Sea Otter PRAYER (Enhydra lutris) Katmai National Park, AK. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DMKIV, 500mm F4 L IS, 2X II Tele-converter, Tripod & Wimberley Head II from open ramp of skiff. ISO 800, F10 @1/320s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION. Image presented with both a visible, and invisible digital watermark by Digimarc.

Here's a favourite from Alaska that was processed exclusively with Nik Software (they have quite a deal today - use coupon code CDODDS to save big). It was a thrill for everyone when we anchored the Coastal Explorer and took the skiff out to photograph a raft of hundreds of Sea Otters during my Alaskan Brown Bears of Katmai workshop/safari in July. Do consider joining me for the trip of a lifetime in July 2011 Bears, Wolves, Otters, Eagles and much, much more.

Happy American Thanksgiving

Thank you for following the blog and for your continued support and encouragement! Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Canadians and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving at different times, but it's always good to stop and take a look around at all we have to be thankful for. If your travelling; travel safe. If your shopping; good luck bargain hunting.

Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds sporting the much saught after and rare Canadian Professional Services Tuque. Image copyright and courtesy John Zimmerman.

A tuque is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Most tuques are tapered; they sometimes have ear flaps, and may be topped with a pom-pom, this style of tuque is sometimes referred to as a boggan or sherpa. Tuques may have a folded brim, or none, and may be worn tightly fitting the head or loose on top although the latter is considered more standard. - Wikipedia
Tuques are indispensable in cold climates, and are worn worldwide in various forms. They have become the common headgear for stereotypical dockworkers and sailors in movies and television. Jacques Cousteau wore one and the most famous media characters to sport this kind of hat are the SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie and U2 guitarist The Edge.

Does Canon have you covered? - FREE TUQUE GIVEAWAY

I got my hands on some super cool, and much saught after, Canon Canada CPS tuques and I want to hear from you. Post a comment on this blog and share your service stories since Canon Canada revamped their CPS program, and I will send a few of you a fancy new Canon Canada CPS Tuque (you must be a CPS member to get one). Did you pay to join? have you sent gear in for repair? was the repair done right and quickly? Have you taken advantage of the loaner equipment? More information about the Canadian CPS program can be found HERE.

Great FREE Gear Giveaway Continues

Sign-up for my newsletter before Dec. 15th, 2010 and you will automatically be entered to win some amazing prizes. Simply fill-in your name and email address in the form in the column to the right of this post and you are entered automatically (only sign-up once please). Tweet, Like or Share this blog entry on Facebook or Twitter, or leave a meaningful comment here for additional chances to win. Don't forget to tell your friends or fellow camera club members about the prizes.

WH-200 Wimberley Head version II (retail value of US$595.00)
Think-Tank Photo Urban Disguise 50 (retail value US$169.00)
Nik Software Viveza 2 (retail value US$199.95)
Digimarc for Images Professional Edition 1 year subscription (US$99.00)
One of eight Canon Long Lens Rain Covers (US$125.00 each)

Dec. 15th PHOTO GEEK CHRISTMAS PARTY

I'm hosting my first annual PHOTO GEEK CHRISTMAS PARTY at the ROCKBURN PUB 2461 Mtee Rockburn, Hinchinbrook, Quebec J0S 1E0 (450) 264-2239. All amateurs and hobbyists welcome! It's an à la carte menu and there is no fee (other than paying for your own food & drinks) - I will pass the hat for a soon to be announced charity; donations are optional but encouraged. Come on out and meet me, my friends and make new contacts while networking and showing off a few of your favorite images from 2010. Feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favorite images. RSVP required - email me at chris@chrisdoddsphoto.com (please type PHOTO GEEK CHRISTMAS PARTY in the subject line) to reserve your spot. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve soon. I will be drawing some great prizes for the Great Gear Giveaway Contest and you get another name in the hat @ the party. Special thanks to Joann for opening the pub just for us!

Update on 2010-12-18 12:39 by Christopher Dodds

Thanks for your comments. I have sent tuques to John Zimmerman and Richard Dumolin, both of Quebec - enjoy!

Northern Parula Male , Parula americana (Paruline à collier) Point Pelee National Park of Canada (Southwestern Ontario, Canada). Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS-1D MKIII, 500mm F4L IS USM and 2X II Tele-extender. ISO 400, 1/500s F9 Manual mode. Canon 580 EX II Flash in manual mode. Tripod and Wimberley Head II. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Just going through some images from last year's Point Pelee bird photography workshop while preparing for this years. Photographing migrant Warblers is probably the most challenging type of bird photography; there is no food, bird calls or water drips to attract your subject. There's no choosing nice perches, and choosing great backgrounds is a result of your ability to move faster than your speedy subject. Migrant bird photography at a place like Pelee can be quite rewarding, though, many of the tree-top dwellers forage for fuel at near eye-level while migrating. The total number of bird species recorded at Point Pelee is 372, of which at least 340 of these species have been recorded during the spring migration period. The stream of birds in the spring is not a steady flow from the south. The birds usually arrive in intermittent waves, a pattern unique to eastern North America. In some years these are well marked but, in others the fluctuations in numbers and variety is so meagre that a wave in difficult to detect. A "wave" occurs as a result of a warm weather front advancing from the south or southeast meeting a cold weather front from the north or northwest. Two situations will cause the birds to descend. One is when the two fronts meet at ground level. The other is when a warm front in which migrating birds are flying overrides a cold front. The rising warm air becomes cooler with the increasing altitude until it is finally too cold for the birds and they descend.

If these nocturnal (night-time) migrants find themselves over Lake Erie near sunrise they must continue onwards or drown. After flying perhaps hundreds of kilometres in one night, it is this extra 30 to 40 kilometres across the lake that really demands their last strength. This explains why exhausted birds are sometimes found at the tip of the Point. A similar situation, but on a larger scale, occurs when migrants cross the 800 to 1000 kilometres of the Gulf of Mexico. If the weather is good they continue inland in one continuous flight without stopping, but with a north wind and rain they descend on the coast in great numbers, often in an exhausted state.

Do consider joining me at Point Pelee National Park this May 8-12, 2010 as I still have two spots available due to last minute cancellation. More information can be found HERE.

Canon Professional Service Revamped in Canada

Canon Canada has announced their revamped paid CPS program. Choose between Gold and platinum paid levels HERE. It seems to me that we are getting more for less, when compared the the Canon USA CPS program HERE while the Canon EUROPE CPS program is currently still offered FREE HERE.

There's a rumor circulating in Canada that the current discount on professional camera bodies and L Series lenses that Canadian CPS members currently enjoy will no longer be offered; this because there is no mention of it on the new CPS web site. Well my sources at Canon Canada tell me that CPS benefits never really did include a discount, it was offered to CPS members by the Canon Canada marketing people to offset the currency exchange rate that sent many pros across the border into the USA to shop. The good new is that the discount is still offered, and that there is no forseen end to it.

Nikon professional services, or NPS, in the USA is offered FREE HERE, in Canada, it's FREE HERE and in Europe (Nikon Professional User) it's FREE HERE