Tag: Québec

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Photography in Jacques-Cartier National Park

Reflections in Jacques-Cartier National Park in summer.
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.
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.

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

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Environment

The Scorpion Stick Insect at the Montreal Insectarium.

A "Giant prickly stick insect" is on my hand at the Montreal insectarium.
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.
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.
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.

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Photos of Quebec

Religion and astronomy are one and the same in Quebec City.

Full moon seen from the St-Michel church in Québec, 2023
Full moon seen from the St-Michel church in Québec, 2023

Saint-Michel de Sillery church replaced the former Jesuit chapel built in Quebec City in 1644. The new building now stands on a headland with an exceptional view of the St. Lawrence River.

Passing through the church parking lot for a night photography session, I took advantage of the sculpture honoring the eight Canadian martyr saints to highlight the full moon.

One of the Jesuits made the task easy for me, as he was already pointing his finger skyward. All I had to do was wait for the right moment to link religion and astronomy. Social media have popularized this kind of technique in photography, but it’s still satisfying to get such a shot.

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

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Graphic novels and comics

Author Guy Delisle’s superb new graphic novel

The new graphic novel from Guy Delisle: Pour une fraction de seconde.
The new graphic novel from Guy Delisle: Pour une fraction de seconde.

Guy Delisle clearly hits the nail on the head with his new graphic novel “Pour une fraction de seconde – La vie mouvementée d’Eadweard Muybridge”. The book introduces us to a colorful character, famous for having advanced photography by leaps and bounds through the study of animal movement. These innovations consequently led to the development of cinema.

Guy Delisle’s drawings and script work perfectly. This time, the teaching of the story clearly takes over, but without ever boring the reader – on the contrary. A subject that could have turned out to be dry becomes fun and full of surprises. This book is a little more serious than the author’s usual offerings, but in a relaxed, well-presented form.

When someone stands out in an astonishing way in a field, we often hear the expression: “He was born to do that”. This is certainly not the case with Muybridge. And yet, he succeeds where many fail or lack the tenacity and character to face adversity.

Before achieving fame for his success in photography, the main character took many paths, some of them seemingly contradictory. He started out as a bookseller and became entrepreneur, genius inventor, assassin, businessman, writer and lecturer. He traveled extensively to further his projects. That took him to England, the United States, France, Germany and Italy.

A page from Guy Delisle's new graphic novel "Pour une fraction de seconde"
A page from Guy Delisle’s new graphic novel “Pour une fraction de seconde”

As a result of Guy Delisle’s reputation as a cartoonist in Quebec and France, he knows he can choose any subject he is passionate about without risking to lose his public. There is undoubtedly a lot of research in his new book. In a way, he’s doing us all a favor, as we learn a bit of history while we’re entertained.

Along the way, you’ll meet the likes of Tesla, Edison and the Lumière brothers, and discover who was behind the name “Stanford” at the famous American university.

Happy reading!

Title: Pour une fraction de seconde — La vie mouvementée d’Eadweard Muybridge

Author: Guy Delisle

Publisher: © 2024 Éditions Delcourt

ISBN: 978-2-413-08585-0

Click on the link for other graphic novels and comics on my blog

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Old Quebec in photos (2)

Old Quebec heading to St-Paul street.
Old Quebec heading to St-Paul street.

Old meets new in this photo of Old Quebec. On the right, the headquarters of the Norplex group, real estate developer. This is the former Canadian Bank of Commerce building, designed in 1914 by architect V. D. Horsburgh. The rounded shape is reminiscent of the Bank of England’s Tivoli.

In the foreground, the sculpture-fountain La Vivrière, a more modern creation inaugurated in 1995 on Place de la FAO to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the FAO in Quebec City in 1945, under the aegis of Lester B. Pearson.

In terms of photographic composition, the sculpted waves in the foreground gradually direct the viewer’s eye towards the main building at the top right of the photo. The rounded columns are only straight thanks to the use of Canon’s ultra-wide-angle EF 11-24mm F/4L lens.

Quiet evening in Old Quebec during Summer 2024
Quiet evening in Old Quebec during Summer 2024

Above, a view of the newly restored Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. In the distance, the tower of the Price building. Rotating spotlights create moving shadows for the couple in the foreground.  

Old Quebec buildings seen from Côte de la Montagne, 2024.
Old Quebec buildings seen from Côte de la Montagne, 2024.

Above, a five-shot HDR photo of buildings in Old Quebec. In the foreground, a wall stands at the intersection of Port Dauphin and Côte-de-la-Montagne streets. In the middle ground, we see the shops and buildings on rue De Buade. In the background, the Price Building, the only skyscraper permitted in Old Quebec.

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

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Rue Dauphine in autumn in Old Quebec.

A photo of Quebec City with winter approaching.
A photo of Quebec City with winter approaching.

For this photo of rue Dauphine in Old Quebec, I chose a period when everything changes rapidly. The blue hour still allows us to make out the most significant details of this night photography session. Winter is just around the corner and the rain showers, momentarily halted, are trying to erase the snow that now lingers on the ground in early December.

The freshly fallen rain reflects the light from the streetlamps on rue Dauphine and from the windows of the former church, now the Maison de la littérature.

This kind of photo can only be taken with frequent visits to the old town, in all seasons and weather conditions. The photographer’s eye immediately catches sight of a scene around a bend in the road that needs to be captured.

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

The “rue du Trésor” in Old Quebec.

Being watched in rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
Being watched in rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024

On an evening when isolated showers were continually changing the atmosphere in Quebec City, I visited the old part of the town, especially “rue du Trésor”. Today’s article features four photos of the same street captured from different angles. About three hours separates the shots.

