I’ll be the first to admit, today’s photos are nothing to write home about, but I’ve got a new mission!

At a press conference yesterday, Heritage Montreal unveiled a list of 10 endangered heritage sites in Montreal together with a list of sites they have put on a watch list. I thought I should aim to get pictures of the buildings listed before they are probably lost forever.

I’ve listed the sites highlighted by Heritage Montreal at the end of the post, but for today I selected the Rodier Building on Notre-Dame street and the Dow Planetarium on Saint Jacques street. I plan to try and cover many others on the list in the near future.

First the Rodier Building. This triangular building is considered by some to be Montreal’s miniature version of New York’s Flatiron.

The Rodier Building - rue Notre-Dame

The Rodier Building was built in 1875 by Charles Séraphin Rodier Jr. who was the nephew of Charles-Séraphin Rodier, the mayor of Montreal from 1858-1862.

The Rodier Building - rue Notre-Dame

The Rodier Building - rue Notre-Dame

The Rodier Building - rue Notre-Dame

Dow Planetarium

The Planetarium were developed by the architectural firm of David-Barott-Boulva. Although not visible from street level, the dome in the center of the building resembles Saturn surrounded by its rings.

Front entrance of the Dow Planetarium

Side view of the Dow Planetarium

Rear view of the Dow Planetarium

In Ocober 2011, the Planetarium closed its doors after 45 years. Star gazers though will have a new world class Planetarium which is currently under construction next to the Olympic Stadium. The Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium is due to open in the spring, 2013.

I was hoping that the projector would still be at the Dow and that I could gain access to take some shots of it – I thought it would make a great HDR subject. Unfortunately I was informed it had been dismantled in October last year and is currently in storage. It will however be on display at the new Planetarium, so I may still manage to get my shot.

Standing guard at the front of the Dow building is a monument to Nicolaus Copernicus, inaugurated as part of Exo ’67 and installed at its present location in Chaboillez Square in 1975. The original sculpture was cast in 1822 by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) and erected in downtown Warsaw in 1830. The Montreal replica was presented by the Polish-Canadian community in celebration of the Canadian Confederation Centennial and the Millenium of Christian Poland.

Monument to Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus at the Dow Planetarium

I’m not sure if the armillary sphere that Copernicus should be holding in his left hand has been removed or stolen (hopefully the former) and if plans are to relocate the monument to the new Planetarium.

Just a few meters away is an equatorial sundial by Dutch artist Herman J. van der Heide.

Equatorial sundial sculpture by Herman J. van der Heide

Although not on the list of endangered buildings, I also shot this old building next to the railway line on rue Ottawa and fairly certain it will not be a survivor of the Bonaventure Expressway redevelopment.

Derelict building on rue Ottawa

Derelict building on rue Ottawa

Finally for today, just across the street from the Dow is the ETS (École de technologie supérieure). Outside the main entrance is this modern sculpture – unfortunately I don’t know the name of the work or artist.

Sculpture outside the ETS

As I mentioned at the start, here is the complete list of endangered buildings and sites flagged by Montreal Heritage:

• Viger Square, between Viger, Berri, St. Antoine and St. Denis Sts (see recent post)
• Rodier Building, 32 Notre-Dame St. W
• Cadieux Forge, 815 St. Paul St
• St. Laurent/Monument National City Block, 1190-1220 St. Laurent Blvd
• Griffintown Horse Palace, Ottawa St. between Eleanor and Murray Sts
• Redpath House, 457 rue du Musée
• Bonheur d’Occasion Workers’ Houses, corner of St. Ambroise and St. Augustin Sts
• Empress Theatre, 5560 Sherbrooke St. W
• Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus Church, 1465 Desjardins St.
• Hôpital Miséricorde, 970 René-Lévesque Blvd. E

• Dow Planetarium, 1000 St. Jacques St. W.
• Municipal baths (in different city districts)
• Eatons’ 9th floor restaurant, 700 Ste. Catherine St. W.
• Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine House, 1395 Overdale Ave
• Mount Stephen House, 1440 Drummond St.
• New City Gas Complex, Between Ottawa, Dalhousie, Wellington and Ann Sts.

To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

I had no specific goal on what to shoot today and spent some time wandering up boulevard Saint-Laurent and heading west on avenue Fairmount. Upon reaching boulevard Mont-Royal, I decided to head into the forest that runs alongside the road and found it led me to the Mount-Royal Cemetery. This was the first time I’ve been in the area, so continued to wander about looking for something interesting to shoot.

