Tag: Québec

Covid-19 : The Antonov 225 lands in Mirabel, Québec.

Post author By Stanley
Post date 4 May 2020

On Friday May 1^st 2020, Quebec received a shipment of medical equipment destined to the people fighting COVID-19. An Antonov 225 was carrying the goods. The flight was organized thanks to a joint collaboration between Nolinor, Momentum Solutions and Antonov Airlines.

Departing from Tianjin, China, the plane made a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, before continuing its flight over Canada towards the province of Quebec.

The Antonov 225 carrying medical supplies for Canada makes a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska.

The arrival of the Antonov 225 in Anchorage was announced in advance by the media, which allowed a large crowd to stand near the airport and monitor the approach of the aircraft. The following link allows you to view the approach and arrival: KTUU Video Antonov 225

At 5:35 on the KTUU video, we can see a Fedex MD-11F. It is worth mentioning, because this was a very impressive plane at the time of its conception, but companies are progressively getting rid of it due to the age and fuel costs associated with its operation. Today, the aircraft is only used for the transport of goods. The production of aircrafts of this size, with three engines, was stopped years ago. There is a good chance that the Antonov 225 will continue to fly long after the MD-11F has made its last flight. (Edit: The Russians destroyed the Antonov 225 during the invasion of Ukraine)

After taking off from Anchorage in the morning of May 1st, the Antonov 225 arrived in Mirabel, Quebec, in the evening of the same day at around 8:22 p.m. The aircraft’s flight path (ADB3381) could be followed on Flightradar24 at the time of its approach for Mirabel (CYMX).

The Antonov 225 ADB3381 on final for Mirabel airport in Canada on May 1st 2020.

We can see on the Flightradar24 screen capture that a helicopter (C-GSTV) is positioned to film the arrival of the world’s biggest aircraft. It is an AS 350 BA from TVA, a French-language news media in Quebec.

Source : FlightAware.

The Antonov 225 arrives in Mirabel from Anchorage on May 1st 2020.

Photo taken by Martin Chevalier.

YQBspotting has posted a very interesting video of the Antonov 225 arriving with its cargo of medical equipment in Mirabel, Quebec.

Andy St-André, from TVA, posted a video of the unloading of medical equipment on his Twitter account.

The photo below shows the unloading operation. The employees wore protective equipment against the coronavirus.

Unloading the Antonov 225 at Mirabel airport in Québec during the COVID-19 crisis.

Photo : Joël Lemay/Agence QMI.

Several challenges were encountered for this flight to be a success: the language barrier, the verification of equipment quality (contaminated material is not of a big help), the airport operation’s requirements from China, customs limited hours of operation, maximum daily time in service for the Antonov 225 crew, international competition for slot times and orders, initiatives from some countries to acquire shipments not intended for them, etc. But finally, after hard work, Quebec finally received the precious cargo.

The last video from YQBspotting shows the Antonov 225’s departure.

Click on the link for more articles on aviation photography on my blog.

Tragedy at sea

Rescue mission by a ferry in Quebec City, January 2018

Post author By Stanley
Post date 12 January 2018

Ferry in icy waters. Quebec City. Winter 2018.

So far, this winter has been especially cold in Quebec City. There have been several weeks where the temperature stayed below -20 C. The STQ ferries, property of the Government of Quebec, must navigate the ice covered St. Lawrence Seaway between Lévis and Quebec City.

Government of Quebec ferry in the icy St. Lawrence Seaway between Lévis and Quebec. Winter 2018.

The ferries Alphonse-Desjardins and Lomer-Gouin, carrying cars and passengers between the two cities, must sometimes completely cancel the service. On three occasions so far, a ferry stayed stuck while trying to cross the ice covered seaway. The passengers had to wait patiently up to four hours for a crossing that normally takes ten minutes.

The picture below was taken from Old Quebec. In the foreground stands the “Le Vendôme” restaurant, which has been for sale for years now. In the distance, a ferry makes its way through ice towards Quebec City.

Ferry approaching Quebec during the winter in 2018

Ocean’s tugboats are also working on the seaway, regardless of the temperature. The picture below shows one of those tugboats enroute to the Jean-Gaulin refinery to help an oil tanker.

Ocean's tugboat on the St. Lawrence Seaway near Quebec City. Winter 2018, by -20 C. — Ocean’s tugboat on the St. Lawrence Seaway near Quebec City. Winter 2018, by -20 C.

The pictures in this article were taken on January 7th 2018 with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 85 mm f/1.2L II USM. The temperature was -18 C.

