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.
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.
Motorcycle policemen lead the convoy bringing the Pope to Old Quebec in 2022.
If you don’t have privileged access, the main difficulty in photographing the arrival of Pope Francis in Old Quebec in 2022 lies in the vague and sometimes contradictory information offered to journalists in an obvious effort to protect the itinerary of the head of state.
You also have to deal with the strong police presence and the barriers that open and close according to the mood of the moment, blocking bicycles and pedestrians long before the Pope has crossed the Saint-Louis gate. As a photographer, you don’t want to find yourself suddenly stuck in a place of no interest.
Other aspects to consider are purely photographic, such as the ambient light and the distance from the subject at the time of the photo, which will influence the choice of equipment carried.
The official convoy arrives on Saint-Louis Street. It is important to know that in the afternoon, the sun crosses directly the axis of the Saint-Louis Street in its slow descent towards the west. If you position yourself along this street to take the picture, there is no physical obstacle, but you photograph against the light a convoy which passes at full speed. The camera sensor does not appreciate backlighting, because it has difficulty evaluating which light takes precedence. The choice of a straight line on Saint-Louis Street is therefore not very interesting.
The crowd greets Pope Francis on his arrival in Old Quebec in 2022.
The Pope’s driver sits on the left (at least in Canada). The Pope will therefore be on the right, whether forward or backward. If one stands in the Place d’Armes, one gives priority to the driver rather than to the Pontiff.
As the sun travels progressively from the axis of St. Louis Street to the west, the tall trees of the Place d’Armes will create a natural veil blocking the effects of backlighting. This will increase the chances of successful photos.
On St. Louis Street, the convoy is moving quickly in a long straight line. The chances of getting a good picture decrease. When the security cars reach the end of Saint-Louis, they have to brake because of a sharp curve near the Château Frontenac. If you position yourself immediately after the curve, the chances of getting an acceptable picture increase greatly.
As for photographic equipment, a camera lens that requires little light will help optimize shutter speed and depth of field, especially in the late afternoon. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens offers more flexibility.
A camera with a full-frame sensor will also allow the cropping necessary to magnify the photo without loss of quality. For the photos included in this article, the camera used was a Canon 5DSR.
The riskiest technique which therefore requires a little more experience is to take the picture of the head of state in his car in focus while leaving the outside blurred, to show that the car is moving fast. You follow the car with the camera’s viewer. The closer it gets to you, there is an obvious feeling of acceleration. It is thus necessary to increase the rotation of your body to adjust to the car’s relative speed change. The autofocus does its job as the vehicle approaches.
There is only a fraction of a second where you get a completely clear view of the head of state. A second too early and you only see a portion of the face with a piece of the car, a second too late and you get a three-quarter rear view. A continuous shooting mode becomes absolutely necessary.
Pope Francis arrives in Old Quebec on his trip to Canada in 2022.
An adequate shutter speed captures the face of the head of state accurately and keeps the background blurred. A shutter speed that is too fast makes the whole scene clear and sharp, and the photo loses its dynamism. Too slow a speed and the face lacks definition. There is only one chance to get it right.
So, those were a few ideas to remember if you want to photograph important events in Old Quebec. A prior knowledge of the terrain and of the sun’s position at specific times remains essential if you want to increase your chances of success.
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.
Tonight, the weather is too nice to stay at home. Thousands of people are already walking in the streets of Old Quebec on this day of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the national holiday of Quebecers.
The fontaine de Tourny in Quebec City on June 24th 2022.
People are positioning themselves early around the Tourny Fountain and on the Parliament grounds in anticipation of a multimedia show whose images will be projected on the façade of the National Assembly.
The Grande-Allée in Quebec City on June 24th 2022.
Once the show is over, it’s the rush to Old Quebec or the restaurants of the Grande-Allée. The photo above was taken from the top of the St. Louis Gate.
North sector of Quebec City Summer 2022.
I love this view of the northern sector of Quebec City in the late evening. Normally, a filter would be needed to neutralize the intense light generated by a setting sun. But tonight, the clouds act as a natural attenuator and the sensor of the Canon 5DSr camera can do its job well.
The last picture below is of St-Jean Street, in Old Quebec, in the late evening of June 24, 2022. This street is being revitalized and new businesses and restaurants have recently settled there. During the summer, a section of the street is reserved to pedestrians and the strollers have access to many terraces.
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.
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 …
