Category: Photos of Canada

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

A quick outing in foggy weather in Quebec City

The Château Frontenac in the evening with low clouds during Spring 2026
The Château Frontenac in the evening with low clouds during Spring 2026

In Quebec City, we had several consecutive days of rain in April while there was still snow on the ground. The warm rain melts the snow quickly, saturating the air with moisture and leading to fog and low-hanging clouds. Night photography enthusiasts know that this is an opportunity not to be missed for capturing special effects.

In the photo above, you can see low-hanging clouds above the Château Frontenac in Old Quebec. Fortunately, the central tower remains clearly visible. This is the perfect moment to capture the light reflecting off the clouds and onto the street.

Photographic Composition

Train in foggy weather in Quebec City during Spring 2026.
Train in foggy weather in Quebec City during Spring 2026.

Tonight, the wind is blowing less strongly near Gilmour Hill than in the Port of Québec. A persistent fog covers this section of Champlain Boulevard.

For the composition, I use the stationary railcar as the focal point between the lit road on the left and the headland on the right. It serves as a link for an imaginary diagonal line that cuts the image in half, running from the lower left corner to the upper right corner of the frame.

The Boulevard Champlain in Quebec City in fog, April 2026
The Boulevard Champlain in Quebec City in fog, April 2026

The fog softens and unifies the elements of the scene above. The photographic composition takes into account the path that guides the eye toward the center of the photo. There, a strategically placed fir tree prevents the gaze from wandering off toward the horizon. On either side of the image are two contrasting elements, differing in height, color, and state (nature vs. industry).

Click the link for more photos of Quebec City on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The Canadian Coast Guard breaking the ice in front of Quebec City.

Canadian Coast Guard Amundsen icebreaker on the St.Lawrence river near Quebec City 2026
Canadian Coast Guard Amundsen icebreaker on the St.Lawrence river near Quebec City 2026

The freezing weather of winter 2025-2026 in Quebec requires frequent interventions by the Canadian Coast Guard to open passages on the St. Lawrence River. In the photo above, the icebreaker Amundsen, clears the way in front of Quebec City.

This ship occasionally works in the Canadian Arctic on research projects. It also ensures a Canadian presence in Canada’s northernmost territories.

Note the helicopter parked at the rear of the ship. Other larger icebreakers are under construction at various shipyards across the country, including the one in Lévis. Some of them are intended to strengthen Canadian territorial sovereignty in the Arctic.

Ferries at work in the ice in front of Quebec City winter 2026
Ferries at work in the ice in front of Quebec City winter 2026

Ferries make their way through the ice in January 2026. They ensure the crossing for pedestrians and vehicles between Quebec City and Lévis.

Ship moving through the ice on a winter night in front of Quebec City
Ship moving through the ice on a winter night in front of Quebec City

For this nighttime photograph, I used a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. It requires very little light and allows the photographer to take a picture of the Ocean tugboat and the merchant navy ship as they pass in front of Quebec City. I took the photo from the Dufferin Terrace and cropped it to enlarge the image.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec and Canada on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Winter in Quebec City and the approach of Christmas.

On a beautiful day in December 2025, I spent a few hours in Old Quebec and its surroundings to take some pictures on the eve of the holidays.

Two pedestrians in Old Quebec during winter 2025.
Two pedestrians in Old Quebec during winter 2025.

At this time of year, the German market in Quebec City attracts residents from neighboring towns and tourists alike. Today, it’s -10°C and very windy, but people are still out and about.

Since photography requires the use of a tripod and often involves standing still, the priority is to dress as warmly as possible.

The photo below, showing part of a kiosk at the German market in Quebec City, was taken with a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM fixed lens. Why use a 300mm lens in an area where nothing really needs to be zoomed in on?

A stand in the Quebec German market in Old Quebec 2025
A stand in the Quebec German market in Old Quebec 2025

I challenged myself to work only with a 300mm telephoto lens for part of the evening, in order to isolate scenes that my eye would not automatically see. This method sometimes leads to beautiful visual discoveries, such as the close-up of the kiosk above.

The Christmas German market of Quebec City and the Glühwein Bar 2025
The Christmas German market of Quebec City and the Glühwein Bar 2025

In contrast to the previous photo, the above result cannot be achieved without the help of a wide-angle lens. A cell phone solved the problem of low light and captured this winter scene from the German market. It even allowed the “Glühwein Bar” to be included in the shot.