Above, passers-by seem to be followed by an individual. I’ve maximized the effect of tension by taking advantage of a moment when the tourists in the background are in the light and the lone walker remains in shadow. To accentuate the discomfort, I opted for a cold tone and undersaturation in post-processing.

Below, two young people chat quietly at the entrance to rue du Trésor, while pedestrians go about their business. The tiles have had time to dry out a little since the last shower.

Conversation near rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
Conversation near rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024

The photo is legal in Quebec because it’s not just about the two persons in the foreground. There’s a street setting where other passers-by are also present. This is always a factor to consider when publishing for non-commercial use. If the couple is alone in the scene and it’s a close-up, I can capture the scene, but under Quebec law, I don’t publish. For added precaution, it is sometimes better to wait a while between the moment the photo is taken and its distribution. Finally, I make sure that people are not portrayed in such a way as to damage their reputation. So, there are always multiple factors to consider before a photo is taken and distributed.

Reflections after the rain in the rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024
Reflections after the rain in the rue du Trésor, Old Quebec 2024

Above, a couple takes a walk immediately after a rain shower. I set up the camera a few inches off the ground, in front of a puddle to get a reflection.

The goal of the picture is the water reflection but, since I want to publish the photo, I have to think about the persons. The couple becomes possibly the main subject for some viewers. Using added precaution, I put an artificial obstacle in front of the man’s eyes to make him less recognizable. As for the woman, her head turned to one side makes identification impossible.

Below is a view of the Rue du Trésor during the “blue hour,” after the showers. The last tourists take the opportunity to choose a piece of art before the shopkeepers leave.

Rue du Trésor in evening in Old Quebec, 2024
Rue du Trésor in evening in Old Quebec, 2024

Click on the link for reference books about photography in Canada and Quebec on my blog. Also use the following link for more photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in summer on my blog.

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The Battlefields Park in autumn.

The Battlefields Park in Quebec City in Autumn.
The Battlefields Park in Quebec City in Autumn.

The photo shows the Battlefields Park in early autumn, as the trees begin to change color. In the distance on the right is the revolving restaurant “Ciel! Bistro-bar” and, on the left, the turret of Saint-Dominique church.

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

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Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The full harvest moon of September 2024.

The full harvest moon rises in the Matane sky in September 2024.
The full harvest moon rises in the Matane sky in September 2024.

The photo above was taken in Matane, Quebec, in September 2024. It’s more a matter of chance than planning. I was on the beach photographing the sunset, and when the sky got too dark, I turned around to see if there was anything interesting left to capture. And I came across this full harvest moon rising in the firmament.

Photographing a full moon is a good challenge. We often capture only an almost white, very bright disk, losing the nuances of colour and the details of the lunar geography.

The advice available on the Internet on how to successfully shoot a full moon with a normal camera goes in all directions. But one thing’s for sure: to improve your chances of success, it’s best not to wait until nightfall, because then the very high luminosity of the star becomes impossible to attenuate while still retaining a view of the planetary topography.

Most of the time, the choice is between an excellent photo of a full moon, but a very dark surrounding earth relief where nothing is discernible, or a visible earth relief of acceptable quality, but a moon that represents nothing more than a large, white circle of light.

The method that works for the photo above is as follows: you have to be on the spot at the right time, i.e., during the blue hour and not the whole night. So, in my case, I was lucky because it wasn’t planned.

You need a tripod and an extension cable. There are two reasons to avoid long exposures: firstly, the moon is a moving object. The longer the exposure, the more the disk moves. You end up with an oval rather than a round moon. A long exposure also picks up more light, and the moon’s disk turns completely white.

Full harvest moon rising in Matane, Québec 2024
Full harvest moon rising in Matane, Québec 2024

Compromises become necessary. Trying to get a perfect moon and foreground at exactly the right brightness is quite a challenge. By the time every attempt has been made to achieve a flawless result, the moon is already too high in the sky. We have to act quickly.

We’re advised to lower the ISO to 200, but if I do that, I’m increasing the exposure time and introducing too much light into the camera. Instead, I use a higher ISO to reduce exposure, and use all the camera functions likely to reduce the amount of light entering the camera: higher shutter speed, if necessary, strong negative exposure compensation, and so on.

By not overdoing the settings and using RAW files, there’s still enough flexibility to bring out the foreground, in this case the houses lining Matane’s beaches and the surrounding lights.

In short, shoot during the blue hour, act quickly, accept compromises, limit exposure time in every way possible and use RAW files to facilitate post-production work.

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

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Photos of Quebec

Young woman in the night in Quebec City.

Young woman in the night in Quebec City.
Young woman in the night in Quebec City.

In photography, it’s not just planning that makes for interesting results. Luck also plays an important role. But you need to get out frequently, in all kinds of light and weather conditions. The photo above is a good example of it.

I’m in a district of Old Quebec that is shunned by tourists late at night, because it’s less well lit. The location is close to Rue St-Jean, a popular thoroughfare lined with restaurants and other businesses. The contrast in traffic is striking.

I visited the area to try my luck with HDR photography. The photo session being over, I am preparing to head home quietly as nighttime falls.

Suddenly, a woman on a bicycle stops under a lamppost. The scene, with its plants, old bricks, neon sign and play of shadows, looks promising. But a quick reaction is needed, because with so little light, even the slightest movement will result in a blurred picture. Fortunately, the woman consults her cell phone, which immobilizes her for a few seconds.

HDR photography is out of the question here. She’ll never be still long enough in this subdued light for me to take multiple pics with different apertures. I snap twice, quickly. The young woman puts her phone away and disappears from the scene. There’s only one quality shot, the other being too blurred.

This photo session shows me once again the importance of getting out frequently to try one’s luck. Combined with an acceptable reaction time and the right equipment for working in low light, you’re likely to come home with one of life’s unexpected gifts.

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