Federal Trident sailing through the ice in front of Quebec City 2026
Days with temperatures of -25 °C and below are becoming increasingly rare in Quebec City. With the wind chill factor, the temperature today feels like -36 °C. This is a golden opportunity to try to capture the sea smoke on the St. Lawrence River.
Photography technique
Sea mist between Île d’Orléans and Quebec City, winter 2026
Night photography in these weather conditions remains difficult. The low light requires a tripod, which itself vibrates in the gusty wind. This means increasing the ISO and decreasing the depth of field to achieve a faster shutter speed, which slightly reduces image quality. In addition, using a 300 mm telephoto lens increases the risk of blurry photos. Photography is all about compromise!
Canadian Coastguard icebreaker Des Groseillers at work near Quebec City winter 2026
Above is a photo of the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Des Groseillers at work. It is not surprising to see this type of vessel in the area, as the Seaway must remain ice-free in its centre to allow ships to navigate year-round. And this year, there is ice!
Leaving Tadoussac, the road continues along the Côte-Nord (North Shore) and we pass through Forestville to reach Baie-Comeau and take the ferry to Matane, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.
We arrive in Matane at dusk, just in time to set up the camera equipment on the beach. There’s no way I can take the photo above from the ferry, because a long exposure requires absolute stillness. I want to capture this beautiful September moon rising above the houses.
I miss a few shots by relying on autofocus. I quickly change my photography technique. Liveview (Live View) mode and manual focus will improve the sharpness.
Fishing boat at dusk in Matane, Quebec 2025
The next day, a boat leaves Matane just before nightfall for a fishing expedition off the St. Lawrence River. The relative calm of the waters offers interesting reflections. The low light and distance of the boat require the use of a high-quality lens, in this case the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
On the way back from Matane to Quebec City, a stop at Bic National Park allows us to take a few photos, including this fishing boat returning to port. The sailors’ departure time varies constantly depending on the river tides.
Fishing boat in the Parc national du Bic, Québec 2025
Another location well known for its beauty is the municipality of Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer. Below, the colorful houses along the beach attract the attention of tourists and contribute to the area’s reputation. I preferred to capture an overall effect by including vegetation in the foreground. The few small low cumulus clouds also add to the dynamic of the scene.
The village of Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer and its colorful houses.
One last photo shows the sunset in Berthier-sur-Mer. This area, along with the Kamouraska and Notre-Dame-du-Portage regions, regularly offers exceptional panoramas when the sun sets. So much so that some photos can look like they’ve been retouched.
I saw reds and purples so pronounced that it became obvious that the photographer would have been accused of oversaturating his shots.
Sunset at Berthier-sur-Mer en 2024.
After an excellent meal at the beach restaurant in Berthier-sur-Mer, we finally reach our final destination, the beautiful city of Quebec City.
During summer 2025, several large aircraft scheduled to land at Montreal Airport had to divert to Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (CYQB). Numerous thunderstorms disrupted arrivals and departures at the main airports in the province of Quebec.
The extreme weather in the west gradually moved eastward. This delayed and even cancelled the departure of many planes in Quebec City.
When most of the storms finally passed over Quebec City airport in the evening, an Air Canada Boeing 777-300 ER took off from runway 24 to fly its passengers back to Montréal.
In the background, Air Transat aircraft can be observed. The Swiss Air logo can also be noticed on an Airbus A330-343. It had come from Zurich and was further diverted to Quebec City, along with an Air France Boeing 777-228 LR and a few others.
Below, we see the Boeing 777-300 ER refuelling at a time when extreme weather conditions have not yet reached the airport. Two Avjet tanker trucks are standing near the aircraft. The height of each truck is less than the internal diameter of the Boeing’s engines. For several years, this aircraft held the record for the largest engines on a civil aircraft. Now, the Boeing 777X has taken the crown.
Air Canada B777-300ER refueling at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport.
Photography Technique
Both photos required some compromises. Everything works if you accept being completely soaked and working with both feet in the water along a metal barrier with lightning flashing here and there. For some photos, the session lasted two hours.
I took the shots from a hole in the airport fence. My Canon EF 300 mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens was protected by a plastic bag tightly wrapped around the lens hood.
A frequency scanner provided data about air traffic. A controller informed an Air France pilot that such a situation of aircraft diversions during extreme weather had not been seen in several years.
