In Charlevoix, located an hour’s drive from Québec City, where the mountains rise in a majestic choreography, a photograph captures the soul of the small village of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François.
Nestled in the folds of Québec’s mountainous region at the base of the Le Massif de Charlevoix ski resort, the village delicately stretches along the Saint Lawrence River, a masterpiece of nature, drawing its perfect harmony over six kilometers.
During a vacation at friends’ place, the night had gently laid down a first blanket of snow: a silver veil fifteen centimeters deep had transformed the landscape into a winter canvas. Eagerly embracing the dawn, we embarked on a long walk with our dogs along a winding trail between the shores of the Saint Lawrence River and the mountains of Charlevoix.
In the gentle chill of morning, the humid air from the river created a cocooning atmosphere, in which huge snowflakes, akin to celestial snowballs, descended from the sky. As we walked, an unexpected treasure revealed itself: a pastel blue mini-caravan emerged, almost magically, from the misty gray backdrop of the mountains.
This charming caravan, a relic from another era, blended into the enchanting landscape, capturing my imagination. A marriage of hues and time, the caravan seemed like an emanation from the past offering an enchanted interlude within a monochromatic tableau. Suspended between history and nature, the unexpected encounter etched itself in memory, becoming a part of the eternal poetry of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
I think that the scene itself offers us such a magical decor. It also has the nostalgic spirit created by the mini trailer and the soft colors. It creates a feeling of freedom that moved me this morning November 22, 2023.
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
Sincerely, not much. I had brought with me a single lens, my Sigma 16mm 1.4. I like to develop my creativity by limiting myself to a single focal length. It might have been interesting to take this photo with a telephoto lens and see if the compression of the image taken with a 200mm would have presented the large flakes in another aspect. What I like and what inspires me about photography is also the present moment. What life and nature offer us at the time of capture and I am happy with this short moment.
Pascal Clément shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Pascal Clément, Quebec City, Canada.
Equipment and settings
Fujifilm XT5, Sigma 16mm 1.4
1/1000 sec., f/4.5, ISO 200
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