YABBA DABBA DO Third Annual Photo Geek Christmas Party a HUGE Success

Leopard (Pantera pardus) from my Zambian Dawn Safari ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm F4 L IS, Canon 2X III Extender, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3 ISO 1,000, f/8 @ 1/500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Third Annual Photo Geek Christmas Party a HUGE Success!

YABBA DABBA DO! I'm thrilled to report that Saturday night's presentation at the Casgrain Theatre (Thank you CEGEP John Abbot College and their Theatre Department) to an awesome crowd was a huge success and raised $6,320.00 for Le Nichoir; well over my personal goal of $5,000.00. Thank you to all who came out to support such a worthy cause. Huge thanks to Christopher Brown (and his team; David & Brendan) for the hospitality and fabulous introduction! Thank you to the volunteers (who already work tirelessly for the birds at Le Nichoir) for working so hard to make the event a huge success. Many thanks to the sponsors who contributed some fabulous prizes! Read more about Le Nichoire HERE. A wildlife biology student will now have a summer job (in their field) at Le Nichoir!

Be sure to encourage our sponsors:

Some good Karma:

John Abbott College Casgrain Theatre

“A benefit ‘performance’ in support of Le Nichoir”

If you were not at the Casgrain Theatre of Cegep John Abbott College on Saturday, March 9th, 2013 then you missed a unique opportunity to spend an evening with Mr. Christopher Dodds.  He is an inaugural member of the Canon Northern Explorer of Light and elite X-Rite Coloratti initiatives.  He is a full-time freelance nature and wildlife photographer, nature photography workshop & safari leader/instructor, photography educator, blogger and lecturer.

Chris generously dedicated his time and shared his “Canon” of knowledge in support of Le Nichoir, the renowned wild bird rehabilitation centre based in Hudson, Québec.  Every year Le Nichoir rehabilitates up to as many as 1700 North American birds and relies heavily upon monetary donations and an avid army of volunteers.

This benefit evening, hosted by the Theatre Department and John Abbott College was the second such benefit evening donated by Chris Dodds, but was the first with John Abbott’s contribution.  The 200 or so audience members who attended were privy to a 3-hour spectacular soiree.  Chris animated an evening which included countless examples of his diverse wildlife photography; polar bears at James Bay, grizzlies in Alaska, lions in Africa, great grey owls in Gatineau, blue herons, ospreys, hawks, clown faced puffins, geese, terns and gulls to name but a few.

Exquisite examples of mammals and birds were beautifully shot in a myriad of diverse landscapes in weather ranging from blinding blizzards to searing desert dust storms. Chris spoke about the challenges of his work with very amusing anecdotal tales of some of the difficulties of being a professional wildlife photographer.  He explained his photographic techniques, sharing his knowledge of cameras, lenses, f-Stops, film speeds, shutter speeds, exposure, depth of field, sharp and soft focus, white balance and histograms.

He had impromptu camera fact quizzes, rewarding people who had answered correctly by hurling wool tuques at them.  In addition to the tuques, Chris had generously gifted photography accessories to the benefit raffle and hosted the draw mid-way through the evening’s activities.

Was the evening a workshop? A seminar?  A lecture?  A show and tell?  Or a fascinating combination of all?  It’s hard to say, but what is not hard to say that it was excellent and that Chris is a world class wildlife photographer, an avid wildlife enthusiast and that he is profoundly committed to his art and craft.  Above all he is exceptionally generous of spirit and time and Le Nichoir’s meagre revenues have benefitted greatly because of his benevolence.

Thank you to the Theatre Department and John Abbott College, and thank you to the tireless efforts of Le Nichoir, but most of all thank you Christopher Dodds for your exceptional accomplishments and boundless generosity.

Christopher Brown

Chair
Department of Theatre and Music
John Abbott College

 

Hi Chris,
I was one of the attendants at last Saturdays (Mar. 9/13) Le Nichoir  Fundraising event. Your presentation was all I expected and much much more. As a nature photographer myself and a long time Lakeshore Camera Club member, I witnessed suburb photography by you. The accompanying anecdotes and photo technical comments added a very personal note to it all. Your photographs of the presented subjects are outstanding, technically and visually superb. My Granddaughter had asked me if she could come along and so she did. She said to me, that this was a wonderful evening. For a 20 year old (who could spend a Saturday evening otherwise) it is definitely quite a compliment.
 
I am looking forward in perusing your website and reading your blogs.
 
Thank you very much and good luck.
 
Hans J. Kandert

Great Grey Owl CLOUDY BRIGHT EXPOSURE MAGIC

Great Grey Owl CLOSE ENOUGH? (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW) Ottawa, Ontario ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DX, 500mm F4 L IS, Tripod & Jobu Jr. 3 ISO 2,500, f/5.6 @ 1/2,500s Manual mode. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Snowy Winter Owl Workshops/safaris

I am having amazing times with my Snowy Winter Owl Workshops Safaris. Some amazing opportunities with Great Grey Owls this year! I have only two spots left from February 25 to March 1 this year, with only limited space left for next winter. Check it out HERE!

