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Photos of Canada

The Lake Agnes Tea House, in Alberta.

A view of the Lake Agnes Tea House, Alberta 2018.
A view of the Lake Agnes Tea House, Alberta 2018.

The Lake Agnes Tea House can be reached by a very well maintained 3.5 km pathway that starts outside the Château Lake Louise. The climb is only 400 meters (1300 feet). Lake Agnes is located at an altitude of 2134 meters. From there, it is possible to continue the ascent up to the Big Beehive, which tops at 2270 meters.

No road allows an access by car to the Lake Agnes Tea House. This means that a part of the products needed for the tea house have to be brought up by foot by employees. The garbage is disposed in the same way, when employees go down the mountain. Customers can help by bringing down a little bag of garbage when they are ready to head back to their hotel. That eases the employee’s task. The tea house menu offers only a few choices, since there is no electricity. But the experience is always interesting.

The picture above was taken during summer 2018 with a Canon 5DSR camera equipped with a Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. The focal length was adjusted to 200mm and the ISO to 2500 for this photo taken with a hand held camera.

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Photos of Canada

A picture of the Kelowna Yacht Club at dusk.

The Kelowna Yacht Club in British Columbia.
The Kelowna Yacht Club in British Columbia.

For this picture of the Kelowna Yacht Club, in British Columbia, I was more interested in capturing the general atmosphere rather than the whole yacht club with all its boats and installations.

The words Kelowna Yacht Club and the boats being  obvious in the midground, there was no need to add more details. It was nonetheless important to position the tent in the superior right corner of the picture since the name of the yacht club was showing and it was well lighted.

The photographic composition includes elements of the surrounding natural environment that made Kelowna’s reputation. The boats are framed between the rocks and the plants in the foreground while the mountains are visible in the background.

In order to achieve a good photo at this time of the day, a tripod was necessary. It was nonetheless mandatory to limit the exposure time due to the winds, in order to avoid a blurred picture. The shutter speed was limited to 3.2 seconds and the ISO adjusted to 320 to limit the photographic grain. An aperture set at 13 allowed a sufficient depth of field to offer a sharp image.

A Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens mounted on a full frame Canon 5DSR was used for the picture. The focal was limited to 32mm. The visibility was somewhat limited due to the active forest fires in the region, but the additional condensation nucleis in the air helped to obtain beautiful colors in the sky.

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Environment Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Freezing rain on a plant during winter 2019

Freezing rain and nature during the winter 2019 in Quebec City.
Freezing rain and nature during the winter 2019 in Quebec City.

The effects of the freezing rain that fell over Quebec City this winter were not only negative. Photographers seized the opportunity to immortalize rapidly changing situations.

In the picture above, the “blue” that is visible in the ice represents the reflection from the magnificent winter sky. On a bigger screen, the ice shows the white birch trees that were surrounding the scene.

In order to avoid any distractions, the background was kept blurred by setting the aperture to 3.5. The presence of moderate wind required a higher shutter speed, in this case 1/6400. The ISO was limited to 250, to protect the quality of the picture during the enlargment. The 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor offered all the necessary flexibility during the digital processing.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM telephoto lens. I only had that lens at the moment of my walk. The focal length was 200mm with the stabilizer “on” and a setting of “1.2 meter/infinite” instead of the usual “2.5 meters / infinite”.

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Photos of Canada

A summer evening near the Columbia River in Revelstoke, British Columbia.

A view of the Columbia river near Revelstoke, Alberta 2018.
A view of the Columbia river near Revelstoke, Alberta 2018.

While passing by Revelstoke, in British Columbia,walking along the pathways near Columbia River is a must. The surrounding mountains offer a very interesting view and the changing colors provide great photo opportunities.

In the picture above, I thought appropriate to add a touch of life by waiting for a duck to reach the center of the frame and by including the two bikes in the foreground.

Since I was not walking with a tripod, I adjusted the shutter speed to 1/250 and the ISO to 2000. The aperture was set to 9.0 and the exposure modified to + 1/3 to compensate for a bright background. The 50.6 megapixel RAW file allowed for further adjustments with Photoshop.

A Canon 5DSR full frame camera was used, coupled with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens. The chosen focal length was 70mm.

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Photos of Canada

On the road to Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.

On the road to Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.
On the road to Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.

Arriving from the southeast on Highway 1 to Lake Louise, Alberta, you can choose to exit at Castle Junction and drive along an interesting road that is parallel to Highway 1. The road is called Bow Valley Parkway (1A). There is less traffic on that road so it is easier to get out of the car and take a few shots of the area.