I set my full-frame camera to produce only RAW images. Focusing was done in SERVO mode. I reduced the depth of field to optimize speed and limit the size of the photographic grain (ISO).
When selecting photos, I preferred the one showing the Boeing taking off, but where the Swiss airline’s logo is still visible. It was important to highlight the aircraft’s presence in Quebec City.
The Kingfisher is equipped with sensors that can locate objects or people up to a distance of 40 kilometers, even in low light conditions. Its range allows it to remain in flight for over 4,500 kilometers.
Photography tips
I arrive too late at Quebec City airport: the plane is already parked. However, information obtained from the pilots indicates that takeoff is scheduled within the next hour on runway 06.
Ground traffic provides excellent opportunities to photograph an aircraft while benefiting from an interesting background. The photography technique required for this first visit by the Kingfisher is really basic.
Communications with the control tower indicate when the CC-295 is starting up. It will stop just before entering runway 06. A 200mm telephoto lens would normally do the trick, provided the ISO is not too high. But today, I am trying out a recent acquisition: a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM fixed telephoto lens.
In the middle of the day, a photographer deals more with the quantity of light than its quality. However, the goal here is not to capture a bouquet of flowers or a wedding, so the harsh light should be fine. The flamboyant color of the aircraft will distract attention from the lack of interest in the ambient light.
With the shutter speed reduced to 1/125 and the ISO set to 200, I wait for the moment when the Kingfisher is opposite the control tower. This will provide a high-quality background. Twenty photos later, the plane is nothing more than a memory.
All afternoon, planes land without any significant vortices. Then a CRJ9 flies overhead, leaving two beautiful swirls behind it. I place my camera between the two bars of the airport fence along Jean Gauvin Road and take a few shots.
Photography technique
I use a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera with ISO set to 200. The autofocus is set to SERVO mode. A shutter speed of 1/1000 is sufficient to follow the jet as it flies away. Cropping will then be necessary to bring the aircraft closer and position the vortices appropriately.
It is best to keep the runway lights in the frame to add more dynamism to the scene. They help to better situate the environment in which the CRJ9 is located at the moment the vortices appear.
The Dash 8-400 is also known as the DH8D or Q400 (Q standing for “quiet”). It is pictured here at the threshold of Runway 29 at Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport. It is awaiting takeoff clearance.
PAL Airlines DH8D aircraft and Pascan Saab-340B at the Québec Jean-Lesage international airport.
Photography technique
I focus on the back of the aircraft. The limited depth of field blurs the rest of the image. The shutter speed is between 1/80 and 1/125, so as not to freeze the propellers. The result is a more dynamic photo.
With the plane’s back to the camera, interest is limited unless something special is happening. The frequency scanner indicates that a Pascan Saab-340 (SF32) will shortly be taking off from runway 24. With a bit of luck, I’ll be able to capture it and include it in the shot of the Q400.
A few seconds later, the aircraft enters the lens’ field of vision. The idea is to capture it while it’s still vis-a-vis the gasoline fumes from the engines. I took a few photos and kept the one with the best photographic composition.
Below is a photo of an Air Canada Rouge aircraft taking off from 24 after a heavy downpour.
An Air Canada Rouge Airbus jet takes-off from a wet runway at the Québec Jean-Lesage international airport.
This time, there’s no question of limiting the shutter speed to 1/125. The plane has no propellers, so you can choose 1/1000 without making a mistake. For greater dynamism, wait until the nose of the plane starts to lift. You can also keep a long trail of water splashes.
Finally, it’s often best to show a bit of landscape in the foreground to better situate the aircraft in its environment.
Click on the link for more aircraft photos on my blog. There are also photo galleries in the menu.
The day after Quebec’s national holiday, the Snowbirds make a few flybys over Quebec City. Although not an air show per se, their formation flights always dazzle the crowds.
The Quebec flag, the Price Building and the Snowbirds in flight in Quebec City
Photography technique.
As the flight over the city takes place at around 17:00, it’s a good idea to position yourself so as not to have to pose against the sun. Normally, a photographer located in Lévis captures excellent shots of Snowbirds passing by the Château Frontenac. But at 5:00 p.m. with the sun directly in front of you, all plane photos taken from the south shore mean uninteresting washed-out skies and far too strong contrasts. Snowbirds deserve better.
