La Toupie Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

This is the phare-pilier Prince also called the "Toupie", situated in Tadoussac, northern Quebéc, where the river Saguenay meet the river Saint Laurent. A few meters into the Saguenay there are the Fjords and we can watch lots of whales when cruising the region, from Belugas to the great blue whales.

"It was in 1860 that the Prince of Wales inadvertently christened the shoal when his boat ran aground on it. From 1871 to 1955 a light boat was anchored there to indicate the navigational hazard. This boat was replaced in 1964 by the pillar that was nicknamed "la Toupie" (the top) due to its spindle shape which was designed to resist the strong pressures of ice in winter. The pillar, which is anchored on the shoal, is 22 metres high. It was built in dry-dock in Lauzon and towed to the chosen site. A total of 2400 tonnes of rock and 24 000 bags of cement were used in its construction. On Christmas night, 1966, it proved its strength. The Toupie managed to withstand 100 km per hour winds and waves of over 14 metres in height. The three men stationed on the lighthouse at the time survived unscathed. The lighthouse was automated in 1987". (http://www.baleinesendirect.net/eng/FSC.html?sct=3&pag=3-1-2-02.html )
Regards,
Zeca

AiresSantos, Janice, PixelTerror, GLEM, besnard, bazal, Silke, rasmis, etiennejr, pboehringer, abulafia, bakes888, cam, JEPC, picardo, SchwebagMike, BettinaMarie, InasiaJones has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

MIG13 (0) 2006-10-04 0:29

Oi, Zeca! Foto interessante, mostrando um farol completamente diferente dos que já vi. Ótimos detalhes e cores, apesar do tempo carregado. Legal! Abraço! Miguel.

ozpaul (276) 2006-10-04 1:20

Yes Jose, Nice photo of a curious lighthouse well framed in black. Suitably muted contast. The strange lopsided view makes the lighthouse look very unstable which adds tension and humour to the picture. Regards Paul.

AiresSantos (42964) 2006-10-04 1:30

Ola Jose,
Um farol diferente do habitual. Tal como o Christopher eu pergunto se esta flutuando... Gosto das cores, definição e enquadramento.
Um abraço Amigo,
Aires

Janice (4386) 2006-10-04 3:23

What an unusual lighthouse this is Jose, and to read your notes is very interesting too. You show it well, especially from the angle you took the photo - good POV. TFS
Janice

PixelTerror (86861) 2006-10-04 4:21

Ola Jose,
I discover amazing places and buildings everyday on TE and this one for sure IS amazing, what a structure, with no doubt a great subject for photographers. You framed it well vertically, but I think it lacks a bit of punch, you could try some more contrast and added saturation on the red layer.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

[workshop] [compare]

GLEM (2998) 2006-10-04 4:36

salut José,
C'est amusant j'ai presque la même image postée il y a peu de temps.
Bravo pour le gros plan et la note qui est superbe.

ps : j'ai posté un workshop.

TFS

[workshop] [compare] +

devimeuxbe (56398) 2006-10-04 4:42

Hi Jose
interesting composition with this colorfull and so strange phare/ You framed it well. This is an interesting and beautifull picture.
Bertrand

besnard (31114) 2006-10-04 5:11

Bonjour José
Il est très curieux ce phare avec sa petite tourelle. Il porte bien son nom. Tu étais sûrement en mer pour nous le présenter de cette façon.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

bazal (7898) 2006-10-04 5:36

Hi Zeca.
I like the composition you've chosen to present this very interesting and unusual lighthouse. The depth is perfectly managed and the frame is well seen.
Very interesting note.
Thanks for sharing!

Silke (3023) 2006-10-04 6:50

Wow, you can really see how bad the ice must get in the river, for that would be the reason for the unusual design of this building. Great shot, with excellent sharpness and perfect framing. TFS
Silke

prezntime (3945) 2006-10-04 7:54

Hello Jose.
What an interesting looking lighthouse. Is it free-floating?. I like the simple framing, it helps bring out the original shape of the building. Very nice muted colors bringing me right back to the ocean.
Regards,
Chris.
:) tomorrow.

