Front cover of the Florence Arthaud’s book: “Cette nuit, la mer est noire”.
Florence Arthaud is the only woman to have won the Route du Rhum transatlantic single-handed yacht race, one of the most prestigious races in the world. She achieved her feat in 1990.
In 2011, as she was navigating alone aboard her sailboat, Florence fell into the water, off the Cap Corse coast. She shares her thoughts with us as she is convinced that in few hours, exhausted, she will lose her life at sea.
The book starts like this: “I went overboard in a fraction of a second. I am in the water. It is night, and pitch black outside. I am alone […]. In a few moments, the sea, my reason for living, will become my grave”.
Back cover of the book: “Cette nuit, la mer est noire”.
Here are few other translated quotes to give you an idea of the intensity of the story:
“I must move my legs to avoid drowning. Swim, swim. Fight against that fear that would like to paralyze me. I will die, that is for sure, but when? In how much time? To which miracle can I hang to? I try not to think”.
“I am fifteen miles off the coast; not a sign of life around me. The fear I am feeling has nothing to do with the one I encounter when I am racing”.
“The only thing now missing would be sharks. I chase away this childish fear of my spirit”.
But due to several little miracles, Florence will finally be saved.
An excellent book about the human will to survive.
Note: Florence Arthaud died four years later in an airplane crash.
Click on the link for other books on the theme “Tragedy at sea” on my blog.
Hummingbird photographed with a Canon 5DSR DSLR camera in Victoria, British-Columbia, in 2016
The 50.6 megapixels full frame sensor in the Canon 5DSR camera is of great help when comes the time for bird photography. It allows major cropping of an image without any loss in quality.
With a little patience, it was possible to take a picture of a hummingbird in a public park in Victoria, British Columbia after the bird finally rested on a branch for a few seconds. Without cropping and a powerful 500mm telephoto lens, it would have been difficult to produce a sufficiently large and clear image of a five centimeter bird.
I used a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L II USM telephoto lens. The camera was adjusted on APERTURE mode. The telephoto lens stabilizer was activated. The autofocus was set on the SERVO mode to insure the image sharpness in the event that the subject started to move.
But the hummingbird was so small that the autofocus constantly whizzed between the bird and the leaves. I had to switch to manual focus and use Liveview.
Once the picture was taken and cropping was done, few contrast and luminosity corrections were necessary in order to enhance the bird’s plumage which happened to be backlighted. RAW files facilitated the edition in Photoshop.
Likewise, the background intensity of the colours was corrected to avoid distracting from the principal subject. The initial picture, in landscape format, was later changed in the portrait format, which allowed the exclusion of several branches around the bird which were imposing and diverting attention.
Naturally, the chosen depth-of-field blurred the background, helping the hummingbird to stand-out.
Twin Otter Series 400 parked in Victoria, British-Columbia, in 2016
Knowing I would spend some time in Victoria in 2016, I planned a visit of the Viking Air Ltd installations, the Canadian company who now builds the famous Twin Otter Series 400. This company is unknown from a majority of Canadians since its production is essentially exported. Out of one hundred aircrafts produced so far, only two were bought by a Canadian company. Viking also offers maintenance service for the Twin Otter Series 100 to 300 in activity around the world.
In the foreground, a Twin Otter Series 400 built by Viking in Victoria, British-Columbia. In the background, a CL-215 water bomber recently acquired by Viking. It will possibly be modified into the more powerful CL-415 version .
In the beginning of 2016, Bombardier and Viking sealed a commercial deal that now makes Viking the new owner of the patents and designs for the CL-215 and CL-415 water bombers. Viking not only services the existing Twin Otters but is evaluating the possibility of restarting the production of the CL-415 water bombers. All is resting on the demand. But with more extreme meteorological conditions fueling a growing number of major forest fires, one can expect that within the next few years Viking will reactivate the production.
In Victoria, a Twin Otter Series 400 on floats built by Viking has been bought by Reignwood Air. It is ready for delivery to China (2016).
With the on-going regulatory changes actually taking place in China, Viking is confident to see an increase in its orders for the Twin Otter Series 400 on floats. The company will receive, at their Victoria installations in 2016, the first flight simulator essentially dedicated to training pilots on the Twin Otter on floats.
A Viking’s Twin Otter Series 400 in Victoria ready for delivery to Russia
For now, Russia is Viking’s most important customer despite the ups and downs linked to the political crisis between that country and Ukraine combined with a ruble devaluation that have forced a slowdown in the production of aircrafts destined to Russian companies. With the recent stabilization in the political situation, Viking has been able to hire back numerous workers which now brings the count to at least 350 employees, if my memory does not fail me.
