Ocean’s tugboat on the St.Lawrence river in front of Quebec City in winter.
This Ocean tug advances through the ice on the St. Lawrence River in front of Quebec City. The photo was taken from the Dufferin Terrace in Old Quebec. The relatively mild winter still leaves passages open for ships.
Photography Theory
Good technique recommends using a tripod and an extension cable. This limits vibrations. But the wooden decking transmits vibrations caused by pedestrians. I wait for them to move away to improve the chances of a well-defined photo.
Night photography combined with a moving boat increases the risk of poor results. The shot requires a minimum shutter speed of about 1/125 to 1/160 and an appropriate ISO. The grain should be as small as possible, as you’ll need to crop to bring the tug closer.
In this case, I sacrificed depth of field, as the main focus is on the ship and the surrounding ice. The lights of Lévis in the background add a little dynamism to the scene.
Beautiful Old Quebec night reflections on Saint-Louis Street. Photo by François Ouellet, 2025.
Another perfect evening to photograph Old Quebec in winter! I consider myself very lucky to have daily access to this magical place. It is as you know a UNESCO jewel and one of Canada’s major tourist attractions.
Photography theory and technique
It’s all there: calm winds, light snow, acceptable temperature, low cloud ceiling. Here is a great opportunity to improve one’s photography technique. What’s more, Quebec City finds itself between two busy tourist periods. This means fewer blurred people during night photography.
The snow melts immediately upon reaching Saint-Louis Street. It creates multiple reflections, ideal for special effects.
The quality of the lighting is superb, even in the middle of the nighttime. The city’s glow mirrors off cloud bases and precipitation. This in turn illuminates the old buildings.
Now it’s a question of locating an unusual angle to capture rue Saint-Louis. I’m trying to avoid the over-rehearsed postcard frame!
The viewer’s eye must remain focused on the street and the architecture. It must travel towards the background to discover a section of the National Assembly structures in the distance. The photographic composition is easily achieved.
In order to reach the objective, the viewer’s attention must be captured. A nice object can serve as foreground. It can also remain partially hidden. The vase installed on the Monument Samuel-de-Champlain will be good enough. We’re not really interested in it, but it serves as an entrance to the scene.
Those are simple but efficient photographic tips for winter photography in Old Quebec!
Scène de Québec et du Château Frontenac la nuit. Photo par François Ouellet
Photographing a tourist attraction like the Château Frontenac at night, with all its lights, is a good challenge for both the Canon 5 DSr camera and the photographer. Here are a few photographic tips to help you repeat the experience:
1) For a special effect, you might as well go all out and capture the château, including all the lights in the buildings near the Petit-Champlain district.
2) Photographic composition is based on the rule of thirds. You don’t always have to respect the fundamental theory, but this time it works well.
3) The viewer first notices the brightest structures, all of which have a similar luminosity. He then detects the castle on the cape.
4) The contrast is deliberate. The castle is not depicted in all its architectural splendour, but as a few lines lit up in the night.
5) The observer no longer needs to see all the forms of the castle to recognize it. It’s the most photographed castle in the world. The brain quickly analyzes the visible shapes and completes the building in a fraction of a second.
6) Being photographed from this angle and in this light gives a more mysterious aspect to this hotel overlooking the smaller buildings.
7) HDR photography solves some of the lighting problems. I superimposed five photos to obtain the final result.
Old meets new in this photo of Old Quebec. On the right, the headquarters of the Norplex group, real estate developer. This is the former Canadian Bank of Commerce building, designed in 1914 by architect V. D. Horsburgh. The rounded shape is reminiscent of the Bank of England’s Tivoli.
In the foreground, the sculpture-fountain La Vivrière, a more modern creation inaugurated in 1995 on Place de la FAO to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the FAO in Quebec City in 1945, under the aegis of Lester B. Pearson.
In terms of photographic composition, the sculpted waves in the foreground gradually direct the viewer’s eye towards the main building at the top right of the photo. The rounded columns are only straight thanks to the use of Canon’s ultra-wide-angle EF 11-24mm F/4L lens.
Quiet evening in Old Quebec during Summer 2024
Above, a view of the newly restored Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. In the distance, the tower of the Price building. Rotating spotlights create moving shadows for the couple in the foreground.
Old Quebec buildings seen from Côte de la Montagne, 2024.
