The Magdalen Islands, in the Province of Quebec, are recognized for the magnificent sunsets. The picture above was taken while I was coming back from Havre Aubert with my family during summer 2017. The ponds are located between Havre Aubert and Cap-aux-Meules, immediately alongside the main road.
The day had been cloudy and there was no indication that the evening would offer a possibility to get an interesting picture. But around 8 PM, while the sun was still relatively high above the horizon, a few sunrays were able to pierce through the cloud deck. The stratocumulus being well defined, it became obvious that when the sun would be close enough to the horizon, it would light the cloud deck from below as well as light up the ponds. It was important to act rapidly in order to capture the beautiful atmosphere.
When the winds are calm and you must stand still close to ponds in order to do photographic adjustments, one must accept to lose some blood to swarming moskitos. That night, I must have lost a pint of blood!
The absence of wind allowed for a good reflection of the electric poles in the foreground.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens and a graduated filter used to avoid the underexposure that would be caused by the highlights in the horizon. I used aperture priority and set it at F18 to get a proper depth of field. The ISO was set at 200 and the focal length at 135 mm.
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
The chilean vessel Esmeralda and its crew during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In July 2017, the four masted Chilean sailboat Esmeralda arrived in Quebec City for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. The arrival was quite spectacular, as the whole crew sang together for several minutes for the people standing along the pier.
In order to avoid any distraction, the full frame picture has been taken in the portrait mode and the cropping was tight enough to bring forward the crew members standing up high away on the masts.
The picture below offers another point of view of the sailboat masts but this time the importance is given to the colored chairs directly installed in water, allowing the tourists to cool down during a particularly hot summer day. The wide angle lens used for the shot was a Canon 14mm f/2.8L. Two diagonal lines created by the pool in the foreground progressively meet with each other in the distance, in front of the sailboat.
The vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
When the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 ended, several small boats approached the Esmeralda and other sailboats to slowly travel with them from Quebec City until they cleared île d’Orléans. In the picture below, you can see the cruise ship Maasdam, which has been repositioned to a new pier in the Port of Quebec in order to accomodate the sailboats.
The ship Maasdam and the vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In the picture below, the sailboat Esmeralda his heading towards the north of île d’Orléans as the final parade is completed. On the left, you can see the Château Frontenac and, directly behind, the Hotel Le Concorde Québec, with in its upper ring a revolving restaurant offering a superb view of Quebec City. The hand held photo was taken from île d’Orléans with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. This lens is equipped with an integrated stabilizer.
It would nonetheless have been quite difficult to succeed with such an important cropping without the performance of the 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor used in the Canon 5DSR. Considering the great distance over water that is present between the camera and the sailboat, it is possible that you notice a mirage effect, even with the small picture presented here.
The vessel Esmeralda in Quebec City during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background, the Château Frontenac and the hotel Le Concorde.
I thought the crew would use all of the sailboat’s sails once passed île d’Orléans, but it was not the case. The picture below was taken from the top of a wooden tower installed at the north east extremity of île d’Orléans, while the Esmeralda is still navigating using its engine.
Even without the sails, the photographic composition benefited from a yellow field, a merchant ship and a lively horizon line showing the Appalachian mountains. No tripods were used for the shot as the wooden tower was constantly moving. The telephoto lens used was a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and a slight cropping was necessary.
An approximative rule of thirds is behind the composition of the photo : you can imagine three fictive horizontal lines dividing the frame. The sailboat also finds itself on one of the rule of thirds vertical line on the right.
The vessel Esmeralda, from Chile, sailing on the St. Lawrence Seaway after its departure from the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec.
For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.
In June 2016, I spent a few days in Montreal to look for photo opportunities in the city and in the Old Port. I had never seen so many construction projects going on at the same time in that city. We could feel that the city managers wanted everything to be perfect for the 375th anniversary of the city in 2017. Here are 2 percent of the photos that were taken during that photography session. (The files were in RAW and JPEG).
Photography and architecture. Habitat 67 in Montreal
The picture above represents Habitat 67, created in time for the 1967 Universal Exhibition by the architect Moshe Safdie. You can click on the following link if you wish to obtain supplementary details in regards to the conception and construction of Habitat 67: Moshe Safdie and Habitat 67
To take the photos, it was better to wait for the evening, a few minutes before nightime, in order to benefit from a better luminosity and prioritize the reflection of light sources on the water. Several boats passed by while I was taking the pictures and it momentarily diminished the quality of the light reflections. Eventually, after several trials, I benefited from a flat water surface. With ISO at minimum, I was able to limit the digital noise that would unavoidably become visible after cropping the images.
