Bald Eagle Keep Calm and Fish On

One of the advantages of having so many years experience in Kachemak Bay in Alaska is knowing where to be when. When there is howling winds making the water rough, it’s hard to make pleasing images; for this image, my trusted Captain maneuvered us into a hidden protected cove where the water was flat. What started out to be a rather gloomy and wet day turned into a smashing success for everyone in my group. Learn more about my Eagles Galore (and so much more) Workshop CLICK HERE.

Arctic Tern with fish

I always arrive in Anchorage a few days before my Saint Paul Island and Bear Boat Workshop and one of my favorite things to do as soon as I unpack is head over to Potter Marsh to photograph the Arctic Terns. Their speed and agility is incredible, especially when there is a gusty wind along the Cook Inlet. It is a great way to unwind from the stress of travel with too many connections and the ever-shrinking seats in airplanes (not to mention the stresses and worry of getting my camera equipment onboard with me as a carry-on).

Coastal Brown Bear on a log

Here’s a Coastal Brown Bear cub checking out the view from the log during my Ultimate Katmai Coastal Brown Bear Boat trip in Katmai National Park, Alaska. We were watching a couple of 3 year old twins grazing the sweet protein rich grass when this one decided it had to stroll over and check-out the view from the log. Most of the time it spent on the log looking away from us, but it did finally turn our way for a photograph :)

Snowy Owl in a blizzard

Snowy Owl in a blizzard (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des neiges, SNOW) from my Winter Snowy Owl Photo Tour in Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens  with Sony FE 2X Teleconverter @800mm ISO 5,000, f/2.8 @ 1/2,500s. Manual exposure. 

Here's a Snowy Owl from my Snowy Winter Owl workshop on the coldest day last winter. It was -34C and the wind was howling at about 70km/h. The fine, dry snow that had fallen overnight was being picked-up by the strong wind and was sand-blasting the cold right into us. It was dark, and I saw an opportunity to make the owl stand-out by shooting wide open at f/2.8 which rendered the trees in background out of focus. I like the yellow eyes against the otherwise monochromatic image ;)

There are just a couple of spots left for my Snowy Winter Owl Photo Tour. Learn more HERE.

Bald Eagle Shadow Huntress

American Bald Eagle SHADOW HUNTRESS (Hailiaeetus leucocephalus, Pygarge a tete blanche, BAEA) from my BALD EAGLE WORKSHOP in Kachemak Bay (near Homer), Alaska ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens  ISO 4,000, f/4 @ 1/5,000s Manual exposure.

On the third day of my first group of Bald Eagle photo tours the conditions were perfect for my friend and our captain Dave to navigate into one of my favorite back coves in Kachemak Bay. Thanks to Dave for being a loyal friend and a professional mariner who works tirelessly to keep us in the heart of the action while keeping us all safe!

It was dark and overcast with still water and the action was non-stop! I have tried this sort of "backlit in the shadow" fishing shot before, but the other camera brand I used always let me down. Now armed with the Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master prime lens with the Sony a9 I had so many razor sharp images that it was hard to choose what to keep! Learn more about why it can focus so quickly with its linear movement HERE.

Join me in Alaska Eagle Heaven next March for my annual Eagle extraviganza. Get more information and sign-up HERE.