Coastal Brown Bear Cub

Be sure to join me on Tuesday April 7 at 13:00 for a free livestream webinar sponsored by SONY CANADA and VISTEK.

Ospreys Galore Workshop

LIMITED SPACE STILL AVAILABLE April 5-7. Join me at the Crown Jewel of Florida, Lake Blue Cypress: The perfect habitat for the hundreds of Osprey nests that cover the ancient Cypress Trees which pierce the pristine water and surround the lake. We will have tons of opportunities to photograph Ospreys on their nests at (or below) eye level, diving for fish or gathering nesting material. Our trip is timed perfectly to see the parents bring fish to their babies. We will photograph other species of Florida birds and will have constant urges to capture the true beauty, spectacular sunrises and all it illuminates in landscape images of the unspoiled, wild and spectacular setting of Lake Blue Cypress. The included pontoon boat cruises are a photographer’s dream with too many Ospreys and Osprey nests to count!

I recently attended the Osprey safari offered by Chris Dodds, and I was positively thrilled with the excursion. The people in our small group were fantastic.  The environment was magical. The photographic opportunities were amazing and abundant. Every part of the physical expedition was most impressive, but what I was really taken with was the panoply of knowledge Chris demonstrated throughout the trip. Whether identifying various birds dozens of yards away simply by call, or exuding masterful control over the camera, Chris was able to display his expertise and offer assistance when needed. Chris is very amiable and approachable. No matter what skill level a photographer has, Chris always made one feel important with his one on one attention and did so without any air of condescension. It was very much like shooting with great friends with your own personal tutor to turn to if needed. I can honestly say that both my skill level and knowledge base increased from my trip with Chris. Thanks again Chris."

- Geoff Powell Vero Beach | FL | USA

Male Snowy Owl

Here’s a much different take on the Snowy Owl. I usually post images in flight, but let’s face it; most of their time is spent sitting still and conserving energy. In Southern Ontario and Quebec, they like the view from the top of telephone poles, despite there being no tall perches in the tundra where they spend most of their time.

Snowy Owl a la Sony a9II high ISO

Here’s a Snowy Owl image from the Sony a9 II Camera body with the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens at 20,000 ISO. The details are remarkable! The key is to expose to the right (Keep the whites all the way to the right hand side of the histogram, but make sure they don’t touch) and try not to crop. This is a full frame image without noise reduction applied.

Male Snowy Owl Blast-off

Here’s another Male Snowy Owl blasting-off in high winds and blowing snow. We had to get down as low as possible to include the out of focus scrub along the fence line which slightly darkens the otherwise white background and helps make the fine snow visible.

Owl’s eye view of my third group of happy photographers during my in Winter Snowy Owl Photo Tour in Ontario, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. iPhone 11 Pro Max 1/2 zoom a la Snapseed B&W conversion.

Male Snowy Owl WHITEOUT

Here’s a male Snowy Owl in a blizzard; it’s a white bird flying in the snow in a snow covered field. I really needed those eyes to make something visually compelling.

With the snow falling and wind howling from our backs, frost on my glasses and in my viewfinder, I realized that there was no way I could have focused and followed the owls in flight without the awesomeness of the Sony Auto-focus system. I simply kept the green boxes (the green focus confirmation boxes that locked onto the owl’s eyes) in the middle of the viewfinder, and the Sony a9 II Camera did the rest!

Great Grey Owl BOO

Great Grey Owl BOO (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) ©Christopher Dodds  Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS ISO 2,000, f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual Exposure mode and Sony's eye AF. Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.

Yet another example of how well the Sony Eye AF works! I am loving the new Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS

Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.

Great Grey Owl LAUNCH

Great Grey Owl LAUNCH (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) ©Christopher Dodds  Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS ISO 5,000, F5.6 @ 1/5,000s Manual Exposure mode and Sony's eye AF. Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.

Another example of how well the Sony Eye AF works! I am loving the new Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS, early start to winter (did I really say that) and having this beauty all to myself :)

In case you missed it, I wrote a mini-review of the new Sony FE 400 f/2.8 GM OSS in a recent blog post HERE. 

Join me for my winter owl workshops this January/February to learn More CLICK HERE.