This year, the Alsace pavilion at the German market is still offering hot food and drinks, but like many businesses, it is ignoring official inflation and significantly exceeding it. Be sure to read the menu and associated costs carefully before ordering, or you may be in for a big surprise.

The Grande-Allée and some Christmas decorations in Quebec City 2025.
The Grande-Allée and some Christmas decorations in Quebec City 2025.

A final nighttime photograph shows a small section of Grande-Allée with some Christmas decorations, with the Le Concorde hotel highlighted in blue in the background. This part of Quebec City has received a lot of attention from retailers.

I will explore the city again in a few days to bring back more memories of this Christmas atmosphere before it’s too late.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

A detour via the Saguenay Fjord and La Baie.

Sailboat anchored in the Saguenay Fjord in the province of Québec
Sailboat anchored in the Saguenay Fjord in the province of Québec

Heading up the west coast of Saguenay from Saint-Siméon, you pass through Sagard (home to the Desmarais family’s huge estate and castle) and L’Anse-Saint-Jean. In L’Anse-Saint-Jean, you can book a shuttle for a few hours’ round trip on the Saguenay. This allows you to see Cap Trinité and stop off at Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.

I took the picture above from Baie Éternité. The cliffs rise up to 400 metres. A sailboat has chosen to anchor there for a while.

The Saguenay River at low tide near La Baie, Québec 2025
The Saguenay River at low tide near La Baie, Québec 2025

Just before La Baie, you can walk on the beach at low tide. There are several interesting opportunities for landscape photography, including a lighthouse, mountains, the town at night, and even cruise ships sailing up the Saguenay River in the fall.

Downtown in La Baie, province of Québec 2025
Downtown in La Baie, province of Québec 2025

To achieve the above effect in La Baie, I had to remove a few poles and advertisements using digital processing software. The pseudo-HDR method enhances the impact of the clouds by defining them more clearly.

Seals resting on rocks in the Saguenay fjord, Québec 2025
Seals resting on rocks in the Saguenay fjord, Québec 2025

This last photo shows seals resting on the rocks along the Saguenay Fjord. The captain of the ferry was able to approach the cliffs safely because of the great depth of the fjord at this point.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Old Cars and Vintage Weekend 2025 in Québec City.

In September 2025, another edition of Vintage Weekend took place in Quebec City. This year, more than 200 vintage cars were on display on Saint-Paul Street and on the grounds adjacent to Espace Quatre Cent in Quebec City’s Old Port.

Stéphane Lavallée's 1959 Corvette at Quebec City's Vintage Weekend
Stéphane Lavallée’s 1959 Corvette at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend

As usual, restaurant owners had their hands full serving the many curious visitors who came to admire the cars. In addition, they had to contend with the presence of travelers who had recently disembarked from the three cruise ships moored in the harbor. The next photo shows the energetic team at Bistro St-Malo hard at work feeding passersby.

The restaurateur of Bistro St-Malo at work on St-Paul Street at Weekend Vintage 2025
The restaurateur of Bistro St-Malo at work on St-Paul Street at Weekend Vintage 2025

This year, musicians from Calgary entertained the crowd with songs from the 1950s. The audience was delighted by the excellent quality of the performance, both in terms of singing and music. The same can be said of the dancers, who took us back in time with a few hits from that era.

Retro dancing on St. Paul Street at the Quebec Vintage Weekend in 2025
Retro dancing on St. Paul Street at the Quebec Vintage Weekend in 2025

Below, cars occupy the space surrounding La Vivrière, a fountain sculpture commemorating the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Gary Lynch's Hudson Hornet Hollywood 7x at Quebec City's Vintage Weekend
Gary Lynch’s Hudson Hornet Hollywood 7x at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
Burger Heaven Lights on for Service at the Weekend Vintage in Quebec City
Burger Heaven Lights on for Service at the Weekend Vintage in Quebec City
Paul Forest's 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with modified color
Paul Forest’s 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with modified color
1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday and Michel Savard at Quebec City's Vintage Weekend
1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday and Michel Savard at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend

Above, Michel Savard poses proudly next to his 1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday. As for André Guillemette, he had original parts shipped from Great Britain to do justice to his 1962 Jaguar Mark II, which can be seen below.

