Jeanne d’Arc and the snow geese. Parc Jeanne d’Arc, Quebec City, 2017.
When someone wants to do street photography, he must continually ask himself: “What don’t I see, but that is there? What do I take for granted but that would deserve a different approach?”
While I was heading to Old Quebec, I walked by the Jeanne d’Arc park. This park is known for its beautiful flowers and its huge statue of Jeanne d’Arc. But how could I get the statue without the flowers?
I was looking left and right when I finally looked straight up to see, in the background, hundreds of snow geese flying at high altitude and enroute for the Arctic. I had to very rapidly find a way to photograph the statue and the snow geese.
A few seconds later, the tip of Jeanne d’Arc’s sword was pointing towards the snow geese, making a link between the two subjects.
On a more theoretical note, an abstract diagonal line crossed the photo, starting from the front of the horse and going through the rider, the tip of the sword and following the two lines of geese, ending in the upper right corner of the picture.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.
The pictures below were taken in Vancouver and Victoria, in British Columbia. They were all taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.
In the Vancouver harbour, several condo towers have been built in the last few years. Many condos in those towers can now be rented by travellers through Airbnb, thus entering in direct competition with the hotels located nearby. I was trying to use the water reflections in the harbor to show one of the towers when this seagull appeared in the viewfinder, adding a touch of life to the scenery.
Another way of showing the Vancouver Harbour architecture (2016)
Floatplanes of all types constantly maneuver in the Vancouver harbour. The two photos below show a Saltspring Air Turbo Otter as it is being helped to park. You can also see a row of Harbour Air Beavers (DHC-2) parked after a day of uninterrupted flights.
Saltspring Air Turbo Otter C-FLAP in Vancouver Harbour 2016
Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplanes in Vancouver, British-Columbia (2016)
In the Willows Beach’s Park, in Victoria, I was able to photograph this Cooper’s Hawk using a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. The full frame sensor 50 megapixels allowed for some serious cropping to bring the bird closer. The hawk clearly annoyed all the crows that considered themselves as the owners of the territory.
Cooper’s Hawk in a Victoria’s public park (2016)
In the evening, the fishing boats come back to the Victoria Fisherman’s Wharf. Since I was standing on a moving platform, the use of a tripod would have been useless because of vibrations impossible to eliminate. The solution was to use a lens requiring little light, like the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 USM. By increasing the aperture and the ISO, the picture could be taken with a high enough shutter speed to avoid a blurred photo.
Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR.
The whimbrel is a bird that spends most of its life along the coasts of South America. It travels from Brazil to northern Canada when comes the time of nesting. It is possible to see it flying by the Atlantic provinces of Canada or by the Magdalen Islands in the province of Quebec.
The total number of whimbrels belonging to the hudsonicus species is estimated at around 58,000 and is in constant decline. During the last 40 years, the population has diminished by 80%. During their trip, the whimbrels stop an average of three weeks on the acadian peninsula to feed themselves. A study shows that 1200 were observed in 2014, 518 in 2015 and 344 in 2016. ( French text: Le courlis corlieu )
During our family holiday on the Magdalen Islands in 2017, we saw close to thirty of those birds while we were standing on a hill in Havre-aux-Maisons.
A flight of Whimbrels over the Magdalen Islands in 2017
The pictures were taken with a Canon EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens mounted on a Canon 5DSR full frame camera. The focal length was set at 200 mm and I had to adjust the ISO at 1250 in order to get a shutter speed that would prevent a blurred picture as the birds were quickly flying by. Some additional cropping was needed in order to obtain a picture that was big enough.
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
Canada Geese over the Strait of Georgia in British-Columbia, in 2016.
Night photography is not always planned and the photo above, taken late in the evening, was certainly not one I would have been able to take when I started as a photographer.
There was a superb sunset on the strait of Georgia, in British Columbia, and I had taken multiple pictures until late in the evening with my Canon 5DSR full-frame camera. The photography session was almost over.
Once I decided that it was time to pack-up for the night, I heard a flock of Canada Geese. They were flying in formation over the mountains to the west and were heading north in the darkness. In order to photograph those fast moving birds in the remaining light, drastically different settings would have to be made on the camera, and this, very rapidly.
The camera was equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens mounted on a tripod and facing west. It was on manual focus, the stabilizer was inactive and the ISO setting was very low. A ND graduated filter was already mounted on an adapter which was installed on the lens.