Just up the hill, I discovered the Molson family tomb.

Molson family tomb in Mount Royal Cemetery

John Molson emigrated to Canada from England in 1782. The Molson family became famous for building Canada’s largest brewery which continues to this day. Other claims to fame of John Molson include; building the first theatre in Montreal, built Canada’s first steamship, his Mansion House Hotel contained Montreal’s first library, was a co-founder of the Bank of Montreal, and built Canada’s first railway. He was the Richard Branson of his time.

Entrance to the Molson family tomb

Before moving on, here are a few other shots taken in Mount Royal Cemetery:

Reflections on grave stones - Mount Royal Cemetery

Resting beneath a tree - Mount Royal Cemetery

Bench with a view in memory of Mordecai Richler - Mount Royal Cemetery

View of Montreal Olympic Stadium from Mount Royal Cemetery

Adjacent to the Mount Royal Cemetery is Canada’s largest cemetery (3rd largest in North America) – the Notre-Dames-Des-Neiges Cemetery. The cemetery is certainly big, covering 343 acres and together with Mount Royal contains about 1.5million burials.

La Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal (the building council of Montreal’s Notre-Dame parish) has owned and operated Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery since 1854. Created on property purchased from Dr. Pierre Beaubien, the new cemetery was a response to growing demand at a time when the old Saint-Antoine Cemetery (near the present Dominion Square) had become too small to serve Montreal’s rapidly increasing population.

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

I could easily spend a whole day (or more) shooting in these beautiful cemetery’s and will certainly be making repeat visits in the future.

I exited the cemetery opposite Maison Smith and walked up to the Mount Royal Cross at the summit of Parc du Mont-Royal.

The first Mount Royal Cross was placed there in 1643 by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of the city.

An illuminated steel cross was installed in 1924 by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, and is now owned by the city. The current cross stands 31.4 m (103 ft) tall. It was converted to fibre-optic light in 1992, allowing the cross to be lit in red, blue or purple. I plan to get some close-up night shots soon.

Mount Royal Cross

Mount Royal Cross

Close to the cross is a communication tower – not exactly a famous landmark, but thought it would be a good candidate for an HDR shot.

Communication tower on Mont Royal

I took the escarpment route back home to grab a few shots of the Montreal skyline. Not recommended for those with vertigo – I had the odd moment of panic given it was a bit icy next to the edge, with a long drop to the bottom of the cliff face – but the views were worth it!

View of the Montreal Skyline from the Escarpment path on Mont Royal

View of the Montreal Skyline from the Escarpment path on Mont Royal

Eastern View of Montreal from the Escarpment path on Mont Royal

One final image I would like to share today was taken on chemin de la Côte Sainte Catherine. I love the design, particularly the tower. Montreal really has some amazing and diverse styles of architecture.

House on chemin de la Sainte Catherine

To view images in gallery format, simply click on one of the images below.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

I was at a loss for inspiration this morning as to what to go and shoot. Maybe it was the fact it was raining first thing and everything looked dull and flat. I headed toward Square Victoria with the intention of getting some more shots of tunnels in the Underground City, but it was rush hour when I arrived and too many people rushing to work.

Upon exiting I could see the clouds breaking and the sun doing it’s best to brighten up the morning. So I headed down to the old port, hoping to find something of interest.

On rue Saint Paul outside the Marché Bonsecours there are some ice sculptures, although starting to look a bit past their best given the recent warmer days, so I thought I better get some shots before they are gone for good.

Looking through the ice sculpture

Female wearing a hat Ice Sculpture - Marché Bonsecours

Male and female torso Ice Sculptures - Marché Bonsecours

Male and female torso Ice Sculptures - Marché Bonsecours

Sign in ice - Marché Bonsecours

Looking through the ice sculpture #2

Further west along rue Saint Paul, there is Marché de la Villette, a wonderful Boucherie and Charcuterie.

Marché de la Villette on rue Saint Paul

Walking along the rue Port de Montreal I spied a couple of yellow school buses parked alongside the new urban beach and thought they made a nice composition with the blue parasols.

Yellow school buses

Yellow school bus

My last stop on today’s photo walk was at Square Viger that sits on top of the Ville Marie Expressway tunnel. Square Viger is one of the oldest in Montreal, built on market spaces dating from the 1810s.