Cloudy bright f/5.6 rule

This is not magic - it's science! It is amazing to realize how few people have heard of the sunny 16 rule; some actually know the rule for sunny conditions, but few know what to do when it's not sunny. This is an easy way to set the correct exposure without even thinking about it with no meter and no fumbling! In cloudy conditions (when you no longer see your shadow), simply set your camera to f/5.6 and the shutter speed to the nearest to the reciprocal of the film speed (or an equivalent exposure). Take a look at the camera settings I chose for the image above, and see I used f/5.6, ISO 2,500 and 1/2,500s. Check-out my earlier post about the Sunny 16 Rule to get a better understanding and impress your photo buddies.

Canon 1DX Firmware update

Firmware Version 1.2.1 for the EOS-1D X incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

  • The function to disable the Image size selection button has been added.
  • Fixes a phenomenon in which Err 70 and Err 80 may occur in very rare instances depending on the camera settings or shooting scene.

To download the latest firmware, visit Canon Canada EOS 1DX Driver page

Photo Geek Christmas Party in MARCH!

BUY TICKETS ONLINE HERE

Please do book your tickets soon to avoid disappointment.

Join me, Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds, on March 9, 2013 at 6:30 PM at the Casgrain Theatre (CEGEP John Abbot College 21275 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3L9, Canada) for an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit Le Nichoire. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. Over one hundred of his images will be projected, many unseen.  Everyone is welcome!
Hurry! Only 280 seats. Tickets are only $18.00 each and are available for advance purchase only - every penny is collected by, and goes to Le Nichoir. Please call or email Le Nichoir (communication@lenichoir.org 450-458-2809) to secure your tickets, or make a donation if you can't make it (be sure to tell them it's on behalf of Chris' Photo Geek Christmas Party) Major credit cards and cheques accepted. There will be ample time to mingle, meet my friends and contacts and share some of your images with others, so feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favourite images to share. I hope to see you there and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

The door prizes were over the top last year, and thanks to my good friends and sponsors, we have secured an even better stash for this year.

If you would like to contribute door prizes for, or sponsor, this worthy cause, please email me (chris@chrisdoddsphoto.com) to discuss. It's a great way to have your product or brand mentioned in every blog post until the main event while helping an awesome cause!

Last year we raised over $2,500.00 and I am asking for your help to at least double that!

Second Annual Photo Geek Christmas Party

 American Bald Eagle SNOWFLIGHT (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) Kachemak Bay, Alaska ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, 500mm F4 L IS  ISO 800, f/6.3 @ 1/1,600s Manual mode. Full Frame. Click HERE to order a print or license image for publication.

Here's a favorite Bald Eagle image from my last Eagles Galore Photo Safari Workshop in Kackemak Bay, Alaska. I love being out in bad weather; this one hand-held from a boat in a blizzard. Fun times! Modern digital cameras have multiple, user selectable, auto-focus zones; here, I selected a point on the left of center, as I knew the Eagle was flying from my left and I wanted some space in the frame for it to fly into as a compositional element. Give it a try next time you are out with your camera.

 

I'm hosting my second annual PHOTO GEEK CHRISTMAS PARTY!

It's a PARTY with a CAUSE!


Le Nichoir Wild Bird Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1994 as a non-profit organization (#894112358RR001) and is located in Hudson, Quebec. Le Nichoir is a licensed centre, part of a community of North American rehabilitators, supported by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA). Their mission is to conserve wild birds as part of our natural heritage.
Le Nichoir provides proper care and treatment for injured or orphaned wild birds and releases them back into their natural habitat. Le Nichoir also provides advice and information about wild birds and their environment through educational programs and annual public events. In 1995 Le Nichoir received 478 birds. Today, it is the largest rehabilitation centre for songbirds in Canada. They admit more than 1400 wild birds and receive 5000 telephone calls each year. There is no charge asked for any of their services, but they need our help! It costs about $6,000.00 each for the six wildlife biology students who work tirelessly for the summer at minimum wage. Officially, I hope to raise $1,500.00, but secretly, I'd love raise $3,000.00, so please help this worthy cause!

Join me, Canadian nature photographer Christopher Dodds, on November 30, 2011 at 7:30 PM at the Hudson Village Theatre (28 Wharf Road, Hudson, QC   J0P 1H0) for an hour and a half long slideshow presentation to benefit this great cause which is so close to my heart. The show is designed to be entertaining and informative to all; nature lovers and photographers alike. Stories of adventure, natural history facts and information are all on the menu and this show is designed to offer helpful tips & techniques sure to improve your photography efforts with everything from a camera phone, point & shoot camera or professional SLR camera system. Over one hundred of my images will be projected, many unseen.  Everyone is welcome!
Hurry! Only 148 seats. Tickets are only $15.00 each and are available for advance purchase only - every penny is collected by, and goes to Le Nichoir. Please call or email Le Nichoir (communication@lenichoir.org 450-458-2809) to secure your tickets, or make a donation if you can't make it (be sure to tell them it's on behalf of Chris' Photo Geek Christmas Party) Major credit cards and cheques accepted. Finger food and hors d'oeuvres are included and there will be a cash bar (please drink responsibly).
There will be ample time to mingle, meet my friends and contacts and share some of your images with others, so feel free to bring prints, iPads or laptops with your favourite images to share. I hope to see you there and PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!