Category: Aviation photography

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Aviation photography

The RCAF flies by Québec City

The Snowbirds passing by Québec City in June 2021.
The Snowbirds passing by Québec City in June 2021.

The Snowbirds flew over Quebec City in June 2021, followed by many other jets and canadian military transport planes and helicopters. Until the last minute, a layer of low clouds and occasional showers worried event organizers.

A ferry crosses the St.Lawrence Seaway in front of Lévis in June 2021.
A ferry crosses the St.Lawrence Seaway in front of Lévis in June 2021.

Low clouds are visible over Lévis in the picture above taken from the Dufferin terrace in Québec City. On the St. Lawrence Seaway, the ferry bound to Lévis is approaching its destination.

Three canadian CF-18 fly by Québec City in June 2021.
Three canadian CF-18 fly by Québec City in June 2021.

The CF-18s initially flew in a formation of three. For photography enthusiasts, the full frame camera used to capture those photos was a Canon 5DSr equipped with an EF 70-200mm f / 2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. For the photo above, the shutter speed was set at 1/4000 and the focal length was 200mm. Given the CF-18’s fast fly-by, I opted for the AI ​​Servo autofocus which quickly adapts to changes in the position of the objects to be photographed. Since the original image size was 50.6 megapixels, this allowed me to crop it in order to enlarge the military jets without losing quality.

Four canadian CF-18 flying by Québec City in June 2021.
Four canadian CF-18 flying by Québec City in June 2021.

Above, four CF-18s were photographed with a shutter speed of 1/5000.

The bulk carrier Spar Taurus is arriving in the Québec City harbour in June 2021.
The bulk carrier Spar Taurus is arriving in the Québec City harbour in June 2021.

Between each fly-by of the various military jets, the maritime traffic continued as usual on the St. Lawrence River. Above, the Spar Taurus vessel , a bulk carrier built in 2005 and sailing under the flag of Norway, is heading towards the port of Quebec, accompanied by two Ocean company tugs. In the background, the Île d´Orléans bridge, which will be redone in a few years.

A canadian C-17 Globemaster III flies over the Dufferin terrace in Québec City in June 2021.
A canadian C-17 Globemaster III flies over the Dufferin terrace in Québec City in June 2021.

A C-17 Globemaster III, military transport aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas, flies over the Dufferin Terrace. Canada owns five of these aircrafts.

A canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon at Québec in June 2021
A canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon at Québec in June 2021

Above, a Canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon military helicopter , slowly flies near the Château Frontenac. A soldier seated behind takes a picture of the crowd gathered on the Dufferin Terrace. To photograph a helicopter, the shutter speed must be drastically reduced, so that the movement of the blades can be observed. For the photo above, I opted for 1/250, but I could have gone down to 1/125 without too much risk of the helicopter being out of focus.

There were other aircrafts that flew over the seaway, such as the CP-140 Aurora and the Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules, but the photos were not of sufficient quality to be published on the web.

Click on the link for other pictures of Québec City in Summer on my blog.

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Aviation photography

Covid-19 : The Antonov 225 lands in Mirabel, Québec.

On Friday May 1st 2020, Quebec received a shipment of medical equipment destined to the people fighting COVID-19. An Antonov 225 was carrying the goods. The flight was organized thanks to a joint collaboration between Nolinor, Momentum Solutions and Antonov Airlines.

Departing from Tianjin, China, the plane made a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, before continuing its flight over Canada towards the province of Quebec.

The Antonov 225 carrying medical supplies for Canada makes a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Antonov 225 carrying medical supplies for Canada makes a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.

The arrival of the Antonov 225 in Anchorage was announced in advance by the media, which allowed a large crowd to stand near the airport and monitor the approach of the aircraft. The following link allows you to view the approach and arrival: KTUU Video Antonov 225

At 5:35 on the KTUU video, we can see a Fedex MD-11F. It is worth mentioning, because this was a very impressive plane at the time of its conception, but companies are progressively getting rid of it due to the age and fuel costs associated with its operation.  Today, the aircraft is only used for the transport of goods. The production of aircrafts of this size, with three engines, was stopped years ago. There is a good chance that the Antonov 225 will continue to fly long after the MD-11F has made its last flight. (Edit: The Russians destroyed the Antonov 225 during the invasion of Ukraine)

After taking off from Anchorage in the morning of May 1st, the Antonov 225 arrived in Mirabel, Quebec, in the evening of the same day at around 8:22 p.m. The aircraft’s flight path (ADB3381) could be followed on Flightradar24 at the time of its approach for Mirabel (CYMX).

The Antonov 225 ADB3381 on final for Mirabel airport in Canada on May 1st 2020.
The Antonov 225 ADB3381 on final for Mirabel airport in Canada on May 1st 2020.