The picture above shows Castle Mountain. I waited for a car to come up the road, to add a “human” dimension to the scenery. The shutter speed was adjusted to 1/250, the aperture at 5.0, the ISO to 200 and the focal length at 70mm. I used a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.

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Photos of Canada

Reflections on Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.

Reflections on Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.
Reflections on Lake Louise, Alberta 2018.

This hand held picture was taken as we were starting to climb towards Lake Agnes, near Lake Louise , Alberta, during Summer 2018. It was one of the rare days where the visibility was not reduced by forest fires that were raging across the province.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera. The shutter speed was adjusted to 1/250, the aperture to 13, the ISO to 1000 and the focal was set to 24mm. The lens used was a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.

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Street photography

A restaurant behind each door…?

Restaurant publicity and washrooms in Victoria.
Restaurant publicity and washrooms in Victoria.

A publicity for a restaurant in Victoria shows on a wall « Food with a view » and sends the customers towards the washrooms. It is only for people with huge appetite. The « view » itself is not specified. But everything is free.

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Flight Simulation

The Shorts 360 and the Juancho E. Yrausquin (SAB) airport.

In the unhinged virtual flights section of my blog, you can now find a flight with the Shorts 360 between the St.Maartens (Princess Juliana Intl) airport and the Juancho E. Yrausquin (SABA, SAB or TNCS) airport.

The Shorts 360 at the Princess Juliana Intl, ready for take-off for the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 at the Princess Juliana Intl, ready for take-off for the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.

The Juancho E. Yrausquin is normally used by a DHC-6, a BN-2 and some helicopters.

The Shorts 360 is airborne from the Princess Juliana Intl airport.
The Shorts 360 is airborne from the Princess Juliana Intl airport.

The island is in sight…

The Shorts 360 and the Saba island in sight.
The Shorts 360 and the Saba island in sight.

The official landing and take-off distances required for the Shorts 360 are longer than what the Juancho E. Yrausquin (SAB), with its 1299 ft short runway, has to offer.

But for the flight simulation enthousiast (FSX), SABA offers an interesting challenge since a very well adjusted approach, at about 90 knots, is necessary in order to use only the authorized part of the runway.

Le Shorts 360 and the SABA island.
Le Shorts 360 and the SABA island.

Runway 12 in sight, on the extreme left side of the photo. The speed and altitude are adjusted.

The approach is made on runway 12. The winds blow from 180/07. The approach is made with full flaps.

The Shorts 360 is on short final for runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is on short final for runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is about to land at the SABA airport.
The Shorts 360 is about to land at the SABA airport.

The aircraft is immobilized within the authorized portion of the runway. The rest of the runway is used to turn around and head for the apron.

The Shorts 360 after its landing on runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 after its landing on runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is exiting runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is exiting runway 12 at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is parked at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.
The Shorts 360 is parked at the Juancho E. Yrausquin airport.

The Shorts 360 can also barely leave the airport using the authorized portion of the runway. The speed on take-off varies between 100 and 110 kts and the flaps are adjusted to 2/3.

Have a good flight!

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Categories
Photos of Canada

Picture of a Ford F-3 truck with a Canon 14mm f2.8L lens.

A Ford F-3 in Kelowna, British Columbia, in 2018.
A Ford F-3 in Kelowna, British Columbia, in 2018.

The picture above was taken with a Canon 14mm f2.8L lens. The Ford F-3 is parked in a winery in Kelowna, British Columbia. The truck in itself is interesting, but the background certainly adds a special touch that sends the viewer to a long gone era.

Click on the link for other photos of British-Columbia on my blog.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain, in Old Quebec.

Fall colors and tourists in the Petit-Champlain, Old Quebec, 2018.
Fall colors and tourists in the Petit-Champlain, Old Quebec, 2018.

Residents of Quebec City see a huge increase in the number of tourists in the Petit-Champlain during fall, when several cruise ships are docked at the Port of Quebec. Thousands of passengers head to Old Quebec and the Petit-Champlain to buy a few souvenirs and photograph everything that can be.

Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain in Old Quebec in 2018.
Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain in Old Quebec in 2018.

The background in the picture above shows the Breakneck Steps (Stairways in the Quebec region), an elevated and very popular spot with tourists from which they can photograph one of the most visited alley in the Petit-Champlain.

A view of a section of the Château Frontenac with the mountains in the background during Fall 2018.
A view of a section of the Château Frontenac with the mountains in the background during Fall 2018.

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