Tag: full frame camera

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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.

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Street photography

Street photography in Paris

Street photography in Paris, France.
Street photography in Paris, France.

This street photography shot, taken in Paris with a Canon 5D MKII full-frame camera, works better in the French language since the word « occupé » placed on the banner plays a crucial role. In French, “occupé” can mean that there is a labour unrest and that the activity of a company is being disturbed by its employees. “Occupé” can also mean “busy”. This street photography shot uses both meanings.

In the background, some people are removing the stickers that have been placed on the wall of a store representing an international company. One can see the word “occupé” written on a banner, which here means “labour unrest”. In the mid-plane, everyone is in movement. Each person is looking somewhere except toward the foreground where a beggar without legs waits for donations.

Three levels of wealth are represented in the picture. There is the fortune associated with the owner of a very well-known international company (the name is mostly hidden for legal reasons), there is the standard financial situation associated with the citizens in the mid-plane and there is the beggar’s financial situation.

I wanted to include the word “occupé” (busy) in the photo in order to express something else: people who are walking and who seem to benefit from an acceptable financial situation do not have any time for the man who cannot walk and who certainly does not benefit from an acceptable comfort. The banner announces that everyone is “occupé” (busy).

A green apple, put down on the sidewalk in front of the beggar, and a green bag behind him seem to summarize the belongings of the disabled beggar.

For other street photography pictures posted on my site, click on the following link:

Street photography

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Night photography of Quebec City

Quebec City Summer 2014
Quebec City Summer 2014

Here is a night picture that speaks volume about the ambiance that generally prevails in Quebec City. Wherever he walks, the photographer will notice citizen and tourists admiring the town.

The photo was captured with a Canon 5D MKII full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 fixed lens. This kind of maximal aperture allows to take pictures at this time of the day without the need of a tripod and without grossly increasing the ISO, thus protecting the picture’s quality. The use of a tripod is always giving better results, but for the occasions where the photographer does not have one with him, the maximal aperture of 1.4 (or even better 1.2 for the lucky ones) can save the day.

The stars surrounding the city lights do not result from using a special photography equipment. Instead, they are produced by the multiple elements present in the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 fixed lens. Since every lenses available on the market are not of equal quality, some lenses naturally offer a much nicer bokeh than others.

It is quite difficult to obtain something else than human silhouettes when the light is so weak. The lower third of the image also proves to be a problem for the camera, as the luminosity created by the streetlights is much more intense. Nonetheless, it was not too difficult to correct the contrasts using an image editing software, since the photo was taken using RAW files.

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
Categories
Photos of Canada Ship photography

Merchant navy vessels in the Juan de Fuca Strait in British Columbia

Merchant navy vessel in the Juan de Fuca Strait near Victoria (2016)
Merchant navy vessel in the Juan de Fuca Strait near Victoria (2016)

Photographers know that the most interesting hours of the day are either early in the morning or late at night, but before nighttime. These periods are ideal for subtle colors and very atmospheric shots.

The Vancouver Island coast offers absolutely everything to attract many categories of photographers: the wildlife, the mist over water bodies in the morning or late at night and the mountains that are visible almost everywhere.

Travelling through British Columbia, I noticed the great number of merchant navy vessels passing through the Juan de Fuca Strait. But to try to photograph them during daytime would only have given average pictures. Waking up early to get the right picture is never easy, but it always gives interesting results.

The only problem with regards to ship photography is that the latter often navigate quite far from the photographer, thus becoming tiny uninteresting dots on a picture. However, the Canon 5DSR camera and its 50.6 megapixels full-frame sensor solve that problem: new experiments are then possible
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The scenery above was shot from a beach in Victoria, very early in the morning. It was mandatory to ensure of the total immobility of the camera since some serious cropping would be needed later on in order to significantly enlarge the ship. The slightest vibration would have been amplified through enlargment and the picture would have been useless.

Here is the method that was used: the ISO was set on 250, the tripod planted on the beach (but not in the soft sand part where the tripod could have moved a little during the photo session). Moreover, the remote trigger was used, as well as the mirror lock-up function. In order to achieve an optimal focus, the latter was done manually using Liveview with a 16X enlargment.

A Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens was installed on the camera, with a 200mm focal setting. A ND graduated filter was installed to compensate for the rising sun’s brighter light behind the mountains. Being early on the beach also allowed for a minimal wind speed, limiting even more any tripod vibrations. I tried several shots and decided to keep the one with a bird in the scenery, so as to add a touch of life to the scenery.

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

Ship photography

For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Night photography: the Quebec City German Christmas market

German Christmas market stands in Quebec City (2016)
German Christmas market stands in Quebec City (2016)

The German Christmas market is back again this year in Quebec City, for the ninth consecutive year. The market is located near the City Hall and the activity is an initiative of the German community of Quebec. European German Christmas markets have existed for centuries and have kept virtually the same formula throughout the years.

Amateur of delicacies and handicrafts always find something interesting when stopping by the sixty little wooden houses located in the City Hall’s gardens.

