Great Gray Owl Snow Queen

This is a great gray owl image from my winter owl workshop a few years ago. It was snowing so heavily that finding the owl perched quite far from the road was difficult.

Great Gray Owl Snow Queen (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW, Dark Wood Owl, Lapland Owl, Striped Owl, Lapp Striped Owl) ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @201mm ISO 2,500, F6.3 @ 1/3,20s Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my winter owl workshops in January & February.

“I just returned home from a trip to Ontario, Canada with Christopher Dodds to look for and photograph Snowy Owls. The weather was cold and snowy, but not necessarily Snowy Owl cold, so I was worried that the Snowy Owls might be thin on the ground. Christopher Dodds deserves kudos and my thanks! He led our photo trek and put me (and the others in the party I joined) in position to see, watch, track and photograph Snowy Owls. I was able to capture wonderful images of Snowy Owls at rest, in flight, on the hunt, on the ground in the fields, in blowing snow! Outstanding photographic results for me, better than I anticipated. From the get go it was obvious that Christopher Dodds knows his Snowy Owls and wildlife photography. He is an excellent photography trek leader, knowledgeable, personable, professional and helpful to me and the others in our group at every turn. I am impressed with Christopher as a photography trek leader, particularly as his focus was on his clients at all times, and the well being of the Owls. He ensured that we did everything possible to not stress or disturb the Owls in their habitat. Of particular note Christopher is not a photography trek leader who spends his time with his own camera, taking his own photographs. He spent all his time with us locating Owls, coaching us, helping us with our equipment and camera settings, and letting us know what to expect and when to expect an Owl to fly, in what direction, and when. What an outstanding experience! Thank you, Christopher. I hope to enjoy another trek with you soon.”

— Joe Norton, USA January 23-27, 2023 owl workshop

Great Gray Owl Phantom of the North

I photographed this Great Gray Owl (Great Grey Owl in some parts of the world) using my Sony a1 mirrorless camera with the FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS zoom lens @348mm in a winter snowstorm during my winter owl workshop.

Owls have such a mysterious grace about them. One of my favourite facts about the Great Gray Owl is that it is an optical illusion. It is one of the largest owls in the world (by length), and, at the same time, it's not that big at all. Great Gray Owls have relatively small bodies but are covered in so many dense layers of long feathers that they appear to be much bulkier than they are.

Great Gray Owl Phantom of the North (Strix nebulosa, Chouette Lapone, GGOW, Dark Wood Owl, Lapland Owl, Striped Owl, Lapp Striped Owl) ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless Camera & Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens @348mm ISO 6,400, F6.3 @ 1/5,000s Manual Exposure mode. Join me for my winter owl workshops in January.

Dutch adventure travel company Askja Reizen features Snowy Owl by Christopher Dodds on their catalog cover

Excited to see my Snowy Owl image featured on the cover of the Dutch adventure travel company Askja Reizen catalogue cover.

There are still a couple of spots open for my January 2025 Winter Owl workshops. Learn more about the winter owl adventure HERE.

Snowy Owl SNOW SQUALL (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des Neiges, SNOW) from my Winter Snowy Owl Photo Tour in Canada. Image Copyright 2022 ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens. ISO 10,000 @ 1/5,000s f/4. Full frame image top to bottom.

iPhone image of Snowy Owl image by Christopher Dodds graces the cover of the 2024/2025 Askja Reizen catalogue.

Bald Eagle Blizzard Flight

An immature Bald Eagle on final approach during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. I chose the newly released combination of the Sony a9 mark III and Sony 300 f/2.8 lens for the 120 fps frame rate of the a9 III and the incredible sharpness and extremely narrow depth-of-field of the 300 f/2.8 to ensure I captured direct eye contact while obliterating the background to make the subject pop. The snow was the icing on the cake :)

Immature Bald Eagle Blizzard Flight (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 12, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens @300mm ISO 4,000, f/2.8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Bald Eagle in a Snow Storm a la Sony a9III and 300 f/2.8 & KUDOS

I am home from hosting two epic back-to-back Eagles Galore Workshops in Alaska. The weather was excellent, with both groups using all of their boat time (we loved the daily four-hour trips). Both groups got a fair mix of weather, including the prized SNOW!