I’ve always liked the concrete structures that are situated in the square between rue Berri and rue Saint Denis – even given the serious neglect they now find themselves in.

The site (called Agora) was designed by sculptor and landscape designer Charles Daudelin (1920-2001) in 1976 and inaugurated in 1981. The area had been devastated by the construction of the metro (Champ-de-Mars Metro station is just one street west) and then by the Ville-Marie expressway.

The design includes a central space surrounded by basins of water, terraces, and interwoven structures and spaces designed to house cafes and shops. Unfortunately due to rejection by the public due to lack of surrounding facilities and being in the center of major road arteries, the original plans for Agora were never realized.

The square’s urban environment is still inhospitable and dominated by traffic on streets serving the expressway and is frequented by the homeless – who, it has to be said, have been drawn to the area since the 19th century.

Agora on Viger Square

Agora on Viger Square

Agora on Viger Square

Agora on Viger Square

Agora on Viger Square

Agora on Viger Square

Viger Square

The area is probably most famous for the Châteauesque Place Viger which overlooks the square (seen in the image below).

Built in 1898, Place Viger was originally a combined railway station and hotel with large landscaped gardens. Due to the depression and the shift of Montreal’s commercial core to the North West, the hotel closed its doors in 1935, followed by the station in 1951 and was sold to the City of Montreal, who renamed it to Édifice Jacques-Viger in 1957.

View of Place Viger from Viger Square

Two recent key developments may help lead to the restoration of Agora and bring a new lease of life to the area:

Over-shadowing the square on the west side, Montreal’s new French-language superhospital is under construction and slated to open in 2016.

The second good news is the recent announcement that Édifice Jacques-Viger has been purchased by local real estate firms (Jesta Group and PUR Immobilia) for $26.5 million with plans to develop it into a $300 million new urban neighbourhood with retailing, office space and 700 apartments.

Personally, I would love to see Agora at last attain the vision of it’s designer, with cafes and an area for artists and not be demolished. If you feel the same, Héritage Montréal would welcome your support!

Click on any image below to view in gallery format.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

I popped down to the Old Port late afternoon to get some early evening shots around the marina in Vieux Montréal.

Despite the above normal temperatures, the marina is still frozen over and the AML cruise ship is still iced-in at her mooring.

Waiting for the thaw

For a change, I didn”t walk too far and took all the shots from the elevated walkway on the Jacques-Cartier Pier just east of the Montreal Science Centre). The walkway provides a great point of view to shoot some of the nearby landmarks, including the city skyline.

Montreal skyline from the Quai Jacques-CartierMontreal skyline from the Quai Jacques-Cartier

Montreal skyline from the Quai Jacques-Cartier

Montreal skyline from the Quai Jacques-Cartier

Montreal skyline from the Quai Jacques-Cartier

The last time I was on the elevated walkway it was packed with people visiting the Tall Ship festival last summer. Tonight it was deserted, which made me happy as it can vibrate quite a bit when people walk along it – not good when taking long exposure HDR shots.

Deserted elevated walkway on the Quai Jacques-Cartier

Deserted elevated walkway on the Quai Jacques-Cartier

If you walk to the far end, you get a good view of the Marché Bonsecours and Pavillion du Bassin Bonsecours.

Marché Bonsecours

Marché Bonsecours

Love at the Marché Bonsecours

Marché Bonsecours

A Bokeh Marché Bonsecours

Pavillion du Basin Bonsecours

At the Montreal end of the walkway, you get a great view looking up towards Place Jacques-Cartier.

Place Jacques-Cartier

I was pleased to see that preparation is underway for the annual spring Cirque du Soleil big top extravaganza. Being Montreal based, the Cirque premier each year a new show in their hometown. Amaluna is the title of this years offering and will open April 19th.

Cirque du Soleil ground preparation for Amaluna

I will try to follow the development of the preparation and raising of the big top over the coming weeks. Here is how the site currently looks.

Click on any image below to view in gallery format.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Today I took a walk down to Habitat 67, a housing complex designed by Israeli/Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. It was originally conceived as his master’s thesis in architecture at McGill University and then built as a pavilion for Expo 67, the World’s Fair held in Montreal from April to October 1967. It is located on Avenue Pierre-Dupuy on the Marc-Drouin Quay next to the Saint Lawrence River.

