The images shared in today’s post were taken back on April 28 and 29. I wanted to catch up posting images taken last month, so today’s post is a bit all over the place.

We start on rue Sainte Catherine, stop by Old Montreal, get a glimpse of the construction progressing at the new CHUM and finish with a few shots taken at Place des Arts where there was a dance flash mob taking place to celebrate the International Day of Dance 2014.

Rue Sainte Catherine

I was on rue Sainte Catherine and passed by a mural on the wall next to the Sainte Élisabeth pub. This was the first time I had noticed this particular artwork and I don’t know who the artist is, or how long it has been there.

If you happen to be in Montreal over the summer, I highly recommend you check out the Sainte Élisabeth pub – they have a great courtyard terrace at the back. Being enclosed on all sides, the walls are covered in ivy, and doesn’t get too hot during a Montreal humid summer day.

Mural on rue Sainte Élisabeth
ISO 100 – 13mm – f5.6 – 1/400 sec

I was thinking the mural was fairly new. So I tried the new Google street view history app to check. Unfortunately the last time Google passed this spot was in September 2012. I really like this addition to Google street view and it will be interesting to view some of the areas like Griffintown and around the Bell Center over the next few years.

Here are the murals that have adorned the wall on rue Sainte Élisabeth over the last few years…

Google street view rue Saint Élisabeth

I guess I was in a bit of a grunge mood on the 28th of April, since I also shot the now boarded up Guérin bookstore further west on Sainte Catherine street.

The old Librairie Guérin on rue Sainte Catherine
ISO 200 – 19mm – f5.6 – 1/250 sec

Old Montreal

The next day I was down in Old Montreal. I never get tired of photographing rue Saint Paul and liked the way the sun-lit dome of Marché Bonsecours contasted against the shaded narrow Saint Paul street.

Rue Saint Paul
ISO 100 – 240mm – f11 – 1/160 sec

Another spot that I enjoy shooting is rue Saint Dizier. Looking up this tiny street you really get a sense of what historic Montreal would have been like.

Rue Saint Dizier
ISO 100 – 82mm – f11 – 1/50 sec (-2ev/0/+2ev)

A reader with good taste

On a bench in front of the Marché Bonsecours I noticed a pile of old magazines and an old edition of Le Petit Larousse. No one was around, so I guess they must have been left by a vagrant. Whoever it was, had good taste in reading, as one of the books was the Nikon 1982/3 International Photo contest.

There was a slight breeze that was turning some of the pages, so I stopped to take a few pics from various angles.

The Invisible Readers
ISO 100 – 20mm – f16 – 1/50 sec

Pile of old magazines
ISO 100 – 70mm – f4.5 – 1/500 sec

Reading beside Marché Bonsecours
ISO 100 – 20mm – f5.6 – 1/320 sec

Monteal Skyline from Champ de Mars
ISO 100 – 20mm – f7.1 – 1/160 sec

I thought the pseudo tilt shift worked quite nicely on the next shot looking down from Champ de Mars toward downtown.

Corner of rue St. Antoine and ave de l’Hôtel de Ville
ISO 100 – 16mm – f7.1 – 1/160 sec

The new CHUM

As I was passing through Chinatown you can begin to get an idea of the impact that the new CHUM (Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal) will have on the neighbourhood – this shot was taken on rue de la Gauchetière.

The new CHUM under construction
ISO 100 – 11.5mm – f7.1 – 1/125 sec

This is only part of the new hospital. The southern section that sits above the Ville Marie is pretty much finished, as you can see from an earlier shot I took from Champ de Mars. In my opinion, it’s not the prettiest building, but I’ll refrain from going on a rant.

The new CHUM under construction
ISO 100 – 19mm – f7.1 – 1/160 sec

International Day of Dance 2014

April 29 was the International Day of Dance. I just happened to be passing Place des Arts and there was a flash mob dance taking place in celebration of the date.

International Day of Dance
ISO 100 – 14mm – f4.8 – 1/200 sec

I thought it would be fun to take a long exposure to capture the flowing movement and moved to the other side of Place des Arts to get a view from higher up.

Dance flash mob at Place des Arts
ISO 100 – 20mm – f25 – 0.6 sec

Tha final shot for this post was also taken at Place des Arts. I noticed these spectators of the flash mob. The positioning of the people I thought made for a nice composition.

Watching the dance flash mob
ISO 100 – 116mm – f6.3 – 1/200 sec

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

– Martin

Montréal in Pictures

Your virtual guide in and around Montréal

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