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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Photography in the Jacques-Cartier national park.

First accumulation of snow and ice of the river. Jacques-Cartier national park, Québec 2023.
First accumulation of snow and ice of the river. Jacques-Cartier national park, Québec 2023.
Jacques-Cartier National Park during a light snow shower, Québec 2023.
Jacques-Cartier National Park during a light snow shower, Québec 2023.

Every week brings a slight change in the vegetation and snow cover of Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier. Earlier this week, I was there as a light snow fell on the region. The ice doesn’t yet completely cover the river, but you can see in the first photo that it now surrounds the rocks in the middle of the stream.

Click on the link for other pictures of the province of Quebec on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

November in the parc national de la Jacques-Cartier.

Parc national de la rivière Jacques-Cartier, province of Quebec 2023
Parc national de la rivière Jacques-Cartier, province of Quebec 2023

In November, in downtown Quebec City, green still predominates on the grounds of properties, even if the trees have lost their leaves. But a short twenty-minute excursion north to the Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier reveals the arrival of winter.

Jacques-Cartier river, November 2023.
Jacques-Cartier river, November 2023.

Fifteen centimetres of snow already cover the ground and, after kilometer 10 in the park, the road becomes inaccessible to cars. At the main kiosk, there’s a large parking area for those wishing to continue on foot along the surrounding trails. You’ll come away more relaxed, and with a few photos.

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

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Photos of Quebec

A Storm on Île d’Orléans.

Sea kayaks at Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île d'Orléans 2023
Sea kayaks at Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île d’Orléans 2023

Unstable weather presents two advantages for a photographer on the Île d’Orléans. Firstly, the fear of rain means that visitor numbers are greatly reduced. In fact, most of the people who come to the island are interested in the outdoor activities on offer, such as fruit picking, cycling or sea kayaking. So, we’ve got the road all to ourselves to stop whenever we feel like it!

Île d'Orléans before the storm, July 2023.
Île d’Orléans before the storm, July 2023.

Secondly, unstable weather means the possibility of thunderstorms, with all their interesting cloud formations. It is therefore essential to check the radar and weather forecasts before setting off for the island.

The two photos above were taken with a Canon 5DSr full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM ultra wide zoom lens.

Click on the link for more summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The end of Fall in Quebec City

End of Fall forest in Québec City
End of Fall forest in Québec City

There are only a few leaves left in the trees of this clearing in Quebec City, but the scene retains all its charm. The broken tree cuts the landscape diagonally and guides the eye to the center of the photo where a small pond reflects part of the blue sky.

For me, this peaceful place represents the opposite of what we keep seeing as a standardized representation of autumn, without losing interest.

Click on the link for more pictures of Quebec City in autumn on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Quebec landscape in autumn

Autumn colours on Île d'Orléans
Autumn colours on Île d’Orléans

The fall colors are particularly intense in Quebec towards the end of the first week of October. Rather than sticking to pure landscape photography by framing only the trees and mountains, one can choose to include in the foreground the result of the work of one or more people. Far from distracting, the addition of people or objects related to everyday activities often increases the interest of a photo.

In the photo above, an apple grower from Île d’Orléans is spreading out his harvest.

Click on the link for more fall photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Cycling around L’Îsle-aux-Coudres

Bank of St-Joseph-de-la-Rive in Québec in 2021.
Bank of St-Joseph-de-la-Rive in Québec in 2021.

Cycling around L’Îsle-aux-Coudres is a good exercise and even a photography project for landscape photography enthusiasts. The following information will therefore help you both for the exercise and for planning a photography trip …

The ferry is taken at St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, just down the Côte des Éboulements. Transportation is free, but make sure you’re in the queue thirty minutes before departure: if you make it at the last minute, you’ll have to take the next ferry, an hour later. The trip only takes about 15 minutes to L’Îsle-aux-Coudres.

Once you have reached the island with the car, you drive up the hill (no other choice) to the first intersection and you immediately see a church on the left: this is where motorists carrying bicycles park, free of charge.

Man relaxing at L'Isle-aux-Coudres in 2021.
Man relaxing at L’Isle-aux-Coudres in 2021.

Cycling around L’Îsle-aux-Coudres is not really difficult, as the distance to be covered is only 23 kilometers. There are only a few hills to climb and they can be walked up alongside the bike if the challenge is too great. Along the route you will find rest stops, small craft shops and a few restaurants.

