The setting sun hits the side of these Quebec City buildings, creating two areas of very distinct luminosity. Such extremes pose challenges for the camera. By using a Raw file rather than a JPEG, it’s much easier to correct the brightest and darkest areas.
Relaxing in Old Quebec.
In the summer of 2023, a South Korean tourist takes a short break in Old Quebec after a busy day of walking inside the ramparts of the old city.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 Québecwants 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.
In fact, the “station de la Plage” and “station de la Voile” are so popular that the planners had to quickly rethink parking management. On sunny days, thousands of people come to relax on the sites. Cars arrive laden with children and beach equipment, and everyone hopes to find a space for their vehicle. But by 10 a.m., there’s nothing left.
The two beach and building attendants have their hands full observing everything that moves, correcting habits and arguing with people. Because, in addition to the scarcity of parking spaces, pedestrians are not tolerated strolling alongside their bicycles, either near the beach or on the elevated terrace.
Raised deck at “station de la Plage”, Québec City.
However, the rules and regulations posted on the National Capital Commission’s website are confusing. They stipulate that you must walk on the site and that bicycle traffic is prohibited. You might think that a person walking with his bike at his side would be complying with the requirements, since he’s not straddling it, but that’s not the case.
A month into the operation, a security guard tells me: “We’ve already notified over 400 visitors who were walking while holding a bike”. He wants the word to get out. But the facilities for accommodating bicycles are not keeping up with demand. The tree trunks near the main building help out, and serve as a place to put a padlock on busy days.
Trees used to lock bikes at the station de la Plage in Quebec City.
What’s more, with bicycles becoming increasingly expensive, many cyclists are reluctant to leave them unattended for a few hours, even when locked. Experienced thieves are notoriously quick. This first year of operations will therefore require some modifications to procedures and installations.
Sea kayaks at Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île d’Orléans 2023
Unstable weather presents two advantages for a photographer on the Île d’Orléans. Firstly, the fear of rain means that visitor numbers are greatly reduced. In fact, most of the people who come to the island are interested in the outdoor activities on offer, such as fruit picking, cycling or sea kayaking. So, we’ve got the road all to ourselves to stop whenever we feel like it!
Île d’Orléans before the storm, July 2023.
Secondly, unstable weather means the possibility of thunderstorms, with all their interesting cloud formations. It is therefore essential to check the radar and weather forecasts before setting off for the island.
Some companies organize themed guided tours of Old Quebec at dusk in summer. The guides dress up in costume and regularly follow the same routes. With a little patience, a lantern-wielding person can be included in a photo, as well as the old stone houses and the Château Frontenac. This adds another interesting detail to the scene.
The picture above presented several challenges, some of which have been solved. Ideally, the HDR method would have provided a better control of luminosity, but the hostess holding the lantern would have disappeared in the process carried out by the Photomatix software. This person played an important role in the scene, so I decided to take just one shot, but in RAW format to optimize the sky light correction in post-processing.
I wanted to use the smallest aperture possible to get a precise focus from the foreground to the Château Frontenac. But due to the lack of adequate light and the movement of people towards the camera, I had to maintain a sufficient shutter speed, even at ISO 6400. Unfortunately, the aperture suffered a little.
So, this is a photo full of compromises, where you do the best you can with the situation and the photographic equipment available.
The visit being improvised, I did not have a tripod. So, I put the full frame cameraCanon 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…
Sphinx astronomical observatory on the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland.
The latter is located in the Jungfraujoch pass in Switzerland, at an altitude of 3571 meters (11,716 feet MSL).
The construction of this station was a feat of engineering at the time, but cost the lives of many workers. One does not make one’s way through a mountain range with sticks of dynamite without the occasional unforeseen agenda imposed by nitroglycerine.
The train can therefore only reach this station by traveling inside the mountains on a steep slope requiring a hydraulic mechanism to pull the train forward. The tourist must trust the engineers and the technical support…
To remind myself of our trip to this region, I thought of taking a virtual helicopter flight from Lauterbrunnen to land directly on the platform of the Sphinx astronomical observatory, this world famous tourist attraction of the Jungfraujoch. Fortunately for me, the company Red Wing Simulations recently created a virtual scene including these two magnificent sites.
