Chris Dodds is one of best teachers of photography and wildlife habits I have ever had the pleasure to be around

My very first birding workshop (Gannet Galore on Bonaventure Island) with a new lens AND camera was filled with much anxiety until the thorough briefing prior to our 1st shoot. After meeting Chris for the introduction to exposing to the right, the Sunny 16 rule and its variances, and the promise of capturing some bird images HE would be proud to call his own my mind was set to rest. I have only been in photography for 3 years and still struggle with exposure, composition, and sharp focusing(especially when bobbing in a Zodiac) but there I was actually able to come away with some great images of Razorbills on the fly! Chris is one of best teachers of photography and wildlife habits I have ever had the pleasure to be around, his knowledge of the Northern Gannets Colony and Bonaventure Island is exceptional. I have already signed on for my next workshop with him, his enthusiasm for wildlife is contagious!

Mel Geer Saint Simons Island, Georgia, USA

He genuinely wants his participants to go home with the best and most varied images possible

Since I first met Chris he has been telling me I should go with him and photograph the Northern Gannets on Bonaventure Island.  He knows I love to capture behavior and there, you are surrounded by the many behaviors of the gannets as they go about their daily lives.
 Chris is super organized and extremely well prepared!  He knows what lenses and flash combinations are needed to maximize your opportunities.  He genuinely wants his participants to go home with the best and most varied images possible. His early morning zodiac trips aren’t available through anyone else. 
Lots of people, me included, dislike bad weather but Chris relishes it!  The more dramatic the better for photography!  Gannets in rain, fog, drizzle and sun, too.  Eagles at Homer in the rain!  Snowy Owls in white snowy haze!  Hey, there’s going to be a big snowstorm!  Why don’t you leave now and meet us for some great photo ops!  He is ever enthusiastic and helpful. He inspires everyone to do their best and he knows the greatest places to eat, too!
 Thanks, Chris!!!!

Eleanor Kee Wellman  Balla, Ontario, Canada

Thanks for a truly remarkable photographic experience on both land and water!

Thanks for a truly remarkable photographic experience on both land and water! The Zodiac rides were a wonderful way to spend the early mornings during your Gannets Galore Photo Tour. I was amazed at how close we were able to get to the birds and the seals. The nonstop action at the Gannet colony provided countless photo opportunities every second. Now I can see how you can still find it interesting and challenging even after visiting the island over 350 times. Your extensive experience photographing at the colony meant that we always knew where the best opportunities were at any given time as the wind and weather constantly changed throughout the day. And your excellent tips on exposure, technique, composition, and use of flash allowed us to take advantage of those opportunities and capture some wonderful images.
 On a logistical note, your fluency in French also proved invaluable at many points during the trip when you came to the rescue of us dumbfounded English speakers. 
Hope to see you again soon, maybe even on a June trip back to Bonaventure!

Mike Milicia Boston | MA | USA

Your enthusiasm and joy of photography is contagious

Thank you for the wonderful time we had at your “Gannet Galore” Workshop! As always, we came away with some “awesome” pictures and expanded our knowledge not only about photography but the birds as well. We were fortunate to have a variation of the weather (fog, rain, sun, & cloudy), which presented us with a new learning experience daily also challenged us to think about what we had learned and apply it accordingly. The differences in the photos were a testimony to your ability to teach us how to use variation in shutter speed, exposure and composition. Even though we tried your patience on occasion, we swear we learned to "keep it to the right" and trust the histogram. Those “crazy birds on the rock” were so much fun to watch, it was easy to forget to take pictures. Your enthusiasm and joy of photography is contagious, making the workshop extremely fun. 
We look forward to spending time with you again at another workshop in the near future. Thanks for the great experience; it is one we will remember for a long time. 
Thanks again!!

The Texas Zoomers (aka Rick and Melody Curtis) Flower Mound, Texas, USA

You gave me confidence to explore new photography methods

Thank you for a great experience on your Gannets Galore Workshop. Even though I have been photographing birds and mammals seriously for the last 6 years and have had many photos published in national and regional magazines and calendars, I still picked up some valuable skills by photographing with you. You gave me confidence to explore new photography methods, which I have already put to use. As a result, I am able to get photos now that I would not have tried before. 
Bonaventure Island is a truly remarkable location for bird photography and observation. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gannets and other pelagic species. All three days were full of non-stop action, giving me plenty of opportunity to practice my skills; new and old. 
I also want to thank you for your hospitality. I had a great time in the Perce’ area and credit that to you. I admire the respect you give to the park service employees. As a result, they treated all of us very kindly. A trip to Bonaventure Island alone would not have yielded near the number of quality images that I was able to take while participating in your workshop. Thank you for your leadership, advice, tips, and hospitality.
 Best wishes and please stay in touch.

Stan Buman Carroll, Iowa USA

Stan Buman Top 10 reasons to join Chris Dodds Workshop

I joined Chris for the Gannets Galore Workshop in June. It was a great learning experience and a wonderful three days. Here are the top ten reasons why I would recommend attending a workshop with Chris.

1. Chris knows the workshop locations and subjects. He has been to the Northern Gannet colony over 375 times, giving him intimate knowledge of the island and bird behavior. All professional wildlife photographers will tell you that knowledge of the subject is crucial for obtaining quality images.

2. With this knowledge, he works hard to put you in the right place by constantly monitoring weather conditions (such as wind direction) and bird activity.

3. Chris is respectful of, and well respected by, the Park Service employees. He treats them well and they treat him well.

4. The Gannets Galore Workshop is more than just photographing on the island. Photography from the Zodiac boat adds a whole new dimension to the diversity of images and bird species.

