Fall in Quebec City, Canada!

Following on the success of our “Fall in Quebec” safari 20 years ago, we have decided to do it again the fall of 2025, October 3-6! This safari – limited to 11 participants – will give you a chance to learn new skills in architectural photography and photograph a little bit of “Old Europe” without leaving the American continent!

Quebec City is located on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The stunning Chateau de Frontenac overlooks a magnificent vista of the river, and the city is lined with cobblestone streets, old-fashioned shops, boutique hotels and restaurants and charming 18th century architecture. We have selected an itinerary that takes us up and down the heights of the Quebec, with nighttime shoot, an early morning expedition, and two days of photographic exploration against a backdrop of fall foliage in early October, when the fall colors will be even more vivid.

One of the highlights of our safari will be photographing the exterior and interior of the huge Chateau Frontenac, which dominates the Quebec cityscape and became famous during World War II as the hotel that hosted wartime conferences between the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and Canada in the planning of the Normandy Invasion.

Getting there from the DC area or other parts of the US can be done by plane direct to Quebec or via Montreal or Newark, by train via Montreal, or by car or bus from Burlington, VT to include the New England fall colors on the return trip.

We have selected a lovely little hotel, the Auberge St. Pierre, in the Rue St. Pierre right in the Old Town at the base of the huge cliff that leads to the upper part of the city which is reached by funicular tram or by foot.

This safari also gives you a chance to practice your high school French! The group rates they have given us are $387 Canadian per room per night including all federal and provincial taxes, which is about $272 US at the current rate of exchange. The rate includes a HUGE breakfast, which you will need as we set off to explore the city. You can check them out at www.auberge.qc.ca . When you register for this Safari, we will send you the hotel code that enables you to qualify for the group rate and instructions on how to make your reservations.

In addition to breakfast, the group rate includes a room with hardwood floors, brick and stone walls, free WiFi, a workspace, bathrobe, refrigerator and a safe and valet parking.

The safari will be led by E. David Luria, professional architectural photographer, member of the Society of Photographic Educators and the American Society of Media Photographers, trained in Paris at the Parsons School of Design by a protégé of Henri Cartier Bresson. Fluent in French, Mr. Luria is also owner and director of Washington Photo Safari which has trained over 46,000+ participants in the techniques of travel and landmark photography on 6,800+ photo safaris since it began operations in 1999, with 15,000+ repeat customers (or one out of every 2 clients), and the organization has received hundreds of 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, Google and Facebook.

The instruction cost of the safari itself is just $575 US, including 2½ days of professional photography, instruction materials, pre-safari orientation and post-safari critique of photos. An accompanying companion photographer pays just $495, and an accompanying non-photographer pays an administrative fee of just $85. You will definitely want to bring a companion or spouse to this magnificently unique urban location!

We have scheduled this Safari to take place over 2½ days and 3 nights, Friday through Monday, because most departures from Quebec leave early in the morning on Monday.

You are in charge of making your own air and hotel reservation, but we will let them know you are coming. The hotel can be reached at st-pierre@auberge.qc.ca . The hotel’s website is www.auberge.qc.ca . Upon registration, you will receive a code from us that you can reference in order to get the group rate.

Architectural skills taught on this Safari will include:

• how to take the best exterior views in the golden hour and blue hour and at night
• how to take interior views of the stately Chateau Frontenac, with wide-angle lenses
• how to balance indoor and outdoor light on interior shots
• how to find original angles for interior and exterior architectural photography

Our safari is open to clients at any skill level, whether they are using DSLR or mirrorless cameras or even high-end smartphones. Our hotel group rate of (about) US $272 per night, including all federal and provincial taxes, is not only good for October 3-6, but is also valid for arrival 3 days prior to  the event or staying 3 days later than the event itself.

Recommended equipment:

• DSR or mirrorless camera body, or a late-model smartphone
• Wide (12-24, or 14mm), medium (18-105mm), long (100-300mm) lenses
• Sturdy tall tripod (optional, but recommended for nighttime and interiors)
• Circular polarizing filter (to enhance blue skies and puffy white clouds)
• Neutral density filter (to make moving people and cars disappear)
• Flashlight to see camera controls at night
• Bubble level (or bubble level app on phone)
• A loupe, such as a Hoodman, to see LCD screen images in bright sun
• Optional Bluetooth- enabled smartphone bracket holder, such as a ShiftCam.(wwwshiftcam.com)

To take advantage of the best early morning and late afternoon light and to give you an opportunity to see other Quebec sites in which you may be interested, the safari will be divided into various blocks each day. Here is the tentative schedule:

October 3 – Friday:
all day, arrivals (try to arrive by 3-4 pm)
5:30 – 6:45 pm: Orientation dinner meeting at Auberge St Pierre, location TBA
7 – 9 pm: Old Quebec at Night

October 4 – Saturday:
9 am to 1 pm: Quebec City views, w/ Chateau Frontenac interiors/exteriors
4 – 8 pm: Quebec golden hour, blue hour and nighttime views

October 5 – Sunday:
5:30- 8 am: Sunrise Over the St. Lawrence and Quebec City views, including the Old Fort
10:30 am – 1 pm: Quebec City Views
1 – 3 pm: Lunch and relaxation
3 – 6 pm: Quebec Fort and city views
8 -10 pm: Quebec at Night and Wrap-up At Hotel

October 6 – Monday:
Departures from Quebec (You might want to consider staying on in Quebec or visit nearby Montreal or the beautiful Laurentian Mountains before heading for home.)

Granted, this will clearly be an expensive venture for anybody who wishes to participate, but we hope that safarians will see it as a special treat to reward themselves and their families. We also urge our clients to bring their non-photographer spouses or partners to enjoy the city while registered photographers are taking pictures.

The Tuition Fee (paid to Washington Photo Safari upon registration) covers 2 full days and evenings of photography instruction.

Clients are responsible for all room and amenity and meal fees which are paid directly to the hotel. Upon registration, clients will receive instructions on how to make their reservations through a special code set up by the hotel for our group, so please do not attempt to make your reservations through the hotel phone number before that time.

Conclusion: There are times in the life of a photographer (for example, when we are buying costly camera equipment!) when we say to ourselves: “Hey, it’s expensive, but I’m worth it!” This is one of those times!

Recap:
Reservations must be made by July 31, 2025 to qualify for the group rate. (In order for us to receive this group rate, we must reserve at least 10 rooms. Upgraded suites are also available at higher fees. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, based upon registration date.

• Cost: $575/photographer, not including hotel, meals, or transportation
• $495 for accompanying companion photographer
• $85 for non-photographer companion

Cancellation Policy for fees/refunds of fees paid to Washington Photo Safari:

• Cancel before July 31, 2025: full refund of all fees, or full rain check for future safari use
• Cancel after July 31, 2025: 50% refund of all fees
• Cancel after August 31, 2025: no refund

Arrive by 3 PM on Friday, October 3, 2025 (Check-in time)
Depart after 6 am Monday, October 6, 2025 (Checkout time is 11:00 am)
The initial orientation dinner meeting will be Friday, October 3 at 5:30 pm, location TBA

Questions? Call us at 202-669-8468 or email us at info@washingtonphotosafari.com