The next day, a man who had fallen in the icy waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway was luckily spotted by one of the passengers who was standing on the Lomer-Gouin ferry heading to Quebec City. The man suffering from severe hypothermia was saved by the Government of Quebec STQ staff (Société des traversiers). Here is the link to TVA news (in French): Une personne tombe dans le fleuve Saint-Laurent à Québec.

The cold temperature and winds did not stop the Château Frontenac canoeists from training on the icy seaway in preparation for the Quebec Carnival competition. This year, the race will be held on February 4th. The Association des coureurs en canots à glace du Québec (Ice canoeists Association of Quebec) recently faced a tragedy went they lost one of their members in a training session during very harsh weather conditions.

Château Frontenac ice canoe team at work by -18 C on the St. Lawrence Seaway between Lévis and Quebec.

Here is the link to Radio-Canada news (in French): http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1072906/operation-sauvetage-embarcation-fleuve-saint-laurent

Photography

The Quebec Bridge is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017

Post author By Stanley
Post date 29 September 2017

The Quebec Bridge, the longest cantilever type bridge in the world, celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2017. For the occasion, several activities were organized in Quebec on September 23^rd 2017, culminating with fireworks near the bridge.

Reflections on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge was celebrated with fireworks.

Several workers lost their live while attempting to build the bridge. A Wikipedia article resumes its history: The Quebec Bridge

In 2017, the safety issue was brought back in the news. This time it was about the lack of maintenance that favored an increasing amount of rust on the metallic structure.

The funds that would allow to paint the bridge on a regular basis seems hard to find. The bridge owner, the Canadian National Railway Company, and the different levels of government are attempting to find a solution that would be acceptable for all. This discussion has been going on for years. While the bridge holds on, everything is fine.

September 23rd 2017 celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge.

About the photography

During the fireworks several boats equipped with an additional lighting system approached the bridge.

It was impossible to get really sharp shots of the boats since they were constantly moving due to the strong current of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The fireworks lasted about thirty minutes and attracted a huge crowd, both along the St.Lawrence Seaway and on the higher grounds of both Lévis and Quebec City.

Fireworks for the 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge

Frequent adjustments of the camera’s aperture and ISO were needed since it is always very demanding for a camera to deal with sudden burst of lights appearing in the darkness. It was necessary to limit the exposure time in order to avoid an accumulation of blurred light trails.

The Quebec Bridge is 100 years old in 2017

The pictures were taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera mounted on a tripod. A Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM was used to capture the fireworks.

Click on the link for other photos taken in Autumn on my blog.

Tags 2017, Canadian National Railway Company, Canon 5DSR, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon lenses, cantilever, exposure in photography, fireworks, full frame camera, night photography, night reflections, political pressures, Québec, Quebec bridge, Quebec City, security, St-Lawrence Seaway, tips in photography

Biography and autobiography

Jacques Godbout’s autobiography

Post author By Stanley
Post date 28 August 2017

Front cover of the book Autos Biographie by Jacques Godbout

Jacques Godbout has found a very interesting way to present his autobiography. The cars that he once owned or rented , even those who he attempted to drive without success, become the link that the reader follows to travel around the world, always learning something new about the author’s life.

This is a refreshing book, filled with humor, where the author presents his family and many other people with whom he studied or worked, including Robert Bourassa, a former Prime Minister of Quebec.

Back cover of the book Autos Biographie by Jacques Godbout

As a citizen of Quebec City, I was surprised to learn that it is the rounded shape of the St-Laurent bar, inside Château Frontenac, that inspired Jacques Godbout and three of his friends (Paul Buissonneau, Gilles Carle and Jacques Languirand) when they were asked to sketch the beautiful Montreal Expo 67’s pavillion “L’homme dans la cité” (Man in the Community).

Click on the link for more biographies and autobiographies on my blog.

Title : Autos biographie
Author : Jacques Godbout
Edition : Somme toute
©2014 Jacques Godbout, Rémy Simard and the Somme toute edition.
ISBN papier : 978-2-924283-25-7

Tags autobiography, books, cars, Château Frontenac, Expo 67, Jacques Godbout, Man in the Community, Québec, Rémy Simard

Ship photography

The Chilean sailboat Esmeralda at the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City

Post author By Stanley
Post date 28 July 2017

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.

Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

The Quebec Summer Festival and Metallica

Post author By Stanley
Post date 17 July 2017

On the picture above, there is a sign indicating that the Quebec Summer Festival does not garantee an access to any sites. Under normal circumstances, this makes sense.

