In photography, it’s not just planning that makes for interesting results. Luck also plays an important role. But you need to get out frequently, in all kinds of light and weather conditions. The photo above is a good example of it.
I’m in a district of Old Quebec that is shunned by tourists late at night, because it’s less well lit. The location is close to Rue St-Jean, a popular thoroughfare lined with restaurants and other businesses. The contrast in traffic is striking.
I visited the area to try my luck with HDR photography. The photo session being over, I am preparing to head home quietly as nighttime falls.
Suddenly, a woman on a bicycle stops under a lamppost. The scene, with its plants, old bricks, neon sign and play of shadows, looks promising. But a quick reaction is needed, because with so little light, even the slightest movement will result in a blurred picture. Fortunately, the woman consults her cell phone, which immobilizes her for a few seconds.
HDR photography is out of the question here. She’ll never be still long enough in this subdued light for me to take multiple pics with different apertures. I snap twice, quickly. The young woman puts her phone away and disappears from the scene. There’s only one quality shot, the other being too blurred.
This photo session shows me once again the importance of getting out frequently to try one’s luck. Combined with an acceptable reaction time and the right equipment for working in low light, you’re likely to come home with one of life’s unexpected gifts.
In the photo above, a Red-winged blackbird is stalking bugs in flight. But it’s about 100 metres from the shore. A shot at this distance and on a small, fast-moving subject poses a problem. I try my luck with a Canon 5dsr equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM lens.
The bird has just spotted its meal. It swoops down on two dragonflies, braking at the last second to adjust to the insect’s changing trajectory. The agility of the little creatures presents a colossal challenge to the predator.
Once the photo session is over, it’s time to process the Canon 5dsr’s 50.6 megapixel RAW files to correct and bring the bird as close as possible. At this stage, I note the two dragonflies that were difficult to see as I concentrated on following the bird in flight.
For this kind of scene, the photographic technique always remains the same: we prioritize shutter speed while lowering the ISO, because we’ll have to enlarge the main subject considerably during digital processing. We want to avoid enormous graininess on the final print.
The last processing phase for this photo of a small, distant and fast-moving bird is the use of artificial intelligence software. This will enable the focus to be improved slightly if the need arises.
But even with AI, there are no miracles. You can’t turn a bad initial photo into an excellent one unless you completely recompose it. That’s when you step out of the world of photography and choose digital creation.
Green heron at the Marais-Léon-Provancher 2024
Above, a shot of a green heron caught at the end of a photography session. But it seems to me that I’d call it more of a blue heron when the plumage is captured from this angle.
Female Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024
This year, the Grands Feux Loto-Québec are lit from a barge in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, between Lévis and Quebec City. A tugboat from the Ocean Group company secures the barge with a cable for the duration of the event.
I took the above shot with a Canon 5DSr full-frame camera equipped with a remote shutter release and a tripod-mounted Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L lens. The super-wide-angle lens can capture both the Château Frontenac and the lights and city of Lévis across the river.
The BULB mode lets you set your own exposure time and take creative initiatives. The brilliant path from launch to explosion is captured in a single photo.
As soon as the bursts begin, you try a five-second exposure and observe the result. Then adjust by stretching the exposure time until good effects are achieved.
One mistake to avoid is leaving the shutter open for too long. When this happens, flashes of light build up on top of each other, and all you see in the final photo is blurry, glowing white.
Working with a RAW file offers much greater flexibility than with a JPEG file when processing the image on the computer.
ISO 200 seems the best option here for several reasons: even if the activity takes place in full darkness, we want to avoid significant digital noise. A low ISO will also lengthen the exposure time and allow us to capture beautiful streaks at the moment of the explosions.
What’s more, the lights will illuminate the scene, reducing exposure time to a reasonable length. Finally, a layer of altocumulus cloud above the Château Frontenac serves today as an artificial light reflector in the photo above.
Grands Feux Loto-Québec, August 2024
A depth of field between 8 and 13 ensures sufficiently accurate light at a reasonable distance.
Whether to focus manually or automatically remains a matter of taste. It should be noted that darkness can cause problems for autofocus. However, trial and error can sometimes produce interesting effects.
If you’re using manual focus, use the camera’s backlit screen to magnify the scene as much as possible and adjust the focus as required. You then return to the normal size display for the duration of the fireworks, taking care not to inadvertently touch the focus adjustment ring when changing the zoom.
Fireworks at the Grands Feux Loto-Québec 2024
Consider using a heavy tripod. In windy conditions, it will better resist vibrations during long exposures.
