Everyone joins my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins (and so much more) workshops for the Puffins, but the Razorbills are so beautiful and elegant. Often called the Penguins of the North, Razorbills are only found in the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantic Puffin landing with fish at first light
On the first morning of the first Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more Workshops last July 29, 2023, we were all on the beach well before the 04:43 sunrise. The Puffins were already streaming into their burrows with loads of fish for their growing Pufflings directly in front of us. It was dark, and a layer of fog threatened our golden light. The fog lifted by about 05:05, and this is one of a sequence of images made at 05:11 - our morning was a good one :)
Blue-headed Vireo
A Blue-headed Vireo emerges from the Carolinian forest of Point Pelee National Park to bask in the first drops of golden light during spring migration. It is no coincidence that the insects hiding in leaf litter and tree buds overnight to keep warm also start to warm and stir when the sun casts its warmth - smile.
There is still an opening available for my May 7-11 Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park in Leamington, Ontario, due to a last-minute medical emergency. Learn more HERE.
American Kestrel in flight with a cricket snack
An American Kestrel in flight with a cricket snack from my Better than Bosque Workshop in New Mexico. The Kestrel is flying slightly away, but the glance toward me, the light and the background saved this one - the cricket in its mouth is the bonus - smile.
Least Sandpiper Reflection
A Least Sandpiper from my Best of Bosque workshop last December. We were at the Crane ponds for the last drops of light, and the air was so still that the reflections were fantastic. Most photographers were lying in the mud trying to get infinite out-of-focus backgrounds, but we chose to work with our tripods fully extended to maximize the reflections.
Atlantic Puffin in flight with fish in first drops of sweet morning light
This image was created on August 11, during the last of five back-to-back Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more workshops. It was a magical morning, with repeat clients Julie & Rainer (Saint Paul Island), Charlie (Ospreys) and first-time attendee & solo adventurer Janet living the dream as a full-time RVer.
Bald Eagle over the top light
A Bald Eagle cartwheels at the top of the dive from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. We had a blast photographing Eagles until the last drops of golden light: What a perfect way to end the day.
Wood duck in flight
One of my favourite Wood Duck images from last December’s Best of Bosque workshop. A drake (male) Wood Duck flew directly towards us with the amazing colour of the Sunset reflecting off the cottonwood trees.
Learn more about the Best of Bosque Workshop HERE.
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Learn more about the Best of Bosque Workshop HERE. 〰️
Razorbill calling in last light
Razorbills simply fascinate me. Newfoundland hunters called Razorbills “tinkers,” the local pronunciation of “thinkers.” They were given this name because during courtship displays, males hold their bills vertically, appearing to contemplate the heavens.
Bald Eagle Fishing in golden light EYE SPY
You can read my blog post that Rob refers to here: Top birds in flight settings for Sony a9II
Hey Rob,
Absolutely, yes! I set my desired aperture and target shutter speed in manual mode and then use whatever ISO that I need to get there. There are many examples in this blog of images made using a higher ISO than the 1,600 that you limit yourself to.
UNCOMPRESSED RAW AT HIGHER ISO
One consideration when photographing action at high ISO with a Sony a9 or a9II is to consider lowering your capture rate and switching to uncompressed raw images to lower the noise in the dark portions of the image. I usually switch to uncompressed raw at 6,400 ISO.
Snowy Owl in Golden Light
As the temperature falls, the odds of getting great light increases dramatically. Here’s another Snowy Owl flying in the first rays of sunlight over fresh powdery snow.
Coastal Brown Bear Cubs Jousting
Coastal Brown Bear Cubs JOUSTING (Ursus arctos) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska. 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 1,600, f/5.6 @ 1/2,000s Manual exposure.
I'm just home from my Coastal Brown Bear boat photo tour in Alaska. We had amazing weather, epic opportunities with mothers and cubs, and one fantastic group of repeat clients who have all become great friends over the years!
We spent about an hour with these two siblings jousting in the golden last light at about 10:30PM. Shooting at 20FPS when the action was hot and heavy left us with more images than some knew what to do with. To quickly cull the images down to a manageable portfolio, I always look for captivating expressions, at least one eye visible on each bear & preferably a catch-light in both visible eyes.
Speckled Perch and the Osprey
Osprey with fresh Speckled Perch (Crappie) (Pandion haliaetus, Balbuzard pêcheur, OSPR) Lake Blue Cypress, Florida ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a9 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE100-400mm F4.5-5.6 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X tele-extender @ 540mm Full Frame image. ISO 2,000 f/8 @ 1/2,000s Manual mode.
