The narrow, winding streets combined with the tall houses of Old Quebec are captured beautifully with the Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L USM ultra-wide-angle lens. It is the widest zoom lens Canon has ever produced.
It has the appearance of a “fisheye” lens, but it doesn’t distort vertical lines, even at 11 mm. This results in more realistic-looking buildings when that’s the desired effect.
Photography Tips
The photo above requires waiting until the end of the day for better light. Position the tripod so that it captures two alleys at the same time. The rule of thirds helps place the main building for a superior photographic composition. This rule of thirds, like other rules for that matter, is always just a suggestion.
The houses at the end of the alley on the right add colour and variety. They also create a visual barrier that draws the eye back to the foreground.
A remote shutter release connected to the camera minimizes camera shake. Five photos taken at different apertures achieve the desired HDR effect.
Of course, fleeting shadows—“ghosts” are often unavoidable in a city with many tourist attractions. This occurs when people move while the camera takes five photos spaced a few seconds apart. The Photomatix software offers the option to reduce the number of these ghosting effects, but you shouldn’t overuse this feature, as it can compromise the picture’s quality.
Verify in Photoshop or a similar digital editing software if the buildings are straight. Shooting in RAW rather than JPEG allows for additional adjustments to achieve a superior final result.
Click the link to see more photos of Quebec City on my blog.