Habitat 67

Habitat 67 comprises 354 identical, prefabricated concrete forms arranged in various combinations, reaching up to 12 stories in height. The complex originally contained 158 apartments, but several apartments have since been joined to create larger units, reducing the total number to 148. Each unit is connected to at least one private terrace, which can range from approximately 225 to 1,000 square feet in size.

Habitat 67

Habitat 67

Habitat 67

Habitat 67

After taking the above shots, I wandered down to Cité du Havre Parc which provides a great view of downtown Montreal and the Pont Jacques Cartier.

Habitat 67 view from road leading to the Cité du Havre Parc

View of Montreal skyline beneath the Pont de la Concorde

Beneath the Pont de la Concorde

View of Montreal skyline

Jacques Cartier bridge from the Cité du Havre Parc

Jacques Cartier bridge from the Cité du Havre Parc

Montreal skyline from the Cité du Havre ParcView of Montreal skyline

The Pont de la Concorde leads to Ile Sainte Hèlène and Ile Notre Dame. I decided to continue over the bridge and catch the metro from the Jean Drapeau station on Ile Sainte Hélène. During the crossing I grabbed a few final shots.

Pont Victoria from the Pont de la Concorde

Montreal skyline from Pont de la Concorde

Montreal skyline from Pont de la Concorde

I will certainly redo this walk again in the future but in the evening to get some sunset and night shots of the downtown skyline.

Click on any image below to view in gallery format.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Today I came across Sound Central Record Store Cafe, a great second-hand record store come cafe on Coloniale Avenue (just south of ave Mont-Royal).

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

Sound Central is one of many stores across Montreal specializing in second-hand vinyl and CD’s. In addition to music, Sound Central also has a selection of books, magazines, DVD’s and collectible toys, as well as serving coffee.

The store is on a residential street and can’t be missed, being painted red and having old vinyls running over the door and windows.

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

Sound Central Record Store Cafe

After managing to escape the urge to increase my music collection, on the way home I managed to  captured a few more shots in the surrounding Plateau area.

Old garage sign on rue de Bullion

Mosaic sign on avenue Mont-Royal

Door surrounded by Graffiti on rue Marie-Anne est

George General Auto Reparation on rue Marie-Anne est

The last picture of the day is of the unique distinctive signage for Montreal Piano located on Rachel est. The store was established in 1969 by Louis Lovsin, Sr and continued in 1987 by Louie Lovsin Jr.

Montreal Piano sign

Click on any image below to view in gallery format.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Ended up having a bit of a religious walkabout, visiting 2 landmark churches in the downtown core on rue Sainte Catherine.

The first stop was at Christ Church Cathedral, located above the Promenades Cathédrale underground shopping mall. The shot of the day was taken in an area set aside for meditating at the side of the altar.

Meditation area in Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is an Anglican Gothic Revival cathedral, classified as an historical monument by the government of Quebec on May 12, 1988. In 1999, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

The original Christ Church was on Notre-Dame Street (built 1814) but was destroyed by fire in 1856.

The present cathedral was designed by British architect Frank Wills. Before construction began, Wills died, and Montreal architect, Thomas Seaton Scott was commissioned to carry out his design. It was completed in 1859 and consecrated in 1867.

Christ Church Cathedral

In the 1980s, a real estate project was undertaken below the cathedral. The project consisted of a 34-floor skyscraper, Tour KPMG built north of the Cathedral, underground parking, and two levels of retail stores beneath the cathedral.

Christ Church Cathedral with KMPG tower

Christ Church Cathedral refected in the KMPG tower

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral

Just down the street is  Saint James United Church located between rue City Councillors and rue Saint Alexandre (opposite Future Shop).

Saint James United Church is a national historic site of Canada and a Quebec religious heritage building. It was built between 1887 and 1889 after the congregation decided to move from St. James Street, hence the name. At the time of construction, it was the largest Methodist church in Canada with seating for more than 2,000.

The exterior of the church is a Victorian neo-gothic image of a medieval French cathedral. The interior is designed in “the Akron auditorium plan” popular with North American Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists in the late 19th century but unique in Montreal.

Commercial buildings were erected in front of the church in 1926 to provide extra income but were  demolished in 2006 and St. James church is once again visible from rue Sainte Catherine.

The church is currently undergoing renovation, so not great to photograph – as seen by scaffold and protective sheeting in the first shot.

Saint James United Church

Saint James United Church

Saint James United Church

Click on any image below to view in gallery format.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

I set out with the objective of shooting Atwater Market, a farmers market located in the Saint Henry quarter.

