Northern Gannet Painted Landing, Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan Bonaventure Island, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, 300mm F2.8 Lens ISO 400, F5, 1/2000s Manual, Canon 580EXII Flash full power in manual mode.I love the painterly effect fog adds to images like this. Bonaventure Island is the only place in the world that I know of to photograph Northern Gannets against out of focus forest backgrounds.
Northern Gannet Landing in fog, Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan Bonaventure Island, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Canon EOS 5DMKII, 300mm F2.8 Lens ISO 400, F3.5, 1/2000s Manual, Canon 580EXII Flash full power in manual mode. Adding the out of focus colony to the bottom of this landing Gannet gives it a sense of place and shows the viewer where the subject lives.
Northern Gannet Landing over colony with seaweed, Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan Bonaventure Island, Quebec ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Canon EOS 5DMKII, 300mm F2.8 Lens ISO 500, F5.6, 1/2000s Manual, Canon 580EXII Flash full power in manual mode. Again, this image moves away from the idea of isolating the subject against a uniform background; giving the viewer an idea of where it lives, and the vastness of the colony (or Gannetry).
On Saturday August 15 I was awake well before the birds and left home at 03:00 to make the 1,077 kilometer drive back to Perce, QC to complete the last round of Bonaventure Island workshops for the year. Among the participants were Mike Milicia (who attended my spring Point Pelee workshop), Dennis Stone (who loved the trip so much in June, that he had to come back for babies in August) and John Dupps; all great people, passionate photographers and a pleasure to spend time with. We had a perfect mix of weather; from bright, sunny conditions, to fog, cloud and rain. Overall a huge success and a great way to end the 2009 season.
Ganetts Galore Morus bassanus, Fou de Bassan Ever wonder what keeps pulling me back to Bonaventure Island? Canon 5DMKII & 24-70mm F2.8 @ 24mm. Manual exposure. Video Copyright Christopher Dodds www.ChrisDoddsPhoto.com All Rights Reserved.
Kudos
"Thanks for a truly remarkable photographic experience on both land and water! The Zodiac rides were a wonderful way to spend the early mornings. I was amazed at how close we were able to get to the birds and the seals. The nonstop action at the Gannet colony provided countless photo opportunities every second. Now I can see how you can still find it interesting and challenging even after visiting the island over 350 times. Your extensive experience photographing at the colony meant that we always knew where the best opportunities were at any given time as the wind and weather constantly changed throughout the day. And your excellent tips on exposure, technique, composition, and use of flash allowed us to take advantage of those opportunities and capture some wonderful images.
On a logistical note, your fluency in French also proved invaluable at many points during the trip when you came to the rescue of us dumbfounded English speakers.
Hope to see you again soon, maybe even on a June trip back to Bonaventure!"
-- Mike Milicia Bedford, MA www.miliciaphoto.com