Part of the crowd waiting to enter the site for the Metallica show at the Quebec Summer Festival in 2017

But to say such a thing to the crowd who came to see Metallica would have been quite a challenge : « Ladies and gentlemen, as the person in charge of the Quebec Summer Festival, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you that the ticket you bought does not garantee an access to any specific site. A sign has been posted to that effect and the people at the beginning of the waiting line for the Metallica show can actually read it. Today happens to be such a day where you do not have access to the site. But there are other shows in town, so have a good festival and have fun! »

But all went well and the Metallica show, as well as the other shows presented at the Quebec Summer Festival were a success in 2017.

On a more technical side, the full-frame camera used to take the huge crowd was a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. The top of the St.Louis Gate, on Grande-Allée, was the perfect place to capture all those people waiting for Metallica.

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer

Tags Canon 5DSR, Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, Canon lenses, Grande Allée, humor, Metallica, Old Quebec, photography, Québec, Quebec City, Quebec Summer Festival, St. Louis Gate

Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): the Nav Canada flight information center (FIC) in Québec City

The overheated flight service specialist

Post author By Stanley
Post date 21 March 2017

In 2002, the Quebec flight information center employees were advised that journalists had been authorized to film inside the Nav Canada installations.

In anticipation of the shooting, one of the flight service specialists went over the list of employees who would be working during the journalist’s visit. He phoned those employees and suggested an appropriate dress code. He was just trying to help. One of the employees that we will name Denis could not be contacted, but the message was nonetheless left to his wife.

The next day, just before the journalist’s visit, Denis arrived in the center. He entered the flight service station room and dryly demanded the name of the employee who phoned his wife to suggest a dress code for him. It just happened that this employee was facing him. Denis kind of lost his temper and ordered everyone to mind their own business. There was some tension in the air. It would not have been a good idea to contradict him…

Few hours later, during a coffee break, I found myself in the employee’s kitchen in company of Denis. He put a donut in the microwave and sat down in a corner by himself, waiting to hear the “beap” from the microwave, indicating that the donut was hot enough.

But from where he was sitting, Denis did not see that the donut was overheating. In fact, the donut was gradually changing color and shape and smoke was coming through all the microwave’s gaps it could find. For safety reasons, I was checking that the damages were limited only to the donut.

Overheating fat really makes a lot of smoke. Denis asked me: “Don’t you find that it smells of burning?” I answered positively. He added: “ But look, there is smoke near you!”

Realizing that I was not going to move, he stood up to find out what was going on. He soon discovered that the source of the smoke came from a deformed and darkened entity still turning on the tray. He shouted: “It’s my donut! It’s all burned! Why didn’t you tell me?” I could only reply: “ Just about an hour ago, you told us in no uncertain tone to mind our business. How can I know how you prefer your donut?!” Useless to say, this did not help in calming him down…

Click on the link for other real life stories at the Quebec flight information center on my blog.

Tags dress code, FIC, flight service specialist, flight service station, FSS, human behaviour, humor, journalists, Nav Canada, Québec, Quebec flight information center, Quebec Jean-Lesage international airport

Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Night photography of Quebec City

Post author By Stanley
Post date 7 March 2017

Here is a night picture that speaks volume about the ambiance that generally prevails in Quebec City. Wherever he walks, the photographer will notice citizen and tourists admiring the town.

The photo was captured with a Canon 5D MKII full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 fixed lens. This kind of maximal aperture allows to take pictures at this time of the day without the need of a tripod and without grossly increasing the ISO, thus protecting the picture’s quality. The use of a tripod is always giving better results, but for the occasions where the photographer does not have one with him, the maximal aperture of 1.4 (or even better 1.2 for the lucky ones) can save the day.

The stars surrounding the city lights do not result from using a special photography equipment. Instead, they are produced by the multiple elements present in the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 fixed lens. Since every lenses available on the market are not of equal quality, some lenses naturally offer a much nicer bokeh than others.

It is quite difficult to obtain something else than human silhouettes when the light is so weak. The lower third of the image also proves to be a problem for the camera, as the luminosity created by the streetlights is much more intense. Nonetheless, it was not too difficult to correct the contrasts using an image editing software, since the photo was taken using RAW files.

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer

Tags Canada, Canon 5D MKII, Canon EF 50mm f1.4, Canon lenses, full frame camera, landscape photography, night photography, photo, photography theory, Québec, Quebec City, tips in photography

Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

A few snow sculptures at the 2017 Quebec City Carnival

Post author By Stanley
Post date 14 February 2017

In 2017, Quebec City has opted for a decentralization of the Carnival activities which where always organized on the Plains of Abraham. Part of Grande-Allée was blocked to traffic and other activities where also held in the parc de l’Amérique-Française, the parc de la Francophonie and at Place d’Youville, in the hearth of the touristic sector.

