Tag: Province of Quebec photos

Categories
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.

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The new houses of Sillery

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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

Categories
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
Photos of Quebec

A third link between Lévis and Québec City

Economical version of a third link between Québec and Lévis.
Economical version of a third link between Québec and Lévis.

In Quebec, there are currently political debates on what should be a third link that would link Lévis to Quebec City. The current solution is the creation of a tunnel under the St. Lawrence Seaway that would cost at least $ 10 billion.

Following numerous comments from citizens regarding the exorbitant costs associated with this new future link, new, more economical formulas will have to be studied. I was passing over the Île d’Orléans Bridge   recently and saw a bus on a floating platform. This is possibly a prototype whose testing has now been revealed.

In the above concept, up to 40 passengers at a time can be transported from shore to shore by a relaxed driver whose seat has been completely redesigned and relocated outside the vehicle. This gives him unparalleled air quality and he can end his working day much more rested.

You cannot stop progress!

Click on the link for more pictures of Québec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer on my blog.

Categories
Street photography

A Guay crane at work in Old Québec.

This is what a Demag AC435 all-terrain telescopic crane looked like before it received the colors of the Quebec company “Grues Guay“:

Demag AC 435 crane
Demag AC 435 crane

This all-terrain crane was recently at work in Old Quebec, on the Côte de la Montagne. The coast has a fairly steep slope and it was necessary to create an artificial horizontal surface using pieces of wood to make the work safe.

Stabilization of a Guay crane at work.
Stabilization of a Guay crane at work.

The crane operator used a stepladder to get in and out of his vehicle as needed:

Stepladder provided for the Guay crane's driver at work in Old Québec.
Stepladder provided for the Guay crane’s driver at work in Old Québec.

So this gave the following result, once the crane was at work:

All-terrain Demag AC 435 crane at work in Old Québec
All-terrain Demag AC 435 crane at work in Old Québec

With the telescopic arm fully extended:

All-terrain Demag AC 435 crane from Guay at work in Old Québec in 2021.
All-terrain Demag AC 435 crane from Guay at work in Old Québec in 2021.

In the last photo below, you can see a person in a basket that is suspended at the end of the telescopic arm, confident that the tens of thousands of pounds of counterweight will keep the crane from tipping over. The calculation had to be very precise. Everything had to remain stable throughout the day! And since the work on the building lasted several days, the same operation had to be repeated every morning …

Guay crane at work in Old Québec on Côte de la Montagne in 2021.
Guay crane at work in Old Québec on Côte de la Montagne in 2021.

Click for more pictures of Québec City in summer on my blog.

Categories
Photography Photos of Quebec

Quebec City’s MNBAQ in Winter.

The Turner Exhibition at the MNBAQ in Quebec City in 2021.
The Turner Exhibition at the MNBAQ in Quebec City in 2021.

Before winter 2021 officially ends, here are some photos taken around the MNBAQ (Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec) while there is still snow on the ground and on tree branches. In the spring of 2021, the Museum hosted the exhibition by British painter J.M.W. Turner.

A section of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (MNBAQ) in winter.
A section of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec (MNBAQ) in winter.

The architectural design of the MNBAQ, in combination with the contrast between the blue and yellow tones, caught my attention. The scene is partially framed by two trees. The passerby in the center adds a touch of humanity.

The "blue hour", that special moment of the day, in a park near the MNBAQ.
The “blue hour”, that special moment of the day, in a park near the MNBAQ.

The photo above was taken during the “blue hour“, near the MNBAQ. The citizens have deserted the park and are back inside, as shown here with the building in the background, with almost all its floors now lighted.

I considered it important to include the nice trees around the museum in all three shots.

Click on the link for other pictures of Québec City in winter on my blog.

Categories
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.

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

Categories
Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

On The Road (2)

Old American Ford pick-up on the road to Lyster in Québec in 2020
Old American Ford pick-up on the road to Lyster in Québec in 2020

This photo was taken at the end of a beautiful day in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. The sun is almost on the horizon and is hitting the sides of the trees directly, further enhancing the autumn colors .

By this time, people are home having dinner and there are hardly any vehicles on the road. Rather than photographing an empty road, which certainly would have been a logical choice, I waited for a vehicle to show up and advance into the foreground of the photo. We are in the countryside and, luckily for me, the old Ford pick-up fitted perfectly in the landscape.

In terms of the photographic composition, the ideal position to capture the scene seemed to be near the curve, so as to use the white line of the road as a guideline leading to the subject of interest. The 16×9 format also allowed for a photo large enough to include the set of transmission line poles on the left, which itself was certainly as old as the pick-up. The latter was positioned according to the rule of thirds, without any compromises being necessary.

The posts on the left allowed a better framing of the subject. In the distance, the sun shines on the road and we assume there is a field on the left that lets the sun’s rays pass through.

The picture was taken with a Canon 5DS R full frame camera.

Click on the link for other photos of the province of Québec on my blog.

Categories
Photos of Quebec

On the road (1)

Cows and autumnal landscape in Quebec 2020
Cows and autumnal landscape in Quebec 2020

The picture above was taken from my car as I was driving on the roads of Quebec in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, looking for interesting subjects that would show the first autumn colors. The sound of the engine idling attracted the curiosity of the animals. Ears are pointed and the two cows kept their eyes on me the whole time I was adjusting the camera. Coincidentally, they stood in an ideal position for a photo taken in vertical format. The photographic composition was thus simplified. A few yellow leaves in the tree show that Autumn was only starting. The picture was taken with a Canon 5DS R full frame camera.

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