Habitat 67 Montreal
A photographic exposure lasting a few seconds helped to flatten the water surface and emphasize the light reflections. I made sure to keep the tugboats in front of the buildings since I consider that they added some dynamism to the scene. As usual, the use of a tripod, remote trigger and mirror lock-up helped to reduce the camera vibrations. Liveview was activated and the focus was done manually to ensure optimal image sharpness.
The picture below shows the abandoned grain silos in the Old Port of Montreal. They are protected since 1996 and will possibly be given a new role next year, just in time for Montreal 375th anniversary.
Grain silos in the Old Port of Montreal in 2016. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR.
The bulk carrier Venture (formerly called Balder), built in 2002 and belonging to the CSL company, was docked in the Old Port. I tried a few shots, among them one with a telephoto lens Canon 14 mm 2.8L.
The Bulk Carrier Venture (CSL) in Montreal in 2016
To get a privileged access to the harbor installations, where all the loading and unloading operations are performed, would have been really interesting, but, since it was not the case, I had to try to capture an idea of the Port activities from a distance. I wanted to include the wagons loaded with containers and the ships. The use of a polarizing filter allowed the enhancement of the colours of the wagons. I thought necessary to include the venerable Molson Brewery building in one of the shots.
View of the Montreal Harbor, Molson Brewery and the Jacques-Cartier bridge in 2016
Then, profiting from the cancellation of the low pass filter in the Canon 5DSR DSLR, as well as the impressive enlarging capacities offered by the 50.6 megapixels full frame sensor, it was possible to capture a bit of the Port activities by cropping the photo later on, without any loss in quality, using an image editing software. The picture was taken with a telephoto lens Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L USM at 70 mm.
Port of Montreal with ships and containers. Photo taken with a Canon 5DSR in 2016
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
The container ship Maersk Pembroke under the Quebec Bridge, May 2016
Choosing what is important in a camera
Since there is actually no camera that has everything, whatever the brand, the buyer of a new camera must make choices: the type of sensor, the number of megapixels, the weight and size of the camera, the automatic focus’s speed and ability to follow a subject, the number of images per second, the performance under low light, the possibility to greatly enlarge a picture while maintaining its quality, advanced video functions, electronic communications with other devices, an extensive choice of lenses, etc. The list can be quite long…
The Canon 5DS(R): a specialized camera
A photographer happy with the Canon 5DS or 5DSR is one who needs a specialized camera offering both sharp images and the possibility of greatly enlarging the pictures it takes while maintaining the initial quality. This camera allows for more creativity as the possibility of extreme cropping beats, for now, everything that is on the market in the DSLR format.
Testing the potential of the Canon 5DSR when it comes to enlarging a picture
Here is an example of what this means: the photo below shows the yellow M of the McDonald’s restaurant photographed with a 50mm lens. Not easily visible…
Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M captured with a 50 mm lens. Hard to see, of course!
Then the next photo was taken with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens set at a 200mm focal length.
Testing the Canon 5DSR: the Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M enlarged through a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. Focal length used: 200mm.
But the picture can be enlarged a lot more using the amazing resolution of the Canon 5DSR. The following picture shows the result after cropping the 200mm image: the yellow M now takes the whole vertical space available in the picture without any loss in quality.
The Mc Donald’s restaurant’s yellow M, after having been enlarged (focal 200mm) and cropped within the Canon 5DSR.
From my position on the hill, the yellow M was barely visible with the naked eye. By using a 200mm focal length, followed by serious cropping, I was able to obtain the result above. So it is possible to photograph a subject that is almost invisible without a telephoto lens and transform it into the principal subject of the picture without any loss in quality.
I chose the 5DSR because the anti-aliasing filter has been neutralized in the model R to offer even sharper images, although there is a risk of occasional moire effect when there are repetitive patterns in a scene. This is the compromise that Nikon users must also have to deal with.
Rethinking photography
The 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor in the Canon 5DS or 5DSR allows a new approach of photography for those who do not have access to a much more expensive and larger medium format camera that does not necessarily give really superior pictures.
