Cruise ships in the Port of Quebec in the fall of 2022
Another great time for Quebec City merchants begins with the arrival of multiple cruise ships each fall. Not only do the thousands of tourists pour into Old Quebec and its Petit-Champlain neighborhood, but the ships must also be restocked in anticipation of the continuing voyage.
In terms of photography technique, the Promenade des Gouverneurs and its staircase act as an entry point to the center of the photo above. It is of course important to preserve some autumn colors, as they are so ephemeral. A wide-angle lens helps the photographic composition, but it certainly distorted the street lamps on the left of the photo, which had to be straightened with an image processing software. Finally, the rule of thirds worked perfectly here to highlight the magnificent view from the heights of Quebec City.
The Queen Mary 2 arrives in Québec City on September 29th 2022.
The Queen Mary 2 in the Quebec City harbour in 2022.
The exhibition of Mosaïculture of Québec City 2022, entitled “Once upon a time…the Earth“, ends in a few days, after having been a great success throughout the summer.
Two elephants at the Mosaïcultures de Québec 2022
More than six million plants were used to build 200 animals and insects in the Bois-de-Coulonge, not to mention the flowers along the way to further enhance the tour.
Four zebras at the Mosaïcultures Québec 2022
In a few months, hundreds of thousands of visitors will have walked through the circuit of 90 minutes to visit the largest edition of mosaiculture since its creation in 2000 in Montreal. In Québec City, more than 80% of the works were exposed for the first time.
A beekeeper and his bees at the Mosaïcultures de Québec 2022
The site had to be prepared nine months in advance. As intensive watering became mandatory, Québec City temporarily modified its watering regulations, explaining that it was an exhibition and not a horticultural production.
The man who plants a tree at the Mosaïcultures de Québec 2022
Above, a shepherd plants a tree in a place that seems to be very unfertile, indicating at the same time the need not to give up when it comes to saving the planet.
These Québec 2022 mosaicultures will have been another major tourist attraction for Québec City, after a cascade of other summer events. In fact, there have been times when so many tourist activities overlapped at the same time, that residents and tourists had to make choices. A spectacular rebound from a pandemic that forced people to make sacrifices for two years!
Cyclists turning for côte Gilmour in Quebec City in 2022
An interesting vantage point to photograph the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is at the intersection of Grande-Allée and the avenue leading to the famous Gilmour hill. The cyclists are riding at high speed and must brake hard before making a sharp left turn to begin the descent to the portion that will take them along the St. Lawrence River. There are no obstructions for the photographer at this point.
2022 Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste
To capture the effect of the cyclists’ movement, the shutter speed must not be set too fast, preferably between 1/125 and 1/160. Otherwise, everything looks immobile, even the wheel spokes.
Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste in 2022
Positioning yourself immediately after the curve allows you to capture a long line of bicycles. You can focus on the cyclists on the right in the viewfinder and leave the line of cyclists around the curve out of focus. To do this, make sure that the chosen aperture will blur the background. It is also important to follow the movement of the cyclists with the camera. If you stand still, all the riders will be out of focus, as the shutter speed is too slow for the high speed of these riders.
Cyclists racing on Grande-Allée in Quebec City 2022
An occasional close-up obtained through cropping allows us to see details that we would otherwise miss. In the case of the photo above, it is clear that not only is the rider in the front relaxed, but he has also recently crashed, with his right arm still in recovery. Sometimes we also see the result of deformities in the knees of cyclists following numerous surgeries.
Quebec City Grand Prix Cycliste 2022
The cyclists want to maintain their position in this tightly packed group that must maneuver in a small space. With a telephoto lens, one can see the facial expressions change as they approach the turn for the Gilmour hill. Note the concentration on the faces of the cyclists in the foreground…
Grand Prix Cycliste in Quebec City in 2022
Following moving cyclists with a camera remains a difficult art to master. Several pictures are taken before a successful one is achieved. Fortunately, film photography is behind us and we don’t worry as much about missed shots. The important thing is to have fun and try to get a little better with each photo session!
A bee approaches a flower on the beach in Île d’Orléans
Near the Saint-Jean de l’île d’Orléans church, there is an easily accessible beach. One can observe mostly rocks with interesting colors and some plants beaten by the wind. If you look carefully, you may find tiny pink flowers at the end of the beach. As I was about to take a picture, a bee approached the flower.
To counteract the effect of the strong winds, I opted for a high shutter speed, which at the same time helped to freeze the moment when the insect suddenly appeared in the viewfinder. Because of the very small size of the flower, a lot of cropping was required to enlarge the details.
On his knees he could have carried on more box in the grocery store.
The deliveryman above avoids unnecessary trips by carrying a stack of boxes so high that he can barely fit through the door of the St-Olivier grocery store in the St-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood in Quebec City. He could have added another box to the pile, but he would have had to enter the establishment on his knees. We don’t ask for that much…
Scenes like this feed street photography, which requires the photographer to be ready to capture ephemeral situations. The time allowed to camera settings is reduced to a minimum. Sometimes a photo is taken without looking through the viewfinder, hoping to have captured the essential.