That meant dismantling the camera from the tripod, activating the automatic focus as well as the stabilizer, increasing the ISO, removing the ND graduated filter, limiting the aperture to insure sufficient shutter speed, composing the photo and taking few rapid shots before the geese were too far away.
Few seconds later, those birds and the landscape were becoming another souvenir of a beautiful summer holiday spent in British Columbia.
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
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.
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
Hummingbird photographed with a Canon 5DSR DSLR camera in Victoria, British-Columbia, in 2016
The 50.6 megapixels full frame sensor in the Canon 5DSR camera is of great help when comes the time for bird photography. It allows major cropping of an image without any loss in quality.
With a little patience, it was possible to take a picture of a hummingbird in a public park in Victoria, British Columbia after the bird finally rested on a branch for a few seconds. Without cropping and a powerful 500mm telephoto lens, it would have been difficult to produce a sufficiently large and clear image of a five centimeter bird.
I used a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L II USM telephoto lens. The camera was adjusted on APERTURE mode. The telephoto lens stabilizer was activated. The autofocus was set on the SERVO mode to insure the image sharpness in the event that the subject started to move.
But the hummingbird was so small that the autofocus constantly whizzed between the bird and the leaves. I had to switch to manual focus and use Liveview.
Once the picture was taken and cropping was done, few contrast and luminosity corrections were necessary in order to enhance the bird’s plumage which happened to be backlighted. RAW files facilitated the edition in Photoshop.
Likewise, the background intensity of the colours was corrected to avoid distracting from the principal subject. The initial picture, in landscape format, was later changed in the portrait format, which allowed the exclusion of several branches around the bird which were imposing and diverting attention.
Naturally, the chosen depth-of-field blurred the background, helping the hummingbird to stand-out.
A Canada goose about to take off from Oak Bay, Victoria, British-Columbia in 2014
Obviously, the Canon 5D MKII is not the ideal camera for sport photography, but it still can offer very good results with its full frame sensor. You don’t get a high number of frames per second, but you get the benefit of a bigger image than one produced with an APS-C sensor. I was thus able to capture the full take-off run of this Canada goose in Victoria, British Columbia, while leaving enough space on the right side of the frame, which was essential for a balanced photographic composition.
Deer on a private property in Uplands, Victoria, British-Columbia in 2014
Deer move freely in Victoria’s Uplands sector and you can easily find them on private property lots. Since they are so numerous and have no natural enemies, the city has imposed new regulations to control their ever growing number. The picture above was taken from my vehicle: it was only necessary to slow down and proceed quickly to capture the animal while it was looking at the car.
Heron in flight in Oak Bay, Victoria, British-Columbia 2012
There are numerous herons in Victoria’s Oak Bay sector. This picture was taken very early in the morning, while there was a mixture of mist and low clouds and the rising sun was still blocked by some low clouds. The wind was calm. A graduated filter was nonetheless necessary to tone down the contrasts caused by a horizontal light.
Fighting herons in Oak Bay, Victoria, British-Columbia in 2012
Every bird has to fight for its own territory and those two herons are no exception.
Eagle observed in the Campbell River region, British-Columbia, Canada. Summer 2012.
While taking a little scenic cruise in British-Columbia’s Campbell River area, we were able to see numerous eagles diving to catch fishes then climbing back up in high trees to deliver the catch of the day. Pictures were hard to take since the captain had to keep the boat at a good distance from the eagles to respect their hunting territory. Moreover, it was windy and the boat was constantly moving.
Two eagles near Campbell River, British-Columbia, Canada in 2012
The two pictures of eagles were taken with a Canon 5D MKII equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. An extender (2X) was also added to increase the focal distance to 400mm. Even then, I had to crop quite a lot to bring the birds to an acceptable distance, which increased the digital noise. A quality APS-C equipped camera (like the Canon 7D MKII) would have been very useful here (10 frames per second and a reduced amount of cropping, if you are ready to compromise on the size of the image).
A full frame camera like the Canon 5DSr would have also been appropriate, with its 50.6 MP resolution, as long as a high shutter speed is selected. Due to all those pixels crammed on a regular full frame sensor (not a medium format), the slightest camera movement is recorded. But if you succeed in totally freezing a long distance shot, the exceptional resolution of the Canon 5DSr would allow you to greatly increase the size of the bird while protecting the sharpness of the image, especially now that the low pass filter has been neutralized in the model R.