I decided to walk there from home on the Plateau – quite a trek – thinking I may see something interesting along the way, unfortunately I saw nothing that peaked my interest. Anyway, having walked to Atwater and taking some pics around the market, I decided to take the Metro back and took some shots of the station. Since the shot of the day selected was from the Lionel Groulx station, we’ll start there before looking at the Market.

The shot for the day is a 3 exposure HDR. In fact all the shots of the station are HDR as I find the structure and architecture calls out for it. This is the first time I’ve tried shooting from the platform into a metro tunnel and was quite pleased with the result.

Lionel Groulx Metro - looking down the tunnel

A little background on Lionel Groulx metro station. Lionel Groulx is a transfer hub for the Orange and Green line on Montreal’s Metro system. The station opened on Sept 3rd 1978 as part of the extension of the Green line to Angrignon in the South West district of Montreal. Although built at the same time, the Orange line platforms were only opened when the extension to Place-Saint-Henri was completed in April 1980.

The station is named after Lionel Groulx (1878-1967), a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, historian and Quebec nationalist. There was recently a campaign on Facebook to have the station renamed to honor jazz musician Oscar Peterson who grew up in the nearby neighborhood of Little Burgundy.

For reference, here is a map of Montreal’s subway system operated by the STM (Société de Transport de Montréal). I hope one day to visit and photograph each station in the system – a big job, but less demanding than say covering the Tokyo, London, New York and many other subway networks. Mind you, Since I was stopped and questioned by a security guard concerning what my business was photographing the station, photographing all the stations in Montreal may not be a walk in the park.

Montreal Metro Map

The outside of Lionel Groulx metro is nothing to shout about and it didn’t help that some maintenance on the doors was taking place this morning. But with a little HDR treatment and some adjustment/toning in Topaz Adjust it makes for a more interesting image.

Entrance to Lionel Groulx Metro Station

The platforms and internal architecture are however fairly interesting. In 2009 it became the first existing station to be retrofitted to be fully wheelchair-accessible through the addition of elevators (seen in the first image below).

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Lionel-Groulx Metro Station

Next up, Atwater Market. Designed by architect Ludger Lemieux, the market opened its doors in 1933. The market features a diverse range of merchants, caterers and specialty boutiques selling meats, fish, baked goods and fine foods all year round. In winter, stalls are located inside the art-deco facade, but during the summer local farmers set up their stalls around around the exterior.

The market is named after the street it is located on, which itself was named in 1871 after Edwin Atwater (1808–1874) who was a municipal alderman of the district of Saint-Antoine.

Atwater Market

Atwater Market

Atwater Market

The market is spread over 2 floors. The first floor has a central corridor running through it having a variety of butchers, fish mongers, bakers and specialty stores on both sides…really not a place to visit before having had breakfast ! On the ground floor (on the eastern side of the building) florists and fruit and veg vendors can be found.

Inside Atwater Market

Inside Atwater Market

Inside Atwater Market

Inside Atwater Market

Inside Atwater Market

Inside Atwater Market

I plan going back in the summer when there are many more sellers on the outside, plus I wasn’t over happy with the photo results from this trip…just as well I went home via the Metro.

Here are the images in gallery view.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Today marks the beginning of the 13th edition of Montréal en Lumière (MEL) that runs through until Sunday the 26th February.

The festival is touted as one of the largest winter festivals in the world and includes a diverse program of activities and events that combine performing arts, gastronomy and free outdoor family activities.

The festival culminates in the Nuit Blanche (9th edition) on the 25th, inviting locals and tourists to some 180 mostly free activities, all linked by a free shuttle service. Montreal in Pictures plan on sharing some of the sights from the evening here.

Anyway, back to tonight. Being opening night, I headed down to the Place des Festivals to try and catch some of the light projections and activities that will be on display in the free outdoor site for the duration of the festival.

Out of the many images I shot, this was the one selected for the shot of the day:

Ferris Wheel, Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

So you can have an idea of the places mentioned, here are the maps of the free outdoor site area and attractions.

MEL - Place des festival map

MEL - Place des festival esplanade map

The first attraction I came upon was the Ferris wheel. A good opportunity to experiment with some long exposures. In addition to single frame long exposures, I also worked on trying to do some 3 bracket exposure HDR’s but found the single shots were the best course when working on them in post.