When I go outside for a photo session, it seems to me that I now carry a huge telephoto lens without the weight and the cost. A lot of what seemed to be unavailable possibilities are now accessible.
Taking pictures of people in the street is now less complicated: there are no more suspicious looks, artificial poses or people hiding their face. This is an ideal camera to capture people acting naturally without disrupting their routine. Gone is the feeling that you are bothering them in any way.
Quartier Petit-Champlain Old Quebec May 2016
The photo below was taken while I was standing at least 300 meters from the scene, just after sunset. For those who are from Quebec City, I positioned the tripod on a high wall on the other side of Chemin St-Louis, near the St. Louis Gate. I had to slightly brighten up the picture to make the details more visible, risking at the same time to increase the digital noise. It was a May 2016 warm misty evening, which is clearly visible by the lack of details in the background as we look in the distance.
Quebecers defying gravity in Old Quebec, May 2016
But those are not the only possibilities of this camera. The Canon Company, in its promotional video, explains what exactly the camera was designed for:
How can someone maximize the use of a 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor
In order to bring a subject closer to you while fully benefiting from the Canon 5DSR 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor, it is obvious that there must be absolutely no vibrations. The photographer must therefore use a tripod, a remote control release and the mirror lock-up function. This allows for a very low ISO setting while avoiding a blurred picture.
The mirror lock-up function is very well thought through, with the possibility to choose a totally automatic processus according to a timing chosen by the photographer (between 0 and 2 seconds). The system eliminates any secondary micro vibrations.
In order to ensure an even better picture, the photographer must use Liveview and set it to the 16X enlargement available on that camera (versus 10X on my Canon 5D MKII) to manually adjust the focus. It is then possible to see the slightest vibrations caused by the wind. Doing so, I realized that my camera strap, lightly swaying in the wind, was causing some minimal vibrations. Every detail taken into consideration will improve the final result.
One must then ensure to immobilize the strap and even diminish the tripod height if possible when the wind is blowing. These steps will allow an incredible enlargement of a subject while maintaining the initial quality of the image offered by a full frame sensor.
Superior mirage effect (cold mirage)
The photo below shows a ship being helped by two Ocean tugboats on its way towards the Quebec Harbour. The ship was at a good distance from the harbour; it is then possible to witness the superior mirage effect (cold mirage) resulting from a temperature inversion immediately over the water. The boats are deformed but the important close-up has not lowered the image quality. It has instead allowed to increase the atmospheric phenomenon effect.
Superior mirage (cold mirage) effect. Vessel and two Ocean tugboats on the St-Lawrence seaway heading to the Quebec Harbour, May 2016.
Once closer to the Quebec Harbour, the cold mirage effect decreased, as shown on the picture below:
Quebec Harbour, May 2016
The Canon 5DS or 5DSR without the use of a tripod or mirror-lock
Obviously, a tripod is not necessary if you do not intend to use a lot of cropping to enlarge a photo. You will obtain excellent results with the hand-held camera providing that you remember that this Canon DSLR is a specialized tool.
So many megapixels on a sensor of that size require that the photographer adapts his technique. But, as you can see from the picture below, it is totally possible to capture an aircraft in movement, even at dusk (May 11, 19:49), when the camera’s parameters are correctly adjusted. A higher shutter speed than normal is, in this case, absolutely mandatory.
The photo below shows an Air Canada Express Bombardier DHC-8-402NG (C-GSJZ) on final for runway 29 at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB).
Bombardier DHC-8-Q-402NG (C-GSJZ — Air Canada Express) on final for the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport, May 2016. Photo taken with a DSLR Canon 5DSR.
The Maersk Pembroke with the camera hand-held
The photo below shows the Maersk Pembroke container ship photographed with a hand-held camera using a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens during Spring 2016 near Quebec City. The focal length was only 140mm and the shutter speed 1/1000. The lens was equipped with a polarizing filter and the photo taken when the vessel was approaching the Quai des Cageux.
The Maersk Pembroke container ship on the St-Lawrence seaway near Quebec City, May 2016
The colours produced by the Canon 5DSR
The digital processing of the image and colours produced by the Canon 5DSR require different adjustments than what was necessary with the Canon 5D MKII. I am still learning how to handle the results produced by this camera so I will wait a bit before commenting.