We can see on the Flightradar24 screen capture that a helicopter (C-GSTV) is positioned to film the arrival of the world’s biggest aircraft. It is an AS 350 BA from TVA, a French-language news media in Quebec.

The Québec TVA news helicopter C-GSTV.
The Québec TVA news helicopter C-GSTV.

Source : FlightAware.

The Antonov 225 arrives in Mirabel from Anchorage on May 1st 2020.
The Antonov 225 arrives in Mirabel from Anchorage on May 1st 2020.

Photo taken by Martin Chevalier. 

YQBspotting has posted a very interesting video of the Antonov 225 arriving with its cargo of medical equipment in Mirabel, Quebec.

Andy St-André, from TVA, posted a video of the unloading of medical equipment on his Twitter account. 

The photo below shows the unloading operation. The employees wore protective equipment against the coronavirus.

Unloading the Antonov 225 at Mirabel airport in Québec during the COVID-19 crisis.
Unloading the Antonov 225 at Mirabel airport in Québec during the COVID-19 crisis.

Photo : Joël Lemay/Agence QMI.

Several challenges were encountered for this flight to be a success: the language barrier, the verification of equipment quality (contaminated material is not of a big help), the airport operation’s requirements from China, customs limited hours of operation, maximum daily time in service for the Antonov 225 crew, international competition for slot times and orders, initiatives from some countries to acquire shipments not intended for them, etc. But finally, after hard work, Quebec finally received the precious cargo.

The last video from YQBspotting shows the Antonov 225’s departure. 

Click on the link for more articles on aviation photography on my blog.

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Aviation photography Photos of Canada

Timing is everything in Victoria Harbour.

A Harbour Air floatplane is rapidly approaching the Victoria Clipper in the Victoria harbour.
A Harbour Air floatplane is rapidly approaching the Victoria Clipper in the Victoria harbour.

Arriving and departing floatplanes in Victoria Harbour must deal daily with ships that cross their path on landing and take-off. The staff on the Victoria Clipper is so used to this kind of traffic that it does not look in the direction of the incoming aircraft!

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

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Aviation photography

A Boeing 737 800 on final for the Toronto international airport.

A Boeing 737-800 is on final for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport.
A Boeing 737-800 is on final for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport.

The picture above shows a Boeing 737 800 on approach for runway 05 at the Toronto international airport. I used the precision approach equipment at the threshold of runway 05 to frame the aircraft on approach. A few trials were required to ensure that an aircraft of that size would not seem to be touching the antennas with its wings. At the same time, the rapidly moving Boeing had to stay in focus.

The picture was taken in February by -20C. The ambiant light is always softer at this time of the year. For this hand held photo, I used a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens.

Click on the link for other aircraft photos on my blog.

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Aviation photography

Japan Air Force One at the G7 summit in Quebec City

The Government of Japan's Boeing 747-400, with the Japanese Prime Minister on board, leaves Quebec City after the G7 summit in 2018.
The Government of Japan’s Boeing 747-400, with the Japanese Prime Minister on board, leaves Quebec City after the G7 summit in 2018.

The picture above shows the Japan Air Force Boeing 747-400 (B744) leaving Quebec City after the G7 2018 summit.

Below is a video of the training made by the pilots to get accustomed to the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport.The runways at the CYQB airport are only 150 feet wide.

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Aviation photography

The Government of Quebec Challenger 600 C-GQBQ

Government of Quebec Challenger CL-600 C-GQBQ airborne from the Québec Jean-Lesage international airport
Government of Quebec Challenger CL-600 C-GQBQ airborne from the Québec Jean-Lesage international airport

I return in the past with this photo of the Governement of Quebec Challenger 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.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: the Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane

An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver
An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver

The photo above portrays a Beaver floatplane belonging to Harbour Air. It is seen here a few minutes after its take-off from the Vancouver Harbour floatplane base in British Columbia. The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens.

The aircraft, quite small in the photo, could have been enlarged using the Canon 5DSR’ s 50 megapixel full-frame sensor. The image would still have been of excellent quality but I would have lost the effect I was initially looking for.

As opposed to what seems obvious at first sight, the scenery was not captured sitting in another plane but from the ground, while I was standing near the Harbour Air seaplane base. The morning’s constant precipitation saturated the air with moisture and helped create a low level cloud base.

