Between dream and reality in Old Québec. Inspired by authoritarian governments around the planet.
The photo above is the result of a recent outing in Old Québec. Why is the photo displaying such a bizarre mood? Well, the actions of authoritarian governments around the world were enough to change my photographic perception for a moment. A montage was therefore necessary to let the emotion flow through on that day.
Photography Theory
The collection of buildings in this part of the city is of interest, but to produce a special effect, I used considerable cropping. The square format leaves out unnecessary details from the original image. I didn’t want any distractions, just the essentials.
I also imagined a threatening sky over the old constructions of Québec City. But how to express this danger without retouching a normal photo? Indeed, the sky is often too beautiful or too banal to convey a sufficient impression of discomfort.
Editing the sky from a RAW file remained the solution. After digital processing, I achieved a combination of mismatched colours that disrupted the scene. The semblance of a face appeared in the clouds, an effect I hadn’t intended. But I kept it. The whole thing takes us back to a world somewhere between dream and reality.
Old Quebec in winter seen from Parc Montmorency in 2025
It’s time for another winter outing in Old Quebec. The night photography session will be devoted to architecture.
The temperature is about -14 C and the winds are blowing at 15 km/h. Without gloves in order to manipulate the little buttons on the camera, the skin feels -22 C. A regular break is essential to thaw out the fingers!
I took the photo from Parc Montmorency, just up the côte de la Montagne. This historic site is a major tourist attraction in Quebec City. Louis Hébert, Canada‘s first farmer, cultivated the land here on his arrival in New France. It’s important to understand, however, that the natives knew about farming and cultivated the soil long before the arrival of the French settlers.
On the left is a sculpture of Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier, one of the Fathers of Confederation. The Château Frontenac and Price Building are also visible in the distance. In the foreground is a building that has changed function many times. It was originally the first Episcopal Palace.
Photography technique
For this shot, I planted my tripod in 40 centimetres of snow. I used a Canon 5 DSr camera equipped with a Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L USM ultra wide-angle zoom lens. I could have set the ISO to 200 thanks to the stability of the tripod, but the wind demanded a faster result due to possible vibrations. ISO and shutter speed are therefore dictated by ambient weather conditions rather than low light.
Ocean’s tugboat on the St.Lawrence river in front of Quebec City in winter.
This Ocean tug advances through the ice on the St. Lawrence River in front of Quebec City. The photo was taken from the Dufferin Terrace in Old Quebec. The relatively mild winter still leaves passages open for ships.
Photography Theory
Good technique recommends using a tripod and an extension cable. This limits vibrations. But the wooden decking transmits vibrations caused by pedestrians. I wait for them to move away to improve the chances of a well-defined photo.
Night photography combined with a moving boat increases the risk of poor results. The shot requires a minimum shutter speed of about 1/125 to 1/160 and an appropriate ISO. The grain should be as small as possible, as you’ll need to crop to bring the tug closer.
In this case, I sacrificed depth of field, as the main focus is on the ship and the surrounding ice. The lights of Lévis in the background add a little dynamism to the scene.
Taken in the evening, the shot features five photos with different apertures. This allows us to deal with the great difference in luminosity between the foreground and the city of Lévis in the distance.
The clouds and snow help to reflect the city’s glow during the night. Even so, I’ve enhanced the light in the background to make the buildings more easily visible.
Streets and buildings of Old Quebec. Picture by François Ouellet
Here’s a scene from Quebec City, specifically Old Quebec, captured in autumn. I rarely use the square format to present a photo, but this time it suited the photographic composition perfectly. Digital processing enhanced the effect of the clouds and lessened the impact of the setting sun in the west.
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
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.
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.
For this photo of rue Dauphine in Old Quebec, I chose a period when everything changes rapidly. The blue hour still allows us to make out the most significant details of this night photography session. Winter is just around the corner and the rain showers, momentarily halted, are trying to erase the snow that now lingers on the ground in early December.
The freshly fallen rain reflects the light from the streetlamps on rue Dauphine and from the windows of the former church, now the Maison de la littérature.
This kind of photo can only be taken with frequent visits to the old town, in all seasons and weather conditions. The photographer’s eye immediately catches sight of a scene around a bend in the road that needs to be captured.
On an evening when isolated showers were continually changing the atmosphere in Quebec City, I visited the old part of the town, especially “rue du Trésor”. Today’s article features four photos of the same street captured from different angles. About three hours separates the shots.
Above, passers-by seem to be followed by an individual. I’ve maximized the effect of tension by taking advantage of a moment when the tourists in the background are in the light and the lone walker remains in shadow. To accentuate the discomfort, I opted for a cold tone and undersaturation in post-processing.
Below, two young people chat quietly at the entrance to rue du Trésor, while pedestrians go about their business. The tiles have had time to dry out a little since the last shower.
Conversation near rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
The photo is legal in Quebec because it’s not just about the two persons in the foreground. There’s a street setting where other passers-by are also present. This is always a factor to consider when publishing for non-commercial use. If the couple is alone in the scene and it’s a close-up, I can capture the scene, but under Quebec law, I don’t publish. For added precaution, it is sometimes better to wait a while between the moment the photo is taken and its distribution. Finally, I make sure that people are not portrayed in such a way as to damage their reputation. So, there are always multiple factors to consider before a photo is taken and distributed.
Reflections after the rain in the rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
Above, a couple takes a walk immediately after a rain shower. I set up the camera a few inches off the ground, in front of a puddle to get a reflection.
The goal of the picture is the water reflection but, since I want to publish the photo, I have to think about the persons. The couple becomes possibly the main subject for some viewers. Using added precaution, I put an artificial obstacle in front of the man’s eyes to make him less recognizable. As for the woman, her head turned to one side makes identification impossible.
Below is a view of the Rue du Trésor during the “blue hour,” after the showers. The last tourists take the opportunity to choose a piece of art before the shopkeepers leave.
Here’s a photo taken late autumn on Île d’Orléans. The sun shines through the cumuliform clouds, helping to create interesting contrasts of light and shadow on the mountains in the background. Towards noon, the more direct sunshine dissipates these clouds, and late in the afternoon, the new-found coolness helps to form a uniform stratocumulus ceiling over the region. The photo was taken around 10 am, at a time when there is still a mixture of clear skies and clouds, making the photo more dynamic.
Above, a photo of the Château Frontenac in autumn with a cruise ship that has just docked at the Port of Québec. The photo was taken from Île d’Orléans. Also visible in the center of the photo is the Concorde Hotel’s revolving restaurant, “Ciel! Resto-bar”.
