Tag: compressed perspective

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Transat Québec St-Malo 2024 and cruise ships.

Sailboat and cruise ship Volendam on the St.Lawrence Seaway near Île d'Orléans during the Transat Québec St-Malo 2024.
Sailboat and cruise ship Volendam on the St.Lawrence Seaway near Île d’Orléans during the Transat Québec St-Malo 2024.

Marine traffic off Quebec City was blocked in anticipation of the departure of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo 2024. As soon as the sailboats got a head start, cargo and cruise ships summarized their operations on the St. Lawrence River. Pictured above is the Volendam rounding Île d’Orléans near Quebec City. It is heading for Charlottetown, capital of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Its captain appears to put a little pressure on the captain of the sailing vessel ahead, but this is in fact an optical illusion caused by compressed perspective. In fact, I took the photo when the ship was still a long way off. I brought the subject closer using a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM lens, followed by a major crop from a 50.6 megapixel photo.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer, as well as photos of the province of Quebec on my blog.

Categories
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.

Categories
Photos of Europe

Europe in photos: England’s London Eye

Photos of England: a London view from the London Eye in 2015
Photos of England: a London view from the London Eye in 2015

England’s London Eye was initially a Ferris wheel that was to be dismantled after only five years. But this touristic attraction has rapidly become very popular and has been attracting tens of millions of tourists since its installation alongside the Thames in 2000. The London Eye can accomodate approximately twenty-five people in each of its thirty-two capsules, which brings the total to about height hundred visitors on every ride during the peak season.

A complete rotation lasts about thirty minutes and allows everybody to get a superb view of London. There is really no feeling of movement once you’re on board due to the relatively low speed of the rotation. As an attraction to present the city and provide visitors with an excellent point of view to take pictures, there is nothing better!

Photos of England: inside one of the London Eye's capsule in 2015
Photos of England: inside one of the London Eye’s capsule in 2015

With regards to photography, it is obvious that a wide-angle lens is ideal to capture London from the London Eye’s capsule. The two photos above have been taken with a Canon 5D MKII camera using a Canon 14mm 2.8L fixed lens.

I also attempted another photo of that famous touristic attraction by positioning myself under the trees alongside the Thames, on a rainy day.

Photos of England: a London Eye view from the Thames, during a rainy day in 2015.
Photos of England: a London Eye view from the Thames, during a rainy day in 2015.

Luck struck when I saw a Cathay Pacific Cargo Boeing B-747 approaching the London Heathrow international airport as I was looking at the sky near the London Eye to find an interesting shot. I just had to wait for the aircraft to get closer to the wheel in order to try a shot.

Photos of England: the London Eye and a Cathay Pacific Cargo B-747 in 2015
Photos of England: the London Eye and a Cathay Pacific Cargo B-747 in 2015

Finally, using compressed perspective provided by a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM lens, as well as an image editing software to retouch my photo, it was possible to tightly regroup the capsules and to produce a photo allowing the presentation of the London Eye under a different angle.

Photos of England: the London Eye in 2015
Photos of England: the London Eye in 2015

Other pictures of England and Europe in general will regularly be posted during the next few months. Have a good visit!

Categories
Photography Ship photography

Ship photography: Yilmar’s YM Saturn approaching Quebec in 2014

Ship photography: the YM Saturn, owned by Yilmar, is approaching Quebec City in 2014
Ship photography: the YM Saturn, owned by Yilmar, is approaching Quebec City in 2014

The YM Saturn is a merchant navy ship carrying chemical products. The owner is Yilmar Shipping and Trading, from Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in 2007 and uses the Malt flag throughout its international trips. You can see it here, approaching Quebec City, in 2014. In the background, the Île d’Orléans bridge is visible.

In order to frame the vessel differently during its approach toward Quebec City, I positioned myself at the corner of Buade Street, in Old Quebec. The street and surroundings trees and branches offered a natural frame in which it became possible to position the ship. Weather conditions were constantly changing, with rain showers that allowed to get a more lively street. The ship was far away, but the compressed perspective effect created by a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 coupled with a 2X extender gives a feeling of proximity.

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

Ship photography

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec Ship photography

Port of Quebec During Spring 2015

Busy morning in Bassin Louise, Quebec City, 2015
Busy morning in Bassin Louise, Quebec City, 2015

In order to give an impression of a very busy day in the Port of Quebec, during Spring 2015, I used a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM. A zoom is very useful to achieve some special effect in photography.

The apparent chaos in the photo is created by numerous details: first of all, the viewer has to read numerous words that have very different impacts on him: POLICE, CANADA, OCEAN, Sécurité Maritime, Maritime Security, GRC, RCMP, MEGA, Sea Tel, and part of the word Coast.

Secondly, there are numerous vertical lines of all sizes that interfere with multiple horizontal lines. The BUNGE silos, in the background, are themselves vertical lines, but much larger than the others.

The compressed perspective obtained through the use of a zoom gives the viewer a feeling that all the objects are close to each other. We are left wondering how the captain can manoeuver his boat with such little space available.

What is really happening in the scene: it is a very quiet day, where almost everything is immobile. There is only one boat that has started to move and the captain has all the space needed to leave the Bassin Louise and head toward the St-Lawrence Seaway without being concerned with any serious obstacle.

For other boat or ship photos posted on my website, click on the following link:

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