View of Old Quebec from the St. Louis gate. Quebec City, May 2016
Night photography
Here are two photos taken during the evening in Quebec City. The photo below required a 200mm focal, an ISO set at 4000 and a shutter speed at 1/30 in order to obtain something else than trailing lights. Luckily, the traffic was moving slowly…
Night photography, Grande-Allée avenue, Quebec City, May 2016
The picture below, taken with a 200 mm focal, required an exposure time a bit longer that one second with the ISO set at 800. To take the photo, I took advantage of the fact that the cars were momentarily stopped at a red light, so that they would be clearly visible.
Night photography, Tourny fountain and Quebec lower town, May 2016
The images per second of the Canon 5DS(R)
The Canon 5DSR is so far quite an impressive camera. I would have appreciated that Canon offer a higher rate of images per second (7 instead of 5) to make it more versatile.
The camera allows taking pictures with smaller formats than 50.6 MP, the two other options being 28 MP and 12 MP. If the camera can deliver five images per second with 50.6 MP RAW files, we can deduct that it is able to offer more speed for smaller formats. But the camera is blocked at 5 IMS so that it, I suppose, does not compete with other existing Canon models of the same category…
Nonetheless, Canon says that the rapid sequence of shooting lasts longer if the photographer uses the smaller files provided. So it is not faster, but it keeps on firing for a longer period. My guess is that it would only require a new firmware version to improve this camera’s number of images per second.
For other night pictures, click on the following link to my site:
A Bombardier CL-415 water bomber, property of the Government of Quebec, is being prepared for its flight towards Fort McMurray, May 2016
Quebec’s CL-415s helping out in Fort McMurray
On May 5th, 2016, according to what had been announced by the Government of Quebec, four CL-415s took off from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB) heading to Fort McMurray, Alberta, to help in the fight against widespread forest fires in that province. It is the worst natural disaster that Canada has known in its history.
Preparing flight crews and aircrafts for such a long cross-country trip naturally demands much coordination from the SOPFEU (Society for the protection of forests against fires). Once they will have landed at the Fort McMurray airport, the pilots of those CL-415s will be under the direct command of the Albertan authorities in charge of fighting the wildfires, since the latter are best positioned to know exactly what the local needs are.
I figure that the flight service specialists (FSS) of the Nav Canada flight information center (FIC) in Edmonton must have quite busy days with the increased aerial activity associated with the numerous fires…
Crew members are walking towards the Government of Quebec CL-415; they will soon be airborne and heading to Fort McMurray in Alberta, to fight the forest fires (2016)
The picture above shows crew members heading towards their assigned aircraft. Once they start working in the Fort McMurray region, they will not only have to directly fight the forest fires but also head to sectors that have not yet been touched by fire and water the area thoroughly to prevent new wildfires.
A Government of Quebec CL-415 number 245 is taxiing at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport to take-off towards Fort McMurray, in Alberta, to help fight the out of control forest fires in that province during May 2016.
Taking pictures of propeller-driven aircrafts
A Bombardier CL-415 water bomber takes off from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport heading to Fort McMurray, in Alberta, to help fight the forest fires (2016)
It is a bit touchy to photograph propeller-driven aircrafts while making sure that there is a sensation of movement. In a natural reflex to want to avoid blurred pictures, the photographer uses a shutter speed that corresponds to the focal used for the shot. In the case of the picture above, the focal was 400mm. But if a shutter speed of 1/400 had been used, the propellers would have been totally immobilized and the aircraft would have looked like its climbing while not using its engines.
It was necessary to reduce the speed to 1/160, thus increasing the risk of obtaining a blurred picture. In order to get both image sharpness and moving propellers visual effect, the photographer has to follow exactly the movement of the aircraft with the camera so that it looks totally immobile in the viewfinder. This asks for a bit of practice but allows for more realistic photos.
The CL-415 in a black and white photo
Black and white photo of a Bombardier CL-415 (C-GQBG) flying over Quebec City in 2015
The government of Canada helping out Alberta’s citizens
The government of Canada, under Justin Trudeau, has promised to match the amounts of money offered by all Canadians to the Red Cross society toward helping the Fort McMurray population.