There is so much to say about the incredible new Sony a9 III and the new Sony 300 f/2.8; perhaps I should keep it all to myself to keep an edge and stay one step ahead of the competition - smile.

Bald Eagle in a Snow Storm (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pygargue à tête blanche, BAEA) March 12, 2024 near Homer, Alaska. Image copyright ©Christopher Dodds Sony Alpha a9 III Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens @300mm ISO 2,500, f/2.8 @ 1/5,000s. Manual Exposure mode. Full frame image. Join me for my Eagles Galore workshop next March. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

“This is the second time I have attended this eagle workshop. I came back as the imaging that Chris helped me obtain was stunning in 2017 and now in 2024.

The weather is always challenging, but Chris’s over 40 years of experience with photo opportunities here in Alaska help produce stunning eagle images, from in-flight to charming head portraits.

Chris is a host that you will enjoy – he knows how to tease out the birds for that special photo opportunity, irrespective of local weather challenges. His ability to assist both the casual amateur and full-fledged pro-level individuals is amazing, and with all brands of mirrorless cameras. He knows lenses, bodies and settings to assist all users.

Chris’s special gift is the immense bird knowledge that he possesses – once you come on one of his trips and experience this reality, you will realize how special his skill set is.

Over the years, I have attended numerous workshops with Chris. I have never been disappointed, and I always look forward to the next time with him.”

— Wynne Powell - British Columbia, Canada

Snowy Owl SNOW SQUALL

This might be my favourite from my winter owl workshops last winter. We waited almost five hours in the cold for this blast-off, which coincided with a brief snow squall. There are only a few spots left for January; Learn more HERE.

Snowy Owl SNOW SQUALL (Bubo scandiacus, Harfang des Neiges, SNOW) from my Winter Snowy Owl Photo Tour in Canada. Image Copyright 2022 ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Sony Alpha a1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens. ISO 10,000 @ 1/5,000s f/4. Full frame image top to bottom.

I am excited to be presenting twice daily on November 8 & 9, 2023 at the largest camera show in Canada; ProFusion Expo. Click my picture to learn more and see the schedule.

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch

Here is a Gray-crowned Rosy finch from my Eagles Galore and so much more workshop in Alaska. We carefully placed some birdseed just over the edge of the snowbank after a foot of fresh snow fell overnight.

Did you know? A group of rosy-finches are collectively known as a "bouquet" of finches.

Bald Eagle on Final Approach in Snow

A very simple and minimalist image of a Bald Eagle landing on a stick in a brief snowfall during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska from March 2022. Look at those talons! I see this as a big print - smile.

The exposure in the snow was much easier than most photographers think: Set the desired shutter speed (1/5,000s to freeze the action), set the desired f-stop (wide open to make the subject pop), and then fill the viewfinder with white snow and adjust the ISO until the meter shows plus 1 & 2/3 stop - it’s that simple!

Bald Eagle Wing Stretch

Another from my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. Being close enough to capture this image at 224mm is always a thill!

Two Bald Eagles

Join me in Alaska in March for adventure, fun, learning and Eagles galore! Learn more about my March 5-9 & March 10-14 Eagles Galore Workshop HERE.

Bald Eagle

There is still space for my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. Join me in Alaska for Eagles Galore, adventure and a portfolio full of Eagle images.

Bald Eagle Call of The Wild in a blizzard

After the morning shoot was cancelled because the waves were too high during my Eagles Galore Workshop, we doubled down on the afternoon shoot with twice as much boat time and lucked out when it started to snow. This is an Immature or sub-adult Bald Eagle calling as it was chasing an adult with fish - Although I am happy to have this frame, I had too much glass to capture the chase, including the adult with the fish - it happens :)

Bald Eagle Calling in light snow

Another Bald Eagle from a magical snowy day during my Eagles Galore workshops in Alaska. I noticed this perch early on and never saw an Eagle land on it for the first few days of my trip. Things improved when it started to gently snow :) ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker. You can read more about the Bald Eagle call in my post from September HERE: THE BALD EAGLE CALL.

