Tag: Canon 5DSR

Categories
Ship photography

The Harlequin near Lévis and heading to Rouen, France

The Harlequin in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, 2017.
The Harlequin in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, 2017.

The picture above shows the Harlequin, a bulk carrier built in 2012 that has a 9.7 meter draught. It sails under the Cyprus convenience flag. On June 18th 2017, when the photo was taken, it was in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, Quebec, and was about to cross the Atlantic heading to Rouen, France. The Jean Gaulin refinery is Quebec’s largest refinery and ranks second in Canada when it comes to refining crude oil.

The photo was taken at 21:07, just before nightime. Since I was positioned on the highest floor of the Quai des Cageux wooden tower, there were constant vibrations associated with people going up and down the stairs. The tower’s movement combined with a moving vessel made the use of of tripod totally useless. It was thus necessary to make a handheld photo, which seriously increased the risk of a blurred picture considering the lack of light.

A Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM fixed lens installed on a Canon 5DSR full frame camera helped to make a successful shot. The fact that this kind of lens requires very little light increases the photographer’s margin of manoeuver. It would obviously have been possible to increase the ISO to 6000 and more to compensate for the poor lighting, but that would have degraded the photo’s quality. The ISO was thus limited to 2000, with a shutter speed of 1/200 sec and a 1.6 aperture.

In order to limit the risk of a blurred picture, it was necessary to follow the movement of the ship with the camera. The closer one gets to immobilizing the ship in the viewfinder, the better the chances of a defined photo.

Since the ship was farther than it appears on the picture above, some cropping was mandatory to bring the vessel to a decent size. If the ISO had been too elevated to start with, the ensuing photographic grain would have been too big after the cropping and the quality of the picture would have suffered. With an ISO limited to 2000, the image kept a decent definition.

For other pictures of ships on my website, click on the following link : Ship photography.

Categories
Ship photography

The Chilean sailboat Esmeralda at the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City

The chilean vessel Esmeralda and its crew during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
The chilean vessel Esmeralda and its crew during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.

In July 2017, the four masted Chilean sailboat Esmeralda arrived in Quebec City for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. The arrival was quite spectacular, as the whole crew sang together for several minutes for the people standing along the pier.

In order to avoid any distraction, the full frame picture has been taken in the portrait mode and the cropping was tight enough to bring forward the crew members standing up high away on the masts.

The picture below offers another point of view of the sailboat masts but this time the importance is given to the colored chairs directly installed in water, allowing the tourists to cool down during a particularly hot summer day. The wide angle lens used for the shot was a Canon 14mm f/2.8L. Two diagonal lines created by the pool in the foreground progressively meet with each other in the distance, in front of the sailboat.

The vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
The vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.

When the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 ended, several small boats approached the Esmeralda and other sailboats to slowly travel with them from Quebec City until they cleared île d’Orléans. In the picture below, you can see the cruise ship Maasdam, which has been repositioned to a new pier in the Port of Quebec in order to accomodate the sailboats.

The ship Maasdam and the vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
The ship Maasdam and the vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.

In the picture below, the sailboat Esmeralda his heading towards the north of île d’Orléans as the final parade is completed. On the left, you can see the Château Frontenac and, directly behind, the Hotel Le Concorde Québec, with in its upper ring a revolving restaurant offering a superb view of Quebec City. The hand held photo was taken from île d’Orléans with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. This lens is equipped with an integrated stabilizer.

It would nonetheless have been quite difficult to succeed with such an important cropping without the performance of the 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor used in the Canon 5DSR. Considering the great distance over water that is present between the camera and the sailboat, it is possible that you notice a mirage effect, even with the small picture presented here.

The vessel Esmeralda in Quebec City during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background, the Château Frontenac and the hotel Le Concorde.
The vessel Esmeralda in Quebec City during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background, the Château Frontenac and the hotel Le Concorde.

I thought the crew would use all of the sailboat’s sails once passed île d’Orléans, but it was not the case. The picture below was taken from the top of a wooden tower installed at the north east extremity of île d’Orléans, while the Esmeralda is still navigating using its engine.

Even without the sails, the photographic composition benefited from a yellow field, a merchant ship and a lively horizon line showing the Appalachian mountains. No tripods were used for the shot as the wooden tower was constantly moving. The telephoto lens used was a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and a slight cropping was necessary.

An approximative rule of thirds is behind the composition of the photo : you can imagine three fictive horizontal lines dividing the frame. The sailboat also finds itself on one of the rule of thirds vertical line on the right.

The vessel Esmeralda, from Chile, sailing on the St. Lawrence Seaway after its departure from the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec.
The vessel Esmeralda, from Chile, sailing on the St. Lawrence Seaway after its departure from the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec.

For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.

Categories
Ship photography

The vessels Europa and Impossible Dream in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017

The catamaran Impossible Dream and the vessel Europa arrive in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017
The catamaran Impossible Dream and the vessel Europa arrive in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017

The picture above shows the catamaran « Impossible Dream » and the three masted vessel Europa arriving in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017.

