Tag Archives: Habitat 67

Project 52 – Week 2: A few shots around the Old Port of Montreal

By Montreal in Pictures | Published January 15, 2013

I had planned to go visit the Snow Village over at Parc Jean Drapeau on Ile Saint Hélène last Sunday but decided that pouring rain wasn’t the best conditions to photograph it. At least I have until March and hopefully better weather to go shoot there.

Thankfully yesterday the weather had brightened up and so I went for a quick walk around the Old Port of Montreal just before sunset. The recent days of warm weather (if you can call +6 warm) and rain has not been welcome to someone like me who enjoys photographing snow scenes, but the rapid thaw did have the advantage of leaving some big puddles to capture the odd reflection. In particular I was pleased to find I was able to capture a nice reflection of the Clock Tower on the Quai d’Horloge.

Reflection: Clock Tower, Old Port
ISO 100 – 12mm – f8 – 1/45 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Something that I wanted to check out was the recently established Ice Fishing Village at the marina next to the Quai d’Horloge. I believe this is the first time that an Ice Fishing village has been set up at the marina – just hope the cold weather returns else it will have been a short ice fishing season. If the weather is cooperative then you have until March 31 to check it out.

Ice fishing village in Old Montreal
ISO 100 – 15mm – f8 – 1/125 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Ice fishing village in the Old Port of Montreal
ISO 100 – 42mm – f4.8 – 1/125 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

As I was walking back from the Quai d’Horloge I noticed some interesting cloud formations over downtown and the setting sun was producing some wonderful light that I just had to try and capture.

Montreal skyline bathed in light
ISO 100 – 98mm – f5.6 – 1/350 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Montreal Skyline in Yellow
ISO 100 – 105mm – f5.6 – 1/1500 sec

Despite the recent warm weather at least people were still able to enjoy some ice skating at the Bassin Bonsecours ice rink, although the larger section was closed off .

Ice skating at Bassin Bonsecours
ISO 100 – 40mm – f22 – 1/10 sec

Montreal skyline
ISO 100 – 10mm – f11 – 1/20 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

I wandered along the Promenade du Vieux Port and found a ship moored alongside the Quai des Convoyeurs. The quay is notable for the tall marine tower standing at the end of the dock. Built in the mid-50′s the tower was a conveyor used to unload ships of grain. If you saw the film Bon Cop, Bad Cop you will likely recognize the tower and quay from the final scene.

Quai des Convoyeurs
ISO 100 – 28mm – f9.5 – 0.7 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Quai des Convoyeurs
ISO 100 – 30mm – f11 – 1 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

While I was in the immediate area I thought I might as well take a shot of the Bota Bota Spa next to Silo 5 with Habitat 67 across the water.

BOTA BOTA Spa and Habitat 67
ISO 100 – 18mm – f8 – 0.7 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

My final shot for this week’s post is of the iconic Farine Five Roses neon sign. Just as I was about to leave, the lamps along the Promenade du Vieux Port came on and so I took the shot of the sign in the distance with the lamps providing a nice added interest and leading line.

Farine Five Roses neon sign
ISO 100 – 165mm – f8 – 1/8 sec

To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.

Reflection: Clock Tower, Old Port ISO 100 – 12mm – f8 – 1/45 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Ice fishing village in Old Montreal ISO 100 – 15mm – f8 – 1/125 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Ice fishing village in the Old Port of Montreal ISO 100 – 42mm – f4.8 – 1/125 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Montreal skyline bathed in light ISO 100 – 98mm – f5.6 – 1/350 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Montreal Skyline in Yellow ISO 100 – 105mm – f5.6 – 1/1500 sec

Ice skating at Bassin Bonsecours ISO 100 – 40mm – f22 – 1/10 sec

Montreal skyline ISO 100 – 10mm – f11 – 1/20 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Quai des Convoyeurs ISO 100 – 28mm – f9.5 – 0.7 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Quai des Convoyeurs ISO 100 – 30mm – f11 – 1 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

BOTA BOTA Spa and Habitat 67 ISO 100 – 18mm – f8 – 0.7 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Farine Five Roses neon sign ISO 100 – 165mm – f8 – 1/8 sec

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Posted in 52 Project, Old Port | Also tagged Bassin Bonsecours, bateau, Bota Bota, Clock Tower, Conveyor Quay, coucher du soleil, Farine Five Roses, HDR, Ice fishing huts, ice-skating, montreal, Neon Sign, Old Port Vieux Port, patinage sur glace, pêche sur la glace, photographie, photography, Promenade du Vieux Port, Quai de l’Horloge, Quai des Convoyeurs, reflection, ship, skyline, Sunset 3 Comments

Project 365 – Day 69: Sculptures in Parc Jeanne-Drapeau

By Montreal in Pictures | Published March 9, 2012

March 9 2012

Having realized I had lost my sunglasses when visiting the Snow Village on Wednesday, plus the weather was great, I decided to head over to Parc Jeanne-Drapeau this morning.

Following the bad (yet expected) news that no sun glasses had been handed in, I decided to go photograph a couple of the sculptures that still remain from the 1967 Montreal World Trade Fair.

First up is the 9.5 meter high Le Phare du Cosmos sculpture by Quebec artist Yves Trudeau. The head was originally motorized and turned, but unfortunately is no longer functioning, although I did hear the mechanics are still in situ, so maybe one day we will see it again in all its glory.

Le Phare du Cosmos by Yves Trudeau

One of the most well know sculptures on the island is the sculpture by Alexander Calder (1898 -1976) called “Man”. Originally entitled Three Disks, Calder changed the name to Man in order to compliment the theme of the exposition – “Man and His World”.

Calder was commissioned by The International Nickel Company of Canada in August of 1966 to create the piece for the fair. The Biemont Foundry in Tours, France, manufactured the sculpture by scaling-up Calder’s macquette. The sculpture had to be sandblasted on its arrival in Montreal due to salt water having stained the metal during the ocean voyage from France – Hence the matte finish.

The structure measures 24 meters in height and was moved to its current location in 1991.

Man by Alexander Calder

Man by Alexander Calder with Montreal Skyline as a backdrop

Another art piece on the Island, but not connected to Expo 67, is the bright red sculpture called Puerta de la Amistad by the Mexican sculptor Sebastian. This sculpture was a gift from Mexico for the 350th anniversary of Montreal’s founding. Sebastián, one of Mexico’s most prolific sculptors, created this “friendship gate” in 1993 to represent exchange, passage, and opening.

Puerta de la Amistad by Sebastian

Close to the ferry boat pier stands 5 white-granite pillars. Called the Imaginary Village, it was created by Portuguese artist João Charters de Almeida. Installed in September 1997, the sculpture was a gift from the Metropolitano de Lisboa to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and subsequently to the City of Montreal. The work commemorates the 30th anniversary of Montreal’s Metro subway system – and Expo 67. The sculpture is a reflection on how humans create mythical spaces, both out of necessity and in response to challenges.

Imaginary Village by João Charters de Almeida

With easy access to downtown Montreal by public transport, road or bike, Saint Helen’s Island is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. It can get busy at the weekends, but this morning it seemed like I had pretty much the island to myself.