While visiting Old Quebec, I took the opportunity to practice my night photography. The photo above shows some Christmas decorations at the intersection of Saint-Paul Street and Saint-Pierre Street. This is HDR photography, as I stacked five photos of 50.6 megapixels each.
Christmas decorations on rue Saint-Pierre in Old Quebec
For the photo above, I am a little cramped in the old Rue Saint-Pierre. It was only with the help of a Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L USM super wide-angle lens mounted on a tripod that I was able to take this shot. There is only one shot, because the HDR effect would not produce anything interesting, accumulating the lights on the illuminated sign to such an extent that everything would become diffuse.
The format is not standard, but that only matters to photographers who are unable to break free from the theoretical rules of photography.
On a beautiful day in December 2025, I spent a few hours in Old Quebec and its surroundings to take some pictures on the eve of the holidays.
Two pedestrians in Old Quebec during winter 2025.
At this time of year, the German market in Quebec City attracts residents from neighboring towns and tourists alike. Today, it’s -10°C and very windy, but people are still out and about.
Since photography requires the use of a tripod and often involves standing still, the priority is to dress as warmly as possible.
A stand in the Quebec German market in Old Quebec 2025
I challenged myself to work only with a 300mm telephoto lens for part of the evening, in order to isolate scenes that my eye would not automatically see. This method sometimes leads to beautiful visual discoveries, such as the close-up of the kiosk above.
The Christmas German market of Quebec City and the Glühwein Bar 2025
In contrast to the previous photo, the above result cannot be achieved without the help of a wide-angle lens. A cell phone solved the problem of low light and captured this winter scene from the German market. It even allowed the “Glühwein Bar” to be included in the shot.
This year, the Alsace pavilion at the German market is still offering hot food and drinks, but like many businesses, it is ignoring official inflation and significantly exceeding it. Be sure to read the menu and associated costs carefully before ordering, or you may be in for a big surprise.
The Grande-Allée and some Christmas decorations in Quebec City 2025.
A final nighttime photograph shows a small section of Grande-Allée with some Christmas decorations, with the Le Concorde hotel highlighted in blue in the background. This part of Quebec City has received a lot of attention from retailers.
I will explore the city again in a few days to bring back more memories of this Christmas atmosphere before it’s too late.