Voltri (1724) 2006-10-04 12:02

Jose, fantastic object and quality of the photo!

rasmis (291) 2006-10-04 12:18

Hi Zeca, another nice and clear shot. The compo and framing is also good. thanx for sending

etiennejr (1014) 2006-10-04 21:40

Hi Jose,
What a stange building. I'm from Holland and I have seen many lighthouses, but this is different to me.
The exposure is good, you can see the water flow around the structure but also the land behind, gives a good feel to the shot. The clouds give a feel of the power of the sea.
Well Done!
Etienne

cengiz (3581) 2006-10-06 10:01

intersting and very nice
cengiz

nanauhauer (761) 2006-10-06 19:02

Primo,
Depois de alguns dias parado voltei!
Que farol interessante!
O céu não está bonito mas o contraste do vermelho intenso com as nuvens azuladas ficou muito bacana.
Pena ele estar um pouco torto.
O tempo prejudicou de leve também o DOF mas sem problemas.
Abraço,
Nanau

pboehringer (770) 2006-10-07 12:01

Mais uma prova que voce realmente consegue transformar um objeto simples em uma obra de arte. A impressao que da e que este farol esta torto, mas depois de muitas olhadas eu percebi que o horizonte nao esta torto. Potanto o faeol tambem nao pode estar torto. Logico? Sera que o mar esta tao movimentadoque da esta impressao ou sera que estou mareado e vendo coisas?
Abraco, Peter

abulafia (4802) 2006-10-07 13:34

Hi Zeca
Great Lighthouse, very unique, i have never seen anything like this before.
The shot seems a bit tilted, but nothing that harms the impression.
Nice job and a very thorough note
Harry

vascao (192) 2006-10-07 14:46

Belíssima foto, Zeca, me passa uma idéia de força deste farol se erguendo do mar bravo. Gosto também das suas cores fortes e do mar escuro contra os tons suaves do BG.
Maravilha!
Sergio

bakes888 (18353) 2006-10-07 15:22

Hi Jose. Great photo. This is an unusual lighthouse, I looks a bit like an airfield control tower perched on top of a buoy. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

tjanze (5674) 2006-10-08 4:06

Hi Jose!
Very clean and sharp photo.Very unusual construstion.I like how the tower is inclined to right because of weight of smaller tower top.Good note. Regards!

cam (8880) 2006-10-09 21:57

Hi José
Thanks for the info as I am learning this from you.
Good colors on a cloudy day as it is often the case in october.Jean-Yves WS gives it some life back.
Good perspective and DOF.
(PS:I am beginning a series on Charlevoix,think you might be interrested)
have a good week.
Charles

sergio1 (12150) 2006-10-10 10:38

Hi Zeca

Lovely shot and worderful colour. I like the vertical compo and sharp.
Well done
Sergio

Stepan (27175) 2006-10-11 3:41

Incredible building ! Excellent realization despite this sad grey light. You succeed in having colors and soft light on the lighthouse. Thanks for the incredible discovery.
Stéphane

Emiel_Skyfreak (2976) 2006-10-11 8:31

Very good shot, I like this weird subject. I've never seen a lighthouse like this.
Very rich colours, like the usual contrast between red and white. Nice compo, however I wonder how it looked if placed left or right in a landscape view, more background would also be nice I think. The horizon is a bit slanting, also the lighthouse seems to be standing a little crooked, I think you should rotate it a little countnerclockwise.
Very informative note, thanks for sharing view & info.

Regards,
Emiel.

JEPC (1303) 2006-10-16 13:39

Olá Zeca,
Já vi muita coisa no mar, mas farol feito este, realmente para mim é uma novidade!:) Gostei dos detalhes e POV apesar da dificuldade natural de quando se faz uma foto no mar, de se conseguir um horizonte " horizontal"
Abraços,
João Eduardo

SchwebagMike (1490) 2006-11-30 13:07

Strang construction, perfectely shot. TFS, Mike

jackpkn (810) 2007-01-23 5:43

Uma foto simples mas muito bela e de extrema qualidade. Informações bem interessantes também sobre a construção e resistência da construção.

Abraços,

Jáed.

BettinaMarie (664) 2007-02-12 22:28

Hello Jose,

This is a very different lighthouse than I am used to photographing! Amazing color, clarity and compostion! Thank you for posting a "different" lighthouse. Thank you also for visiting my photos.

Take care,
Bettina Marie =0)

InasiaJones (20705) 2008-09-03 22:10

Hi Jose,

Reading your notes and looking at the images you've created while in Québec, I've discovered this one that I've never seen before.

I'm a big fan of lighthouses as a photographic subject, but I've never been to this one. This model is more interesting for its bizarre shape than its pure aesthetic. Not the best light possible, but a melancholic mood instead.

Cheers!

André

Photo Information

Copyright: Jose A Hauer (zeca) (20026)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-10-22
Categories: Architecture
Camera: SONY DSC-P10
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/125 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Lighthouses III, Lighthouses / Phares, Cities and architecture, TE`s Members Favorites! [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-10-03 22:46
Favorites: 1 [view]