André Guillemette's 1962 Jaguar Mark II at Quebec City's 2025 Vintage Weekend
André Guillemette’s 1962 Jaguar Mark II at Quebec City’s 2025 Vintage Weekend
Reflections in Michel Métivier's 1967 Pontiac GTO at Quebec City's Vintage Weekend
Reflections in Michel Métivier’s 1967 Pontiac GTO at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend

A final photo shows St. Paul Street with Charles Boisseau’s 1965 Corvette Stingray.

Charles Boisseau's 1965 Corvette Stingray at Quebec City's Vintage Weekend
Charles Boisseau’s 1965 Corvette Stingray at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend

Click on the link for more tourist attractions and photos of the province of Quebec on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Paddleboarding in Jacques-Cartier National Park

A paddleboard enthusiast on the Jacques-Cartier River in Quebec 2025
A paddleboard enthusiast on the Jacques-Cartier River in Quebec 2025

An excellent spot for paddleboarding (SUP) in the Quebec City area is located at kilometer 25 (EKWATEK) of Jacques-Cartier National Park. There are no services as such at this location, but a large free parking lot provides easy access to the riverbank, which is only a few meters away.

The natural surroundings are breathtaking. Bring a good camera (or at least a cell phone) in a waterproof bag. There are several splendid spots for landscape photography.

As summer progresses, the water level drops. However, even in fall, the river remains deep enough to enjoy your sport in complete peace of mind. At first, paddleboarders follow the gentle current of the Jacques-Cartier River southward. So there’s no need to paddle vigorously! You can just let yourself go. You’ll know when it’s time to turn back when you see small waterfalls in the distance. To avoid damaging the board, you turn around.

On the return trip, the effort required is greater, but not excessive. In strong north winds, bring a paddle to which you can attach an oar in place of the handle, giving you the feeling of paddling like a kayaker. Sitting or kneeling on the board, you will return to your starting point more quickly.

In the event of a southerly wind, the energy required to return is minimal. This allows you to make several round trips and spend a few hours on the river without getting exhausted!

A beautiful summer day in Jacques-Cartier National Park
A beautiful summer day in Jacques-Cartier National Park

On your way to kilometer 25, you can admire several scenes like this. The surroundings are magnificent! Green, yellow, and orange are the colors of autumn. There is very little red in the area. The orange color is concentrated mainly at the beginning of autumn, while the yellow persists much longer. The photo above was taken at the beginning of August.

Click on the link for more photos of the province of Québec on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Photography in Jacques-Cartier National Park

Reflections in Jacques-Cartier National Park in summer.
Reflections in Jacques-Cartier National Park in summer.

Photography technique

Even if the initial goal is to go paddleboarding on the Jacques-Cartier River, you can bring a camera, just in case a special scene merits a photo. It is best to shoot in RAW mode to make it easier to correct imperfections later.

Today, the complete absence of wind allows for exceptional reflections for landscape photography. But you have to choose your environment carefully: no distractions should break the effect. The goal is to create momentary confusion through a mirrored scenery.

A tight frame keeps the panorama identical in both parts of the photo. You must then ensure that the horizon is as straight as possible. Finally, you can improve the initial image by reducing the smoke haze. Indeed, the summer of 2025 in Quebec will have been the one where forest fires in Western Canada considerably impacted on visibility in Quebec.

The sun slowly sets over Jacques-Cartier National Park.
The sun slowly sets over Jacques-Cartier National Park.

I took this photo of the Jacques-Cartier National Park Valley in the late afternoon to profit from the soft lighting. Also, in August at this time, the sun in the southwest hits the eastern slope. The light is then reflected in the middle of the valley and diffused through the smoke. Some of the haze can be removed, but it is important to keep enough of it to preserve the majestic effect of the landscape.

In the foreground, paddleboarders, barely visible, enjoy the exceptional light of the late afternoon.

Click on the link for more photos of the province of Quebec on my blog.

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Photos du Québec Photos of Canada

White Birch Paper Company by night in Quebec City.