Bank of L'Îsle-aux-Coudres 2021.
Bank of L’Îsle-aux-Coudres 2021.

Driving around the island in the low season is ideal if you don’t enjoy driving in the presence of too many cars. I was there in September and really wasn’t bothered by traffic. The photo above shows the view in the fall, from the south side of the island. For several kilometers, the cyclist enjoys a perfect view of the St. Lawrence River and the road is directly on the edge of the banks.

The Îsle-aux-Coudres region in 2021.
The Îsle-aux-Coudres region in 2021.

There are some beautiful views along the way. Above, a view of the distant mountains that lie on the north shore of the St. Lawrence.

The MSC Annick vessel in front of l'Îsle-aux-Coudres in 2021.
The MSC Annick vessel in front of l’Îsle-aux-Coudres in 2021.

Wind is the main factor to consider when traveling around the island. In the photo above, the wind is strong enough for the smoke from the MSC Annick ship’s chimney to flow in the same direction as the boat, rather than gradually drifting astern.

This means that on days with high winds, there is a side of the island where you will have to put more effort as a cyclist, but you will then be rewarded with a good tail wind in the second portion of the journey.

Effect of the wind on the cirrus clouds over Baie St-Paul in 2021.
Effect of the wind on the cirrus clouds over Baie St-Paul in 2021.

One last photo taken on the return trip by ferry. Strong winds aloft visibly have an effect on cloud structure.

Have a good ride, and possibly a good photo shoot!

For other pictures of the province of Québec on my site: Québec, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in autumn, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in spring, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in summer, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in winter.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Unusual cirrus cloud near Saint-Léon-de-Standon.

Unusual cirrus cloud in an autumn landscape near Saint-Léon-de-Standon.
Unusual cirrus cloud in an autumn landscape near Saint-Léon-de-Standon.

The photo above was taken in the vicinity of Saint-Léon-de-Standon, in the province of Quebec, in the fall of 2021.

I often stop to photograph the beautiful automn colors, but this time the scene had an added interest: a semi-circular cirrus cloud to be included in the photographic composition.

Of all the cirriform clouds in the region that day, this one stood out in a remarkable way. It was the first time that I could observe this high-altitude cloud with such a peculiar shape. All you had to do was position yourself correctly so that the cloud was above the house in the photo …

For other pictures of the province of Québec on my site: Québec, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in autumn, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in spring, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in summer, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in winter.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Semi-trailer truck and autumn landscape

Route 175 in the province of Québec in 2021
Route 175 in the province of Québec in 2021

The above photo was taken while returning from a photography session in the Jacques-Cartier National Park on Route 175, near Quebec City. The rapid drop in temperatures in the early evening allowed the rapid formation of low clouds in the valley. The autumn colors and the effects of the setting sun on the clouds help bring the landscape to life. Landscape photography is often the result of careful planning; but one should not overlook unforeseen opportunities, as is the case here.

Route 175 is heavily used by semi-trailer trucks for trips between Québec and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. So I waited a bit for an eighteen wheeler to get close enough to include it in the photo.

For other pictures of the province of Québec on my site: Québec, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in autumn, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in spring, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in summer, Québec City and Île d’Orléans in winter.

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Photos of Canada

A view of mount robson

A view of Mount Robson in 2014
A view of Mount Robson in 2014

A view of Mount Robson in 2014 on our way to southern British Columbia, bound for Kamloops. We were fortunate to see enough of Mount Robson as there are more and more forest fires in the summer in western Canada and visibility is often reduced.

Click on the link for other pictures of Canada on my blog.

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Photos of Quebec

On The Road (3)

Province of Quebec landscape in Autumn.
Province of Quebec landscape in Autumn.

On the road in Chaudière-Appalaches, a beautiful region in the province of Quebec, I saw an interesting landscape in my rearview mirror. This was the perfect start for autumn photography.

Rather than getting out of the vehicle to capture the scene and its autumn colors, it seemed to me that a modified « frame in the frame » technique could be applied very well to capture most of this bucolic landscape.

In order for the photo to be sufficiently in focus, it is necessary to stop the engine. Otherwise, the minute vibrations are transmitted to the rearview mirror, making it impossible to obtain a correct focus, even when using the manual mode.

The photographic composition is determined in the rearview mirror by a zigzagging path through houses and forests. The leaves are starting to change color and the buildings in the foreground as well as the shades of green in the fields help bring the scene to life.