The Impossible Dream is a catamaran built in 2002 and designed to travel on the ocean. Its mission, as stated on the website Impossible Dream, is “to bring disabled and nondisabled people together in productive, collaborative endeavors ».

The three masted vessel Europa arrives in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017
The three masted vessel Europa arrives in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017

The Europa is sailing under the Netherlands flag. The crew was nice enough to use all the ship’s sails, even while the wind were not really favorable. That pleased the crowd and helped to achieve even better pictures. Since it was only 10h30 AM, the sails were lighted at an angle by the sun, which produced a more lively effect.

I elected to keep the small canoe and its passengers, at the right of the picture, in order to give an idea of the Europa’s scale.

The pictures were taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.

For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.

Categories
Ship photography

The schooner Oosterschelde arriving in Quebec in 2017

The schooner Oosterschelde arrives in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017
The schooner Oosterschelde arrives in Quebec for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017

The picture above shows the tree-masted schooner Oosterschelde, from Netherlands, arriving in Quebec in the morning of July 18th 2017, during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background is the city of Lévis.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.

For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The Quebec Summer Festival and Metallica

Quebec Summer Festival 2017
Quebec Summer Festival 2017

On the picture above, there is a sign indicating that the Quebec Summer Festival does not garantee an access to any sites. Under normal circumstances, this makes sense.

Part of the crowd waiting to enter the site for the Metallica show at the Quebec Summer Festival in 2017
Part of the crowd waiting to enter the site for the Metallica show at the Quebec Summer Festival in 2017

But to say such a thing to the crowd who came to see Metallica would have been quite a challenge : « Ladies and gentlemen, as the person in charge of the Quebec Summer Festival, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you that the ticket you bought does not garantee an access to any specific site. A sign has been posted to that effect and the people at the beginning of the waiting line for the Metallica show can actually read it. Today happens to be such a day where you do not have access to the site. But there are other shows in town, so have a good festival and have fun! »

But all went well and the Metallica show, as well as the other shows presented at the Quebec Summer Festival were a success in 2017.

On a more technical side, the full-frame camera used to take the huge crowd was a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. The top of the St.Louis Gate, on Grande-Allée, was the perfect place to capture all those people waiting for Metallica.

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos
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
Street photography

Each one in his own bubble in Willows Beach Park

Each one in his own bubble in the Willows Beach Park, Oak Bay, Victoria
Each one in his own bubble in the Willows Beach Park, Oak Bay, Victoria

In the foreground sits a man in the Willows Beach Park of Oak Bay in Victoria, British Columbia. He is totally in his bubble, absorbed by his book. I have been looking at him for few minutes wondering how I should position myself in order to get an interesting picture.

Suddenly, a bubble, very real this time, appears in the viewfinder of the camera. The bubble is moving, thanks to the efforts of a child that is walking inside of it. An adult is monitoring to situation to prevent accidents.

Street photography sometimes requires luck. For every successful photo, many opportunities are missed. The fraction of a second offered to a photographer to capture an unusual scene always imposes to have the camera settings already set for the ambient light and the expected use.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera.

For other street photography pictures:

Street photography

Categories
Photography

The White Birch Paper’s Stadacona installations in Quebec City

White Birch Papers in Quebec City, June 17 2017
White Birch Papers in Quebec City, June 17 2017

The picture above, that shows the activities of the White Birch Paper company in Quebec City, was taken on June 2017 from a moving car on a highway heading to Quebec City’s east side.

The shot was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera at 19:33 when the light was quite weak. There was also a bit of mist and an overcast sky at the time of the picture.

In order to compensate for the lack of adequate light, and also for the fact that the camera was moving, it was necessary to use a lens requiring very little light. That prevented from setting too high of an ISO (only 2500). The shutter speed was set to 1/1250 sec. The perfect lens for this picture was the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.

Some cropping had to be done to recenter the main subject according to the rule-of-thirds.

Finally, an image editing software helped increase the cloud and smoke effects around the two chimneys.

Click on the link for more photos of Québec and île d’Orléans in summer on my blog.

Categories
Ship photography

Ship photography: the Havelstern between Quebec City and Lévis

The Havelstern is a chemical tanker sailing under Canadian flag which was built in 1994. Its draught is of 8.5 meters. It is photographed here on June 3rd 2017 in front of Quebec City, with Lévis in the background, heading to Point Tupper in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Havelstern between Quebec City and Lévis on June 3rd 2017
The Havelstern between Quebec City and Lévis on June 3rd 2017

Several vessels are visible in the picture above. In the foreground, it is possible to see the two chimneys of the Louis Joliet, a boat essentially used for tourist excursions. Then there is one of the two ferries constantly traveling between the south and north shore of St. Lawrence Seaway between Lévis and Quebec City.

The small boat riding by the Havelstern is used to carry one of the St. Lawrence Seaway pilots. A pilot who masters the navigation specifications on this part of the seaway boards the ship and takes control until he can transfer the control to another pilot farther down the seaway ( Pilotes du St-Laurent ). In the background is the second ferry used to carry passengers and cars from one shore to the other.

