Christopher Dodds Nature Photographer

09/02/2026

Head-on and committed to landing.

Sandhill Cranes are wonderfully graceful birds, but from this angle—with that enormous wingspan, dangling legs and feet opening for landing—they look almost prehistoric.

It's also a reminder not to stop after the obvious photograph. Keep watching.

A cancellation has just opened one spot on my December 5–9 Better Than Bosque workshop in New Mexico.

New blog post: https://www.naturephotographyblog.com/blog/sandhill-crane-photography-new-mexico-better-than-bosque

09/01/2026

Most photographers think of Saint Paul Island for Tufted and Horned Puffins, but they're only part of what makes this remote Bering Sea island so special.

The Red-faced Cormorant is a North Pacific specialty whose North American range is largely restricted to Alaska.

I love everything about this pose—the enormous wings, fanned tail, dangling feet and raised head.

It all happened in a moment.

New on the blog: At the Edge of the Bering Sea: Photographing the Red-faced Cormorant on Saint Paul Island

Plus some Saint Paul 2027 and 2028 news.

Link in the first comment.

08/31/2026

An Arctic Fox encounter on Saint Paul Island, Alaska.

We're there primarily for the extraordinary birds, but we're always keeping an eye out for opportunities with Arctic Foxes.

Getting down to — or even below — this fox's eye level made the portrait much more intimate. The dark volcanic rock and sand gave me a clean background, and that thin rim of light beautifully separated the fox from it.

I also deliberately kept the composition relatively tight. Making the fox smaller in the frame would have sacrificed some of the visual impact — particularly when viewed on a small screen.

Those eyes, those ears and that expression.

Pretty special stuff. Smile.

More about the photograph on today's blog. Link in the first comment.

08/31/2026

Lots to read in the blog :)

A 3–4-week-old Arctic Fox begins exploring the world outside its den on Saint Paul Island, Alaska. Christopher Dodds shares the encounter and simple wildlife composition techniques.

08/28/2026

A feather, a racing Tufted Puffin and exploding sea foam far below.

This Tufted Puffin appeared below us carrying nesting material and powered up the cliffs of Saint Paul Island, almost directly toward me.

The nesting material made the bird interesting, but the out-of-focus sea foam from waves exploding against the rocks far below made the photograph for me.
The background matters.

Be ready for the extraordinary while photographing the ordinary.

New on the blog today.

08/27/2026

An hour with a Crested Auklet!

During my Saint Paul Island photography workshop, this remarkable little bird gave us something wildlife photographers rarely get enough of: time.

At low tide, waves repeatedly covered the dark rocks with bright white sea foam. We worked an angle in the shade and waited for the foam to disappear, revealing the dark wet rocks again while we concentrated on that wonderful, ever-changing crest.

Having time meant we could look, see and learn from our subject—not simply make more frames.

The bird gave us an hour. The challenge wasn't making more photographs.
It was using that hour to make better ones.

New story and image on the blog.

08/26/2026

Harsh light doesn't necessarily mean it's time to put the camera away.

During my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Photography Workshop on Île aux Perroquets, I photographed this Common Murre returning with a single fish for its chick.

Unlike Atlantic Puffins, which can return with multiple small fish packed into their bills, Common Murres are single-prey loaders—typically bringing back one fish at a time.

When the light gets harsh, I use the time to practise acquiring and tracking birds, study their flight paths and watch for patterns in their behaviour.

Be ready for the extraordinary while photographing the ordinary.

Because nature doesn't wait for perfect light.

New on the blog — link in the first comment.

08/25/2026

Sometimes the bird is only part of the photograph.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence was amazingly calm when this Razorbill flew incredibly low over the water. Rather than filling the frame, I wanted to keep all that wonderful space, the soft blue colour and the reflection beneath the bird.

Sometimes getting closer makes the photograph better.

Sometimes it doesn't.

My latest blog post is about looking beyond the bird and seeing the whole photograph. It also includes a wonderful testimonial and Atlantic Puffin image from workshop participant William Kelly of Austin, Texas.

And according to William, there's one serious danger to joining me in Puffin Paradise:
"I strongly caution anyone considering this photo tour—you will have too many puffin photos!!" 😊

Blog link in the first comment.

08/24/2026

Sometimes the photograph is waiting before the bird arrives.

I found a narrow section of an Atlantic Puffin flight path where beautiful warm light illuminated the birds while the distant background remained deep in shadow.

Rather than simply following every Puffin that flew past, I positioned myself for that tiny tunnel of light — and waited.

Eventually, this Puffin came racing through exactly where I hoped it would, wings spread and a bill overflowing with fish.

My exposure was already locked in manually for the illuminated bird, so the dark background couldn't fool the camera's meter.

The darkness wasn't the trick. Finding the light was.

New on the Nature Photography Blog: Finding the Light: Previsualizing an Atlantic Puffin in Flight

Sony a9 III | 400–800mm at 553mm | 1/5,000s | f/7.1 | ISO 3,200 | Full Frame.

Blog link in the first comment.

08/22/2026

The puffins suddenly scattered.

Nothing unusual about that. They do the same thing when a Raven, Great Black-backed Gull or Herring Gull flies past.

But this time it was a Bald Eagle sweeping low over the water.

Was it seriously trying to catch a puffin? Investigating all the commotion? Looking for a fish? It never dipped its talons into the water, and if it was after a puffin, it was too slow. 😊

Thankfully, I was already set up for fast-moving puffins:

Sony a9 III + 600mm F4 GM OSS
1/5,000s | f/4 | ISO 1,600

Something I tell my workshop participants often:

Be ready for the extraordinary while photographing the ordinary.

The full story — and an important wildlife photography lesson — is on the blog.

📷 Île aux Perroquets, Québec