A final word of advice: fireworks attract a lot of people, some of whom are content with a fairly limited personal space, if they have one at all. Protecting your photographic area becomes an important objective, to avoid the tripod getting snagged or someone moving in front of you when enthusiasm takes over. So, arrive well in advance to choose the best location for you to work in, while protecting your work area.
For example, for the photos above, I had set up between a ramp fixed on a steep slope in front of me and a bush at the rear. No one could stand in front of me and no one could pass behind me because of the bush. I thus had only the sides to worry about. It sounds like an unnecessary concern, but these days everyone is filming fireworks and continually repositioning themselves without regard to their neighbors. Make life easier for yourself by making the necessary arrangements before the show.
An evening after the rain at the Station de la plage, Québec 2024
A few Quebec City residents enjoy the last glimmers of daylight at the Station de la Plage, as the showers of the previous hour precipitated the departure of the other occupants.
Radar echoes showed towering cumulus clouds (TCU) approaching the area at around 19:00. These usually produce short-lived showers, letting light through here and there between the cloud formations.
For a photographer, the first ingredient in capturing a special sky is present.
The second prerequisite is that the setting sun’s rays travel a greater distance through the atmosphere, unblocked by a distant weather system. This makes it possible to observe such impressive shades of pink and red. So, we check the forecast to verify that this is no weather system coming the next day.
These two conditions greatly increase the chances of an interesting sky at dusk. It doesn’t always work, but let’s just say that planning improves the likelihood of a successful photo shoot.
That’s what happened on this August evening in 2024.
Evening sky visible through the installations at the Station de la plage, Québec 2024
The photo above shows the shades of sky visible through the openwork ceiling of the Station de la plage. I like the minimalist look. It vaguely reminds me of the paintings of Canadian NewfoundlanderChristopher Pratt. For him, the primary interest lies less in the representation of an architectural structure as such than in the addition of light that will transform the viewer’s perception.
The “Carcajou (Wolverine in English)” graphic novel is one of the best buys I’ve made this year. The authors have created an almost perfect work, in terms of scenario, graphics and colors.
The vast forests of Alberta, a large province in western Canada, provide the backdrop for this tale. The reader meets a number of colorful characters trying to make their way in this wild environment. Not everyone has what it takes to adapt, but that’s the reality of life in the developing outback.
By 1895, Alberta was attracting gold prospectors and businessmen interested in oil development. Some territories were acquired more or less ethically, and the natives lost out. However, their ancestral beliefs persisted despite injustice and unequal power relations.
The authors tackle a number of significant themes in the development of Canada’s history: the lack of respect shown to First Nations, the harmful effects of alcohol in remote areas, the courage and tenacity required of women to impose respect, the violence caused by firearms, and a police force that sometimes gets involved in crime.
All these aspects developed by less talented authors would produce a negative storyline. The genius of the authors is to have developed the story in a very dynamic way, while still conveying essential messages. There’s no real break in the action. The plot keeps the reader on his toes right to the end.
I loved the characters and clever plot of “Carcajou” and recommend this superb work to graphic novel fans.
Cooper’s hawk in flight in British Columbia, Canada.
At first glance, you don’t know what to look for. Nature’s mimicry has done its work. Then the Cooper’s hawk appears, wings outstretched, flying in our direction.
I took the photo in a British Columbia park. The RAW file makes it possible to correct areas that are too light or really dark, but you still have to respect the bird’s ability to blend in with the landscape. By over-lightening the bird, we take it out of the environment where it hides to watch its prey.
The fact that the hawk is advancing rapidly towards the camera makes it difficult to focus, especially through high light contrasts. The result is a slight blurring of the head, which is easily corrected by artificial intelligence.
A Cooper’s hawk is airborne in Oak Bay, British Columbia.
Several companies sell a product capable or claiming to be capable of correcting blurred areas. As far as I’m concerned, I use Topaz AI. All you have to do is position the cursor on the spot where a slight improvement is desired and you’re done.
However, don’t expect miracles with such software. The photo has to be good enough for the program to make a tiny improvement.
The world’s only example of this aircraft was destroyed at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, no one can prevent a virtual aircraft from surviving (even computer) attacks. Note that the entire purchase price of the virtual aircraft in the Microsoft store is reserved for the eventual reconstruction of the real aircraft.
F14D Tomcat military jet ready for departure at Stockholm-Bromma virtual airport (ESSB) with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
For the trip, a quick overflight of Belarus will be necessary. A decommissioned, unarmed F-14 Tomcat should do the trick.
F-14D Tomcat airborne from the Stockholm-Bromma (ESSB) virtual airport in flight simulation.
The flight will take place at speeds above the sound barrier.
Navigraph chart of the flight from ESSB to UKKM Antonov International airport
The Navigraph map above shows the planned route. The pink triangle shows the F-14 entering Belarus.