The full-frame camera used to take the pictures was a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. With a 5.0 aperture and the ISO set at 200, the shutter speed allowed was 1/1000 sec.

The Havelstern ship and île d'Orléans in the background, June 2017
The Havelstern ship and île d’Orléans in the background, June 2017

While the tourists are having fun in Quebec City, the picture above shows the Havelstern heading to Île d’Orléans in a rain shower.

The picture below represents the Havelstern making a wide turn to navigate around the southern portion of Île d’Orléans. The ship was quite far away and some serious cropping would have to be done in order to enlarge the image. In order to get a picture that would not be blurred, I had to increase the shutter speed a bit.

The Havelstern ship is approaching Île d'Orléans in June 2017, heading to Point Tupper in Nova-Scotia
The Havelstern ship is approaching Île d’Orléans in June 2017, heading to Point Tupper in Nova-Scotia

The ISO was adjusted to 200 and the focal length was set to 200mm. The aperture was only 4.0, allowing a shutter speed of 1/2500 sec.

For other pictures of ships on my website, click on the following link : Ship photography.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Ship photography

The Bulk Carrier Ferbec in front of Quebec City

CSL Bulk Carrier vessel Ferbec passing by Quebec in May 2017
CSL Bulk Carrier vessel Ferbec passing by Quebec in May 2017
CSL Ferbec Bulk Carrier vessel in 2017
CSL Ferbec Bulk Carrier vessel in 2017

The picture above shows the Bulk Carrier Ferbec. It belongs to CSL (Canada Steamship Lines). It was built in 2002 and regularly travels between Sorel and the North Shore to carry ore. It is seen here in front of Quebec in May 2017, with Lévis in the background.

The picture was taken using a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM fixed lens.

Instead of taking only a picture of the vessel, I thought it would be more interesting to keep it at a distance and capture the scene when I would see, in the viewfinder of the camera, vegetation partly surrounding the ship.

Weather was quite unstable around Quebec. On the north shore, the sky was mostly covered by a thin veil of cirrus clouds while on the south shore were numerous towering cumulus with rain showers.

Since there were only thin clouds on the north shore of the seaway, a part of the sunlight directly hit the side of the ship, adding some dynamism to the scenery.

Surprisingly, there was only a very light wind directly over the seaway, which helped improve the ship’s reflection in the water. All the elements were now present to capture a souvenir shot of the Ferbec in front of Quebec City.

For other ship photos posted on my website, click on the following links:

Ship photography

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos
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

A few snow sculptures at the 2017 Quebec City Carnival

In 2017, Quebec City has opted for a decentralization of the Carnival activities which where always organized on the Plains of Abraham. Part of Grande-Allée was blocked to traffic and other activities where also held in the parc de l’Amérique-Française, the parc de la Francophonie and at Place d’Youville, in the hearth of the touristic sector.

Quebec Carnival 2017 symbols
Quebec Carnival 2017 symbols

This new formula seems to be a success, according to the number of people met during my photography sessions on the different sites. Children, as usual, were not really bothered by the cold temperature et found a way to have fun. The picture below was taken while the wind chill factor was -20C.

Child playing at the parc de l'Amérique-Française during the 2017 Quebec Carnival
Child playing at the parc de l’Amérique-Française during the 2017 Quebec Carnival

The parc de l’Amérique-Française was receiving the international snow sculpture contest. Many countries were present: Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru and the United States. Italy won the first prize with an excellence award from the Quebec Carnival, added to an award from the public and the benevolent staff. The Italian sculptors were Pietro Germano, Samuel Bonapace and Gino Casagranda. The picture below represents one Italian sculptor at work.

An Italian sculptor at work during the 2017 Quebec Carnival.
An Italian sculptor at work during the 2017 Quebec Carnival.

The second prize, with a Government of Quebec award, was offered to the team from France, who was composed of Pascal Veuillet, André Marastoni and Éric Margery. The pictures below show the work in progress and a French sculptor taking a few minutes to talk with a citizen. He does not seem too annoyed by the cold weather…

French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival
French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival
A French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival
A French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival

The  team from Canada won the third prize, with an award from Quebec City. In the team were Jessy Armand, Michel Proulx and Mathieu Béchard. The pictures below represent two of the Canadian sculptors at work.

A Quebec sculptor at work on the Canada snow sculpture during the 2017 Quebec Carnival
A Quebec sculptor at work on the Canada snow sculpture during the 2017 Quebec Carnival
French Canadian sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival
French Canadian sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival

Some sculptures had a really original look. Instead of capturing the whole creation, I decided to frame a section of one of the sculpture in order to emphasize the artwork.

Section of a snow sculpture at the 2017 Quebec Carnival.
Section of a snow sculpture at the 2017 Quebec Carnival.

All the pictures have been taken using a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM lens, with or without tripod, depending on the amount of light available. The picture above was shot using a 1.2 aperture to maximize the blurred effect in the background. It was then reworked using two different image editing softwares.

For a better idea of all the activites organized by the Quebec Carnival, head towards the following official and bilingual site: Quebec Carnival official site

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos
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