Chipmunk near highway 93 towards Jasper, Alberta
On the car ride between Lake Louise and Jasper, we had to stop on numerous occasions to take pictures in the fantastic Jasper National Park. At one point, a little chipmunk, familiar with rest areas, paid us a visit hoping to add something new to his diet. The picture’s depth-of-field has deliberately been adjusted to make sure the chipmunk would be easily visible, since both animal and background had the same colours.
Mountain goats in the Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada in 2014
It was hot, very hot, during summer 2014 in the Jasper National Park. The car’s thermometer was recording 38C between Lake Louise and Jasper. Numerous forest fires were raging. So much so that we had to delay our trip towards Jasper by 24 hours since Highway 93 had been closed by authorities. Mountain goats nonetheless had to endure part of their winter fur in that very high heat…
Canadian bighorns near Kamloops, Alberta, Canada in 2014
Near Kamloops, in Alberta, we were able to observe about twenty Canadian bighorns coming down from the surrounding mountains to help themselves from the cultivated lands in the valley. The picture above was taken with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens, almost without cropping, the bighorns being close enough.
Brown bear near the Yellowhead Highway, Alberta, Canada in 2014
The picture above was taken alongside the Yellowhead Highway in Alberta. We saw the bear in a field and when he detected our presence, he changed direction and started moving toward us. Here, everything is about moderation and although I love photography, comes a time when a bear is big enough in the viewfinder to indicate that it is time to retreat…
Other pictures on Western Canada will be available in the coming months…
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
You must decide the ideal combination between the following: aperture, speed and ISO. All three are interrelated and choosing one has a direct influence on the other two.
You are facing a beautiful landscape in which you want everything to be in focus: you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. Choosing aperture as the priority is a very popular choice. Let’s consider that you choose F16, which should give you a very interesting depth-of-field but will demand a lot of light. You have to compensate somewhere. If there is not much movement in the scene, and you have access to a tripod, you might decide to choose a slow speed, which allows more time for the light to enter the camera. Doing so, you won’t need to crank the ISO and you will avoid adding useless noise to your picture.
In the picture below, aperture is set at F16. The vegetation in the left corner draws the viewer’s eye toward the pedestrians, and then progressively to the quai des Cageux. We finally see the Quebec bridge, the longest cantilever bridge in the world.
Quai des Cageux, Québec 2012.
If you decide that speed is a priority, you will have to compromise ISO or aperture. ISO will have to be increased to improve light sensibility, but doing so will increase the size of the grain in the picture. Depth-of-field will have to be adjusted as well since a higher speed does not let much light enter the camera. You won’t be able to pick F16 this time. So you will eventually find that there are some out of focus areas in your picture. With a bit of practice, you can be less demanding on the speed, providing you can follow the subject with your camera (it is like if you were slowing down the subject, so less speed is required).
The picture below was a bit particular: it was taken when I was on a boat rocked by waves. The eagle was far away and was traveling in the opposite direction, thus increasing the relative speed of the subject. The Canon 5D MKII was hand held and 400mm focal was necessary. Speed was crancked at 1/1600 and the ISO required was set at 5000. Naturally, the grain in the picture being larger, slightly diminishes the quality. This was a necessary compromise if the eagle was to be taken in flight.
Eagle observed in the Campbell River region. Summer 2012.
It is getting dark and you want a photo with absolutely no noise and you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. You make no compromise and choose ISO 50. This setting requires a lot of light, because the lower the ISO, the higher the demand for light. In order to make sure that your picture will not be blurred, a tripod will be necessary, since there will be an extended exposition time. In the picture below, the shutter has been opened for ten seconds, with a 9.0 aperture, 200mm focal and 50 ISO. Only the small branches in the foreground are blurred.
Note: in general, it is better to use a tripod as often as possible, even in daylight, in order to optimize quality. Choose a heavy enough tripod to prevent vibrations under windy conditions. A light tripod is easy to carry but does not allow for acceptable pictures in adverse weather. It’s obvious that this Queen Mary II photo would not have been as precise if a light tripod had been used. In this case, it would have meant that continual vibrations would have been recorded during 10 seconds. The boat would have been totally blurred.
