Tag: aperture in photography

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Photos of Quebec

Nature around Québec City

The Domaine Cataraqui early morning in fog.
The Domaine Cataraqui early morning in fog.

If you get up early enough, you can capture the morning fog. The photographic composition respects the rule of thirds, especially regarding the lone tree, my main subject. I included the picnic table to signify the presence of human activity in the vicinity. This often adds interest to a scene.

Flowers on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec City. Summer 2023
Flowers on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec City. Summer 2023

Above, I’ve captured flowers by limiting the aperture of the Canon EF 85mm f/1,2 L II USM lens. The flowerbed is on the Grey Terrace in the Parc des Champs-de-Bataille. The emphasis is on the middle row, leaving the others out of focus to create a different effect.

Picking blueberries in Saint-Nicolas.
Picking blueberries in Saint-Nicolas.

There’s no shortage of space in Quebec when it comes to picking berries. Although it doesn’t appear so in the picture, the Vire-Crêpes business had many customers on its grounds that day. But the estate covers such a large area that it offers people a fairly private zone.

Blueberries in Saint-Nicolas.
Blueberries in Saint-Nicolas.

This last photo shows a blueberry plant from Saint-Nicolas, south of Quebec City. The fruits require more time to reach full maturity, but the different colours visible at this stage of growth makes for a more interesting shot.

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

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 2022

Cyclists turning for côte Gilmour in Quebec City in 2022
Cyclists turning for côte Gilmour in Quebec City in 2022

An interesting vantage point to photograph the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is at the intersection of Grande-Allée and the avenue leading to the famous Gilmour hill. The cyclists are riding at high speed and must brake hard before making a sharp left turn to begin the descent to the portion that will take them along the St. Lawrence River. There are no obstructions for the photographer at this point.

2022 Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste
2022 Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste

To capture the effect of the cyclists’ movement, the shutter speed must not be set too fast, preferably between 1/125 and 1/160. Otherwise, everything looks immobile, even the wheel spokes.

Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste in 2022
Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste in 2022

Positioning yourself immediately after the curve allows you to capture a long line of bicycles. You can focus on the cyclists on the right in the viewfinder and leave the line of cyclists around the curve out of focus. To do this, make sure that the chosen aperture will blur the background. It is also important to follow the movement of the cyclists with the camera. If you stand still, all the riders will be out of focus, as the shutter speed is too slow for the high speed of these riders.

Cyclists racing on Grande-Allée in Quebec City 2022
Cyclists racing on Grande-Allée in Quebec City 2022

An occasional close-up obtained through cropping allows us to see details that we would otherwise miss. In the case of the photo above, it is clear that not only is the rider in the front relaxed, but he has also recently crashed, with his right arm still in recovery. Sometimes we also see the result of deformities in the knees of cyclists following numerous surgeries.

Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste 2022
Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste 2022

The cyclists want to maintain their position in this tightly packed group that must maneuver in a small space. With a telephoto lens, one can see the facial expressions change as they approach the turn for the Gilmour hill. Note the concentration on the faces of the cyclists in the foreground…

Grand Prix Cycliste in Quebec City in 2022
Grand Prix Cycliste in Quebec City in 2022

Following moving cyclists with a camera remains a difficult art to master. Several pictures are taken before a successful one is achieved. Fortunately, film photography is behind us and we don’t worry as much about missed shots. The important thing is to have fun and try to get a little better with each photo session!

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City in summer on my blog.

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Photography

Saint-Nicolas blueberries.

Blueberries and macrophotography
Blueberries and macrophotography

Saint-Nicolas is full of quality blueberry fields. While the family is having fun picking the delicious berries, I take the opportunity to do a little photography and try to create something other than a traditional photo of a blueberry plant. The right light and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro lens are a good start to maximize the chances of success.

Arriving at the time of the season when the blueberries are not all mature makes it possible to capture several colors. The next step is to choose a plant with healthy flowers and fruit, because in macro photography a damaged plant is magnified several times and the defects become distracting.

Finally, it is necessary to take several pictures with different apertures. We must find the right balance. A bush with too much detail may become conventional, while too many blurred areas lose interest because the eye does not know where and what to look at.

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City and surroundings in summer on my blog.

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Photography

A lucky American Robin.

An American Robin and its fledgling in Sillery, Quebec City.
An American Robin and its fledgling in Sillery, Quebec City.

In Quebec City, an American Robin came to make its nest near our back door. Since it had been there brooding without giving birth to anything, we were beginning to believe that the mother was sterile.

Major construction work was to begin shortly at our home and would last a few weeks. We were almost glad that no chicks were born, as this would simplify the transportation of materials.

A day before the renovations were to begin, the first chick was born. From then on, all construction workers would have to be blocked off and asked to make a detour each time they needed to take scraps out of the house or bring in new material.

All labor groups agreed to our request without a second thought. For two weeks, electricians, plumbers, floor layers, delivery people and installers of all kinds came and went, sometimes asking for updates on the condition of the mother and her chicks.

In Quebec City, three two week old American Robins.
In Quebec City, three two week old American Robins.

The photo above shows the three chicks one day before they fledge. The lack of light due to the location of the nest, as well as the desire not to disturb the fledglings, necessitated the use of a powerful telephoto lens and a camera capable of cropping without loss of quality. A full-frame camera Canon 5DSR with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto made the job easy. The ISO was set to 200 and I severely limited the depth of field to get the best possible shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

This morning, all the birds had left the nest. The parents were flying around nervously, attacking predators while the young were quickly learning to become independent. The blue jay that regularly visits us for its “dish of the day” was denied access to the backyard by both parents.

There are now three new American Robin in the area and it is almost certain that the mother will return next year to the same location, given the success this year.

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City in summer on my blog.

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Photos of Canada

Bird photography: a crow in Georgia Strait in British Columbia

A crow in flight over the Georgia Strait in British-Columbia
A crow in flight over the Georgia Strait in British-Columbia

This picture of a crow in flight over the Georgia Strait in British Columbia was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera. The aperture was set around 4.0. This allowed for a faster shutter speed. A reasonable ISO setting also kept the digital noise to a minimum.

In order to increase my chances of getting a precise photo of the crow, and to ensure that the background was blurred to limit distractions, I decided to follow as much as possible the exact speed of the bird with the camera. This is always risky as one can lose unique photo opportunities. But when it works, the picture is always interesting.

A significant cropping was then necessary to increase the size of the crow in the photo but this had no negative impact on the image’s quality since the initial ISO setting was quite low and I had access to the Canon 5DSR’s 50 megapixel full-frame sensor. Such a huge number of megapixels makes it easier when comes the time to enlarge pictures.

A bit of patience was necessary in order to capture an interesting subject but the wait was worth it. The specimen above landed about fifty feet from me on a Parksville beach. It started to look for small pieces of wood and, when satisfied of its finding, took-off for its nest.

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