Tag: Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM

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Environment Photos of Quebec

A visit of the Léon-Provancher-Marsh.

Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024.
Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024.

Bird photography enthusiasts can explore the Léon-Provancher-Marsh   in Portneuf.

Red-winged Blackbird chasing two dragonflies.
Red-winged Blackbird chasing two dragonflies.

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
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
Female Red-winged Blackbird at the Marais-Léon-Provancher in 2024

Click on the following link for more photos of the province of Quebec on my blog.

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Ship photography

Ships passing near Quebec City.

The Solar Sally from Shandong Shipping sailing south of Île d'Orléans. Summer 2023.
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 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 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
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.
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.

Click on the link for more Summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans and for more ship photography articles and photos on my blog.

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Photos of Quebec

The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie 2024

The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie returns every year to raise funds for the Fondation du Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, which supports many causes including research into orphan diseases.

Police blocking the traffic in Sillery before the arrival of the GDPL cyclists.
Police blocking the traffic in Sillery before the arrival of the GDPL cyclists.

Cyclists pay to take part in the challenge, and the public can also make a monetary contribution to support the riders. Participants benefit from fully protected circuits where car traffic would normally cause problems. Above, police officers prohibit access to cars as cyclists arrive on Avenue des Gouverneurs in Sillery, Quebec.

Cyclists arriving in Sillery at the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie 2024.
Cyclists arriving in Sillery at the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie 2024.
Grand défi Pierre Lavoie (GDPL) 2024 cyclists on avenue des Gouverneurs in Quebec City.
Grand défi Pierre Lavoie (GDPL) 2024 cyclists on avenue des Gouverneurs in Quebec City.
The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie 2024 cyclists in the Sillery sector in Quebec City.
The Grand défi Pierre Lavoie 2024 cyclists in the Sillery sector in Quebec City.

Cyclists take it in turns to cover a series of circuits totalling 1,000 kilometers in the Quebec City region over three days. Depending on the route chosen, the difference in altitude ranges from 199 metres to almost 900 metres.

Each route starts and finishes on the Université Laval grounds in Quebec City.

The first stage of the GDPL 2024 took place on June 14. It was only a 21-kilometre warm-up circuit, and I photographed the participants as they completed their journey and headed for their base camp at Université Laval. There are just 979 kilometers to go between now and the afternoon of June 16… 

Group of cyclists in the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie (GDPL) 2024 in action at Québec.
Group of cyclists in the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie (GDPL) 2024 in action at Québec.
GDPL 2024 cyclists wearing the Montreal Canadians hockey club jersey.
GDPL 2024 cyclists wearing the Montreal Canadians hockey club jersey.

Photos were taken with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.

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

Categories
Aviation photography

The RCAF flies by Québec City

The Snowbirds passing by Québec City in June 2021.
The Snowbirds passing by Québec City in June 2021.

The Snowbirds flew over Quebec City in June 2021, followed by many other jets and canadian military transport planes and helicopters. Until the last minute, a layer of low clouds and occasional showers worried event organizers.

A ferry crosses the St.Lawrence Seaway in front of Lévis in June 2021.
A ferry crosses the St.Lawrence Seaway in front of Lévis in June 2021.

Low clouds are visible over Lévis in the picture above taken from the Dufferin terrace in Québec City. On the St. Lawrence Seaway, the ferry bound to Lévis is approaching its destination.

Three canadian CF-18 fly by Québec City in June 2021.
Three canadian CF-18 fly by Québec City in June 2021.

The CF-18s initially flew in a formation of three. For photography enthusiasts, the full frame camera used to capture those photos was a Canon 5DSr equipped with an EF 70-200mm f / 2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. For the photo above, the shutter speed was set at 1/4000 and the focal length was 200mm. Given the CF-18’s fast fly-by, I opted for the AI ​​Servo autofocus which quickly adapts to changes in the position of the objects to be photographed. Since the original image size was 50.6 megapixels, this allowed me to crop it in order to enlarge the military jets without losing quality.