Above, a five-shot HDR photo of buildings in Old Quebec. In the foreground, a wall stands at the intersection of Port Dauphin and Côte-de-la-Montagne streets. In the middle ground, we see the shops and buildings on rue De Buade. In the background, the Price Building, the only skyscraper permitted in Old Quebec.
On an evening when isolated showers were continually changing the atmosphere in Quebec City, I visited the old part of the town, especially “rue du Trésor”. Today’s article features four photos of the same street captured from different angles. About three hours separates the shots.
Above, passers-by seem to be followed by an individual. I’ve maximized the effect of tension by taking advantage of a moment when the tourists in the background are in the light and the lone walker remains in shadow. To accentuate the discomfort, I opted for a cold tone and undersaturation in post-processing.
Below, two young people chat quietly at the entrance to rue du Trésor, while pedestrians go about their business. The tiles have had time to dry out a little since the last shower.
Conversation near rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
The photo is legal in Quebec because it’s not just about the two persons in the foreground. There’s a street setting where other passers-by are also present. This is always a factor to consider when publishing for non-commercial use. If the couple is alone in the scene and it’s a close-up, I can capture the scene, but under Quebec law, I don’t publish. For added precaution, it is sometimes better to wait a while between the moment the photo is taken and its distribution. Finally, I make sure that people are not portrayed in such a way as to damage their reputation. So, there are always multiple factors to consider before a photo is taken and distributed.
Reflections after the rain in the rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
Above, a couple takes a walk immediately after a rain shower. I set up the camera a few inches off the ground, in front of a puddle to get a reflection.
The goal of the picture is the water reflection but, since I want to publish the photo, I have to think about the persons. The couple becomes possibly the main subject for some viewers. Using added precaution, I put an artificial obstacle in front of the man’s eyes to make him less recognizable. As for the woman, her head turned to one side makes identification impossible.
Below is a view of the Rue du Trésor during the “blue hour,” after the showers. The last tourists take the opportunity to choose a piece of art before the shopkeepers leave.
Above, a railroad track crossing the Cap-Tourmente National Wildlife Area in Quebec. Autumn is well underway and red is no longer part of the scene. However, the colors remain attractive. At the time of our visit, only 26,000 of the 600,000 geese migrating south remained.
Trees in the Montcalm dictrict in Québec City during Autumn 2024.
The Montcalm sector of Quebec City is brimming with majestic trees that change colour in autumn. Those photographed above are located right next to the Battlefields Park, owned by the Government of Canada.
Trees of the Grande-Allée in Quebec City in Autumn.
The tree above is on Grande-Allée, in the direction of Old Quebec. I shot it using a Canon EF 11–24 mm f/4 USM wide-angle lens. All I had to do was wait until 10:00 AM for the sun to strike the foliage from the side. Earlier than that, the brightness is a little lacking, and later the sun rises too high and hits the foliage from above with a violent light that detracts from the overall effect.
Trees in a Sillery street in Québec City during Autumn 2024.
Above are a few trees in the Sillery area of Quebec City. It’s not often that red leaves cover several tree trunks. You have to be there at the right time, because the effect doesn’t last long. We also need to be able to count on the wisdom of homeowners who have seen fit to let nature do its job, rather than cleaning everything up to make it look “nicer,” as we sometimes see.
Umbrellas cover part of Rue du Cul-de-Sac in Quebec City. Most tourists are unaware of this installation when they set foot in the Petit Champlain area. Surprised, they whip out their cell phones and capture the moment as best they can. Since they’re just passing through, most don’t have the luxury of choosing the most appropriate light for their multiple shots.
The situation is different for someone who has easy and frequent access to the location. They can wait for the “blue hour” on a fine summer evening, and at the same time capture the golden hue of the lights in front of the many restaurants lining the alleyway.
The main challenge in taking the above shot, however, is the sharp contrasts in light.
For example, the tourists in the foreground are standing in the half-light, but the viewer still wants to see the details. Just above the people, the lighting contrasts sharply with the shaded area at the bottom of the photo. It’s hard for the camera to decide which brightness to prefer.
To top it all off, the soft blue light of late evening illuminates the umbrellas from above, while the restaurant lights illuminate the installation from below.
Image processing software is used to optimize the information contained in the RAW file of the photo, helping to highlight the different areas of brightness in the scene while avoiding areas that are too light or too dark.
Corner of Saint-Stanilas and Saint-Jean streets in Old Québec in the evening Summer 2024.
