Christopher Dodds Nature Photographer

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Christopher Dodds Nature Photographer Professional photographer, workshop/safari leader/instructor and educator for more than 40 years. Chris lives near Montreal with his soul mate and wife, Julie.

Author of www.naturephotographyblog.com & www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Christopher Dodds has combined his life-long passion for nature with highly technical expertise to become one of the top nature photographers of the time. Chris follows the call of the wild to the most breathtaking locations in the world to capture the true soul of nature in his lens. An inaugural member of the Canon Northern Explorer of Light and elite X-Rite Coloratti, he has over 27 years’ experience as a full-time freelance nature and wildlife photographer, nature photography workshop & safari leader, photography educator, blogger, and lecturer. Chris first discovered his love of the great Canadian outdoors during camping, canoe, and backpacking excursions during his childhood after moving to Canada from England when he was eight. By the time he was fourteen, Chris thrilled at freezing fleeting glimpses of birds and the resulting ability to study every detail of their intricate beauty. Today Chris travels to some of the most exquisite locations in the world photographing, teaching nature photography workshops and leading nature photography safaris. Chris’ experience has run the gamut of photography expertise; having purchased a photo studio in 1987 he left after two years to pursue photojournalism and wedding photography, with the ultimate goal of total immersion in his passion: capturing the stark beauty and grit of the world and its creatures through nature and wildlife photography. Chris launched his photography workshops & safaris business in 2001 and has since built a loyal client base that follow him from Alaska, to Newfoundland, Florida to Africa, to capture stunning photographs under Chris’ sharp tutelage. His widely-read blog http://www.naturephotographyblog.com has become the “go to” resource for many nature photographers from around the world. Chris' images appear in many of the world's leading magazines and newspapers and among countless private collections. Chris has apprenticed and mastered both color and black and white chemical darkrooms, but today embraces the computerized, digital workflow. Renowned for capturing images of nature in an artistic, yet technically perfect, manner, his images are collected and published regularly in world-class publications. When not out traveling the world with his camera, he is often seen near their home on walks with their adorable, 140-pound Rottweiler, T-Bone. "I’ve always had a deep love and interest in nature and photography, so it was only natural that I followed my passion as a nature photographer. I try to capture an unobtrusive, close and intimate view into my subject’s lives; at their level and without disturbance. I spend an enormous amount of time learning every detail about my subjects, their behavior and their lives. As a visual storyteller, there is nothing more rewarding than recording a unique behavior or moment, and doing so without my presence felt by my subject, or the viewer. As an educator and workshop/safari leader, I love sharing what I've learned and it truly is wonderful to see a participant improve their skills and learn how to reliably create awesome images filled with visual impact."

There is nothing in this photograph to provide a sense of scale. Enlarged on a screen, this Least Auklet could easily pa...
08/10/2026

There is nothing in this photograph to provide a sense of scale. Enlarged on a screen, this Least Auklet could easily pass for a much bigger seabird.

In front of me on Saint Paul Island, it was scarcely larger than a sparrow.

At about 15 centimetres long and weighing roughly 86 grams, it is the smallest member of the auk family.

I photographed it with a 600mm lens and 2X teleconverter at 1,200mm, ISO 6,400, f/8 and 1/5,000s.

Full story in the first comment.

While we were photographing from one of the observation blinds on Saint Paul Island, this Northern Fur Seal stopped, lif...
07/10/2026

While we were photographing from one of the observation blinds on Saint Paul Island, this Northern Fur Seal stopped, lifted its nose and sampled the air.

I’m fairly sure the wind had carried our scent.

The blinds keep us out of the rookery and conceal most of our movement, but they don’t stop the wind from giving us away.

The open mouth and visible teeth could easily be mistaken for aggression in a still photograph. Having watched the encounter, I knew the seal was calm and simply trying to identify an unfamiliar scent.

Full story in the first comment.

We followed a bear trail through frost-dusted vegetation as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks ar...
05/10/2026

We followed a bear trail through frost-dusted vegetation as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks around Kuliak Bay.

An incredibly beautiful start to the morning.

Late September usually means stream banks littered with partially eaten salmon and bears seemingly around every bend. This year was different.

But then there were moments like this—a clamming bear, its reflection stretching through soft greens and golds.

If this is one of Mother Nature’s consolation prizes, I’ll happily accept it.

Read “Reflections from Kuliak Bay”:
https://www.naturephotographyblog.com/blog/kuliak-bay-reflections-katmai-brown-bear-photography

A quiet encounter with a red-morph Kodiak fox on Kodiak Island, Alaska.Julie and I were driving the island’s roads looki...
19/09/2026

A quiet encounter with a red-morph Kodiak fox on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

Julie and I were driving the island’s roads looking for wildlife when this beautiful fox appeared along the edge of the road and began sauntering towards us. It continued into a small meadow, remained alert for a few minutes, sat down and eventually lay down for a nap right in front of us.

The long grass made photography challenging, but for one brief moment everything came together. This quiet portrait has quickly become one of my favourites.

Read the story and learn more about the Kodiak fox:

https://www.naturephotographyblog.com/blog/red-morph-kodiak-fox-kodiak-island-alaska

Sometimes everything aligns for only a moment.As the fog began to lift, sunlight broke through and illuminated the dista...
14/09/2026

Sometimes everything aligns for only a moment.

As the fog began to lift, sunlight broke through and illuminated the distant cliffs, while the lingering mist kept them softly diffused. At the same time, a thin veil of smoke from wildfires in Northern Quebec drifted through, muting the light into a warm golden glow.

For those twenty minutes, the smoke became an unexpected creative element. We were lucky that it cleared quickly—and even luckier that we did not see it again during any of the workshops.

Then this Razorbill flew directly towards me with its bill full of fish.

The complete story and a wonderful testimonial from Connie and David are on the blog. Link in the first comment.

13/09/2026

After 12 inches of rain in South Luangwa, Zambia, the termites took flight—and there seemed to be millions of them.

Every lantern became a magnet, and anyone standing nearby became part of the spectacle. I recorded this back in 2012, and it remains one of those unforgettable African wildlife experiences that had absolutely nothing to do with fur or feathers.

Have you ever witnessed a mass termite flight?

Sometimes everything lines up.The first golden light was burning through the morning fog and illuminating the cliffs whe...
10/09/2026

Sometimes everything lines up.

The first golden light was burning through the morning fog and illuminating the cliffs when this Atlantic Puffin flew directly towards me with a beak full of fish.

At 1,200mm, the bird and its outstretched wings filled the frame. There was almost no room for error.

But today’s story is not about my photograph. It belongs to landscape photographer Joanne Johnson, who stepped outside her comfort zone and learned to photograph Atlantic Puffins in flight—with her own camera and a 100–400mm lens.

Her honest workshop story is on the blog. Link in the first comment.

09/09/2026

Coming in hot!

Atlantic Puffins launching from the colony and flying straight towards my camera. Blink, and you’ll miss them!

Follow for more moments from the wild.

The story of the two cashews.This Polar Bear had been quietly grazing on berries when it stopped, lifted its head and be...
09/09/2026

The story of the two cashews.

This Polar Bear had been quietly grazing on berries when it stopped, lifted its head and began sampling the air.

Its mouth opened, revealing two curved canine teeth that have always reminded me of cashews.

The photograph looks intense, but the bear was not reacting to me. It had detected another Polar Bear approaching on the horizon behind me—before I saw it.

The photograph is intense.

The encounter was not.

Full story in the first comment.

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