Four canadian CF-18 flying by Québec City in June 2021.
Four canadian CF-18 flying by Québec City in June 2021.

Above, four CF-18s were photographed with a shutter speed of 1/5000.

The bulk carrier Spar Taurus is arriving in the Québec City harbour in June 2021.
The bulk carrier Spar Taurus is arriving in the Québec City harbour in June 2021.

Between each fly-by of the various military jets, the maritime traffic continued as usual on the St. Lawrence River. Above, the Spar Taurus vessel , a bulk carrier built in 2005 and sailing under the flag of Norway, is heading towards the port of Quebec, accompanied by two Ocean company tugs. In the background, the Île d´Orléans bridge, which will be redone in a few years.

A canadian C-17 Globemaster III flies over the Dufferin terrace in Québec City in June 2021.
A canadian C-17 Globemaster III flies over the Dufferin terrace in Québec City in June 2021.

A C-17 Globemaster III, military transport aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas, flies over the Dufferin Terrace. Canada owns five of these aircrafts.

A canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon at Québec in June 2021
A canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon at Québec in June 2021

Above, a Canadian Bell CH-146 Griffon military helicopter , slowly flies near the Château Frontenac. A soldier seated behind takes a picture of the crowd gathered on the Dufferin Terrace. To photograph a helicopter, the shutter speed must be drastically reduced, so that the movement of the blades can be observed. For the photo above, I opted for 1/250, but I could have gone down to 1/125 without too much risk of the helicopter being out of focus.

There were other aircrafts that flew over the seaway, such as the CP-140 Aurora and the Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules, but the photos were not of sufficient quality to be published on the web.

Click on the link for other pictures of Québec City in Summer on my blog.

Categories
Environment Photography

Blue Jay in Autumn in Quebec City.

Blue Jay in a Russian Mountain Ash tree.
Blue Jay in a Russian Mountain Ash tree.

The picture above, taken with a Canon 5DS R full frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens was taken in the Fall morning in Quebec City, after a night with frost. The Russian Mountain Ash berries have not yet been eaten by all kinds of birds, so we can use them for our bird photography session before it is too late.

In anticipation of the cold winter days, I designed a retractable feeder to help the family of five blue jays which lives in the neighborhood. I thought it would take several days for them to get to grips with the new system, but in less than 24 hours, they were gleefully stuffing themselves.

Blue Jay eating peanuts
Blue Jay eating peanuts

The five blue jays each have a well-defined behavior. I have one who accepts to eat peanuts in my hands, but he mistakes my fingertips for the tip of a peanut. He pulls but nothing helps : the peanut does not follow. He probably suffers from myopia…

There is another who spends his time changing his mind; he chooses a peanut, then puts it back in the pot, then chooses another. After procrastinating and swapping the peanuts multiple times, he flies away. Another is an aerobatic ace; it arrives at high speed and catches peanuts in a fraction of a second without stopping. It rarely drops it.

Hermit Thrush in a Russian Mountain Ash.
Hermit Thrush in a Russian Mountain Ash.

During this time, the Hermit Thrush in the tree continues to taste the small red berries, indifferent to the activities of the blue jays.

Click on the link for other photos of Quebec City and île d’Orléans in Autumn on my blog.

Categories
Photography

Blue Jay and Russian Mountain Ash

Blue jay and Russian Mountain Ash. Autumn 2020 in Quebec City.
Blue jay and Russian Mountain Ash. Autumn 2020 in Quebec City.

Every Autumn, a Blue Jay lands on our patio knowing he can stock up for the winter. After hearing his calls, I quickly get the peanuts and the camera.

The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS 5DS R which allows significant cropping without loss of quality. In the photo above, the branches of the Russian Mountain Ash surround the bird and provide a natural setting.

I place the peanuts in front of the tree, just to include a few small red fruits in the photographic composition.

