Tag: Quebec City

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Photos of Quebec

Château Frontenac and the winter wonderland of Old Quebec

Old Quebec in winter seen from Parc Montmorency in 2025
Old Quebec in winter seen from Parc Montmorency in 2025

It’s time for another winter outing in Old Quebec. The night photography session will be devoted to architecture.

The temperature is about -14 C and the winds are blowing at 15 km/h. Without gloves in order to manipulate the little buttons on the camera, the skin feels -22 C. A regular break is essential to thaw out the fingers!

I took the photo from Parc Montmorency, just up the côte de la Montagne. This historic site is a major tourist attraction in Quebec City. Louis Hébert, Canada‘s first farmer, cultivated the land here on his arrival in New France. It’s important to understand, however, that the natives knew about farming and cultivated the soil long before the arrival of the French settlers.

On the left is a sculpture of Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier, one of the Fathers of Confederation. The Château Frontenac and Price Building are also visible in the distance. In the foreground is a building that has changed function many times. It was originally the first Episcopal Palace.

Photography technique

For this shot, I planted my tripod in 40 centimetres of snow. I used a Canon 5 DSr camera equipped with a Canon EF 11-24 mm F/4L USM ultra wide-angle  zoom lens. I could have set the ISO to 200 thanks to the stability of the tripod, but the wind demanded a faster result due to possible vibrations. ISO and shutter speed are therefore dictated by ambient weather conditions rather than low light.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in winter on my blog.

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Photos du Québec Photos of Canada

Reflections on Saint-Louis Street in Quebec City in winter.

Beautiful Old Quebec night reflections on Saint-Louis Street. Photo by François Ouellet, 2025.
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!

Click on the link for more winter photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos du Québec

Photo of Quebec City and Château Frontenac by night.

Scène de Québec et du Château Frontenac la nuit. Photo par François Ouellet
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.

Click on the link for more autumn photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Quebec

Buildings and streets of Old Quebec 2024.

Streets and buildings of Old Quebec. Picture by François Ouellet
Streets and buildings of Old Quebec. Picture by François Ouellet

Here’s a scene from Quebec City, specifically Old Quebec, captured in autumn. I rarely use the square format to present a photo, but this time it suited the photographic composition perfectly. Digital processing enhanced the effect of the clouds and lessened the impact of the setting sun in the west.

Click on the link for more autumn photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Cruise ship and Château Frontenac Autumn 2024.

Cruise ship and Château Frontenac in Autumn 2024
Cruise ship and Château Frontenac in Autumn 2024

Above, a photo of the Château Frontenac in autumn with a cruise ship that has just docked at the Port of Québec. The photo was taken from Île d’Orléans. Also visible in the center of the photo is the Concorde Hotel’s revolving restaurant, “Ciel! Resto-bar”.  

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

An HDR photo of the Dauphine Redoubt in Quebec City.

Dauphine Redoubt buildings in Quebec City, 2024.
Dauphine Redoubt buildings in Quebec City, 2024.

The HDR photo of the Dauphine Redoubt above comprises seven pictures with different apertures. The Photomatix software stacks them one on top of the other to create a single shot. This allows the darker regions to stand out, while controlling the lighter areas as much as possible.

For a successful effect, the following factors need to be taken into account: type of camera (ideally full frame), use of an appropriate wide-angle lens, focus, time of day, cloud types, tripod, extension cable, camera mirror vibrations, wind, visibility, photographic grain, depth of field, moving obstacles in front of the camera and photographic composition.

I use a Canon 5 DSr with a Canon EF 11–24 mm F/4L super-wide-angle lens. Focusing with the camera’s backlit screen improves accuracy. It is better to avoid nighttime and take advantage of the blue hour. The clouds don’t prevent the capture of a distant background, and allow the city lights to be reflected in the sky.

I opt for a sturdy tripod. Its extra weight cancels out minor jolts and supports fairly heavy photographic equipment. The extension cable prevents the photographer from touching the camera when taking seven photos.

For mirror-equipped cameras like the Canon 5 DSr, it is important to activate the mirror lock function. This means that vibrations caused by the mirror rotation will have two seconds to fade before the actual picture is taken. A light wind also reduces the chance of vibrations.

Moderate visibility allows better graduation of colours and reflections. Tonight, the mist plays its part well. By using a tripod, I greatly limit the photographic grain. ISO is therefore set at 200. Depth of field is not a problem, as the tripod will prevent movement caused by long exposure.

As many people visit the site in the evening, I try to take each of the seven photos between two crosswalks. This isn’t always possible, but Photomatix can remove “ghosts” when compiling the shots. There is, however, a limit to this function.

The final point concerns photographic composition. The photo above is divided into three roughly equal horizontal zones. Oblique lines on either side at the bottom of the photo direct the eye towards the centre of the image. The five lights of the Dauphine Redoubt and those of the city capture the attention. All the shots have visible details and are not lost in the darkness. For better balance, the composition ignores another imposing building at the right of the scene.

These are just some of the precautions taken when capturing the scene in HDR night photography.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn on my blog.

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Photography Photos of Quebec

Photographing Old Quebec.

An Old Quebec view with the Château Frontenac in the distance using a Canon 11-24mm zoom lens.
An Old Quebec view with the Château Frontenac in the distance using a Canon 11-24mm zoom lens.

Luck plays a significant role in the acquisition of an original shot. To put chance on our side, we need to go on photo expeditions frequently, whatever the weather, and seize opportunities when they arise.

For this outing in Old Quebec, I thought I’d use a Canon 11–24mm f/4L USM super-wide-angle zoom lens. It allows you to get very close to a tall building and obtain vertical lines without the top of the structure disappearing.

Indeed, many high-performance zooms require the utilization of image-processing software to produce an almost perfect vertical effect. But doing so cuts off the top of the edifice.

So, I was looking for a different perspective to shoot the Château Frontenac. I saw it more in the background, as a point of arrival for the eye, rather than taking up all the space. Even as a small edifice in a photo, you recognize it before any other structure.

To do this, I chose an architecturally interesting building as my starting element. It reminded me vaguely of the Flatiron Building in New York. Naturally, it’s not as high and offers that rounded effect when captured in wide-angle format.

I’ve observed a lot of representations of Old Quebec so far. However, I don’t recall previously noticing the street and the old edifices in this way. Usually, the building in the foreground is partially visible.

Lost in the analysis of the ideal angle, I heard a strange engine sound. On my left, a vintage car was moving slowly and would pass in front of the Canon 5DSr lens in a few seconds.

I quickly lifted the camera and placed it in the right spot. The auto was already gaining speed and I had to seize the opportunity. This vintage car blended perfectly into the scene. Only the slightly more contemporary station wagon indicates a more recent picture.

Modernity and the past still come together in harmony in a developer-protected Old Quebec. To capture interesting pictures, you need to get out into the old town frequently.

Click on the link for more Summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

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Photos of Quebec

The « Station de la Plage » in five photos.

Station de la Plage and showers in Quebec City.
Station de la Plage and showers in Quebec City.

Comfortably seated on the new terrace of Quebec City’s Station de la Plage, I wrote this article sheltered from the elements.

Phase 3 of the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain in Quebec City will have cost around $190 million. A site foreman confides: “The most complex part of all this was complying with the actual government requirements. We had to do a lot of digging and install infrastructure to prevent wastewater from being discharged into the St. Lawrence River. We also had to deal with the sudden increase in inflation: to avoid a $50 million overrun, we had to shorten the width of the children’s romper and cut where it had to least impact “.

While out cycling, I took the opportunity to snap a few shots of the construction progress around what will develop into the “station de la Plage”.

Construction of the stairs at the "station de la Plage", Quebec City.
Construction of the stairs at the “station de la Plage”, Quebec City.

The picture above shows the production of the reinforced concrete for the main staircase.

Below, the finished steps can be seen. What will become the swimming pool (on the left of the photo) receives its first coat of paint. A modification to the pool’s depth necessitated the installation of a fence.

Painting the swimming pool at the "station de la Plage" and installing the fence.
Painting the swimming pool at the “station de la Plage” and installing the fence.

It can disappear completely into the ground as soon as swimming is allowed. However, its operation is currently causing serious problems, as with all novelties. When the motor exerts too much force to raise a section of fence, it falls back down on its own. The presence of sand in the vicinity may have been ignored, or at least its effect underestimated, when the railing was designed. Sand is inserted into the gears with each day’s activity. And there’s no question of using grease to make it easier to raise and lower the panels: the sand would stick to the lubricant and further complicate operations. A technician has been working for weeks to rectify the situation.

The "station de la Plage" is almost completed.
The “station de la Plage” is almost completed.

The pool has now received a coat of blue paint. This creates a clear demarcation with the color of the river water, an effect that will also benefit photographers. Only a few preparations remain before the population can officially access the site. The Commission de la capitale nationale de Québec wants people to be able to bathe just in time for the Fête nationale des Québécois, on June 24.

From now on, the incredible popularity of the site with the public will have to be managed. Indeed, in their eagerness to access the beach, few individuals bother to read the current regulations. This task will fall to the security staff, who will have to utilize their teaching skills and diplomacy to get the message across.

Station de la Plage in Quebec City
Station de la Plage in Quebec City

Use the following address to leave a comment for the Commission de la capitale nationale de Québec.

Click on the link for more Summer photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

Categories
Photography Photos of Quebec

A Canon lens avoids the garbage.

The Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec , April 28th 2023.
The Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec , April 28th 2023.

A sixteen year old Canon 14mm f/2.8 L lens that was narrowly saved from the garbage allowed me to take this wide angle photo of the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral in Old Quebec.

The visit being improvised, I did not have a tripod. So, I put the full frame camera Canon 5DSr directly on the ground. However, the lens was pointing straight ahead, preventing me from capturing the architecture and colors of the vault. I put my wallet and the lens cap on the floor to provide support for the camera to point towards the ceiling. Considering the circumstances, the result could have been worse.

Two months earlier, this 2007 Canon 14mm lens broke and could not focus automatically or manually anymore. I had sent it to Canon in Toronto. The company had written back that the lens was beyond repair and that I would unfortunately have to get a new one, at an estimated cost of $2700.

With nothing left to lose, I took the chance to have it repaired in Quebec City in a small workshop that repairs just about everything. The technician only needed a few hours of work on the lens and I received a bill for $200 plus taxes.

It was explained to me that the big camera companies do not repair equipment that is fifteen years old or more: they declare it “irreparable” when a few hours are all it takes for an experienced and competent technician to do the job.

The breakdown came just in time as the technician retired within a few weeks…

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

Categories
Photos of Quebec

Spring in Quebec City

Joe Fafard's sculpture photographed during Spring in Quebec City.
Joe Fafard’s sculpture photographed during Spring in Quebec City.

Nature comes back to life with the arrival of Spring. This is a good season for black and white photography. In the case of the photo above, the melting white snow uncovers a dark colored ground. The almost black main subject also stands out against a fairly light horizon, so this can only help the photographic composition.

I imagined the effect of the photo when transformed into black and white, with this continuous alternation of light and dark from the foreground to the horizon.

The horse, now free of snow, is galloping past the trees. The multiple trunks seem intertwined with the horse and give the illusion of a ghostly apparition. To avoid too much confusion, however, I had to make sure that the horse’s head and tail were clearly visible. A vertical shot was better because of all the branches that fill the first third of the picture and seem to be part of the horse.

The all-metal animal is part of a set of eight horses created by Joe Fafard, a renowned Saskatchewan artist and Officer of the Order of Canada. The City of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede donated the sculpture to Quebec City and it is located along Champlain Boulevard near the Cap Blanc stairs, just before entering Old Quebec.

Click on the link for more photos of Quebec City in the Spring on my blog.