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