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.
Fishing in the Jacques-Cartier national park in Spring in Québec.
A fisherman sits quietly in the river of the Jacques-Cartier national park casting his line, while his companion watches from the shore. Here, everyone has as much space as they want to enjoy their hobby.
Some photographers use Photoshop’s “dehaze” function to keep the background sharp to infinity. I prefer to retain the natural feel of the scene. The violet-blue landscape visible at the top of the shot helps to capture the distance.
Forest in the Jacques-Cartier national park in Spring in Québec 2024.
People prepare for their outing in the huge ancestral canoe known as a rabaska. In the foreground, but no longer visible in the photo, was originally a group of vacationers launching an inflatable raft. But all these people were distracting from the main subject. Tight framing eliminated this obstacle.
Nature in the Jacques-Cartier National Park in Québec.
I use the frame-within-a-frame technique to present the multicolored reflections of the river in the photo above. There’s blue, orange and green, outlined by two vertical trunks on either side of the photo and an oblique branch at the top.
I use the same technique in the shot below, but in a less obvious way, as the frame in the foreground remains blurred. Attention is immediately drawn to the canoeists who are just finishing their trip and getting ready to dock.
Canoeing on the Jacques-Cartier river in Québec 2024
Spring in the Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier in Québec.
Normally, a 3:2 or 4:3 ratio is used to display in vertical mode. But the 16:9 aspect ratio of the photo above shows both the reverberations in the water and a significant portion of the landscape. So, whatever the conventions and what makes purists happy, we use what does justice to our first impression.
What caught my eye in this scene? The very wide range of green tones, the alternation of light and shade in the landscape and the reflections, the roundness of the deciduous trees and the tips of the conifers, the atmosphere of the place and, last but not least, the human presence. All this can be seen in a fraction of a second, and the shot is taken before the canoe enters the shaded area on the left.
Historic lodge in Spring in the Jacques-Cartier national park in Québec.
The photo above shows a historic chalet in Jacques-Cartier National Park in Spring. It’s no longer available for rent, but it’s a great asset for photography enthusiasts. At this location, paddleboarding is safe thanks to a very weak current.
Tourist attraction in the Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier in Québec.
On the same day and on the same river, but a few kilometers upstream, a group of people attempt their first descent in an inflatable boat on a rougher stretch of water.
The first group takes the plunge, while the second watches, waiting its turn and trying to learn from the others’ mistakes. Occasionally, paddlers get stuck on top of a flat rock flush with the water, and have to use their initiative to free themselves and continue their journey. Sometimes canoeists find themselves in the water, and Sépaq staff have to help them out.
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The main subject, in the picture above, can either be the Canada Goose or the bright psychedelic pattern of colours surrounding the bird.
Moments before three geese swam near Victoria’s Fishermen’s Wharf, in British Columbia, the multicolored houses built along the piers were perfectly reflected in the water.
As the geese swam through the reflections, waves and patterns of multiple colours were suddenly created. I chose to take a picture of the last Canada Goose as she benefitted the most from the interesting shapes and colours in the water.
The very bright colours were due to the paint chosen for the houses as well as the direct sunrays striking the houses since the sun that was approching the horizon. The goose is positioned according to the rule of thirds, but this is never mandatory. The small waves in the lower left quadrant gradually lead the eye to the main subject.
The picture above, taken in 2018, shows a partial view of Lake Agnes. The photographic composition is limited to elements that reinforce the diagonal lines crossing the scenery. In the foreground, the branch reinforces this composition by following the reflection of the rocks in the water.
The limited number of colours in the picture allows for a better view of the diagonal lines in the landscape.
At the extreme right in the foreground are a few people following a pathway along Lake Agnes in order to start the ascent of the Devil’s Thumb (visible in the background) or the more popular Big Beehive.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR camera equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens.
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Freezing rain and nature during the winter 2019 in Quebec City.
The effects of the freezing rain that fell over Quebec City this winter were not only negative. Photographers seized the opportunity to immortalize rapidly changing situations.
In the picture above, the “blue” that is visible in the ice represents the reflection from the magnificent winter sky. On a bigger screen, the ice shows the white birch trees that were surrounding the scene.
