Category: Photos of Quebec

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Environment Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Freezing rain on a plant during winter 2019

Freezing rain and nature during the winter 2019 in Quebec City.
Freezing rain and nature during the winter 2019 in Quebec City.

The effects of the freezing rain that fell over Quebec City this winter were not only negative. Photographers seized the opportunity to immortalize rapidly changing situations.

In the picture above, the “blue” that is visible in the ice represents the reflection from the magnificent winter sky. On a bigger screen, the ice shows the white birch trees that were surrounding the scene.

In order to avoid any distractions, the background was kept blurred by setting the aperture to 3.5. The presence of moderate wind required a higher shutter speed, in this case 1/6400. The ISO was limited to 250, to protect the quality of the picture during the enlargment. The 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor offered all the necessary flexibility during the digital processing.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM telephoto lens. I only had that lens at the moment of my walk. The focal length was 200mm with the stabilizer “on” and a setting of “1.2 meter/infinite” instead of the usual “2.5 meters / infinite”.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain, in Old Quebec.

Fall colors and tourists in the Petit-Champlain, Old Quebec, 2018.
Fall colors and tourists in the Petit-Champlain, Old Quebec, 2018.

Residents of Quebec City see a huge increase in the number of tourists in the Petit-Champlain during fall, when several cruise ships are docked at the Port of Quebec. Thousands of passengers head to Old Quebec and the Petit-Champlain to buy a few souvenirs and photograph everything that can be.

Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain in Old Quebec in 2018.
Fall colors in the Petit-Champlain in Old Quebec in 2018.

The background in the picture above shows the Breakneck Steps (Stairways in the Quebec region), an elevated and very popular spot with tourists from which they can photograph one of the most visited alley in the Petit-Champlain.

A view of a section of the Château Frontenac with the mountains in the background during Fall 2018.
A view of a section of the Château Frontenac with the mountains in the background during Fall 2018.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Photography in the rain in Old Quebec.

Two Quebec pubs on the St-Jean street, in Old Quebec.
Two Quebec pubs on the St-Jean street, in Old Quebec.

Photography under the rain often allows for fairly decent results, even if it is a bit less comfortable for the photographer.

In the picture above, I first considered a close-up plan of the St-Alexandre English pub (Pub St-Alexandre ) and of the Chez Murphy’s Irish pub (Pub Chez Murphy’s) on St-Jean street, in Old Quebec. Both pubs belong to the same owner; this is an excellent way to curb the eventual competition.

I then waited for pedestrians holding colorful umbrellas to show up in front of the pubs. That took some time since today’s fashion is all in for black: black cars, black clothing, black hats and …. black umbrellas!

Water reflections on the sidewalk and an appropriate light completed the scenery.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Ship photography

The MS Zuiderdam in the port of Quebec.

Le navire Zuiderdam ancré dans le Port de Québec à l'automne 2018.
Le navire Zuiderdam ancré dans le Port de Québec à l’automne 2018.

During a beautiful autumn day in Quebec, it is worth making a detour by the “promenade des Gouverneurs”. This promenade is accessible through the Dufferin Terrace and the Battlefields Park. The staircase has a few hundred steps but it is worth the effort.

During this period of the year, several cruise ships, among them the MS Zuiderdam, are anchored in the Quebec harbour. This adds an additional interest for photographers.

The photographic composition of the picture above required a lot of attention since several essential elements had to be included in the picture, without the latter being overloaded.

The main obstacle was the huge difference in lighting between the background and the tree in the foreground. Using RAW files helped a lot when correcting the luminosity with Photoshop. The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR camera.

The Zuiderdam cruise ship, property of Holland America Line, has a 1916 passenger capacity. It made its first cruise in 2002. The vessel is decorated with numerous artwork, among them a painting of Queen Beatrix (without surprise!) painted by Andy Warhol.

For other ship pictures, click on the following link of my blog:

Ship photography

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Quebec

Halloween in Quebec City

This lady, all dressed in black, was one of the decorations in the Parc Jeanne d'Arc, in Québec City, for Halloween 2018.
This lady, all dressed in black, was one of the decorations in the Parc Jeanne d’Arc, in Québec City, for Halloween 2018.

