While I was walking in Old Quebec, I stopped to watch Tom White, a local artist, work on his hand-made Easter eggs. We talked for a few minutes and he agreed to let me take a picture of him at work.
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
The pictures below were taken in Vancouver and Victoria, in British Columbia. They were all taken with a Canon 5DSRfull frame camera.
In the Vancouver harbour, several condo towers have been built in the last few years. Many condos in those towers can now be rented by travellers through Airbnb, thus entering in direct competition with the hotels located nearby. I was trying to use the water reflections in the harbor to show one of the towers when this seagull appeared in the viewfinder, adding a touch of life to the scenery.
Floatplanes of all types constantly maneuver in the Vancouver harbour. The two photos below show a Saltspring AirTurbo Otter as it is being helped to park. You can also see a row of Harbour AirBeavers (DHC-2) parked after a day of uninterrupted flights.
In the Willows Beach’s Park, in Victoria, I was able to photograph this Cooper’s Hawk using a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USMtelephoto lens. The full frame sensor 50 megapixels allowed for some serious cropping to bring the bird closer. The hawk clearly annoyed all the crows that considered themselves as the owners of the territory.
In the evening, the fishing boats come back to the Victoria Fisherman’s Wharf. Since I was standing on a moving platform, the use of a tripod would have been useless because of vibrations impossible to eliminate. The solution was to use a lens requiring little light, like the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 USM. By increasing the aperture and the ISO, the picture could be taken with a high enough shutter speed to avoid a blurred photo.
I return in the past with this photo of the Governement of QuebecChallenger 600 C-GQBQ. It is seen here after the take-off from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport. The picture was taken during fall 2012 with a Canon 5D MKII full frame camera, from the stairway surrounding the Quebec control tower.
With regards to photographic composition, the rule of thirds can be detected in the two wooden zones in the background, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the photo. The aircraft’s position in the frame happens to also meet the same rule of thirds.
I used the spectacular colors of fall to add some interest to the scene.
I know, Sumburgh is not an airport meant to receive the Antonov 225, even less with the Russian space shuttleBuran as cargo. In fact, this aircraft and Sumburgh exclude each other mutually. But if you want to try an almost impossible virtual flight , now is the opportunity.
You must forget about the weight of the aircraft on the runway, the limited space to taxy and park, and the required distance for an eventual take-off. It is probable that once in Sumburgh, this aircraft will stay there forever.
It is interesting, though, to remember the exceptional performances of the Antonov 225. While flying over the Bourget for a demonstration, it was able to maintain a 45 degree turn with the 62 tons Russian shuttle mounted on top.
The approach can be made at a surprisingly slow speed for an aircraft of that weight and the breaking performance is known to be excellent. In Sumburgh, you have the choice between two runways (4700 to 4900 feet). Forget about a safe final approach, you must fly it like a daredevil. It is possible to download the Antonov 225 and the shuttle for free. As for the Sumburgh airport, it is a creation of ORBX and is available for a very reasonable fee.