5. While birds are his primary focus, he is willing to photograph other subjects; Gray Seals come to mind.

6. He is a good birder. It isn’t just all about Gannets.

7. Being a top-notch photographer, Chris knows what it takes to get great images. He is willing to share his knowledge with his participants.

8. I am a better bird photographer because of Chris. Leading by example, he challenged me to work harder on my skills and work outside my comfort zone.

9. For those of you who live to eat, Chris will make sure you are well fed (quality and quantity). I eat to live but think I gained weight on this trip.

10. His ability to speak French comes in handy for us ignorant Americans who never learned to speak anything but English.

Stan Buman Carroll, Iowa, USA

I was totally blown away

On the morning of June 14, my 62nd birthday, we took the ferry to Bonaventure Island and made the 1.8 mile walk up the big hill. I had been a bit worried about making that walk up and down for five straight days, but Chris was right: “Take it slow and it is an easy walk.” When we arrived at the gannetry, I was totally blown away. So so many birds at arms length. Dozens, even hundreds of gannets in the air at all times, many carrying huge loads of nesting material, many landing just yards away. That day, the photographic action was nonstop, but it was not a birthday present, for the succeeding four days were equally exciting. And as each day came and went, I visualized and created many new and different images. I felt like a painter locked in a huge warehouse with hundreds of blank canvases and an unlimited supply of paints. I was in bird photographer’s heaven.
That evening Chris and I met the five remaining members of the group. Weather permitting, we planned to spend four hours in a large Zodiac photographing the gannetry and the cliffs from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Though it was rough on the two mornings that we went out very early, we had some great flight and scenic opportunities. Then the skipper of the Zodiac, would drop us of on the island and we would make the climb to the birds.

I have been to Antarctica. I have been to Kenya. I have been to Tanzania. And I have been going to Bosque for the past 13 years. All of those places offer great photographic opportunities. But no place that I have been has ever offered as consistent and spectacular action as Bonaventure during Chris Dodds' Gannets Galore Workshop

Chris is an excellent photographer and a skilled teacher. Chris is a passionate and caring leader as well as an excellent leader and an all around nice man.

Arthur Morris Indian Lake Estates, Florida, USA

You always had us in the best spots regardless of the weather

I really enjoyed the Bonaventure Island Workshop. You always had us in the best spots regardless of the weather. Your tips on flash for high key shots and postprocessing of the shots were really helpful. The Zodiac trips before going onto the island were very interesting and fun. Diving Gannets are definately a challenge to capture! .......... I look forward to doing more trips with you to further improve my skills and add to my portfolio.

John Dupps Middletown, Ohio, USA

Chris Dodds is a terrific teacher

If you want a really fun adventure as well as a great learning opportunity, you must visit Bonaventure Island with Chris Dodds and sign-up for his Bonaventure Island Photographic Expedition. Perce, the island and its surroundings are beautiful; every day was a wonderful surprise. It’s amazing how different everything looks with the changes in the weather and that’s something that’s guaranteed; the weather will vary, sometimes from one minute to the next. Gannets are amazing birds to watch and photograph. They can go from looking really graceful to really goofy and everything in between. The time spent in the Zodiac was fabulous, a real challenge photographically speaking. Lastly, Chris Dodds is a terrific teacher. He was patient, informative and really concerned with the participants’ well being. He made sure everyone’s questions were answered and that we were all having a good time. He’s a true gentleman and lots of fun to be with. I learned a lot from him in a very short time by asking lots of questions and simply watching what he does. L’Isle de la Bon Aventure is just that, a truly magical place and seeing it with someone who is truly at home there was a plus. A word of warning: if you go make sure you schedule vacation time for after the vacation, Chris packs a lot of activity into a very short time-you’ll be exhausted, but it will be a happy exhausted.


Jacqueline Leader Miami Lake, Florida, USA

The best photographic event that any of us had ever experienced

Thank you for a magnificent workshop on Bonaventure Island. Your efforts on our behalf were nothing short of heroic. I don't know where you get your energy, from Sun up to long after it set, you were working to make this the best photographic event that any of us had ever experienced, and you succeeded. Bonaventure Island is a photographers paradise, I have never returned from a workshop with so many 'Portfolio shots. If all your endeavors as fruitful, can't wait to get my lens on those Snowy Owls this winter.............

I had a heck of a good time doing what I love, thanks to you.

Malcolm MacKenzie West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

An experience I will never forget

In June, I decided to sign up for a photo workshop with Christopher Dodds, one of the best photographers according to a friend of mine who met Chris a few months earlier.
I'm a Software Engineer and photography is my passion. This is how I spend all of my spare time. Over the years, I have learned a lot about wildlife photography but I wanted to improve my techniques, especially with flying birds with different and changing backgrounds. Also, my skills were not growing at a fast enough pace.
This workshop held on beautiful Bonaventure Island in August 2007, was my first, and will remain an experience I will never forget. Chris was such a kind person, an amazing teacher with great photo skills. The other students were also amazingly friendly. This workshop offered me more than I expected. I learned how to shoot birds in flight with, or without, sunlight. I learned all about the camera settings to get the most out of my shooting and the techniques that will make my photos look better.
A highlight was learning all about using an incident light meter and shooting in manual mode to greatly increase my keeper rate. Chris is a superb teacher, who knows how to explain complex techniques to regular people. I realized how serious he was about photography and how much he wanted us to improve the quality of our photographs. He taught us about bird behaviour and how to use it to make the best photos possible. Overall, this workshop was a well-organized trip, and a successful photographic experience. Chris answered all my questions and I feel I have achieved a level of experience I had never expected in my life. What an awesome experience!

Gilles Archambault Québec City, Quebec, Canada