The Citadelle of Quebec & the Old City at Night (Quebec City, Quebec)

Digital original

I was a little disappointed when I arrived at the Citadelle to discover it was an active millitary base, and thus (unlike for George, in Halifax) not available for casual viewing, or extensive photography...one has to take a tour, and on that, only a small portion of the fort was visited. All the same, I did what photography I could, as the tour moved around.

Digital original

As I wasn't able to actually explore the fort's architecture (casements etc), I focused on making images which would say "Quebec" - thus the above composition.

Digital original, 8 image mean blend

The last images of the day were made in Old Quebec; I'd worked out this composition earlier in the day, but wanted to do it as a night image, to get some of the magic of split lighting (man-made/natural). It took some time to create a version without any people, but the wait was worth it.

A day's Ramble (Quebec City, Quebec)

Digital original

With a warm and bright morning, we set off for a walk around Quebec City - first stop was unexpected - a sculpture along the waterfront by the grain elevators - quite a magical find.

Digital original

Father into the morning, I came across an interesting fountain - three pieces of bent steel, and I spent some time photographing it, using long exposures to both blur the water and remove passers by.

Digital original

The tourist density in Old Quebec during the fall was quite impressive - and perfect for a 2 minute exposure with a super long lens!

Digital original

After dinner, the evening light began to reveal some lovely texture on the walls of some of the older stone buildings in Quebec City.

Digital original

We crossed the St Lawrence River to Levis, to photograph the evening light & water show, with Quebec city in the distance. It was both fun and frustrating...one moment the light & water would be perfect, and by the time an exposure was begun, the moment would have passed.

Digital original, 4 image exposure blend

The last images of the night focused across the river, to Old Quebec, and Hotel Le Chateau Frontenac above it. It would have been great to have had the last light of sunset in the sky, but that light was long gone by this time.

A night's Ramble (Old Quebec City, Quebec)

Digital original

As we were walking around, I caught sight of this - interior lights streaming out through a store window onto the cobblestone outside. A lot of work with positioning went into this, using my 16mm wide angle to capture as much drama as I could.

Digital original, 6 image exposure blend

Hotel Le Chateau Frontenac is visible from many angles, but this view, partially obscured by the trees, seemed particularly pleasing. I was lucky to have a windless night, so the trees didn't move during the long exposure.

Digital original, 3 image exposure blend

On the way back to our hotel, we had to pass by this lovely floodlit building - careful timing with cars managed to capture some of their taillights streaming through the composition.

Kingston, Ontario

Digital original

Digital original

Digital original

Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario

Digital original

Digital original

Digital original

Interiors (Ottawa, Ontario)

Digital original

This image was made in the Canadian National Gallery - a simple (perhaps even Brutalist) stairway, it was just begging for a formal treatment.

Digital original

Sometimes, I think, architects annoy those who install safety equipment. I have no evidence for this, but it is something I truly believe.

Twilight Photography (Ottawa, Ontario)

Digital original

In 2008, I visited Ottawa and made an image of this bridge, but that one was in the winter, with snow and ice...so with free time for photography available on this trip, I felt I should redo it in the summer.

Digital original

The view back from the space overlooking the river permitted a nice juxtaposition of the state of Champlain and the Houses of Parliament.

Digital original

The last set of photographs of the night were of the giant spider about the set upon the National Gallery (another repeated image - this time with less success)

Fort No 1 (Levis, Quebec)

Digital original

Though this trip was focused on social elements (visiting with friends), as soon as I saw a sign for "Fort No. 1", I had to go. It turned out to be right up my alley - an 18th & 19th century fortification with full visitor access, and even permission to use tripods.

Digital original

A few of the original guns were still emplaced - all aimed towards the US border, as the assumed assault would come from across that line.

Digital original

By far my favourite setting in Fort No. 1 was the gun emplacements that looked into the moat - the light in the space was wonderful (though I still wish there had been a way to turn off the modern lighting).

Night Light (Levis, Quebec)

Digital original

Though it was lightly drizzling, the water & light show in the shore of Levis was still running - past it, across the river, lay Quebec City.

Digital original, 7 image exposure blend, 7 image blend

This was the view from our hotel window - I composited 7 images together to get the maximum traffic...Levis isn't very busy at night, apparently.

Kings Landing (Fredericton, New Brunswick)

Digital original

A living museum, King's Landing is a photographer's paradise, with lots to photograph, and no issue with permission or objections (as long as one avoids photographing the other visitors).

Digital original

This visit presented some challenges, as I was photographing hand-held; in this case, I was working with my tilt-shift lens, and used the in-camera level to ensure I had not distortion.

Digital original

Sometimes a human element makes all the difference to an image!