This new formula seems to be a success, according to the number of people met during my photography sessions on the different sites. Children, as usual, were not really bothered by the cold temperature et found a way to have fun. The picture below was taken while the wind chill factor was -20C.

Child playing at the parc de l'Amérique-Française during the 2017 Quebec Carnival — Child playing at the parc de l’Amérique-Française during the 2017 Quebec Carnival

The parc de l’Amérique-Française was receiving the international snow sculpture contest. Many countries were present: Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Peru and the United States. Italy won the first prize with an excellence award from the Quebec Carnival, added to an award from the public and the benevolent staff. The Italian sculptors were Pietro Germano, Samuel Bonapace and Gino Casagranda. The picture below represents one Italian sculptor at work.

An Italian sculptor at work during the 2017 Quebec Carnival.

The second prize, with a Government of Quebec award, was offered to the team from France, who was composed of Pascal Veuillet, André Marastoni and Éric Margery. The pictures below show the work in progress and a French sculptor taking a few minutes to talk with a citizen. He does not seem too annoyed by the cold weather…

French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival

A French sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival

The team from Canada won the third prize, with an award from Quebec City. In the team were Jessy Armand, Michel Proulx and Mathieu Béchard. The pictures below represent two of the Canadian sculptors at work.

A Quebec sculptor at work on the Canada snow sculpture during the 2017 Quebec Carnival

French Canadian sculptor at the 2017 Quebec Carnival

Some sculptures had a really original look. Instead of capturing the whole creation, I decided to frame a section of one of the sculpture in order to emphasize the artwork.

Section of a snow sculpture at the 2017 Quebec Carnival.

All the pictures have been taken using a Canon 5DSR full-frame camera equipped with a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM lens, with or without tripod, depending on the amount of light available. The picture above was shot using a 1.2 aperture to maximize the blurred effect in the background. It was then reworked using two different image editing softwares.

For a better idea of all the activites organized by the Quebec Carnival, head towards the following official and bilingual site: Quebec Carnival official site

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer

Terrorism

The Quebec Islamic community attacked by an unstable individual

Post author By Stanley
Post date 30 January 2017

The Quebec Islamic community has just lost six of its members. I want to offer them my sincere condolances as a Quebecer from Quebec City and as a Canadian.

It is hard for me to realize that in my city, which is so beautiful and peaceful, such a tragedy can happen. But all the citizens who have lived the same tragedy in their city tell themselves the same thing. Talk about it to the French or the Berliners. Quebec is not different.

The Quebec City mayor, Régis Labeaume, was recently mentioning how good the statistics were in Quebec when it came to violent acts : there had been only one homicide in twenty-one months. And now, in full Quebec Carnival period, at a time where the City invites its citizens and tourists to get out and be together enjoying the winter season, one Quebecer attacks his peaceful compatriots.

The word « terrorism »

I do not know why exactly but it seems that the Sainte-Foy, January 29th 2017 murders that have just been commited will be classified as a « terrorist » act. Possibly because it targeted a specific community that has a different religion than the shooter. Or because the act is aimed at terrorizing people. Or both.

The word « terrorism » is popular. In United States, the Donald Trump government has just closed its boundaries to selected countries, in case a potential « terrorist » would arrive in USA.

It is easy to forget that there are American citizens already living in United States that are even more dangerous, those who kill tens of thousands of Americans yearly with all kinds of guns that they have the right to possess according to a Constitution that did not anticipate the consequences.

In spite of the blooshed that includes tens of children in schools, it is not « terrorism » so there are no drastic actions taken. Politicians talk and hesitate for weeks after a tragedy and then everything comes back to normal. The « terrorist » murder has obviously a much stronger social impact than any other murder. And it allows to disregard the widespread « laisser-faire » when it comes to the right of everybody in United States to acquire almost whatever he desires when it comes to guns and to use them at will. But if you come from Irak, now that’s dangerous!

A few nice Quebec City photos

I take the opportunity to post a few nice pictures of Quebec City, as I did for France after the terrorist acts. They have been taken with a Canon 5DSR. This is another way of saying to local citizens and tourists that Québec, as for Paris, Nice or Berlin, is a beautiful city, normally very peaceful and filled with happy people. And that we are not going to be told how to behave or think by the most violent and often mentally fragile individuals of our societies.

Bonhomme Carnaval and Château Frontenac, Québec 2017

Snow, ice and wood creation made by a Sillery citizen in Quebec City in 2015.