Obviously, its contribution will not stop there (in fact, far from it), but the message is for the whole Canadian population to contribute generously to support the efforts of the Red Cross. It is already estimated that the material damages will reach at least nine billion dollars and that numerous years will be required to rebuild everything. The Liberal Party of Canada had built its political campaign around the need to invest for the renewal of infrastructures. With the Fort McMurray fires, there will be plenty of new unplanned expenses ahead.
More than 1,400 firemen are fighting the wildfires. So few, there has been very few lives lost, although “very few” is always too much. The crisis is, according to everyone, well managed by the government of Alberta.
At the time of writing, there was still no rain forecasted for days to come and the drought was also extending to the southern half of Saskatchewan and part of Manitoba. The winds were expected to increase, which would mean that even more resources would be needed in the near future to bring those wildfires under control.
It seems to me that the government of many Canadian provinces would benefit in acquiring new water bombers like the CL-415 to give them an increased margin of manoeuver that would allow them to react more quickly, if we take into account the tendency for the ever growing number and size of forest fires. In the picture below, the government of Quebec CL-415 number 247 is just airborne from Quebec to Fort McMurray.
A Bombardier CL-415 C-GQBK airborne from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport heading to Fort McMurray, Alberta, in May 2016
The CL-215s will not head to Fort McMurray
While several CL-415s are leaving for Alberta, few water bombers, like the two Canadair CL-215s shown below, stay at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport in case of forest fires in the province and also to be used for the seasonal rehearsal needed for every pilot before they are dispatched across the province of Quebec.
Two Canadair CL-215 water bombers parked at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport in May 2016.
Global warming
Some people can say that global warming is not responsible for the increasing number of extended wildfires. They might be right, but I prefer to adopt a wider view than only what is going on in Alberta. Heat transfer between the north and south are now more extreme in order to equalize the temperatures around the globe. All means to reduce the difference in temperatures between the equator and the poles are at work and this causes increasing problems to particular regions.
The Kamloops region in British-Columbia, when numerous forest fires were raging 2014.
A powerful El Nino phenomenon, repetitive Omega blocks, the air circulation in different cells (Hadley, Ferrell, polar, Walker) all participate in the heat exchange. At a more reduced scale, we also regularly hear of cold and warm fronts in the meteorological forecasts.
It is certainly not local warm fronts that are responsible for the fact that a thinner layer of permafrost is unable to ensure the stability of Arctic runways anymore. Nor are fronts responsible for the fact that houses on stilts do not have a stable foundation anymore. Many heat records have been established these past years in northern Canada. There will certainly be large amounts of money to spend to rebuild the Nordic infrastructures.
Brush fires as soon as April in Alberta
This year, as soon as April, there were widespread brush fires in a region as north as Fort McMurray in Alberta because winter has not brought much snow to humidify the land during Spring. I thus wondered what would happen once in July. Albertans did not need to wait that long to get the answer.
Western Canada forest after a fire (2014)
The modelization of climatic changes indicates that, in the Fort McMurray region, the forest fire season is already fifteen days longer that it used to be. More heat might favor more droughts. But an increase in temperature also favors the development of thunderstorms and with them comes lighting that will start up new fires.
One thing is sure: insurance companies will not lose time with the different theories on global warming. The reinsurers (those who insure the insurance companies) have the obligation to limit their losses to stay afloat and premiums will quickly increase to answer to the thousands of claims following an increasing number of natural disasters.
Photos of the local air traffic in Quebec, just after the CL-415s departed to Fort McMurray
FedEx ATR 72-202F C-FTAR and Air Canada Express Bombardier DHC-8-Q-402NG (C-GIJZ) at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport in May 2016
At the Quebec airport, between the take offs of the four Bombardier CL-415 towards Fort McMurray, I was able to take few pictures of the local air traffic. In the photo above, it is possible to see a FedEx ATR 72 (C-FTAR) taxiing toward the ramp after a landing runway 06. An Air Canada Express Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q-400) (C-GIJZ) was also being towed for is imminent departure.
ATAC’s Hawker Hunter N339AX
Being in luck, I was able to capture a Hawker Hunter (N339AX) belonging to the American company ATAC, just airborne from Quebec. As for any military jet, it is difficult to ignore them on take-off: the reactor’s noise is there to remind you of their presence…
A Hawker Hunter belonging to the american company ATAC is airborne from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB), May 2016
A Hawker Hunter, from the american company ATAC, is airborne from the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB) in May 2016
The pictures above have been taken with a Canon 5D MKII camera, equipped with a telephoto lens Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM with a polarizing filter and a Canon Extender EF 2X III which brought the focal length to 400 mm. Even then, more cropping was necessary to enlarge the aircraft since I was quite far away from the runway.