Blue jay with a peanut in front of a Russian Mountain Ash. Quebec City 2020.
Blue jay with a peanut in front of a Russian Mountain Ash. Quebec City 2020.

Capturing the blue jay in flight is a bit more difficult, but in the digital age and with a Canon EF 70-200mm f / 2.8L IS II USM lens, photographing birds in flight is made much easier. The photo below was taken with a shutter speed of 1/8000, an aperture of 4.0, and an ISO set at 1250.

Blue Jay in flight. Quebec City 2020.
Blue Jay in flight. Quebec City 2020.

I have yet to see a Blue Jay eat the fruits of our Russian Mountain Ash. On the other hand, the ravens of the neighborhood have no problem with them.

Raven in a Russian Mountain Ash
Raven in a Russian Mountain Ash

Here is a link for more pictures of Quebec in Autumn on my website.

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Photography

Morning fishing in Ogunquit, Maine

Early morning fishing in Ogunquit, Maine.
Early morning fishing in Ogunquit, Maine.

A fisherman profits from the beautiful morning to try to catch an Atlantic Striped Bass.

Since the fisherman will be on the beach for at least an hour, I have enough time to install a tripod on the beach and use the telephoto lens to bring in the man artificially. It is worth waiting for a few seagulls to fly nearby; this always add a bit of life to the scenery.

The compressed perspective offered by a telephoto lens and the significant cropping allow to increase the presence of the houses on the Ogunquit and Wells beaches, in United States.

Ogunquit fisherman with Atlantic Striped Bass web
Ogunquit fisherman with Atlantic Striped Bass web

The Atlantic Striped Bass can grow up to 1.5 meter  (5 feet) in length and weight up to 35 kg (77 pounds). Fishing laws are different for each State. I believe that in Maine, a fisherman cannot keep a fish that is less than 71 cm  (28 inches) in length.

Although I am quite far away from the fisherman, he has nonetheless noticed me. He turns around and proudly shows the Striped Bass that he just caught. A few seconds later, he puts the fish back in the water, knowing that the fish is still too small to be kept.

Click on the link for other photos of the United States on my blog.

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Photos of Canada

The Lake Agnes Tea House, in Alberta.

A view of the Lake Agnes Tea House, Alberta 2018.
A view of the Lake Agnes Tea House, Alberta 2018.

The Lake Agnes Tea House can be reached by a very well maintained 3.5 km pathway that starts outside the Château Lake Louise. The climb is only 400 meters (1300 feet). Lake Agnes is located at an altitude of 2134 meters. From there, it is possible to continue the ascent up to the Big Beehive, which tops at 2270 meters.

No road allows an access by car to the Lake Agnes Tea House. This means that a part of the products needed for the tea house have to be brought up by foot by employees. The garbage is disposed in the same way, when employees go down the mountain. Customers can help by bringing down a little bag of garbage when they are ready to head back to their hotel. That eases the employee’s task. The tea house menu offers only a few choices, since there is no electricity. But the experience is always interesting.

The picture above was taken during summer 2018 with a Canon 5DSR camera equipped with a Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. The focal length was adjusted to 200mm and the ISO to 2500 for this photo taken with a hand held camera.

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

Other Provinces and Territories of Canada Photos
Province of Quebec Photos
Categories
Photos of Canada Ship photography

The MV Golden Princess in the Vancouver Harbour.

The Golden Princess cruise ship in the Vancouver Harbour in 2018.
The Golden Princess cruise ship in the Vancouver Harbour in 2018.

The cruise ship Golden Princess  leaves the Vancouver Harbour while, in the background, a few rain showers help making the scenery even more interesting. The MV Golden Princess can carry 2592 passengers. It was built in Italy by the Fincantieri shipbuilding company.

I took the picture from the balcony of a condo tower’s thirty second floor with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon 70-200m f2.8L IS II USM. The focal length was adjusted to 200mm but, as I was really far away, it was necessary to seriously crop the picture in order to enlarge the cruise ship even more.

For more ship photos, click on the following link of my blog:

Ship photography