First Snow

Paulette and I have been walking in snow for the last two weeks at higher elevations in Charlevoix and Mont Mégantic; however, today we woke up to a delicate layer of snow in our backyard. With warm weather predicted later this week it is unlikely to stay. But we are happy to see a brightness in the landscape that dispels the November gloom. Snowshoeing here we come!

These pictures were taken last year during a walk in Station touristique Duchesnay on November 30, the first snow day of 2009.

Golden Reflection

Thursday past (Nov 11) Paulette, I and the TamaLOUPs hiked the Mestashibo trail along the Rivière Sainte-Anne. After lunch we reached the Cathedral, a narrow twisting gorge with fast moving water. While the river was in shade, reflected sunshine produced this rich monochromatic golden sheen. Lovely! Check back to the post Water on Ice to see a touch of gold.

Canon 7D at 35mm, ISO 200, 1/20 sec (slow shutter speed to create movement blur in the rapids), f/13 (for increased depth of field)

A few days earlier (Nov 6) Paulette, I and our friend Denis hiked to the top of Mont Saint-Joseph (elevation 1000m) in the Parc national du Mont-Mégantic where snow and hoar frost created the winter scene below. Interesting how an elevation change moves the seasons back and forward.

Canon 7D at 27mm, ISO 320, 1/640 sec, f/11

Charlevoix

November 7th we returned to standard time. Consequently our afternoon light disappears an hour early (sunset is just after 4 pm in Quebec City)! Ugh (definition - used to express disgust or horror - synonym is yuck or yecch)

However our late October walking in Charlevoix was marvelous (definition - wonderful, astonishing - antonym - rotten or Ugh). The sun shone and winds ranged from gale-force to calm. Temperature was near zero but very comfortable for climbing Mont du Lac-des-Cygnes, La Chouenne and Mont du Dôme.

In the large photo I'm shooting north as we climbed the tourist path up Mont du Lac-des-Cygnes. Picture center is Mont du Dôme that we tackled the next day and found more rugged with a scenic outlook to the south where you see Paulette, Karen and Lorne picnicking below.

Canon 7D at 22mm focal length, ISO 320, 1/1000 sec, f/ 10 ( I kept a fast shutter speed to freeze the walking action of my subjects. It wasn't necessary for shots of mountains that move very slowly even in Charlevoix)

Go to flickr to see a small Charlevoix album.

Cap Tourmente, Québec

November, dark and damp, is upon us. This picture from Cap Tourmente helps me hang on to the warm colours and temperatures of October.

Two times annually (and more) Paulette and I drive an hour downriver (NE compass bearing) to this Federal natural wildlife area where we commune with the snow geese ( Chen caerulescens atlantica ).

Their fall migration begins in September after breeding on Baffin Island and passes directly over Cap Tourmente where they feed (primarily on the rhizomes, or roots, of bulrushes) for three weeks in October before continuing south to their winter range along the Atlantic seaboard of the southern USA. The photo below shows a small sample of the 40,000 geese in the area on October 17.

A myriad of ducks, great blue herons and peregrine falcons feed in-and-about this small marsh (Marais de la Petite-Ferme) shown above.

Canon 7D with 70-200mm lens, focal length: 109 mm, ISO 640, 1/200sec (a little slow for hand holding a non-stabilized lens), f / 5.6. Taken at 4:30 pm

See my May 14th post for spring migration pictures.

Autumn Leaves Leave

By 3:45 pm on October 18 the sun was low in the sky. Paulette and Carole walked ahead of me as we returned from a brisk loop in the Parc naturel du mont Bélair. I asked them to advance slowly into the backlit scene as I adjusted my camera settings and composed this shot.

I love the red maple leaves carpeting the path and the transition from shadow in the foreground to the bright highlights in the background.

Taken in RAW I developed it using Lightroom 3: light cropping and straightening; lowered exposure, medium contrast curve; increased vibrance to highlight the reds; a little output sharpening and voila!

Canon 7D, 15-85 mm lens at 46 mm, ISO 200, 1/100 sec, f/5.6