND during my Gannets Galore workshop offered so many different and unique opportunities. This Gannet had just collected the seaweed and flew right past us: I love the contrast between the dark water, shadows and subject here.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed in fog

On the first day (June 5, 2023) of my Gannets Galore and so much more WORKSHOP, after our four hours along the cliffs under the colony in the Zodiac, we loaded our gear onto the specially arranged 4-wheeler for the park staff to transport for us, and we hiked up to the gannet colony. The fog was thick, and the gannets were plentiful. This image was made from the memorial platform that is a tribute to Gilbert, a friend, former long-time park employee and Gannet lover.

Northern Gannet landing with seaweed

A Northern Gannet brings home some seaweed to line its mud-bowl nest during my recently concluded GANNETS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE Workshop on BONAVENTURE ISLAND.

After spending an incredible four hours on the Zodiac, we loaded our gear on the park’s four-wheeler (a special arrangement only available to my group) and made our way up to the fog-enshrouded Gannettry; it is always an impressive sight. The fog was heavy, but the rain was manageable. This image was made towards the end of the day as the fog let up a little.