This is the case of the scene above. I had just parked in the area and was getting out of the car with the camera still in the bottom of my backpack. Across the street, a delivery man was walking with a stack of boxes taller than him. In a few seconds he would be in the establishment, if the stack didn’t collapse after catching the top of the door frame.
To capture the scene and gain speed, I pulled the camera out of the bag with its preset settings adjusted for street photography and shoot without taking the time to make sure the subject was captured.
Just looking through the viewfinder to frame perfectly would have taken a few extra seconds and been enough to ruin the scene, as in the absence of the delivery man, only the man holding the door would have appeared in the photo. And it is obvious that he is not the main subject. He is very kind to hold the door (it’s the least he can do), but apart from the fact that he seems to have a white support stocking on his left leg (because of the sun), he was the secondary subject from the beginning…
An American Robin and its fledgling in Sillery, Quebec City.
In Quebec City, an American Robin came to make its nest near our back door. Since it had been there brooding without giving birth to anything, we were beginning to believe that the mother was sterile.
Major construction work was to begin shortly at our home and would last a few weeks. We were almost glad that no chicks were born, as this would simplify the transportation of materials.
A day before the renovations were to begin, the first chick was born. From then on, all construction workers would have to be blocked off and asked to make a detour each time they needed to take scraps out of the house or bring in new material.
All labor groups agreed to our request without a second thought. For two weeks, electricians, plumbers, floor layers, delivery people and installers of all kinds came and went, sometimes asking for updates on the condition of the mother and her chicks.
In Quebec City, three two week old American Robins.
The photo above shows the three chicks one day before they fledge. The lack of light due to the location of the nest, as well as the desire not to disturb the fledglings, necessitated the use of a powerful telephoto lens and a camera capable of cropping without loss of quality. A full-frame cameraCanon 5DSR with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto made the job easy. The ISO was set to 200 and I severely limited the depth of field to get the best possible shutter speed to avoid motion blur.
This morning, all the birds had left the nest. The parents were flying around nervously, attacking predators while the young were quickly learning to become independent. The blue jay that regularly visits us for its “dish of the day” was denied access to the backyard by both parents.
There are now three new American Robin in the area and it is almost certain that the mother will return next year to the same location, given the success this year.
The historic area of Brockville in Ontario is surprising for its architecture, its large mature trees and the presence of a very well-planned marina. At the end of each day, many vehicles come to park along the boardwalk which provides a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence River near the Thousand Islands Archipelago.
The photo above shows one of these old buildings covered with ivy and other vines. The unstable weather on this day allowed us to capture a towering cumulus cloud (TCU) in the background, which adds to the overall atmosphere.
Isolated tree near the historic area of Brockville in Ontario.
While walking around the historic district of Brockville, we spotted this huge tree standing alone at the curb. Although it is not protected by other trees in the area to endure the storms and high winds over the years, it managed to survive and reach maturity without too much damage.
Both pictures were taken with a Canon 5DSr full frame camera.
The great economic crisis of 1929 affected many wealthy families in Quebec City. A decade later, at the time of the Second World War, it was again possible to get rich thanks to the ammunition industry.
The black and white photo above shows the old cartridge factory still standing in Quebec City. In the foreground, an advertisement reminds us that “a picture is worth a thousand words…”. A happy coincidence!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Sillery was a formerly self-governing municipality that is now part of Quebec City. The architecture of the houses that have been built there in recent years contrasts greatly in style and format with the older dwellings.
The more recent constructions are somewhat surprising in their gigantic size. The new owners want buildings with a modern look and very imposing dimensions, sometimes doubling and even tripling the size of the traditional homes in the area.
The photo below shows the difference in size between a traditional property (on the far right of the photo) and a more modern home.
Modern Sillery house in winter, 2022.
Below, a traditional house in Sillery simply decorated for the holiday season. The blue light of the little tree is reflected on the front of the house and it looks really nice.
Traditional Sillery house in Québec City 2022.
The traditional house above and its Christmas decorations contrast strongly with another one two streets away (photo below). It’s hard to miss the house (of which we can only see one section) and especially the huge tree decorated in its entirety and which must have required the use of a crane equipped with a telescopic arm.
Modern Sillery house with Christmas decorations in 2022.
A final photo (below) shows another traditional house in Sillery with interesting architecture.
The old and the new are in stark contrast in the area, so I thought it was important to capture some memories of properties with unique architecture before they disappear to make way for modernity. Because today, the fashion favors demolition rather than renovation.
Traditional house of Sillery in Québec City with Christmas decorations. in 2022.
The pictures are from a Canon 5DSR full frame camera with a Canon EF 24-70 lens, all mounted on a tripod to avoid blur. The ISO was set to 200, in order to limit the photographic grain.