Turbo Otter DHC-3T C-GVTO in Victoria, Canada, in 2016
Nowadays, most Canadians ignore that a Canadian company has restarted the production of the Twin Otters and is evaluating the possibility of also relaunching the production of the CL-415 water bombers. In the meantime, some CL-215s recently acquired by Viking will possibly be transformed into the more powerful CL-415 version. The only thing now missing for Viking is an important order from a Canadian company: that would make its name as well-known as Bombardier or De Havilland.
For other articles on aviation and photography, click on the following link: Aviation photography
There is a persisting rumor about the fact that policemen like to stop at Dunkin Donuts and Tim Hortons restaurants to indulge on donuts and coffees durant their daily breaks. This photo taken in Quebec seems to confirm the rumor. There is not enough parking in front of the restaurant to accommodate all the motorcycles side by side.
In fact, this photo is the result of a pure coincidence. During the Francophonie Summit that was held in Quebec, several motorcycle policemen had to park close to the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport while waiting for the limousines carrying dignitaries from around the world. They had chosen the local Dunkin Donuts parking for its proximity. Appearances are sometimes misleading…but they prove handy for street photography.
For other street photography pictures posted on my site, click on the following link:
Street photography: a bike for everyone and every age!
There is a motorcycle style for everyone and those two travelers seem to have found the model they would like best if they had the opportunity to get back in time and lose a few years. The street photography was taken in the Grimsell Pass, in Switzerland, in July 2013. Even during the summer, drivers must verify if the Grimsell Pass is cleared of snow before attempting a ride in the area…
For other street photography pictures posted on my site, click on the following link:
In an amusement park in the United States, this vacationing couple caught my attention because of the animal motif stools that they were sitting on. When stomachs are grumbling, people pounce on the first available seat. Great for street photography!
For other street photography pictures posted on my site, click on the following link:
Discussion between a London, United Kingdom, policeman and a pedestrian 2015
It is essential to always carry a camera in order to profit from the rare opportunities and coincidences offered in everyday life. This is now getting easier with the miniaturization of cameras and the popularity of intelligent cellular phones.
The street photography above, that I took in London in 2015, offers a good example of an ephemeral subject that a street photographer should not miss.
A policeman posted in front of an embassy is having a chat with a citizen. This normally innocuous situation is suddenly rendered more interesting because of the difference in size and the relax attitude between both interlocutors. They have almost the same posture and are dressed in the same colors. Here, the skin color is not the dominating subject although it certainly adds some interest.
For other street photography pictures posted on my site, click on the following link:
Nice – Côte d’Azur airport in France in 1965 on an aviation postcard
Here is a photo of an aviation postcard representing the Nice – Côte d’Azur airport in 1965. It is part of a collection that you can view on the present web site, under the link :
Its title is : « Au soleil de la Côte d’Azur, Nice – vue aérienne de l’aéroport » which translates into « Under the Côte d’Azur, Nice sun – aerial view of the airport ». It is a postcard that was mailed on September 19th 1965. You can see two aircrafts belonging respectively to Air France (Caravelle) and KLM. It was a time where security at airports was minimal and when people did not expect that at any moment an unstable person would transform into a terrorist and attack innocents in public places, like what happened two days ago in Nice.
The author writes : « […] Nous quittons Nice ce soir pour St-Malo et nous y resterons quelques jours » which translates into « […] We are leaving Nice tonight heading to St-Malo where we will spend few days ». Having been to St-Malo myself in 1978, I take the opportunity to post a photo of that region dating from that period, just to show the beauty of France and encourage people to continue to travel in that country and continue to benefit from its diversified countryside.
St-Malo, France, en 1978
We returned in France in 2013 and some of the pictures that were taken during that time are posted in the present website, under the link :
Here are some photos of Toronto that were taken in February 2016 with a Canon 5D MKII DSLR camera. The photos were all saved in RAW and JPEG files to facilitate any additional work that could have been required with an image editing software.
Architecture and photography both offering unlimited possibilities, I did not impose any limitations. The primary goal was to profit from any opportunity that would arise while profiting from the softer light offered by the winter season.
Toronto Harbourfront, Winter 2016
The first article with regards to photography in Toronto that was published on my website showed only one subject: the CN Tower. It was published during Winter 2016:
In the present article, I develop other angles of Toronto which is a city in constant evolution and where you can find multiple styles of architecture. In the picture below, a recent rain shower helped to add unexpected reflections.
