Everything about your day on this workshop is special

I recently went on the Gannets Galore workshop with Chris.... It has been 3 weeks now and I still can not come up the the words to describe this experience. The world Chris takes you to defies description. The colony is beyond words. Everything about your day on this workshop is special. This is a trip of a lifetime for anyone who loves birds. Chris runs his workshop so all you have to do is show up at the appointed time and shoot for 10 hours, every detail beyond that is taken care of. The Day is spent with no other care than to photograph beautiful gannets, whales, murres, razorbills, kittiwakes, seals, and he threw in 2 bald eagles for good measure. I had so many great shots when I returned home that I still can not believe it. My birds in flight technique improved 100 percent. Chris gives you as much or as little instruction as you want. He even let me shoot a couple of cards in his camera with his lens. All I can say is, if you love birds, and want to see gannets, I don't believe you can do any better than a Chris Dodds workshop.

Carole Wiley Torrington, Connecticut, USA

Thanks to your help and individual attention I was able to figure out some issues that would have taken me a long time to solve on my own

Thank you for the wonderful day I spent with you on Saturday photographing the snow geese. Thanks to your help and individual attention I was able to figure out some issues that would have taken me a long time to solve  on my own. Your tips on memory cards and how to keep the dust out of my lens when in Africa were things I’d never thought of. I look forward to doing another workshop with you and wish you all the best. Once again, thank you for a great day.

Wendy Altona Montreal, Quebec, Canada

A fantastic experience for me in many aspects

Hi Chris. The September Moose and Fall Colors Photo Workshop has been a fantastic experience for me in many aspects. I want to thank you warmly for everything you have done for me, not only with respect to photography but in every respect, such as wildlife and nature, the English language, travel tips, etc. You never hesitated to share your knowledge with the group in general and with me in particular. You amazed me more than one time with your wide array of knowledge. Furthermore, you have been a very pleasant companion all along. I would not hesitate to book another workshop with you, which I intend to do later, depending on my budget and schedule possibilities. I already told you that you are a real gentleman, and I just want to tell you again.

Serge Gagné L’Île-Bizard, Quebec, Canada

One of the top photo trips I have taken

The trip with Chris on the Yacht along the Katmai coast was fantastic.  Without a doubt it was one of the top photo trips I have taken over the last several years due to the amazing variety and density of wildlife in such completely unspoiled and uninhabited wilderness.  Unlike land based lodges, with the Yacht you have the opportunity to photograph in several of Katmai's secluded bays versus being limited to an area adjacent to a land-based lodge.  What helped make the trip so successful was Chris's work ethic where he is always ready to shoot in any weather conditions and will stay in the field as long as there is any possibility for high quality photography.  This is essential in a place like coastal Alaska where it can go from direct sunny conditions to heavy overcast to rain in the blink of an eye and where the sun doesn't set until the late evening.  If the best time to photograph Brown Bears chasing down salmon was after 10:00PM, you bet we'd be on the river bank waiting on the massive Brown Bear boars to make their spectacular runs--photography is top priority after safety of course.  The daily great fresh seafood didn't exactly hurt the trip either.

As I write this I've only a little over two weeks removed from returning from Katmai and I'm still having serious withdrawals--right now I really want to be on the Yacht's skiff heading to shore to photograph more bears, eagles, and wolves.

Steve Metildi Southern California, USA

Believe me, if you took such a workshop with Chris you wouldn't regret it!

I just returned from attending my first workshop, my first time in “the Gaspé” and my first experience with shooting birds in flight and I thought I’d share a bit about the experience…
The Gannets Galore workshop was given by Christopher Dodds who is often referred to as one of the very best nature photographers in Canada. We were going to spend three days shooting Gannets on L’Ile Bonaventure, Québec (about 30 minutes off the Percé harbour and close to the famous Percé Rock). The Island is a protected habitat for Gannets and access to the Island is only allowed when the Parks Canada staff are there from about 9am to 5pm.
 It’s a long uphill climb from the wharf to the top where the birds are, and Park staff say most people take about 45 minutes to an hour. Chris and I made it in about 30 minutes the first day (and got it down to about 25 minutes the following days but if he wanted to, I’m sure Chris could do it in 15!). We could hear the Gannets long before we got to the top and the first view of them – literally thousands and thousands of them – was breathtaking. The unofficial current estimate is at over 500,000 Gannets, now making this the largest colony in the world!
 I can't speak highly enough about the experience of shooting with Chris Dodds. Chris is absolutely amazing. He's got tremendous experience and a great eye. The whole experience was way better than my expectations. He’s a far better photographer and workshop leader than I expected. Not only does he produce incredible work, he has the technical knowledge and experience to make this a really worthwhile learning experience. And he gives what is truly a “workshop”, in that he gives constant tips and coaching to make sure all participants are learning (no matter what their experience is or how stubborn and set in their ways they might be – like myself). He doesn’t just lead you to a subject (as many other workshops do), but he gives all the technical support and training you could wish for; he makes sure you are learning the photo techniques needed to improve.

Chris and I knocked heads quite a bit those first days (he was right – I was wrong) as he stuck with trying to get me to improve and get out of my comfortable rut. 
I liked those three days (and the one pre-workshop day) so much that I decided to stay for a second three-day workshop and luckily Chris still had a spot available. Not only that, but I’m certainly going to return to shoot those Gannets again, hopefully with Chris. In fact I’d love to take any workshop Chris was leading.
 We were shooting ALL day... from the time we got to the top until we had to leave. There was absolutely no shortage of birds or birds in flight and that's unlike any other avian photography venue in the world from what everyone was saying. Elsewhere you only have a few hours to shoot and then the birds are gone. We were always the first ones on the Island (with the Park staff) and the last ones to leave (again with the staff).
 Chris is so well known there (and so highly regarded) that he and his group were certainly given privileges and access that someone on their own wouldn't get. If (I should say when) I do this again, I'm going to do it with Chris on one of his workshops.
 And with Chris, everything was organized for us including lunches; access and transportation to the island, accommodations and of course the great training. I wouldn't do it any other way.

 Believe me, if you took such a workshop with Chris you wouldn't regret it! And his repeat clients (of which there were many in both the 3-day workshops I attended) had nothing but raves for him.

 An absolutely fabulous time!

Eldor Gemst  Montreal, Quebec, Canada