Hallowed Turf

Basilica Has An Open-Door Policy

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

If ever you seek proof that religion played a strong hand in Canada’s early history, drive about half an hour out of Quebec City, to the stunning Basilica of St Anne de Beaupre. Despite a strong religious background in my upbringing, I heard never heard of St Anne until my guide explained that the saint was the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.


Inside the magnificent basilica is the statue of St Anne (above) carved from a single piece of oak. The gold crown is studded with diamonds, pearls and rubies and the figure is known as the statue of miracles.


I was in Quebec City in late 2005 at the invitation of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Having spent a memorable day in my childhood reading about the city’s rich history, it was a great privilege to be able to spend two days there as I toured the country’s east coast.

As I stood in wonderment in the middle of the basilica, I was struck by the realisation that despite the constant stream of pilgrims, there was a reverent, enveloping silence inside the stunning structure.


Acknowledged as the first pilgrimage shrine in North America, the original chapel was built in 1658. Apart from the deep faith and the strong historical links, the modern-day basilica is a must-see, even for those with no appreciation for architecture. I was there on a grey, rainy day, but the 240 stained-glass windows and the huge domed ceiling were a fabulous silent opera in magical light.

Many people tell you about miracles that have taken place on this hallowed ground. At the entrance are wheelchairs, crutches and other medical equipment, left behind by those who came with damaged bodies and souls but fortified with religious belief and who found a miraculous cure.


For earlier posts in this series, check out The Doors Archive.

Figures Of Speech

Maybe There Were Singing Carols

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This shot was taken in a store in Port Carling, Muskoka, when I was in northern Ontario at the invitation of the Canadian Tourism Commission three years ago. It was late September, but the Christmas decorations were in store windows throughout the state.

I asked permission to use my camera to shoot this window display and I was using a Canon EOS 3000, a film camera, at the time. It was a few months before I bought my Pentax K100D and in retrospect, I think I would have got a better result if I'd been shooting with a digital camera.

Why? Simply because I would have reviewed the shot on the LCD screen (which is not possible on a film camera) and tinkered with the settings if I wasn't happy with the result.

Yes, it was a challenging shot to take, because the window was in shadow, while the cars outside, on the main street, were in bright sunlight. I still like the shot, because it is a cross between inside-looking-out and outside-looking-in. It takes a few seconds to work out which aspect is which.

In the first version (above), I guess you have to look closely to ascertain that the silhouettes are not real people. In the second version (below) it is patently obvious that the figures are scale models. But that's the joy of a real photographic challenge. If the light isn't quite what you expect, use it to your advantage, by thinking about a change of composition.


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Lion Down On The Job Again

It's Time To Dance A Simba Samba

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It was late evening, the light had begun to fade, and there was no colour in the sky at all, so it was a bit of a challenge to make these photographs work. It was September 2005 and I was in Montreal, halfway through a ten-day photography assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission.

These lions are at the entrace to Chinatown and because the light wasn't great, I decided to work with unusual angles instead. I had to work quickly, because the light was degenerating swiftly. As you can see at the mid-point of the first frame (above) a lot of the restaurants already had their streetside lighting on.

I shot these with a Canon EOS 3000, using multi-purpose 400 ASA Kodak film. Lions play such an important part in Chinese culture and as soon as I saw these white concrete lions, I was reminded of the similar ones that guard Chinatown in my home city of Melbourne, which suddenly seemed very far away.

In the second frame (below) I was practically flat on my face trying to get the lion into the frame with a generous view of the overhead archway. I guess it must have been worth all the effort, because if you look carefully, you can see the "twin" lion on the other side of the street.

Like the Eagles used to sing, ya just can't hide your lion eyes!

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

I Is For Imax

Free-Dimensional View of Montreal

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to do a photographic assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission and I got to travel to Quebec City, Montreal and several places in Muskoka. This shot of the Imax cinema was taken on my last night in Montreal.

I did a lot of walking on that trip, especially in Quebec City and Montreal. As far as possible, I did not want to worry about a rental car. Why? First of all, I wanted to be able to concentrate entirely on the photography and I wanted to be able to stop on any street at any time and take as many shots as necessary.

Had I been driving, I would not have been able to focus entirely on the sights and I would have been more worried about finding a parking spot.

It was a balmy evening and I could have put my feet up in my hotel, the beautiful Queen Elizabeth, where members of royalty and heads of state have stayed. But I just wanted to soak up as much of the city as I could, so I had dinner, put on my stout hiking boots (so wisely chosen by Mrs Authorblog) and headed out again.

I was using a Canon EOS 3000, shooting film, but I also had digital technology slung over my shoulder as well. I took this shot with a little Pentax Optio 33 LF. I was literally standing on the pavement outside the theatre and I didn't just want to take a stand-and-deliver shot, so I composed this frame, for a "different" view. Looking back at my Montreal folder now, it's interesting to see I only shot one image of the Imax theatre. No, it's not arrogance - I think I was just satisfied that I had an unusual angle.

The vertical and horizontal neon strips worked perfectly, a great foil against the darkness. But I was also lucky that a street light was in just the right spot, so by shooting upwards (and without a tripod) I was able to use its glow to give character to what would otherwise have been a relatively bare corner of the frame.

