I’m still trying to catch up with the backlog of images I shot during the last week (or 2). Since we’re approaching the busy festival season (starting next week with the F1), I can see the backlog of images increasing exponentially if I don’t get caught up in the coming days.

So, with that in mind, today I have images taken on the 20th, 21st and 23rd of May that cover a few various locations, from Place Ville Marie, Parc Saint Patrick, Raoul Wallenberg Square, McGill College Avenue and Square Saint Louis. So let’s get started on our little tour, starting with…

Place Ville-Marie

I took a few shots here at around 5pm on May 20. The sun was casting a nice shadow on the buildings and I wanted to try and capture the highlighted globes of the lights against the shadow background. Fortunately someone came and sat in the sun just as I was framing up the shot and gave the image some added interest.

Light and shadows at Place Ville-Marie
ISO 100 – 20mm – f6.3 – 1/640 sec

There was a seagull flying in circles around the plaza and I tried a few attempts at getting him/her in the shot.

Place Ville Marie fly-by
ISO 100 – 16mm – f6.3 – 1/800 sec

Angles and curves at Place Ville Marie
ISO 100 – 17mm – f6.3 – 1/400 sec

Parc Saint Patrick

Tucked behind Saint Patrick’s Basilica is the small Saint Patrick’s Park. I believe the park was renovated back in 1996 and won a few architectural awards. A key feature of the park are the exposed foundations of what was a hostel for Irish immigrants.

Saint Patrick’s Park
ISO 100 – 14mm – f6.3 – 1/400 sec

I took a slightly wider angle shot in order to include the almost complete 35 story Altoria condo project on the corner of Côte du Beaver Hall and avenue Viger.

Saint Patrick’s Park
ISO 100 – 10mm – f6.3 – 1/400 sec

The next shot taken looking east shows the location of the park in relation to the basilica that stands on the hill above the park.

Saint Patricks park and Basilica
ISO 100 – 13mm – f6.3 – 1/100 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

On my way back from parc Saint-Patrick, I came across these colourful tables and chairs on rue Belmont.

Tables and chairs on rue Belmont
ISO 100 – 16mm – f6.3 – 1/60 sec

Tables and chairs
ISO 100 – 14mm – f6.3 – 1/25 sec

Raoul Wallenberg Square

The next day I wanted to make sure I captured some shots at Raoul Wallenberg Square while the cherry blossom was at its best. I had tried the day before, but it was late afternoon and the square was in the shade, so I made sure I was there at around 9am when the sun would be reflecting off the KPMG tower – which actually helped bring out the pink of the blossom due to the glass being a shade of pink.

Raoul Wallenberg square and KPMG tower
ISO 100 – 10mm – f5 – 1/1000 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

Raoul Wallenberg square and Christ Church Cathedral
ISO 100 – 18mm – f5.6 – 2 secs

Raoul Wallenberg square and Christ Church Cathedral
ISO 100 – 10mm – f7.1 – 1/200 sec

If you want to know more on the man credited with saving 100,000 Hungarian Jews during WWII, there’s a detailed biography over on the Jewish Virtual Library website.

Raoul Wallenberg monument
ISO 100 – 10mm – f5 – 1/250 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

The Raoul Wallenberg Square is a very peaceful spot given its location in the center of downtown, the central fountain providing a soothing backdrop to the hustle and bustle outside the square.

Raoul Wallenberg square tulips and fountain
ISO 100 – 85mm – f5 – 1/500 sec

As I was leaving, I noticed a guy reading a newspaper and grabbed a quick shot.

Newspaper reader at Raoul Wallenberg square
ISO 100 – 20mm – f5.6 – 1/200 sec

I did a bit of additional processing on the above image to give it a bit of a grainy feel as well as adding some blur using Topas Labs Lens Effects.

Newspaper reader at Raoul Wallenberg square
ISO 100 – 20mm – f5.6 – 1/200 sec

McGill College Avenue

I guess I was in the mood for shooting Cherry Blossom as I stopped on McGill College avenue to shoot more pink flowers.

McGill College avenue in blossom
ISO 100 – 10mm – f4.5 – 1/400 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

McGill College avenue
ISO 100 – 10mm – f4.5 – 1/320 sec

McGill College avenue
ISO 100 – 15mm – f5 – 1/250 sec

Square Saint Louis

On May 23 I was passing by Square Saint Louis and the pink bike park up near the little cafe caught my attention…I seem to be into pink these days 🙂

Pink Bike at Square Saint Louis
ISO 100 – 10mm – f5 – 1/50 sec

The cafe (I think it’s called Le K – but will need to check next time I pass by) has recently reopened following the winter season and offer an assortment of sandwiches and scones, and for those hot summer days is a great spot to grab an ice cream.

Cafe in Carré Saint Louis
ISO 100 – 20mm – f5.6 – 1/60 sec

Carré Saint-Louis
ISO 100 – 20mm – f5.6 – 1/50 sec

Something that you will notice if you pass the square is that the fountain is currently being renovated. There’s likely a reason why they didn’t do the work while the park was undergoing restoration last year and was closed for about a year. Hopefully it will be repaired and flowing again soon.

I couldn’t help but take a shot of the red Victorian house on the north side of the park…possibly the most photographed home in the area. I’ve shot it on numerous occasions, but for once there were no cars blocking the view.

The red house on Carré Saint Louis
ISO 100 – 14mm – f5 – 1/1000 sec

Having covered so much today, I now only have 3 more days of shots to share to catch up to the present, so I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

– Martin

Montréal in Pictures

Your virtual guide in and around Montréal

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