German Christmas market in Quebec City (2016)
German Christmas market in Quebec City (2016)

My family and I always stop for an evening meal at the heated chalet where we find an excellent white beer and many choices of meals. The site is ideal for photography enthousiasts and the thousands of multicolored lights add a very special atmosphere. If you visit the market when there is a snow shower, this will add even more interest to your pictures.

The photos shown here have been taken with a Canon 5DSR  full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM fixed lens, which allowed me to walk around the site without carrying a tripod.

German market at Christmas in Quebec City (2016)
German market at Christmas in Quebec City (2016)

I would like to offer my condolances to the German people with regards to the terrible challenge they went through in December 2016 when many citizens visiting the Berlin Christmas market were killed or hurt by a madman from Daesh.

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
Aviation photography

Aviation photography: the Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane

An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver
An Harbour Air DHC-2 Beaver floatplane is just airborne from Vancouver

The photo above portrays a Beaver floatplane belonging to Harbour Air. It is seen here a few minutes after its take-off from the Vancouver Harbour floatplane base in British Columbia. The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens.

The aircraft, quite small in the photo, could have been enlarged using the Canon 5DSR’ s 50 megapixel full-frame sensor. The image would still have been of excellent quality but I would have lost the effect I was initially looking for.

As opposed to what seems obvious at first sight, the scenery was not captured sitting in another plane but from the ground, while I was standing near the Harbour Air seaplane base. The morning’s constant precipitation saturated the air with moisture and helped create a low level cloud base.

An image editing software was then used to crop the scene. I used a non standard photo format to show the kind of flight the pilot was dealing with, between two cloud layers and with a mountain range on his right. It seems to me that a photographer does not have to feel obliged to follow an arbitrary format if the latter has a negative impact on the intended result.

Cliquez sur le lien pour d’autres photos d’avions sur mon blogue.

Categories
Photos of Canada

Bird photography: a crow in Georgia Strait in British Columbia

A crow in flight over the Georgia Strait in British-Columbia
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

Categories
Photography Books

Photography books: “Full Frame” by David Noton

The photography book « Full Frame », by David Noton, was written in 2010 but the content is still totally pertinent today. It’s possibly the best photography book I’ve ever read. The images are fantastic and the text is loaded with practical and accessible information.

Photography book "Full Frame" by David Noton
Photography book “Full Frame” by David Noton

The author is known as one of the best landscape photographer in the world. Every page of his book is divided in three sections: before, during, after. This means that you read about everything that the author had to deal with as he travelled around the world with his wife to capture landscapes: the preparation, technique, priorities, obstacles, successes, etc.

All along the book, I had the feeling that a friend was writing me since the text is written with a light and humoristic approach in mind, and certainly without pretend. Here are some of his remarks and advices:

“Luck is where preparation and opportunity combine.” (p.38) This certainly applies to everything we do in life.

“Stick with the full frame quality and crop as when required, keeping all the [sensor’s megapixels] information in reserve”.

“Sometimes a new lens or format will serve as a catalyst for a whole new way of looking. It’s all part of the evolutionary process.” (p.64)

Sharpen all digital images. Pictures are made of square pixels and need microadjustments.

To choose among your interesting similar photos which one is the best, start with a very good one and compare it with each other photo, one at a time, throwing away the ones that are inferior. You will save a lot of time.

A bit of blinking in the highlights is not terrible since RAW files can easily be adjusted. Don’t forget that the camera’s monitor shows an histogram adjusted for JPEG files.

Use a grad filter to control the contrasts only, not to add mood or create an artificial contrast.

There is no need to always show the tops of mountains.

“The best pictures are the simplest. Composition is the art of knowing what to leave out.” (p.71)

“Be flexible and strive to extract the most from seemingly adverse conditions.” (p.77)

“For wide angle views on the world, a full-frame sensor is imperative.” (p.93)

Back cover of the photography book "Full Frame" by David Noton
Back cover of the photography book “Full Frame” by David Noton

“Scout the location, analyse the options in different lighting situations, previsualize the image, plan the shoot then keep returning until it’s nailed.” (p.113)

“Location finding is everything; the photography is the easy bit.” (p.125)

“Don’t be afraid of “blinkies” in the brightest part of the sky where the sun shines through […]. We don’t expect to see detail there.” (p.138)

“Using movement is an essential technique in a photographer’s repertoire.” (p.143)

“The classic, golden rule of thirds is a good starting point, but it’s only a guideline to ignore at will.” (p.149)

“A camera’s sensor is not a linear device so the right half of the histogram contains far more information than the left. Those apparently overexposed images, when processed with the brightness brought back to the desired density, will have richer tones and less noise than a frame exposed to the left.” (p.153)

“We photographers can only continue to improve if we keep pushing ourselves.” (p.187)

For more photography books, click on the following link: Other photography books

Title: Full Frame
Author: David Noton
Edition: David & Charles
ISBN-13:978-0-7153-3615-1
©2010