An image editing software was then used to crop the scene. I used a non standard photo format to show the kind of flight the pilot was dealing with, between two cloud layers and with a mountain range on his right. It seems to me that a photographer does not have to feel obliged to follow an arbitrary format if the latter has a negative impact on the intended result.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: the sunset colors on a Bombardier Q-400

Sunset colors reflecting on an Air Canada Bombardier Q-400 in Toronto
Sunset colors reflecting on an Air Canada Bombardier Q-400 in Toronto

The Air Canada Terminal installations at the Toronto Lester B. Pearson international airport are such that a voyager intending to do a flight from Toronto to Quebec has to walk outside the building to catch his plane. This has some advantages, especially when it is an evening flight and there is, at the time of boarding, a superb sunset.

But to directly photograph the sunset colors without any filter or tripod, while hand holding the camera, is a recipe for disaster. And a photographer cannot stay immobile for very long in that restricted area where security agents and passengers walking towards the DHC-8-400 demand that everyone move with the flow.

A practical method that offers very good results is to indirectly photograph the beautiful sunset colors by using the aircraft as a reflector.

First, it is better to use a camera lens that requires very little light. This will limit the grain size while allowing a shutter speed that is high enough to avoid a blurred picture. The scenery was thus captured with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens.

Secondly, the photographer must crop the photography using an image editing software so that all useless details are absent from the final shot. There are two objectives: 1) it is obviously necessary to keep the aircraft parts that will best show the sunset colors and 2) do the best possible use of the elements presenting graphic interests for the viewer.

If I had kept only several oversized windows in order to show the superb sunset colours, there would have been only clear bright colours, without contrasts. That would have given an uninteresting photo. The advantages of protecting the shadowy top of the aircraft are that it adds a strong luminosity contrast, allows the inclusion of the Q-400 diagonal lines (1-2-3-4-5) and a reflection of the reflections themselves (6) under the aircraft’s wing. All this is highlighted in the photo below.

Photography theory: diagonal lines on a Bombardier Q-400 photo
Photography theory: diagonal lines on a Bombardier Q-400 photo

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: sunset on Vancouver Harbour

Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH in the sunset in the Port of Vancouver during summer 2016
Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH in the sunset in the Port of Vancouver during summer 2016

The picture above has been taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera in the Port of Vancouver, in British Columbia, during summer 2016. Following a very busy day of take-offs and landings, everything is now peaceful. The Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN and Turbo Otter floatplane C-FODH are now parked for the night.

Pictures taken at dusk or dawn benefit from a unique light. Nonetheless, taking pictures of aircrafts against the light, with the last sunrays still visible, requires a special attention with regards to blown out highlights.

When contrasts are too important, it is possible to correct the situation by taking several pictures with different exposures and merging them using an image editing software like Photomatix (HDR photography). This is done in a few minutes only. Nonetheless, with floatplane aircrafts that are still slightly moving even when tied for the night, there is an increased risk of a blurred picture. The best way to proceed is to use a ND grad filter and to place it exactly where the light is the strongest. Naturally, there will still be some blown out highlights.

This being said, you still have a good margin of manoeuver, since there is no problem in showing a limited amount of over-exposed highlights in the brighter part of the sunrays, as there is not much details to lose there anyway. While purists would argue otherwise and spend hours in front of their computer trying to correct everything, you are making the best of another day of photographic exploration.

If the picture was taken using RAW files (or RAW with JPEG), it is possible to improve the scene even more by correcting some aspects like the contrasts, the brightness, the colours, the saturation and ambient light, etc. This also requires very limited time in front of the computer once you understand the basic principles of an image editing software.

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Aviation photography

Aviation photography: when rain helps the photographer

Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN on final for Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.
Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane C-GQKN on final for Vancouver Harbour, in British-Columbia, during Summer 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.

It looked like it would be an average day for a photography session at the Vancouver Harbour. The sky was quite ordinary, which means totally cloudless. But around noon, a new and more humid air mass made its way in British Columbia and rapidly the blue sky was replaced by clouds and precipitations. At the same time, the high intensity light that was prevailing around noon suddenly took more acceptable levels for photography.

Pilots of different bush floatplanes like the Twin Otter (DHC-6), Turbo Otter (DHC-3T) and Beaver (DHC-2) had to deal with the sudden weather deterioration in order to complete the daily planned flights. But one man’s loss is another man’s gain. For aviation photography, low clouds and light intensity meant that the pictures would be more interesting.

The photo above was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame DSLR camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. In order to capture the moving propellers, I had to set a low shutter speed. The scene was then cropped to avoid visual distractions. The 50.6 megapixels full-frame sensor of the Canon 5DSR facilitates cropping when it is required.

In the foreground, there is a Harbour Air Twin Otter floatplane (C-GQKN) approaching to land in the Vancouver Harbour. In the background, far away and in the superior right corner of the photo, the pilot of a Turbo Otter floatplane also deals with worsening weather while ensuring that he maintains a visual contact with high ground obstacles surrounding the harbour.

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