Considering the position of the sun, the citadel is the best location for a successful photo session. The light comes from behind as the aerobatic team flies over the St. Lawrence River, around the Château Frontenac and towards the Dufferin Terrace.
The Snowbirds are in flight formation near Château Frontenac in Quebec City.
Spectators know that the performance will only last about fifteen minutes. A photographer needs to prepare accordingly to maximize the chances of getting some memorable shots.
Photography theory
I use a Canon 70-200 mm f2.8L IS II USM lens to give me better leeway between the distant and close passages of the nine military jets. Coupled with a Canon 5 DSR full-frame camera, a quality zoom produces surprising results. You can crop at will without losing definition, provided the initial ISO is 200 and the shutter speed is fast enough. You don’t really need to go beyond 1/1000.
The Snowbirds in flight formation approach the Dufferin terrace in Quebec City.
With Canada Day a few days later, I now have an interesting photo of the Snowbirds and the Canadian flag.
Snowbirds in flight and the Canadian flag over the citadel of Quebec City.
Of the 55 aircraft of this model built in the 1980s, only 26 remain in service worldwide. The Antonov 124 can carry a load 17% greater than that of the C-5A Galaxy.
I took the first photo in close-up to emphasize the enormity of the aircraft compared to a human. Note also the “Be brave like Kharkiv” logo on the nose of the aircraft, in reference to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Antonov AN 124-100M departing the Québec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB) for Harrisburg (KMDT) in the United States.
Tips in photography
The aircraft took off from runway 24 bound for Harrisburg (KMDT) in Pennsylvania. As the runway was wet, a photographer positioned at the threshold of runway 24 to observe the takeoff would have seen only water being lifted by the engines.
The thresholds of runways 06 and 29 were therefore an excellent choice. Runway 29 provided a nice side-on shot with no visual contaminants. Curiously, while many photography enthusiasts were massed near the thresholds of 06 and 24, I was alone near 29. This made it possible to get a shot from an original angle.
As the cargo plane was quite a distance from my position, I used a Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. An acceptable shutter speed to avoid motion blur meant sacrificing depth of field.
The full-frame sensor’s 50.6 megapixels then made it possible to crop the subject sufficiently without compromising photo quality.
Photography technique
A good photography session goes hand in hand with proper planning. Listen to ground frequency 121.9, control tower 118.65 and terminal 127.85 to improve your chances of success.
A cell phone allows you to use the Flightradar24 application (for scheduled arrivals and departures and current trajectories). Flightaware is also an excellent choice. The cell phone can also be used to find out if there are any road closures around the airport that would prevent us from getting to our desired destination. It also provides information on current weather conditions and forecasts. In Canada, the AWWS site is a mine of information for aviation enthusiasts.
Passing through the church parking lot for a night photography session, I took advantage of the sculpture honoring the eight Canadian martyr saints to highlight the full moon.
One of the Jesuits made the task easy for me, as he was already pointing his finger skyward. All I had to do was wait for the right moment to link religion and astronomy. Social media have popularized this kind of technique in photography, but it’s still satisfying to get such a shot.
Old Quebec in winter seen from Parc Montmorency in 2025
It’s time for another winter outing in Old Quebec. The night photography session will be devoted to architecture.
The temperature is about -14 C and the winds are blowing at 15 km/h. Without gloves in order to manipulate the little buttons on the camera, the skin feels -22 C. A regular break is essential to thaw out the fingers!
I took the photo from Parc Montmorency, just up the côte de la Montagne. This historic site is a major tourist attraction in Quebec City. Louis Hébert, Canada‘s first farmer, cultivated the land here on his arrival in New France. It’s important to understand, however, that the natives knew about farming and cultivated the soil long before the arrival of the French settlers.
On the left is a sculpture of Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier, one of the Fathers of Confederation. The Château Frontenac and Price Building are also visible in the distance. In the foreground is a building that has changed function many times. It was originally the first Episcopal Palace.
Photography technique
For this shot, I planted my tripod in 40 centimetres of snow. I used a Canon 5 DSr camera equipped with a Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L USM ultra wide-angle zoom lens. I could have set the ISO to 200 thanks to the stability of the tripod, but the wind demanded a faster result due to possible vibrations. ISO and shutter speed are therefore dictated by ambient weather conditions rather than low light.