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland and the Microsoft Flight Simulator Bell 407.
Flight simulation enthusiasts will be well advised to use the Bell 407, as the operating limit of the Guimbal Cabri G2 provided by the Microsoft flight simulator is capped at 13,000 feet. It is best to fly with a slightly more powerful aircraft when maneuvering at this altitude.
Airborne from Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
From a green landscape in the summer one gradually flies towards the eternal snow of the highest peaks in the Valais.
Getting closer to the Jungfraujoch, Switzerland.
The scenery was spectacular on the train and it is just as spectacular in virtual flight. A mechanical problem with the helicopter in this environment of grandiose cliffs would leave little chance for the pilot.
Approaching the Sphinx Observatory on the Jungfraujoch, Switzerland.
Here we are on approach: it is possible to land on the platform of the Sphinx observatory, but the pilot needs to be prepared for wind shear and unforeseen clouds at this altitude while taking care during the approach to avoid touching the flagpole and the protective fences surrounding the platform.
The Sphinx observatory on the Jungfraujoch with the Bell 407 helicopter on the platform using Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The Red Wing Simulations company has done an outstanding job designing this virtual scenery. In the photo below, you can even see skiers at the bottom of the cliff warming up before their first run.
Red Wing Simulations skiers at the base of the Jungfraujoch observatory on Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Even if the virtual scene includes something other than Lauterbrunnen and the Jungfraujoch, the pleasure of making a successful approach on the Sphinx platform alone is worth the cost of acquiring the software.
The Sphinx observatory on the Jungfraujoch and the helicopter on the platform using Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator and Red Wing Simulations representation of the Jungfraujoch Observatory platform.
End of December 2022. It’s hot in Quebec City. The city was first swept by a storm that left hundreds of thousands of Quebecers without power, some for more than a week. A heat wave then swept through the province of Quebec for several days.
One positive aspect of this warm air is that it melted the thick layer of ice and snow that had accumulated on the roofs of homes during the December 23 storm, resetting the clock for the remaining portion of the winter to come.
But when it comes to winter sports, it’s a different story. One had to walk around town on the last day of 2022 to see the changes in just a few days.
Passing by the public skating rink maintained by the municipality on the Battlefields Park, I took this picture that sums up the situation: a warm rain falling on the snow and accelerating the melting to the point where a thick fog sets in, puddles of water several centimeters thick covering a layer of ice.
I use this water to add the reflections of the skaters in the photographic composition. Fortunately for them, the sportsmen benefit from a mechanically cooled ice rink to continue practicing their favorite activity.
Want to try an out-of-the-ordinary excursion in the Quebec City area? Here is an idea: if you have a car, start by parking (for free) in one of the spaces available at Domaine Cataraqui. The new staircase designed in 2022 in the forest behind the domain allows you to go from the heights of Sillery to the bottom of the cliff giving access to the Promenade Samuel-De Champlain (Note, however, that the Promenade is not maintained in winter). Walking from this point to the Petit-Champlain district in Old Quebec takes two hours, without hurrying. If you do it in the Autumn, you may even be able to see the cruise ships.
A section of the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, docked in the Québec City harbour in 2022.
The photo above shows a section of the Caribbean Princess cruise ship moored in the port of Quebec. When it comes to a floating hotel, this ship is a good example.
A section of the Château Frontenac, in Old Québec.
Price building and houses in Old Quebec 2022
You now have the option of staying in Old Quebec for as long as you wish, and then take St. Jean Street and walk a few minutes to Place d’Youville to take bus #25 which will bring you back comfortably on St-Louis Street, at a stop very close to the place where you parked your car initially.
You will have had a great day that allowed you to exercise, see the St. Lawrence Seaway and the beauties of Old Quebec. All this for the price of a bus ticket ($4.00).