The Halloween is celebrated during the month of October in the parc Jeanne d’Arc, in Quebec City. Several interesting sceneries are presented every year to the public. Photographers always find something interesting to bring back from their visit in the park. In late afternoon or during the evening, the lower light intensity adds to the dramatic atmosphere.

The picture above was slightly desaturated using Photoshop. The goal was to restore the sinister aspect of the lady and the emotion felt by a visitor standing in the park.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Street photography

Street photography in Old Quebec.

Playing with the fountain in Quebec City.
Playing with the fountain in Quebec City.

The boy tests the water temperature before running across the water jets located beside Quebec City’s City Hall.

The light in the water jets required an exposure correction of + 1/3. The shutter speed was set at 1/80 which allowed to see the boy clearly at a time when he was not moving too much. This shutter speed also allowed to visualize the water jets effects while limiting the ISO to 1250, even with such a low light. The aperture was only 6.3, just enough for what had to be photographed.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera equipped with a Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.

Click on the link for more on street photography on my blog.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Street photography

A dog’s life in Old Quebec.

A dog's life in Old Quebec.
A dog’s life in Old Quebec.

There are dogs that have a more difficult life than the dog above. For many years, this dog has accompanied his master who works as a coachman in Old Quebec.

This picture was taken with a hand held camera using a shutter speed of 1/60, which is very little considering the 200mm focal length. Normally, with 200mm, a photographer would have to use a speed of 1/200. But the light was not ideal and the ISO already at 3200. I stabilized my position as best as I could by using one of the Château Frontenac’s wall, which is solid enough!

The lens used was a Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM mounted on a Canon 5DSR camera.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Street photography

Acrobatic performance in Quebec City.

A female acrobat in Québec.
A female acrobat in Québec.

The strange composition of the picture above was only possible because the lady was suspended in the air by a rope surrounding her body. The interaction between the two people is vertical: the young woman observes the man who looks somewhere else.

In the picture below, a woman stands in equilibrium upside down on one hand. Both pictures were taken during RDV Quebec 2017, while an impressive crowd was visiting Quebec City lower part of the town for the tall ships rendez-vous.

Acrobatic performance in Quebec City.
Acrobatic performance in Quebec City.

For other street photos, click on:

Street photography

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The blue light in Old Quebec.

Beautiful evening in Old Quebec.
Beautiful evening in Old Quebec.

The light is always interesting when a picture is taken just before the nightime or the sunrise. The scenery above was captured in Old Quebec during Summer 2018. The use of a lens requiring very little light, like the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L USM mounted on a Canon 5DSR made the task easier.

I wanted to ensure that the people were not mere shadows and that the water effects in the fountains were visible. The shutter speed was adjusted to 1/50 and the ISO set at 6400. The aperture was limited to 4.5 to respect the shutter speed. Photography is always a matter of compromise…

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer
Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The crowd on the Plains of Abraham during the Quebec Summer Festival 2018

The crowd on the Plains of Abraham, in Quebec City, during the 2018 Festival d'été de Québec.
The crowd on the Plains of Abraham, in Quebec City, during the 2018 Festival d’été de Québec.


The Quebec  Summer Festival draws huge crowds every year to each one of its shows. I decided to use the crowds to compose a photo in which there are only two subjects. In the foreground, one of the trees on the Plains of Abraham.  I use the tree to create a diagonal that crosses the picture and, at the same time, helps balance the colours in the picture.

In the background, the crowd,  without any other distraction. The people fill every available corner of the picture. They are the ones bringing the picture to life. It is also because of their presence every year that the Quebec Summer Festival is a success.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM lens. The focal length was 200mm and the shutter speed 1/250. Despite a 200mm focal, the people were still too far to be clear enough.

The goal being to crop the picture enough to enlarge the people, the ISO had to be quite low. It was set at 640. Once those priorities were established, the aperture could only be set at 5.0, which was good enough for the result I was trying to obtain. The 50.6 megapixels full frame sensor of the Canon 5DSR helped a lot.

For other pictures of Quebec City, click on the following links of my blog :

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring
Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer