Federal Trident sailing through the ice in front of Quebec City 2026
Days with temperatures of -25 °C and below are becoming increasingly rare in Quebec City. With the wind chill factor, the temperature today feels like -36 °C. This is a golden opportunity to try to capture the sea smoke on the St. Lawrence River.
Photography technique
Sea mist between Île d’Orléans and Quebec City, winter 2026
Night photography in these weather conditions remains difficult. The low light requires a tripod, which itself vibrates in the gusty wind. This means increasing the ISO and decreasing the depth of field to achieve a faster shutter speed, which slightly reduces image quality. In addition, using a 300 mm telephoto lens increases the risk of blurry photos. Photography is all about compromise!
Canadian Coastguard icebreaker Des Groseillers at work near Quebec City winter 2026
Above is a photo of the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Des Groseillers at work. It is not surprising to see this type of vessel in the area, as the Seaway must remain ice-free in its centre to allow ships to navigate year-round. And this year, there is ice!
Snow blower at work on Île d’Orléans in the winter of 2026
On Île d’Orléans, snow blowers don’t stop clearing snow when a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction. They blow the snow across the road with enough force that you can quickly pass under the spray without getting too much debris on your car.
House on Île d’Orléans with Mont St. Anne in the background
The sun hits the trees sideways in the late afternoon on Île d’Orléans. From the Sainte-Famille parish, you can capture the island’s houses with an interesting backdrop: the ski slopes of Mont St-Anne.
Protest in Quebec City against Iran’s mullahs
Even in freezing temperatures, citizens of Iranian origin are demonstrating in Old Quebec against the dictatorial regime of the mullahs in Iran. All this at a time when an American fleet is positioning itself for a military intervention in Iran.
Canadian Coast Guard Amundsen icebreaker on the St.Lawrence river near Quebec City 2026
The freezing weather of winter 2025-2026 in Quebec requires frequent interventions by the Canadian Coast Guard to open passages on the St. Lawrence River. In the photo above, the icebreaker Amundsen, clears the way in front of Quebec City.
This ship occasionally works in the Canadian Arctic on research projects. It also ensures a Canadian presence in Canada’s northernmost territories.
Note the helicopter parked at the rear of the ship. Other larger icebreakers are under construction at various shipyards across the country, including the one in Lévis. Some of them are intended to strengthen Canadian territorial sovereignty in the Arctic.
Ferries at work in the ice in front of Quebec City winter 2026
Ferries make their way through the ice in January 2026. They ensure the crossing for pedestrians and vehicles between Quebec City and Lévis.
Ship moving through the ice on a winter night in front of Quebec City
For this nighttime photograph, I used a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. It requires very little light and allows the photographer to take a picture of the Ocean tugboat and the merchant navy ship as they pass in front of Quebec City. I took the photo from the Dufferin Terrace and cropped it to enlarge the image.
Leaving Tadoussac, the road continues along the Côte-Nord (North Shore) and we pass through Forestville to reach Baie-Comeau and take the ferry to Matane, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.
We arrive in Matane at dusk, just in time to set up the camera equipment on the beach. There’s no way I can take the photo above from the ferry, because a long exposure requires absolute stillness. I want to capture this beautiful September moon rising above the houses.
I miss a few shots by relying on autofocus. I quickly change my photography technique. Liveview (Live View) mode and manual focus will improve the sharpness.
Fishing boat at dusk in Matane, Quebec 2025
The next day, a boat leaves Matane just before nightfall for a fishing expedition off the St. Lawrence River. The relative calm of the waters offers interesting reflections. The low light and distance of the boat require the use of a high-quality lens, in this case the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
On the way back from Matane to Quebec City, a stop at Bic National Park allows us to take a few photos, including this fishing boat returning to port. The sailors’ departure time varies constantly depending on the river tides.
Fishing boat in the Parc national du Bic, Québec 2025
Another location well known for its beauty is the municipality of Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer. Below, the colorful houses along the beach attract the attention of tourists and contribute to the area’s reputation. I preferred to capture an overall effect by including vegetation in the foreground. The few small low cumulus clouds also add to the dynamic of the scene.
The village of Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer and its colorful houses.
One last photo shows the sunset in Berthier-sur-Mer. This area, along with the Kamouraska and Notre-Dame-du-Portage regions, regularly offers exceptional panoramas when the sun sets. So much so that some photos can look like they’ve been retouched.
I saw reds and purples so pronounced that it became obvious that the photographer would have been accused of oversaturating his shots.
Sunset at Berthier-sur-Mer en 2024.
After an excellent meal at the beach restaurant in Berthier-sur-Mer, we finally reach our final destination, the beautiful city of Quebec City.
After visiting the La Malbaie region, the Saguenay Fjord, Bagotville, and La Baie, all of which were featured in my previous blog post, we continue our journey to Saint-Gédéon, along the Lac-Saint-Jean, Alma, and then back to La Baie at nightfall.
Lac-Saint-Jean, September 2025
Lac-Saint-Jean has a circumference of 263 kilometers and covers an area of 1,003 square kilometers. When we were there, the wind was blowing moderately, and it’s easy to imagine the swells that boaters must face in the middle of this immense expanse of water. Some sources cite waves up to 4 meters high during extreme weather conditions.
Hay bales near St-Gédéon, Lac Saint-Jean 2025
In September, farmers store hay bales. Around 6 p.m. in the Saint-Gédéon region near Lac-Saint-Jean, the sun hits the field from the side, beautifully illuminating the hay still outside. An excellent opportunity for landscape photography.
Just before nightfall and our departure for Alma, we take a few shots of the wind turbines near the lake. The photographic composition requires a vertical frame.
Wind turbines at dusk in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec 2025
In Alma, we take the opportunity to eat at the restaurant owned by Mario Tremblay, a star hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens who is now retired. It was well worth the stop! I took a photo of the restaurant entrance where you can see the hockey player in action!
Entrance to Mario Tremblay’s restaurant in Alma
The journey continues in the next article, where we stop in Tadoussac for a whale watching cruise.
In September 2025, another edition of Vintage Weekend took place in Quebec City. This year, more than 200 vintage cars were on display on Saint-Paul Street and on the grounds adjacent to Espace Quatre Cent in Quebec City’s Old Port.
Stéphane Lavallée’s 1959 Corvette at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
As usual, restaurant owners had their hands full serving the many curious visitors who came to admire the cars. In addition, they had to contend with the presence of travelers who had recently disembarked from the three cruise ships moored in the harbor. The next photo shows the energetic team at Bistro St-Malo hard at work feeding passersby.
The restaurateur of Bistro St-Malo at work on St-Paul Street at Weekend Vintage 2025
This year, musicians from Calgary entertained the crowd with songs from the 1950s. The audience was delighted by the excellent quality of the performance, both in terms of singing and music. The same can be said of the dancers, who took us back in time with a few hits from that era.
Retro dancing on St. Paul Street at the Quebec Vintage Weekend in 2025
Below, cars occupy the space surrounding La Vivrière, a fountain sculpture commemorating the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Gary Lynch’s Hudson Hornet Hollywood 7x at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
Burger Heaven Lights on for Service at the Weekend Vintage in Quebec City
Paul Forest’s 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air with modified color
1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday and Michel Savard at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
Above, Michel Savard poses proudly next to his 1952 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday. As for André Guillemette, he had original parts shipped from Great Britain to do justice to his 1962 Jaguar Mark II, which can be seen below.
André Guillemette’s 1962 Jaguar Mark II at Quebec City’s 2025 Vintage Weekend
Reflections in Michel Métivier’s 1967 Pontiac GTO at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
A final photo shows St. Paul Street with Charles Boisseau’s 1965 Corvette Stingray.
Charles Boisseau’s 1965 Corvette Stingray at Quebec City’s Vintage Weekend
Now that we know the winner, here are seven photos of Julian Alaphilippe, the Tudor team, Marion Rousse (the winner’s partner), Tadej Pogacar and Pavel Sivakov.
The Tudor team and Alaphilippe on côte de la Montagne at the GPC Québec 2025
The 216-kilometer race took place between https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/old-quebec-city Old Quebec, the Plains of Abraham, the Montcalm neighborhood, and Champlain Boulevard. Above, cyclists climb Côte de la Montagne, which has an average gradient of 9% over 600 meters, but with a steep section reaching 13%.
Below, a photo of the main peloton with the Château Frontenac in the background.
View of the Château Frontenac during the GPC Québec 2025
Near the Château Frontenac, I take the opportunity to snap a photo of Tadej Pogacar and Julian Alaphilippe, two of the most famous names in the race.
Pogacar and Alaphilippe the winner of the GPC Québec race 2025
The Tudor cyclist team opens the way for Alaphilippe at the GPC Québec 2025
On Rue Saint-Louis, the young Swiss Tudor team worked to save Julian Alaphilippe’s efforts. Below, Julian Alaphilippe after his victory. In the background are Tadej Pogacar and Pavel Sivakov of the UAE team. The latter finished two seconds behind Alaphilippe, while Alberto Bettiol of the XDS Astana Team took third place, four seconds behind.
Pogacar was well positioned, but at the end of the race, the group he was riding with refused to take turns at the front. So, he decided to slow down and watch someone else win.
Alaphilippe, Pogacar and Sivakov after the Grand Prix cycliste de Québec 2025
Marion Rousse, former French champion and actual director of the Women’s Tour de France, was working as an analyst at the GPC in Quebec City. She left her post for a few minutes to congratulate her partner, Julian Alaphilippe. She can be seen in the photo below walking towards the Tudor team.
Marion Rousse arrives to congratulate Julian Alaphilippe at the GP cycliste de Québec 2025
It was once again an exciting race, held for the fourteenth consecutive year under sunny skies and ideal temperatures. Every year, more and more cycling enthusiasts come to watch this UCI World Tour race. The same is true for the race in Montreal.
Here is the link for all the results of the Quebec City race.
A paddleboard enthusiast on the Jacques-Cartier River in Quebec 2025
An excellent spot for paddleboarding (SUP) in the Quebec City area is located at kilometer 25 (EKWATEK) of Jacques-Cartier National Park. There are no services as such at this location, but a large free parking lot provides easy access to the riverbank, which is only a few meters away.
The natural surroundings are breathtaking. Bring a good camera (or at least a cell phone) in a waterproof bag. There are several splendid spots for landscape photography.
As summer progresses, the water level drops. However, even in fall, the river remains deep enough to enjoy your sport in complete peace of mind. At first, paddleboarders follow the gentle current of the Jacques-Cartier River southward. So there’s no need to paddle vigorously! You can just let yourself go. You’ll know when it’s time to turn back when you see small waterfalls in the distance. To avoid damaging the board, you turn around.
On the return trip, the effort required is greater, but not excessive. In strong north winds, bring a paddle to which you can attach an oar in place of the handle, giving you the feeling of paddling like a kayaker. Sitting or kneeling on the board, you will return to your starting point more quickly.
In the event of a southerly wind, the energy required to return is minimal. This allows you to make several round trips and spend a few hours on the river without getting exhausted!
A beautiful summer day in Jacques-Cartier National Park
On your way to kilometer 25, you can admire several scenes like this. The surroundings are magnificent! Green, yellow, and orange are the colors of autumn. There is very little red in the area. The orange color is concentrated mainly at the beginning of autumn, while the yellow persists much longer. The photo above was taken at the beginning of August.
Reflections in Jacques-Cartier National Park in summer.
Photography technique
Even if the initial goal is to go paddleboarding on the Jacques-Cartier River, you can bring a camera, just in case a special scene merits a photo. It is best to shoot in RAW mode to make it easier to correct imperfections later.
Today, the complete absence of wind allows for exceptional reflections for landscape photography. But you have to choose your environment carefully: no distractions should break the effect. The goal is to create momentary confusion through a mirrored scenery.
A tight frame keeps the panorama identical in both parts of the photo. You must then ensure that the horizon is as straight as possible. Finally, you can improve the initial image by reducing the smoke haze. Indeed, the summer of 2025 in Quebec will have been the one where forest fires in Western Canada considerably impacted on visibility in Quebec.
The sun slowly sets over Jacques-Cartier National Park.
I took this photo of the Jacques-Cartier National Park Valley in the late afternoon to profit from the soft lighting. Also, in August at this time, the sun in the southwest hits the eastern slope. The light is then reflected in the middle of the valley and diffused through the smoke. Some of the haze can be removed, but it is important to keep enough of it to preserve the majestic effect of the landscape.
In the foreground, paddleboarders, barely visible, enjoy the exceptional light of the late afternoon.
A “Giant prickly stick insect” is on my hand at the Montreal insectarium.
What a wonderful experience this week at the Montreal Insectarium! While we were visiting one of the pavilions, an attendant offered to hold a Extatosoma tiaratum, also known as tiara snail, scorpion stick or Australian walking stick.
The insect gets its scorpion-like reputation from the fact that it curls its tail in the same way as a scorpion when it feels in danger. But it doesn’t sting. You can then put your hand upside down and it will grab you effortlessly. This is its natural position under a branch.
As someone who rarely carries his cell phone around with me, I was delighted to have the opportunity to take a photo of him that day!
Part of the insect collection at the Montreal insectarium.
The diversity of shapes and colours of insects in the environment is astounding. Nature never ceases to amaze.
Superb specimens at the Montreal insectarium.
In addition to the central pavilion, home to a large number of colourful insects, visitors can also take a stroll through the butterfly aviary. The butterflies wander around the visitors, but it is forbidden to touch them.
Among Quebec’s tourist attractions, the Montreal insectarium is well worth a visit.
Click on the link for more articles and photos on the environment in my blog.
