Day 141 - In the shadow of the Chateau

It's hard to take a bad picture in Quebec City. What's even harder, however, is to take a photograph that no one else has ever taken before. I don't think it's possible, quite frankly, since more than three million tourists come through this beautiful city each year and every one of them seems to have a camera in hand.

We spent the day wandering around old Quebec, seeing the sites and taking photographs. 250 photographs, in fact. A very strong wind made it difficult at times, both to walk and to hold the camera steady, but I think more than 200 of the shots are really good.

Original? Maybe not. But good, yes. Quebec is simply a stunning place to be. Everywhere you turn, there's something beautiful and extremely photogenic.

I chose this picture because I thought it might be as close as I came today to an attractive photograph with perhaps a hint of originality. I decided to shoot one of the cannons that protected the oldest part of the French settlement (dating back to the 17th century) from a seated position on the ground, trying to capture both the cannon itself and the magical Chateau Frotenac in the background.

It's not easy, since the Chateau stands on the cliff, high above the original town and its cannons and lovely buildings. I thought I'd let the focus go on the cannon a tiny bit and make sure the hotel is in crisp focus. It looks pretty good, I think. You'll see more photos from this tour over the coming weeks. There are just too many great ones to waste.