F-14D Tomcat in a dive for a low pass ate high speed over Belarus.
A change of itinerary is in order for a few minutes, with a dive into Belarusian territory. But, as the military say, this flight “never happened”.
F-14D Tomcat on a low pass at high speed over Belarus.
We’re obviously not invited to perform a high-speed pass. But it seems to be becoming the norm in this part of the world in recent years, so why not us?
F-14D Tomcat heading to Kyiv Hostomel airport (GML) in flight simulation
The flight to Antonov International Airport continues at top speed. We’ll soon be there.
F-14D Tomcat turning final for the Antonov International airport (UKKM) in flight simulation.
Above, the F-14 makes a descent turn for the final approach to Antonov airport, with landing gear down and flaps adjusted. In real life, the runway has been damaged by the Ukrainians themselves to prevent the Russians from easily establishing a beachhead in their country. But we’re in virtual mode, so anything goes.
A F-14D Tomcat and Ukrainian soldiers on the Antonov International airport (Hostomel) (UKKM) in flight simulation.
As we taxi, we pass a few Ukrainian army soldiers greeting the arrival of the foreign pilots.
The virtual Antonov 225 is in its hangar, the very place where it was destroyed at the start of the conflict. I’ll be using this aircraft for the next leg of my round-the-world trip, flying over Crimea, landing in Russia and finally finishing the leg in Poland. We mustn’t leave the virtual Antonov 225 in Russia, as a matter of principle.
The Solar Sally from Shandong Shipping sailing south of Île d’Orléans. Summer 2023.
Above, Shandong Shipping’s Solar Sally photographed south of Île d’Orléans. I positioned the horizon according to the rule of thirds and gave plenty of room to the sky, filled with beautiful contrasts. The clouds let the sun filter through for a brief moment, bringing out the vegetation and horses. All that remained was to wait for the ship to enter the field of vision before taking the shot.
The Soulanges in front of Lévis in 2015.
The photo above shows the Soulanges, a tug built in 1905, on the St. Lawrence River in front of the city of Lévis. Seen from a distance, this type of vessel always looks like it’s sinking. The water seems to be overtaking the stern of the boat, but there are very few waves.
The Barcelona Express and the MSC Tuxpan on the St.Lawrence Seaway 2023
The Barcelona Express and the MSC Tuxpan meet in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, off Île d’Orléans. Lacking a telephoto lens on hand, I captured the scene with a Canon Ef 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens and enlarged the photo. The boats were at a much greater distance than they appear here. I used an image processing software with artificial intelligence to improve the focus after cropping.
The Federal Skye and Mona Lisa ships on the St. Lawrence seaway near Quebec City
Above, the Mona Lisa (green hull) sails from Montreal to the port of Tanger Med in Morocco. The container ship sails under the Liberian flag. The port of Tanger Med boasts an exceptional geographical location when it comes to transshipping goods to Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa. Also visible in the photo, the Federal Skye arrives from Vila do Conde Brazil (BR VDC) and heads for Les Escoumins in Quebec, Canada (CA QLE). This port has a dry dock where major repairs can be carried out. The Federal Skye sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The MSC Tampa vessel by Quebec City in 2024.
A final photo shows the MSC Tampa sailing between Liverpool, Great Britain (GB LIV) and Montreal, Canada (CA MTR). This 294.12-meter-long container ship sails under the Liberian flag. The photo was taken from the Grey Terrace in Quebec City’s Parc des Champs-de-Bataille.
The graphic novel “Le murmure de la mer”, by Hippolyte.
The graphic novel “Le murmure de la mer” is a tribute to the work of the Ocean Viking’s crew, the rescue ship belonging to the SOS Méditerranée group. Its mission is to rescue migrants leaving North Africa, particularly the Libyan inferno.
Those refugees find themselves overcrowded on makeshift boats, drifting endlessly in the middle of the sometimes raging Mediterranean Sea. Often, the rafts brush up against Libyan oil platforms. Day and night, the coast guards pursue the migrants and brutally drag them back to Libya.
After a first blocked attempt to participate in a rescue, the author climbs aboard the Ocean Viking in 2020 as a journalist, cartoonist and crew member. He’s directly involved in the salvage operations, and recounts his experience in a series of beautiful sketches and touching photos.
Readers appreciate the great discipline and preparation required to carry out salvage missions in an orderly and safe manner for all concerned. Sentimentality has no place when rescuing migrants in crisis. Not following procedures can result in further deaths, including those of crew members.
A page from the graphic novel “Le murmure de la mer”.