The photo above shows an evening view of the intersection between rue Saint-Stanislas and rue Saint-Jean in Old Quebec. For several months a year, a section of rue Saint-Jean is reserved for pedestrians only. This attracts many tourists. Just behind this popular street is McWilliam Street, with a radically different feel, especially late at night.
The McWilliam street behind the Cochon Dingue restaurant in Québec City.
To produce an HDR effect of the location, I plan to stack five photos. I set up the tripod and begin the session. Just as I’m about to finish, a door suddenly opens. A man steps out and lights a cigarette.
I need to capture this very brief moment when the individual is just a stealthy shadow in motion with the intense fluorescent lighting in the background. In this rather dark alleyway, this could generate an interesting effect.
The smoker asks me what I’m doing. It’s an employee on break working for the popular Cochon Dingue restaurant on Rue St-Jean. What a contrast between the modern façade and the back of the same building on McWilliam Street.
At home, HDR processing begins. But it’s impossible to use all five shots together as planned initially. The software combines a closed and an open door at the same time. The result is a kind of butchered wicket door, with almost no light filtering through.
I abandon the idea of an HDR montage and fall back on the single photo where the man is standing in front of the door. I wasn’t counting on this presence, but it adds a touch of humanity to a scene that’s still not very inviting.
Life often presents photography enthusiasts with unexpected opportunities. It’s all about being flexible and capturing the moment, even if it’s not part of the initial planning. Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer on my blog.
The curb in the lower left corner of the photo serves as a prompt to integrate the scene. The door covers the first right-hand third of the photographic composition, preventing the observer from moving too quickly into the background. The rounded shape of the door and the old stones manage to occupy almost 50% of the image, while the rest shows an entire artery, mountains and a portion of the sky.
To energize the scene, I waited for an automobile to drive down the street.
The Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec and the Price building in Old Québec.
Dating back to 1647, this Basilica-Cathedral has been renovated on several occasions and includes a historic crypt and holy door, attracting believers from all over the world.
Note that in this shot, the close-up of the tower does not prevent us from obtaining perfectly vertical lines, which are usually difficult to achieve in photography. This result is due to the use of a Canon EF 11–24 mm F/4L USM ultra-wide-angle lens, the only one on the market that allows such results without correction and without the fisheye effect taking over.
The Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Québec in Old Quebec.
Above is the Basilica-Cathedral seen from another angle.
The full harvest moon rises in the Matane sky in September 2024.
The photo above was taken in Matane, Quebec, in September 2024. It’s more a matter of chance than planning. I was on the beach photographing the sunset, and when the sky got too dark, I turned around to see if there was anything interesting left to capture. And I came across this full harvest moon rising in the firmament.
Photographing a full moon is a good challenge. We often capture only an almost white, very bright disk, losing the nuances of colour and the details of the lunar geography.
The advice available on the Internet on how to successfully shoot a full moon with a normal camera goes in all directions. But one thing’s for sure: to improve your chances of success, it’s best not to wait until nightfall, because then the very high luminosity of the star becomes impossible to attenuate while still retaining a view of the planetary topography.
Most of the time, the choice is between an excellent photo of a full moon, but a very dark surrounding earth relief where nothing is discernible, or a visible earth relief of acceptable quality, but a moon that represents nothing more than a large, white circle of light.
The method that works for the photo above is as follows: you have to be on the spot at the right time, i.e., during the blue hour and not the whole night. So, in my case, I was lucky because it wasn’t planned.
You need a tripod and an extension cable. There are two reasons to avoid long exposures: firstly, the moon is a moving object. The longer the exposure, the more the disk moves. You end up with an oval rather than a round moon. A long exposure also picks up more light, and the moon’s disk turns completely white.
Full harvest moon rising in Matane, Québec 2024
Compromises become necessary. Trying to get a perfect moon and foreground at exactly the right brightness is quite a challenge. By the time every attempt has been made to achieve a flawless result, the moon is already too high in the sky. We have to act quickly.
We’re advised to lower the ISO to 200, but if I do that, I’m increasing the exposure time and introducing too much light into the camera. Instead, I use a higher ISO to reduce exposure, and use all the camera functions likely to reduce the amount of light entering the camera: higher shutter speed, if necessary, strong negative exposure compensation, and so on.
By not overdoing the settings and using RAW files, there’s still enough flexibility to bring out the foreground, in this case the houses lining Matane’s beaches and the surrounding lights.
In short, shoot during the blue hour, act quickly, accept compromises, limit exposure time in every way possible and use RAW files to facilitate post-production work.