Just back from Florida after hosting two wonderful groups of photographers on Lake Blue Cypress for my Ospreys Galore workshop. There was no shortage of Ospreys returning to their nests with fish. The Speckled Perch (also known as a Crappie or Speck) were the prize catch for both the Ospreys and the photographers - smile! Ospreys often stop and eat the head of their catch before returning to the nest to feed the babies but I have so much experience on the lake, that I know which pairs are more successful gatherers and those more likely to return with whole fish.
Join me next April for my Ospreys Galore Workshop on Lake Blue Cypress in Florida. CLICK HERE to learn more and sign-up.
Snowy Owl TOTEM
Snowy Owl GOLDEN TOTEM Bubo scandiacus (Harfang des neiges) Quebec. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1D MKII, 500mm F4 L IS and 2X II Teleconverter (1,000mm). ISO 450, F8 @ 1/1000s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO ORDER A PRINT OR LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.
Kudos:
Talking to Chris before I signed-up for his famous owl workshop safari, he mentioned he has had many customers attend more than one workshop. Now I understand why. We had a small group, so there was plenty of time to really talk about many things and make sure everyone understood everything. I’ve spent so much money and time on gear, books and “camera user guides”, but I still didn’t really understand the basic fundamental of exposure theory. Before I left, I anticipated learning how to properly expose for snow, etc. If you had dropped me off in front of one of the owls, I would not have been able to get the shots I wanted exposed properly. What I didn’t realize was that I would finally learn how to evaluate the scene and determine the correct exposure, whatever the subject, situation, scene or light level. Now I finally have the answers to so many questions ... I finally understand exposure theory! I’m from Alabama, so an unexpected treat was to learn how to deal with the cold temperatures. It got down to -9° F while we were there. As a testimonial, I most definitely plan to attend another workshop with Chris. Now I’ve just got to decide where I want to go.
Rhett Gibson Auburn, Alabama, USA
Learn more about my Snowy Winter Owl Workshops HERE.
Better than Bosque and Workshop Woes
Sandhill Crane SUNSET FLIGHT A Sanhill Crane lands against the pink, snow covered Sandia Mountains in golden fields (Grus canadenis, Grue du Canada, SACR) NOT from Bosque del Apache, New Mexico ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DX, 600mm f/4 L IS USM II & 2X III Extender with Jobu L-Bracket and Jobu Jr. 3 Deluxe ISO 2,000, f/8 @ 1/1,600s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.
Better than Bosque?
Is Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge over-rated? Perhaps it's just me, but I feel the offerings there for Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes are far surpassed elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, there are still some awesome opportunities for raptors, ducks and other birds, it's just I feel the hype about Bosque is no longer justified. I'm just back from a nine day trip in the area and only visited Bosque for three sessions, the remainder of our time was spend exploring the surrounding opportunities…. and we hit the pot of gold! I'm in the process of listing a "Better than Bosque" workshop for Dec. 1-5, 2014 so please email me if interested ASAP(chris(at)chrisdoddsphoto.com); there's loads of interest and this will fill very fast. Group size limited to six and we will be based in Socorro, NM. We'll be visiting Bosque when the conditions are right, but our mission is to make the very best images possible; and we'll be visiting several over-the-top spots to do it!
Workshop Leader Woes
While in Bosque, I encountered a few workshops that I just plain need to vent about. Group size varied from 8 to 18 and the lack of fieldcraft and/or knowledge was blatantly evident! Perhaps the participants wanted to go and hang-out for the lowest possible price, or perhaps they signed-up for the first workshop they saw on-line, I dunno; I was simply shocked. I saw workshop leaders prance around like they were royalty, pull-up in front of other photographers and spook fields full of Cranes without even realizing it and I overheard so much gossip and belittlement of other leaders, yet no useful photographic information about composition, exposure or anything else that the participants joined the workshop for. All of the groups went to the same locations to shoot and none of them showed any sense of doing anything different. There were workshops that advertised small groups (they were 18 people - just imagine how much time is wasted with logistics) and leaders who I overheard say "exposure and technical ability is over-rated, just follow your heart and vision" while this sounds romantic, it was clearly a new leader in way over his head when asked how to reliably make well exposed images.
If you would like to experience a small group (max. 6) workshop focused on teaching you how to make better images without the nonsense, then please do check-out my WORKSHOPS and read some TESTIMONIALS. I truly feel I haven't succeeded unless my clients make images that I would be proud to call my own, and work tirelessly to that end! Do join a workshop for the right reason; join because you like my images and want to learn how I make them - if you don't like my images (and that's alright), then email me and I will send you a list of other workshops by other people to consider (many are much cheaper, but expect what you pay for).
The Better than Bosque Workshop page is now live and accepting registrations HERE Two spots have already sold and there is a long list of interested folks, so please don't hold-off and miss out! Registration is on a first come, first served basis.