Toronto and CN tower by night. Winter 2016
Some architectural subjects are naturally imposing. This is the case when all you have to do is look straight ahead, enjoy what you see and immediately try to compose an interesting photo.
A good example is the interesting reflected shapes that can be seen on the windows of a building. I could not help to take the picture below as I was surprised that a windowed building could send back images that were so totally different from each other. I am curious why there is so much distortion between the windows…
Toronto building reflections (2016)
Instead of taking pictures of the newly designed Art Gallery of Ontario, I used its reflective properties to capture something a lot older, which was the design of the row of older houses on the other side of the street.
Some houses are reflecting on the Art Gallery of Ontario (2016)
It is also possible to add variety and fun to a photo session by looking for special shapes, angles or contrasts that are not already obvious.
As I was walking downtown, I passed by the Brookfield head office. The architecture of this relatively new building is quite interesting. The architects were able to preserve the facades of older surrounding buildings by integrating them and assigning each one a role inside the new construction, possibly because the city required their protection in case of any new development.
But it is only once I was leaving the sky rise that I found the idea for the next photo: a vertical wide-angle shot from which all lines would be straight, all this possible by using the advantages of the Canon 5D MKII full frame sensor coupled to a Canon 14mm 2.8L wide-angle fixed lens. Image sharpness was insured through manual focus, a tripod, a remote trigger and the mirror lock-up function.
Toronto sky rise, Ontario 2016
The last photo is essentially about contrasts: the colour contrasts (light and dark) and the density contrasts that one can find in different constructions of Toronto.
In the foreground, we see the aquarium, with its pale and inviting colours, as well as lots of space where only few people are visible. In the background, there is the exact opposite, with very dark high-density condo towers, very close to each other, where every inhabitant hopes to have an interesting view on the Lake Ontario. All this in a photo divided in two parts and cropped very tightly to increase the differences and eliminate any visual distractions.
Contrast between the Ripleys Aquarium of Canada and the condominiums in the background. Toronto, Ontario (2016)
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
Official opening of the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, which is part of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts de Québec, seen from Grande Allée on June 24th 2016
Pierre Lassonde Pavilion (Musée National des Beaux-Arts de Québec) intercommunication stairway on the day of official opening in June 2016
On June 24th 2016, during the National Holiday of Quebec, the new Pierre Lassonde pavilion of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (MNBAQ) on Grande Allée in Quebec City was inaugurated. This pavilion, that has been expected for a very long time, will allow the Museum to expose art that had to be stored, up to now, due to lack of floor space. This new pavilion will double the exibition space.
Artwork exibited in the Pavillon Pierre Lassonde du MNABQ on June 24th 2016
Many political personalities were present, among them the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Quebec’s Prime Minister Philippe Couillard, as well as the MNBAQ director Line Ouellet. International actuality caught up with the Canadian Prime Minister during his presence in Quebec and he had to comment on United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) which was voted on the precedent day.
Part of a sculpture located outside of the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion at the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec in 2016
June 24th 2016 in the MNBAQ’s Pierre Lassonde Pavilion
The Pierre Lassonde pavilion architectural project, valued at about $103 millions, was the result of an international competition won by the American architectural firm OMA from New York. Fifteen thousand people were expected to show up for the inauguration. Instead, thirty thousand people visited the pavilion to get a glimpse of the creation directed by the architect Shohei Shigematsu.
Pierre Lassonde Pavilion’s intercommunication stairway on June 24th 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a 14mm 2.8L fixed lens.
MNBAQ’s Pierre Lassonde Pavilion’s stairway on June 24th 2016
Lots of compromises to limit the expenses had to be made, like in all serious projects. Nonetheless, the pavilion is a success and I am eager to see what kind of atmosphere will be generated this coming winter when the light shines through the glass panels and colors the snow around the pavilion. This new building, with its original architecture and the light that emanates from it, already adds a new dynamic when night falls on Grande Allée.
MNBAQ’s Pierre Lassonde Pavilion on the evening of official opening. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR on June 24th 2016
Intercommunication staircase in the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion at the MNBAQ on the day of official opening (June 24th 2016)
For those of you who are interested in photography, here are some details about the photographic equipment used for my photos : they were all taken with a DSLR Canon 5DSR camera. The Canon lenses that were used were : EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and telephoto lens EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM. The use of a flash being forbidden inside the museum, I had to carefully adjust the ISO, speed and aperture settings, especially where the use of a tripod was not authorized. For those occasions, the EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM was of great help.
Visitors on the roof of the MNBAQ’s Pierre Lassonde Pavilion on June 24th 2016
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
