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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Winter photography 2020 in Old Quebec (1)

Old Quebec during the February 7 2020 snowstorm.
Old Quebec during the February 7 2020 snowstorm.

A winter photography project can consist of planning a photo session during a huge winter storm. The next few articles related to photography will concern the snowstorm that took place on February 7, 2020 in Quebec.

The photo above was taken near Côte de la Fabrique, in Old Quebec, after the storm which left 35 centimeters of snow. I chose a black and white photo because the colors added nothing significant, even going so far as to distract the viewer.

The technique of black and white photography works very well here at showing the contrasts between light and dark. The pedestrian and the vehicle headlights emerge much better and the blowing effect near the buildings is more visible.

Delayed snow removal in Old Quebec.
Delayed snow removal in Old Quebec.

Interestingly, the rise and fall of tides in the St. Lawrence Seaway impacts snow removal in upper town of Old Quebec.

If the storm occurs during high tides, there may be an overflow of the St. Lawrence Seaway on certain sections of the highway in the lower town. The trucks responsible for collecting snow then have to make a long detour which brings them back to areas already affected by automobile congestion and where speed limits are considerably lower.

While the snowblower is on site and ready to clear the streets of Old Quebec, trucks are caught in traffic, thus slowing the snow removal process. (To be continued).

The photos were taken with a Canon 5DSr.

Click on the link for other photos of Quebec City and île d’Orléans in winter on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Ship photography

The oil tanker Euronav Cap Leon leaving the Quebec City region.

Oil tanker Euronav Cap Léon in 2019
Oil tanker Euronav Cap Léon in 2019

At the beginning of the trip towards the St. Lawrence estuary, a cable links the Ocean tugboat with the Euronav Cap Leon oil tanker. The current and the ice push the oil tanker towards the east and the speed of the oil tanker must be controlled for the tight turn around Île d’Orléans.

Oil tanker Euronav Cap Léon on the St Lawrence Seaway near Quebec City.
Oil tanker Euronav Cap Léon on the St Lawrence Seaway near Quebec City.

Click on the link for more articles on ship photography and on ship photography technique on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

St-Gilles and the autumn colors

St-Gilles in autumn.
St-Gilles in autumn.

These pictures were taken in October in the St-Gilles region, in Quebec. In the photo above, the sunlight was streaming through the leaves, giving the peach color even more intensity. To make the leaves the main subject of interest, I positioned myself under a branch and reduced the aperture of the Canon 5DSR to 3.5. The leaves in the foreground were now in focus while everything else became blurred, adding to the atmosphere.

Cows and autumn colors in Quebec.
Cows and autumn colors in Quebec.
St-Gilles countryside in autumn.
St-Gilles countryside in autumn.

The owner of a nearby house in St-Gilles had a thought for walkers and left two chairs near the water. The chairs became the main interest in the photo and are therefore in focus. The forest and the colored leaves in the background are deliberately kept blurred.

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

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

St-Jacques de Leeds and the autumn colors.

St-Jacques de Leeds in Autumn.
St-Jacques de Leeds in Autumn.

The St-Jacques de Leeds region, in Quebec, offers interesting opportunities for photographers who like very diversified autumn colors.

A house in the St-Jacques de Leeds countryside in Autumn.
A house in the St-Jacques de Leeds countryside in Autumn.

At the time this picture was taken, most red leaves had already fallen. But the contrast between the dark tones of the evergreens and the other colors still offered beautiful landscapes.

To compose the picture above, I decided to keep the trail. It leaves the main road where I stood and heads, with a few curves, towards the house. The trail starts at the left of the picture and the observer naturally follows it to the house, then to the forest in the background. With my position, I was also able to hide part of the house with the colored trees.

St-Jacques de Leeds countryside in Autumn.
St-Jacques de Leeds countryside in Autumn.

During late afternoon in Autumn, the light is quite softer than in Summer. It is not necessary to wait for the evening to get interesting results. The scenery above offered a natural contrast between the blue of the sky and the orange tones of the trees. I kept part of the evergreen, for its position in the foreground as much as for its dark tone, to add to the dynamism of the picture.

Autumn evening in St-Jacques de Leeds.
Autumn evening in St-Jacques de Leeds.

The tripod was necessary for the picture above. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens, that is normally used for portrait, requires less light than the human eye. It perfectly captured the atmosphere and the colors that were prevailing a few minutes before nightime. All the pictures were taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Val-Bélair in Autumn

Chair and house in Autumn in Val-Bélair.
Chair and house in Autumn in Val-Bélair.

This year I have searched for new sites to capture autumn colours. I drove by Val-Bélair and stopped by a house that looked abandoned. The colour of the chair and the yellow background allowed me to compose my first shot.

Multicolored trees near Val-Bélair.
Multicolored trees near Val-Bélair.

There are superb trees between Val-Bélair and L’ Ancienne-Lorette . The picture above represents only a section of the forest.

Val-Bélair in Autumn.
Val-Bélair in Autumn.

Val-Bélair is a region with both agricultural and city life. It was natural to compose a picture that would include a car and a tractor. The colored leaves are used as a natural frame around the vehicles. The Canon 5DSR full frame camera’s aperture was adjusted to have only the middle ground in focus.

Click on the link for other photos of Québec City and île d’Orléans in Autumn on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Old Quebec at twilight

The St-Jean Gate in Old Quebec 2019
The St-Jean Gate in Old Quebec 2019

This young man found a quiet spot on the St-Jean Gate in Old Quebec. On the other side of the wall, at Place d’Youville, a band plays during the Quebec Summer Festival.

Click on the link for other photos of Québec City and île d’Orléans in Summer on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Ship photography

Container ships near Quebec City

The container ship Hapag_Lloyd Quebec Express and the container ship MSC Paola are sailing around Île d'Orléans near Quebec City.
The container ship Hapag_Lloyd Quebec Express and the container ship MSC Paola are sailing around Île d’Orléans near Quebec City.

Those two container ships that sailed near Quebec City in July 2019 reminded me of recent news regarding the Port of Quebec‘s installations and the will to receive always bigger container ships.

To take the picture, I waited that the Quebec Express had completed his turn west of Île d’Orléans. From that moment, the photographic distance between the two container ships started to diminish. The MSC Paola’s bow became an artificial frame that included part of the Quebec Express.

Click on the link for other pictures of Québec City and île d’Orléans in Summer on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Light effects in Old Quebec

Light effects in Old Quebec 2019
Light effects in Old Quebec 2019

This photo was taken near the Quebec City Townhall in Old Quebec with a handheld Canon 5DSR full frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens.

Click on the link for other pictures of Québec City and île d’Orléans in Summer on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Ephemeral creations in old quebec

Old Quebec,autumn 2018
Old Quebec,autumn 2018

Ephemeral creations are part of the constantly changing portrait of Old Quebec. The public art installations are visible only for a few weeks at a time. The photography lover must stroll through numerous areas of the city in order to find and immortalize an installation before it definitely disappears!

Click on the link for other photos of Quebec in Autumn on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Montreal reflections.

Montreal reflections.
Montreal reflections.

An outside exhibition presenting metal office furniture installed in a glass cage allowed me to show Montreal under an unusual angle. The picture was then digitally treated to give it the desired look.

Click on the link for other pictures of Montreal and the Province of Quebec on my blog.