Bald Eagle banking in light snow

Bald eagles are amazing flyers and their aerial acrobatics are simply amazing; the air passing through their feathers when they dive sounds like a jet engine. This Eagle was photographed during my Eagles Galore Workshop using my Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens at its maximum aperture to render the dark cliffs in the background as out-of-focus as possible to make the bird and the snowflakes pop.

Bald Eagle Frosty Stare

I am absolutely positive this Eagle was wondering what the heck I was doing belly crawling up to it in the snow. It let me get up to minimum focusing distance of the Sony 200-600mm lens which is 2.4 meters (7.87 feet). Which is close enough to have made a great full-frame image with an iPhone.

Bald Eagle Landing in snow

A Bald Eagle landing in the snow during my Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska. We had fresh snow reflecting the soft overcast light against the underside of the Eagles which resulted in some incredible details in the dark feathers.

Great Grey Owl NIGHTFLIGHT

I recently had this beautiful Great Grey Owl all to myself. It spent most of the afternoon sitting on a big green garbage can with its eyes closed. Just as I decided to tweak a few settings on my Sony Alpha 1 camera, it perked up and started to look around as Great Grey Owls do; it really is a fantastic species to spend time with. This image is one of 12 that I made during its flight from the garbage can to a branch just before it got dark. Not all of my stories are action-packed romantic encounters in the wilds - smile.

Private owl prowls are available on a limited basis at a discounted price of USD$1,000.00/day plus local sales tax. Shoot me an email if you would like more details: [email protected]

Bald Eagle Winterscape

I’ve long been wary about joining a workshop with a “big name” pro. I’ve heard (and witnessed) a litany of workshop horrors, ranging from egomaniac leaders to unwieldy, unhappy groups. Plus, as a professional photographer, I did not think that I would learn much from a workshop. Indeed, I teach photography and postproduction.

Chris Dodds’ Eagles Galore workshop changed my mind. Although he is a supremely talented photographer, Chris is approachable and friendly, and he works tirelessly to make sure that everyone in the group has a fantastic experience. He limits the workshops to a small, manageable size. And, in spite of my I’m-a-professional-and-don’t-need-help attitude, I am a better photographer for having joined the workshop. After spending a week with Chris, my flight photography is materially improved. (Chris is an expert on the nuances of servo autofocus, for example.) Chris also taught several useful post-production techniques that I now use routinely in my workflow.

The true measure of any photo trip, however, is the photos. Chris’ stated goal is for every workshop participant to go home with images that Chris would be proud to call his own. He means it. The eagle photography was fantastic. I came home with several dozen “portfolio grade” images, plus thousands of strong shots. Indeed, the single biggest complaint from my fellow workshop participants is the number of eagle shots that they had to sort through when they got home.

I’ve already registered for another workshop with Chris.

Andrew Kelley Denver, Colorado USA

Bald Eagle Wings

Here’s a Bald Eagle that seemed to be showing off its wings during an awesome afternoon during my Bald Eagle Workshop in early March. We were starting to hear more about the spread of COVID-19, but never imagined it would stop tourism, travel and have such a devastating impact on so many people and families around the world. This was the last workshop I hosted before the COVID chaos, so I am grateful that I had such amazing clients to share it with.

Did you know? When a bald eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will lose a feather on the other in order to keep its balance.

Sea Otter Mother and Pup KISS

Here’s a special moment between a mother Sea Otter and her Pup. What appears to be a kiss, is really the baby trying to take food from it’s mother’s mouth ;) If you missed it, and are looking for something to do, here is a link to my recent Vistek Live Stream that was sponsored by Sony of Canada. We had our share of technical difficulties, but that often happens live.

In this episode we discuss what it takes to get world class wildlife images and how any nature enthusiast can immediately start taking better photos of their...