Wishing to ensure that the image was sharp (a blurred picture is more probable with a 400 mm focal length while the photographer attempts to follow a fast flying jet), I adjusted the shutter speed to 1/1600 and made sure that the automatic focus was set on AI servo.
I now realized that a slower speed could have worked a bit better since it would have allowed showing a blurred forest in the background while keeping the aircraft sharp. But it is not often that you have the opportunity to see a Hawker Hunter in flight these days and I played safe with the shutter speed. The ideal shot will be for another day…
CL-415s and CL-215s together in Quebec (2012 photo)
CL-415 and CL-215 water bombers belonging to the Gouvernment of Quebec. Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB) 2012
A last picture, taken few years ago, during autumn 2012, shows numerous water bombers CL-415 and CL-215 parked at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (CYQB). During the off- season, the water bombers are brought back to Quebec City from the different bases were they have been in operation during summertime.
For other articles on aviation and photography, click on the following link: Aviation photography
Cumuliform clouds add energy to any photo. Even photos in black and white benefit from them largely, whether it is for a normal or an HDR photo.
Cumuliform clouds add dynamism to this Abbaye du Mont St-Michel scenery. France (1978)
Black and white HDR picture of lamp posts installed along the St-Lawrence, Quebec City 2012.
The stratiform clouds add to the tranquillity and the stability of a photo.
Daytona Beach under stratus clouds in 2011. The end of the afternoon allows the fresh air from the sea to move over the heated land, which helps create few cumulus fractus, visible near the buildings.
Clouds including a stratiform and cumuliform components (stratocumulus) produce an effect that is more energizing than the simple stratus, while avoiding the explosion of energy of the cumuliform clouds.
A stratocumulus adds to this otherwise peaceful scenery captured on board the Lyria train between Paris and Geneva in 2013.
The cold front
The approach of a cold front enhances the possibility of interesting photos. If it is a fast moving cold front of moist and unstable air, the photos will probably be more spectacular, as some thunderstorms will be associated with the system. A dew point of more than 15 C indicates the presence of a lot of water vapor which can be transformed into precipitation, thus releasing a lot of energy. When these conditions are combined with a really strong contrast between the new air mass which approaches and the one which goes away, the produced meteorological phenomena will certainly be intense.
In the photos below, the meteorological system approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport also had to cross a small mountain range.
A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
A roll arcus cloud in development ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012.
View under a developing arcus cloud at the Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport (2012)
An arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm approaching the Quebec Jean-Lesage airport in 2012
A roll arcus cloud ahead of a thunderstorm heading for Quebec City in 2012
The morning fog
The morning fog offers many opportunities for interesting photos. You can choose an isolated tree and capture the combined effects of the morning sun and fog. Or you may choose a cluster of trees, for a completely different effect. Both photos below were taken in Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City.
Trees in fog at Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009
Sun and fog provide for a special atmosphere at the Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City 2009
A morning fog resulting from a cold cloudless night will persist for hours if there is no wind. The cold morning air, motionless over a slightly hotter stretch of water, creates a fog that will finally disappear just before noon, when the atmosphere has been heated enough. If there had been an overcast sky during the night, chances are that the air over the water would have remained at a higher temperature, preventing the formation of fog.
The opportunities for more interesting photos arise when you witness the first holes in the fog layer.
The Ocean tugboats during a dense fog in the Bassin Louise in Quebec (2012).
We can take into account the season to estimate the speed of the diurnal reheating of the lower atmosphere. A morning fog will need more time to dissipate from late autumn to early spring: that leaves more time for the photographer to prepare. The forecasts can announce the disappearance of fog while it will not be the case if, over your sector, there is an invading layer of stratocumulus preventing the morning sun from reaching the ground.
To determine if the fog is going to dissipate as expected or will remain and possibly intensify, watch the difference between the temperature and the dew point on the hourly meteorological observations issued by weather stations near your place of residence. If the temperature and dew point spread increases, the fog is going to lift. If the difference between those two decreases, the fog is going to persist and possibly intensify.