If you take a close look at the street light, you'll actually see the reflection of its soft glow across the ridged metal surface of the pole as well. It's a value-added extra that just gives a little more dimension to an image that is basically a very simple shot. As I always say to budding photographers - don't always shoot the first view that comes into your mind, try and see if there are minor add-ons that could enhance the quality of the scene you're trying to capture.

A number of my work colleagues have used my photographs as the background on their computers. One of them, a sport-crazy bloke, has had this shot on his PC ever since I came back from Canada. Why? Because his name's Max - and he reckons I partially obscured the "I" in the Imax sign for his benefit.

Now that's really a case of taking it to the Max.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Flow-On Effect

Water, Water, Everywhere, Except In Melbourne

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There's an interesting challenge from the New York City blogger Daryle, who has thrown down the gauntlet, inviting us to post photographs of fountains. As it happens, none of Melbourne's water fountains are operational, because of the drought and the severe water restrictions.

However, I took this photograph (above) of a fountain in Montreal two years ago, during a photographic assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission. The fountain was near my hotel, the Queen Elizabeth, and the shot was taken very early in the morning, before the sun had risen.

But these two photographs (below) were taken in Singapore in mid-December. I was walking down Orchard Road on a hot, humid day when I took these two shots. They were both taken with a 125mm lens, at 1/500th of second, F8 and ISO 200. Which of the two Singapore close-ups do you prefer?

The Rain Of King Louis XIV

Where's The Royal Brolly, Your Majesty?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Quite a few people have asked me about using a camera in the rain and I always say as long as you're confident you can keep the camera itself relatively dry, there is nothing to stop you photographing a scene in driving rain.

Yes, the light is always murky. Yes, you have to think carefully about the scene you want to capture. Yes, you have to juggle a camera and an umbrella if the rain is bucketing down. But hey, who doesn't love a challenge? I reckon my two favourite photographs in heavy rain are these ones, both taken in September 2005.

I was on a photographic assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission and spent ten days in Quebec City, Montreal and parts of Muskoka. This shot was taken on a very wet afternoon in Quebec City and shows not one but two symbols of the beautiful city. On the right is the famous bust of King Louis XIV of France, with the steeple of Notre Dame on the left. You can actually see little pearls of rain across the statue and on the high-res version, there are droplets across the royal nose as well!


The other photograph (above) was taken about 100 or 150 metres away. I had walked away from the square towards the wharf when I was struck by the scene in front of me. To the right was a tourist vessel. To the left was the huge structure - a gift from France - that the locals refer to as the Rubik's Cube. And while the prevailing colour was grey, I was amazed how the little splashes of vibrant yellow lfited the scene.

So next time you're stuck indoors in the rain, don't despair. Just grab your camera, put a smile on your face - and take up the challenge of finding something beautiful in challenging weather.

Apple, Max?

It's A Theatre, So Please Don't Make A Scene

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This is the IMAX theatre in Montreal. I shot this in late 2005, while I was on a photographic assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission. As you know, I enjoy an unusual angle and this view worked well for me. The splashes of colour were just sufficient to make the shot work, and I particularly wanted the street light in the shot, with the beautiful reflection along the metal surface of the light pole. A good friend of mine, whose name is Max, has this shot saved to the background of the PC at work - for obvious reasons!

FOOTNOTE: Now that's deja view.

Click here: Pentax Optio, Shutter speed 1/60, F2.6, ISO speed 200.

It Ain't Odour Cologne

Mate, I Was Really Kicking Up A Stink

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Yesterday's post of the day, Poop by any other name, really struck a chord with me. Been there, done that. Here is a segment from a post I wrote in January 2006 after doing a photography assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission. It describes an incident I'll never forget, while I was shooting scenes like the one pictured above, in the vicinity of Tea Lake in Algonquin National Park in Ontario, Canada.

``The startling beauty is all too much for a city slicker like me. As I juggle cameras, memory cards and spare films, I am concentrating too hard to look elsewhere. So, when I suddenly get the overpowering whiff of moose dung, I look around, expecting to photograph the big animal at point-blank range. No such luck. I've stepped into a steaming pile of it and it's all over my sturdy boots like a rash. That's when I realise the truth in the old adage - what's dung cannot be undung.''

To read the entire post, go to Bear The Brunt Of It.

Click here: Pentax Optio, Shutter speed 1/80, F 4.8, ISO speed 100.

Easel Come, Easel Go

Oil Painting Without Any Brush Strokes

Photographs: DAVID McMAHON

Towards the end of 2005, just after I returned from photographing Quebec City, Montreal and parts of Muskoka for the Canadian Tourism Commission, I spent a few days cataloguing the images from that memorable trip. At the time, my son asked me if I had done any watercolours during my time in Canada. For once, I had not, because I had concentrated only on my cameras.

Then he showed me a program by which you can convert a photograph into a file that looks remarkably like an oil painting. The picture above was taken with a Pentax Optio down the charming lane in Quebec City that is famous for its artwork. The rendering below is what the same shot would look like in oils.