In order to avoid any distractions, the background was keptblurred by setting the aperture to 3.5. The presence of moderate wind required a higher shutter speed, in this case 1/6400. The ISO was limited to 250, to protect the quality of the picture during the enlargment. The 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor offered all the necessary flexibility during the digital processing.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR equipped with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM telephoto lens. I only had that lens at the moment of my walk. The focal length was 200mm with the stabilizer “on” and a setting of “1.2 meter/infinite” instead of the usual “2.5 meters / infinite”.
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This hand held picture was taken as we were starting to climb towards Lake Agnes, near Lake Louise , Alberta, during Summer 2018. It was one of the rare days where the visibility was not reduced by forest fires that were raging across the province.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera. The shutter speed was adjusted to 1/250, the aperture to 13, the ISO to 1000 and the focal was set to 24mm. The lens used was a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.
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Digitally modified photo of Place d’Youville in Old Quebec
This digitally modified photo shows a part of Place d’Youville, in Old Quebec.
I wanted to capture the church in the background, which seemed to be squeezed between two bigger buildings. It became the principal subject of the photo and it was positioned according to the rule of thirds. This rule is far from mandatory in photography but it often provides interesting results.
I liked the repetitive effect of the windows on each side of the picture and the fact that there were diagonal lines that lead the eye to the church. The vegetation in the foreground added a nice touch to the scenery. There was only one thing missing: a human presence.
With a little patience, three girls stopped on the sidewalk and started to talk, exactly where I wanted them to be. The wet sidewalk on which they stood helped to reflect the ambiant light and also lead the eye to the church, the principal subject in the photo.
I rarely digitally transform a photo in such a drastic way. The reason was simple: normally, when the ambiant light is not favorable, you can sometimes use the black and white setting. However, the light on that day did not offer the required contrasts to get sufficiently interesting results.
I did not want to leave Place d’Youville without having captured the energy I felt there. I opted for a radical option after having cropped the image in order to keep only the essential features.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.
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The pictures below have been taken in Ottawa, Canada, with a Canon 5D MKII full frame camera. This model is aging a bit, but it has always and still provides the photographer with great colors.
Autumn reflections in Ottawa in 2015
Trees with autumn colors in Ottawa in 2015
Autumn colors on an Ottawa street in 2015
Jogging session early morning in Ottawa
Autumn scenery in Ottawa in 2015
Autumn colors in an Ottawa park in 2015
View of part of the National Gallery of Canada from a park in Ottawa during autumn 2015
United States Embassy in Ottawa
Below is the interesting Canadian Museum of History, in Hull, and few sculptures. I find the Canadian Museum of History’s architecture particularly interesting because of its rounded shapes. It certainly is more expensive to build, but the result is superb.
The Canadian Museum of History, located in the Province of Québec and seen from Ottawa during the autumn 2015
Artwork located in Ottawa, Canada
Peacekeeping Monument (Reconciliation), located in Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa Parliament in autumn
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Street photography: parallel universe in Quebec City
This photo was taken in May 2015 in Quebec City, in Old Quebec, with a Canon 5D MKII. The store decorator has chosen a striking subject with this weird humanoid floating in silence in the presence of a green glass bottle in the foreground.
But a shot taken from the street would have only offered a simple picture with a weird subject. In choosing the side window to take the photo, many other dimensions could be integrated in order to increase the final impact.
1. From the side window, the photographer can add people’s reaction to the humanoid. But there is a bit of waiting involved until the appropriate persons pass by.
2. You can see multiple reflections from the front and side windows that are now visible in the sky.
3. The old architecture on the other side of the street offers a surprising contrast with the modernity of the main subject.
4. The eye naturally moving from left to right, the humanoid’s head has been positioned in the upper right corner of the picture. Once the viewer sees the head, he then follows the blue poneytail to witness the reaction of the two persons on the sidewalk. The loop then starts again.
5. The orange element facing the humanoid offers a strong orange-blue complementary color contrast that should not be neglected to increase the visual effect.
6. Finally, the converging lines help to add depth and increase the visual impact.
This is a photo that could have been much more standard if taken from the sidewalk. The fixed lens used was a Canon 14mm 2.8L.
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