The mist
The mist can be qualified as such when the visibility is superior to ½ mile, but do not exceed 6 miles for an observer on the ground. If the visibility is of ½ mile or less, it is called fog. This photo of the Bic National Park, near Rimouski, shows the interesting effect that the mist adds to a beautiful landscape.
Mist in the Bic National Park, Province of Quebec (2009)
Hot and unstable air in winter
When there is a warm and unstable air advection (about 0 degrees) while winter has already settled, there are good opportunities for photos. A moderately developed cumulus produces significant snow showers and this snow sticks on all the surrounding objects. All that snow would have begun to melt on contact of objects if the latter had had a temperature superior to zero degree. But, the winter being already settled, the snow persists. It gives enough time to capture some souvenirs.
A Quebec City street after a snow shower
The local effects
A photographer might benefit from learning about the meteorological local effects influencing the regions he intends to visit. The local effects are often simple to understand and they repeat themselves regularly, according to wind and season changes. The knowledge of these effects allows the photographer to be ready and position himself even before the phenomenon occurs. It limits the comments like: “If I had known that it would occur, I would have settled down here one hour earlier!“
The local terrain as well as large size bodies of water produce predictable meteorological phenomenon that can be used by a well prepared photographer. It can consist of persistent fog, repetitive snowstorms over a small sector, strong winds, cumuliform clouds alongside the mountain summits, etc. By being positioned at the right place, at the right time, the desired photo can be realized.
A change in the wind direction
A change in the wind direction suddenly increases the opportunities of interesting photos. It might announce the approach of a cold front, a warm front, a sea or land breeze, etc. In the photo below, a bit of fresher air suddenly began crossing the St-Lawrence seaway at the end of the day, thanks to the approach of a weak cold front. The water was still relatively warm and the moisture which was present over the surface became visible due to the cool air supply. The conditions were now ideal for a short-term thin fog, as long as the wind speed would not increase. Just in time for a photo.
The new wood pellets silos in Anse au Foulon in Quebec City en 2014
Familiarization with weather radars
It can be useful to get acquainted with weather radars which, for the needs of photography, remain simple to interpret. Multiple echoes of small dimension with a steep gradient of various colors indicate precipitation resulting from cumuliform clouds. The showers associated with these clouds are often moderated or strong and will be the result of approaching towering cumulus or cumulonimbus (thunderstorms). A towering cumulus presents a dark base and a white summit to the photographer. At sunset, their vertical development can be used to emphasize the last rays of light.
The side of a towering cumulus (TCU) is benefiting from the remaining sunlight over Quebec
Large echo areas of similar colors of low intensity indicate a relatively stable air generally producing steady light rain or drizzle. This should be understood as a possibility of increased humidity limiting the visibility through mist or fog.
Hoar frost
Hoar frost is a short-term phenomenon. It is thus necessary to capture the scene before the sun melts everything. The photo below shows some small twigs on which hoar frost has settled. It was taken at the beginning of the seventies. Although the quality of the photo is not exceptional, the meteorological phenomenon is well demonstrated.
A combination of snow and hoar frost observed on a Quebec field in 1976.
Forest fires
Wishing to make photos of western Canada during summer 2014, I came up against a season where hundreds of forest fires were raging. The smoke was covering some parts of Alberta and British Columbia. Some fires were important enough to require the closure of the sole highway connecting Lake Louise to Jasper. I thus decided to include the effects of those fires in the holiday souvenirs.
A visibility reduced in forest fire smoke allows a photographer to obtain, without special editing, sunsets with interesting colors.
Sunset and smoke from forest fires in Kamloops in 2014
The smoke also produces an effect similar as fog, but a fog which would be impossible to obtain at the end of a summer afternoon while the sun shines and there is a 38 degrees Celsius temperature.
An area near Kamloops, Canada, that was touched by forest fires in 2014
At dusk, the residual smoke is visible near tree tops while the setting sun strikes the mountain side. The effect is of two horizontal lines of complementary colors, blue and orange.
Forest fire smoke and sunset combined in Lake Louise, Alberta en 2014
View of a small portion of the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, in 1982
In the early 80s, the oil crisis forces airlines to greatly limit hiring. This was not the case during our pilot training course but becomes a reality when applying for a job a year later.
