This is, by far, my favourite from last summer’s Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Adventure Workshops. The sun came up quickly as the Puffins were swirling around trying to align their trajectory, the wind with the entry to their burrows; I have watched them circle as many as 23 times while trying to get everything right before landing. Sunrise was 04:59 on August 11, 2023, and this image was made just a few moments later, against the glowing out-of-focus cliffs. Join me in Quebec for my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins (and so much more) Lighthouse Island Workshop. I just added another date to accommo ..read more

Everyone joins my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins (and so much more) workshops for the Puffins, but the Razorbills are so beautiful and elegant. Often called the Penguins of the North, Razorbills are only found in the Atlantic Ocean. Razorbill Last Call in Golden Light (Alca torda, Petit Pingouin, RAZO) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse Island Workshop Adventure. Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec, Canada. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds. Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless camera & Sony FE 600mm f/4 G Master OSS Lens with Sony 1.4X teleconverter (@840mm) ISO 1,600, f/5.6 @ 1/4,000s M ..read more

On the first morning of the first Deluxe Atlantic Puffins and so much more Workshops last July 29, 2023, we were all on the beach well before the 04:43 sunrise. The Puffins were already streaming into their burrows with loads of fish for their growing Pufflings directly in front of us. It was dark, and a layer of fog threatened our golden light. The fog lifted by about 05:05, and this is one of a sequence of images made at 05:11 - our morning was a good one :) Atlantic Puffin landing with fish at first light (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) from my Deluxe Puffins Galore Lighthouse I ..read more

Here's another Atlantic Puffin portrait from my recent PUFFINS GALORE (and so much more) DELUXE WORKSHOP. We woke to fog several mornings, and Puffins were perched everywhere. We used the park information signs as blinds and were able to spend hours making portraits at just about point-blank range. After making the standard tight headshots, I always explore more interesting poses while working at the minimum focusing distance of our lenses with an extremely limited depth of field. Atlantic Puffin Headshot in the fog (Fratercula arctica, Macareux moine, ATPU) Mingan Archipe ..read more

Almost at the end of the road along the upper North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River in The Gulf of The Saint Lawrence and almost in Labrador is a little island with a newly restored lighthouse. I charter the entire island every year for the first two weeks of August and host the most magical, fairytale-like “Puffins Galore and so much more workshops” to photograph Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills and more. The magic of the location, the quality of light, the varied backgrounds and the proximity to the birds make it the best place in the world to photograph Atlantic Puffins! We sleep in the fully ..read more

An Atlantic Puffin returns to its nest with a beak full of fish during my Deluxe Atlantic Puffins Galore Workshop in Quebec, Canada. Join me for a fairytale adventure. We will live in a restored lighthouse, eat gourmet food, and photograph Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills (and more) that bring fish to feed their babies only 200 meters (200 yards) away. This is the best location in the world to photograph both species and is perfectly timed for them, bringing the most fish back to their babies. The tiny island, only 1km (.6 Miles) in circumference, means no long pre-dawn drives or long hikes to ..read more

A Razorbill brings a couple of fish to its nest during my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more Lighthouse Island Workshop in Quebec, Canada. Mixed into the swarms of Atlantic Puffins Galore returning to their nests with mouths full of fish are Razorbills bringing Capeline to feed their babies. Razorbills are one of the 22 species of Auks found only in the northern oceans. All family members are expert divers that use their short wings for flying and as flippers for swimming in pursuit of fish, shrimp, and other prey. Razorbill in flight with Fish (Alca torda, Petit Pingouin, RAZO) from my D ..read more

I have just added another workshop from August 10-13 due to the overwhelming popularity of my Deluxe Puffins Galore and so much more workshops. This is a dream deluxe photography tour: Dreamlike accommodations in a newly restored lighthouse just feet away from nesting Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills on a small island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, with gourmet food. It is timed to coincide with the very best time to be at the colony when the Puffins return with fish to feed their young. The group size is limited to 5-8 photographers (the price is per person in single or dou ..read more

On the morning of May 10, 2019, during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park, a Yellow-throated warbler was the star visitor. We had an amazing morning watching it creep over the branches of the trunk of a few trees, much like a Black-and-white Warbler, before it jumped onto this perch in front of the out-of-focus marsh background. Why Point Pelee? Location! Location! Location! Point Pelee is part of a peninsula at the crossroads of two major migration routes, extending into the western basin of Lake Erie. It is one of the first points of land spring migrants reach in the ..read more

A Northern Parula extracts an insect from its leaf cocoon during my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop at Point Pelee National Park of Canada. I made this image in the harsh light on the afternoon of May 11, 2023, using my Sony a1, Sony 600mm f/4 and 2X extender (doubler). The Northern Parula must have been a fresh arrival that morning because it was “low & slow,” stopping for minutes between foraging for insects to refuel. Due to a last-minute medical emergency, there is still space for you to join one of my favourite workshops at one of the top ten birding hotspots in the world. Learn more abou ..read more