White Birch Paper Company by night in Quebec City
White Birch Paper Company by night in Quebec City

The photo above shows the White Birch Paper mill in Quebec City. I took the shot handheld with a Canon 5 dsr full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 85 mm f/1.2L II lens.  

Here’s what artificial intelligence has to say about an industrial scene: “An industrial scene can evoke a variety of feelings, often linked to the urban environment and human activity. For some, it may inspire a feeling of power and dynamism, due to the energy and activity that prevail. Others may feel melancholy or nostalgic about the impact of industrialization on the environment and communities.

The textures, colors and shapes of industrial structures can also evoke a sense of strangeness or raw beauty. In short, the emotions that an industrial scene can generate depend largely on one’s own perspective.”

Photography theory

On the original RAW file, colors faded due to insufficient brightness, preventing the desired dramatic impact. Digital processing was the best solution to solve the problem.

I chose a single tone of steel blue to accentuate the effect of strangeness, prevent distractions of any kind and highlight the central tower, smoke columns and light contrasts around the installations.

To respect the age of the White Birch Paper buildings, I kept the digital grain fairly high. Polishing an image too much makes it look more modern, which I wanted to avoid.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in spring on my blog.

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Photos du Québec Photos of Canada

Reflections on Saint-Louis Street in Quebec City in winter.

Beautiful Old Quebec night reflections on Saint-Louis Street. Photo by François Ouellet, 2025.
Beautiful Old Quebec night reflections on Saint-Louis Street. Photo by François Ouellet, 2025.

Another perfect evening to photograph Old Quebec in winter! I consider myself very lucky to have daily access to this magical place. It is as you know a UNESCO jewel and one of Canada’s major tourist attractions.

Photography theory and technique

It’s all there: calm winds, light snow, acceptable temperature, low cloud ceiling. Here is a great opportunity to improve one’s photography technique. What’s more, Quebec City finds itself between two busy tourist periods. This means fewer blurred people during night photography.

The snow melts immediately upon reaching Saint-Louis Street. It creates multiple reflections, ideal for special effects.

The quality of the lighting is superb, even in the middle of the nighttime. The city’s glow mirrors off cloud bases and precipitation. This in turn illuminates the old buildings.

Now it’s a question of locating an unusual angle to capture rue Saint-Louis. I’m trying to avoid the over-rehearsed postcard frame!

The viewer’s eye must remain focused on the street and the architecture. It must travel towards the background to discover a section of the National Assembly structures in the distance. The photographic composition is easily achieved.

In order to reach the objective, the viewer’s attention must be captured. A nice object can serve as foreground. It can also remain partially hidden. The vase installed on the Monument Samuel-de-Champlain will be good enough. We’re not really interested in it, but it serves as an entrance to the scene.

Those are simple but efficient photographic tips for winter photography in Old Quebec!

Click on the link for more winter photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Old Quebec in photos (2)

Old Quebec heading to St-Paul street.
Old Quebec heading to St-Paul street.

Old meets new in this photo of Old Quebec. On the right, the headquarters of the Norplex group, real estate developer. This is the former Canadian Bank of Commerce building, designed in 1914 by architect V. D. Horsburgh. The rounded shape is reminiscent of the Bank of England’s Tivoli.

In the foreground, the sculpture-fountain La Vivrière, a more modern creation inaugurated in 1995 on Place de la FAO to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the FAO in Quebec City in 1945, under the aegis of Lester B. Pearson.

In terms of photographic composition, the sculpted waves in the foreground gradually direct the viewer’s eye towards the main building at the top right of the photo. The rounded columns are only straight thanks to the use of Canon’s ultra-wide-angle EF 11-24mm F/4L lens.

Quiet evening in Old Quebec during Summer 2024
Quiet evening in Old Quebec during Summer 2024

Above, a view of the newly restored Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. In the distance, the tower of the Price building. Rotating spotlights create moving shadows for the couple in the foreground.  

Old Quebec buildings seen from Côte de la Montagne, 2024.
Old Quebec buildings seen from Côte de la Montagne, 2024.

Above, a five-shot HDR photo of buildings in Old Quebec. In the foreground, a wall stands at the intersection of Port Dauphin and Côte-de-la-Montagne streets. In the middle ground, we see the shops and buildings on rue De Buade. In the background, the Price Building, the only skyscraper permitted in Old Quebec.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in summer on my blog.