We bear witness to the crew’s successes and failures in their attempts to rescue as many people as possible. The sailors of the Ocean Viking face administrative blockades from Italy, which seeks to limit the considerable arrival of refugees.
First among these attempts to hinder rescue operations is the obligation for the ship to remain docked for long periods for different reasons.
Next is the requirement to transfer the new migrants to ports far from the Ocean Viking’s position. These ports are deliberately chosen by the Italian government to generate fuel costs and lengthy delays between each recovery mission. This drag prevents thousands of refugees from being salvaged.
We must, however, question the involvement of other states when it comes to admitting migrants. The misfortune of people living in countries disadvantaged by ruthless dictatorships, climate change or poverty accelerated by the plundering of wealth is everyone’s responsibility.
Once the refugees are on the boat, the crew still has to secure them, care for them and prepare them for transfer to their next land of welcome. We all know the story of those vessels which have picked up hundreds of Africans in difficulty, and which remain immobilized for weeks while awaiting clearance to transfer the survivors to a new territory. Yet the law of the sea states that any ship’s captain who learns that human beings are in peril on a body of water must render assistance.
In short, a fascinating and informative read. It increases our understanding of the challenges faced by crews helping humans in danger on the Mediterranean Sea.
A surprise awaits us as we depart from the Sandane airport (ENSD) for Sweden, Stockholm-Bromma airport (ESSB).
Drone on the ground at Sandane airport (ENSD) in Norway.
A Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk drone is at the airport. This long-range surveillance aircraft has an autonomy of around 35 hours and a range of 22779 kilometers. It flies at altitudes of up to 60,000 feet (18288 meters). Its maximum speed is 635 km/h, and each hour of operation costs $24,000.
Beech 350I airborne from the Sandane Airport (ENSD) heading to Stockholm-Broma airport (ESSB)
Today, we’re repositioning a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 350I that hasn’t flown in ages. The usual checks have been carried out to ensure that no birds have nested under the engine cowling. We also checked that there was no condensation water at the bottom of the fuel tanks. Finally, we ran the engines for a long time on the ground. The aircraft takes off from Sandane for a planned altitude of 18,000 feet.
Over Norway snowcapped mountains heading to Sweden in flight simulation.
We fly over the mountains of Norway towards Sweden. Everything goes according to plan.
Navigraph chart showing a flight from Sandane (ENSD) to Stockholm-Bromma (ESSB)
The Navigraph map shows the planned route between the two countries.
Engine failure on a twin engine aircraft with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Suddenly, the left engine experiences problems. It stops and the propeller feathers to minimize drag. Since we’re approaching the runway at Stockholm-Bromma airport, we choose to continue on our way, as we benefit from a large airstrip and emergency response services. Now unsure about the reliability of the second engine, we keep a slightly higher altitude than a normal approach would generally dictate.
Double engine failure on a twin engine with Microsoft Flight Simulator.
A few minutes later, the second engine stops. The plane becomes a large glider. The clouds prevent a good view of the surrounding area, but we feel our altitude is sufficient to attempt an approach to the airport when the runway is in sight.
On final for Stockholm-Bromma airport with a double engine failure
The flaps and landing gear will only be extended once we’re established on final and the aircraft is stabilized and certain of reaching the runway. Microsoft’s flight simulator doesn’t allow us to do just anything with an aircraft. If we exceed the aircraft’s structural capabilities when attempting to reach the airport, the flight will stop immediately.
On the ground at Stockholm-Bromma with a double engine failure on a Beechcraft 350I in flight simulation.
The final approach and taxiing caused no problems. The aircraft gradually slows down until it comes to a complete stop on the runway. The poor air traffic controllers now have to apply Plan B to reorganize air traffic around the airport, with the main runway temporarily blocked.
Beechcraft maintenance hangar at the Stockholm-Bromma virtual airport
Fortunately, Beechcraft offers maintenance services at Stockholm-Bromma airport. So, we’ll leave the aircraft for major repairs and find something faster for the next flight to Ukraine. Why not an F-14 Tomcat? It is not in military service anymore and thus its presence in the air should not worry too much.
P.S. This story is based on a real even that happened in Quebec several years ago. An acquaintance of mine (Paul B.) was scheduled to fly from the Val-d’Or airport (CYVO) to Rouyn-Noranda (CYUY) in a light twin-engine aircraft that hadn’t flown in a long time. Halfway between CYVO and CYUY, the first engine failed. The pilot decided to continue. With the runway in sight in the distance, the second engine stopped. The pilot hovered the aircraft and managed to land on route 117, just behind a large truck which accelerated to give way to the aircraft he could see descending in his rear-view mirror. The aircraft landed safely and without damages!