However, on the government side, the situation is quite different. The air traffic services branch of Transport Canada is looking for new employees to replace staff approaching retirement age. The only option immediately accessible to me is to apply as a flight service specialist (FSS). I have only a rough idea of what are the responsibilities, nothing more. But the pay and advantages are far better than what is otherwise available to a new flight instructor. It is time to send in an application.
For the Province of Quebec, two written examinations totally unrelated with aviation are held at the University of Quebec in Montreal. There are 1500 candidates (5 sessions of 300 applicants) who attempt these tests during the two days allotted for the first phase of the selection process. In the following weeks and months, those who have succeeded in the written tests must then undergo anything from personal interviews to language tests, medical examinations and security clearances.
We are now three candidates from Quebec heading towards the Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall. There will be thirty-five hours of theoretical and practical course per week, over a six months period. The pressure will be continuous and desired in order to eliminate candidates who may not react well to stress.
We will be paid to study. A candidate is guaranteed with a posting upon completion of training, providing he manages to obtain 80% and above on the written and practical evaluations. Because this 82-01 course is not dedicated to Quebecers only, it cannot be offered in French. So it is going to be in English only, and will include twenty-four students from almost all Canadian provinces.
The Transport Canada Training Institute in Cornwall is nothing short of exceptional for those who have decided to study and succeed.
In order to help the student to deal with the weekly thirty-five hours of courses and examinations, the school provides interesting amenities.Each student has a private room with daily maid service. The cafeteria offers a good choice of meals. Calories can be burned at the pool, gym, weight room, on the tennis court or on the baseball field. A snack bar remains open for late-night cravings. A bank teller is made available to students, as well as a hairdressing salon, a bar, arcade games, pool tables, etc.
1982 Cornwall TCTI Pool
Transport Canada Training Institute weight room. Cornwall, Ontario 1982
1982 Cornwall TCTI combat room
1982 TCTI, Cornwall. Students from the FSS 82-01 group are experimenting a new way to improve scoring at basketball.
1982 Cornwall TCTI games
So that we understand what lies ahead, we are told that there are traditionally many students in each class who will not keep pace and will be sent home, despite their efforts. For a francophone who wasn’t using a second language on a daily basis , it is clear that integrating new theory presented in English for seven and a half hours every day, five days a week, becomes demanding. I compensate for the times when my attention decreases by studying in the evening.
There is a library in the school as well as multiples rooms for flight simulators designed for every career considered by the students.
1982 Cornwall TCTI Flight Simulation Room
1982 TCTI Cornwall. Environment Canada upper air building.
1982 TCTI Cornwall Stevenson screens
In the courtyard, there is a peacock and other small animals and a water source flows into a very well planned landscape.
1982 Cornwall TCTI courtyard
The amenities are simply stunning. The message is clear: “Transport Canada only ask you to study and succeed, it will take care of the rest.”
1982 Cornwall TCTI corridors to classrooms
Finally, the moment we were all waiting for as arrived. Students who managed to get through the course celebrate their graduation.
Assignments are distributed. Those who will be working in isolated postings, in northern Quebec, are well aware that the schedule does not include holidays. The FSS will be on duty every day. The new employee will be compensated for overtime and a more expensive cost of life. He will also benefit from subsidized rents.
My departure is planned shortly for Inukjuak (CYPH), along the east coast of Hudson Bay in the Nunavik. Life will soon change radically.
(Next story: enroute to the first posting: Inukjuak)
There has been few additions in the past weeks, especially in the photography section, underProvince of Quebec. A book about the Bugaled Breiz affair has been presented. There has also been, in the flight simulation section, under FSX, a C130 experimenting a double engine failure while enroute from Smithers to Prince George, Canada. The real life stories continue and soon I will be able to start posting the stories that happened up north, in Inukjuak and Iqaluit.
There has been many additions since the last update, as much on the flight simulation section than on the photography side of the site. Profiting from an end of September beautiful autumnal day, I visited Baie-St-Paul and the Maritime Museum of Charlevoix to take few pictures. Here are some shots that have been added recently in the Photography section, under Province of Quebec. Have a good visit!
François
Autumn colors near Baie St-Paul
Maritime Museum of Charlevoix, 2014.
HDR picture of an autumnal scene taken at St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, 2014.
