Quebec City Elopement Photographer

I photograph in Quebec City several times a year and the thing that continues to surprise me is how good the early morning light is on the stone facades of the Upper Town. The Chateau Frontenac and the fortification walls were built from the same grey limestone as the rest of Old Quebec, and when the summer sun comes over the river and hits that stone at a low angle before seven in the morning, the warmth it produces looks nothing like the cold grey the city shows at midday. I plan every Quebec City session around that morning window.

The Dufferin Terrace

The Dufferin Terrace runs along the cliff edge below the Chateau Frontenac and above the Lower Town, with the St. Lawrence River visible the full length of the boardwalk. I run almost every Quebec City session starting here. The telescope pavilions at the north end give a framing element that the open boardwalk does not, and the staircase that descends toward Petit-Champlain is itself a location I use. The Terrace is busy by nine in the morning in peak season. I start every session at or before seven and we are typically done with the Terrace portion before the first tour groups arrive.

Petit-Champlain and the Funicular

Petit-Champlain in the Lower Town is the oldest commercial street in North America, a narrow cobblestone pedestrian lane flanked by stone buildings with flower boxes and painted facades. I photograph couples in the lane itself, in the staircase alleys that branch off it, and at the stone arch that marks the street entrance from Place-Royale. The funicular that connects the Lower Town to the Terrace is also a photography location: the glass cabin descends the cliff face and the view of the Lower Town rooftops from inside it gives an image I have not seen replicated anywhere else in Quebec City.