Ferris Wheel, Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Ferris Wheel, Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Ferris Wheel, Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Ferris Wheel, Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

After shooting the ferris wheel from what seemed like every angle possible, I popped over to the Urban Milk Slide.

Urban Milk Slide - Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Urban Milk Slide - Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Lining up for the Urban Milk Slide - Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

I thought I would try to capture some sliders as the came hurtling down the track, but I need to go back as my shots didn’t come out as well as I had hoped…here’s the best of a bad lot.

Urban Milk Slide - Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

On the Esplanade de la Place des Arts next to the entrance for the slide there are a couple of interactive activities for the kids…The Milk girls were pretty cute

Montréal en Lumière (MEL) kids activity area

Montréal en Lumière (MEL) kids activity area

Some shots from around the festival zone.

Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

Montréal en Lumière (MEL)

A silhouette show - Montréal en Lumière

One of the great things about festivals in Montreal is that the City seem to relax their opposition to “street meat” vendors within the festival area. The Grumman 78 burrito green van is now a common sight at many festivals held during the year in Montreal.

Lining up for some tasty Grumman Burritos

Appears that Brasserie T still have their Christmas decorations up outside and so thought I would try to get some nice bokeh shots.

Attempt at some Bokeh outside Brasserie T

Attempt at some Bokeh outside Brasserie T

Attempt at some Bokeh outside Brasserie T

Brasserie T on the Place des Festivals

The final shot of the night was taken behind the F Bar en extérieur looking towards the Place des Arts Metro entrance.

Behind the F Bar en extérieur

Despite getting a picture of pretty much everything in one outing, I’ll likely head down there again before it ends.

Before signing off, just want to give a shout-out for two of my favorite tattooed girl singers who will be appearing during the festival:

• Béatrice Martin (AKA Coeur de Pirate) who is appearing at The Metropolis on Feb 24th - Sold Out :(
• Brigitte Boisjoli who is appearing at Club Soda on Feb 23rd - tickets still available as of writing

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin

Despite it being much warmer out today, the light snow and drab grey sky (that even HDR processing would have difficulty to make interesting) led me to venture inside and check out the Central Railway Station on rue de la Gauchetiére.

It was just a little after 9am and I was hoping to get a shot of the steady stream of commuters exiting the trains and buses, but by the time I found a good spot and set up, the bulk of Montreal’s workforce were already sitting in their offices – so I’ll keep this idea for another day.

From the Gare Centrale I headed down to the Bonaventure Metro Station, if someone had been following me they could have taken me as being a train spotting nerd, but heck trains and metros can be quite photogenic

In the end, the photo of the day happened to be of a busker playing his guitar in the fairly long tunnel that connects the metro station to the Place Bonaventure exhibition hall.

Busking for the rushed workers

Montreal is known for the Underground city (La Ville Souterraine in French) and maze of tunnels that connect offices and apartment buildings to the shopping centers and transport hubs.

In all there are 32km of tunnels that spread over an area of twelve square kilometres of downtown Montreal. In 2004, the Underground city was rebranded and given the name RÉSO. The name RÉSO is a homophone for the french word réseau (meaning network).

The underground city was originally the vision of Vincent Ponte who was a modernist urban planner in Montreal. The first link of the underground city came to being in 1962 with the construction of the Place Ville-Marie office tower and underground shopping mall, with a tunnel linking it to Central Station and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

As a little side story…When I first came to Montreal, a guide drove us down rue Sainte Catherine informing us that Sainte Catherine was the main shopping street of Montreal. At first I was glad to see what seemed like very few stores that I imagined I would be made to visit each Saturday – shopping is not one of my pastime loves. Our tour guide then pulled over and introduced us to the maze of tunnels and large shopping centers that stretched into the bowels of the earth…There go my peaceful Saturday’s I thought. But truth has it, I now love the RÉSO and still find myself getting lost and finding new tunnels to explore.

I plan over the coming months to shoot much of the RÉSO and provide more information on what is a key tourist attraction in downtown Montreal.

Okay, back to today’s other pictures. Here are a couple more of the tunnel between Bonaventure Metro and exhibition hall.

Busker in Bonaventure tunnel

Bonaventure tunnel in the RÉSO Montreal

As I mentioned, I did stop to take some pics in the Bonaventure Metro station.

Bonaventure Metro

Bonaventure Metro

Bonaventure Metro

One idea for an image I had was photographing commuters walking through the revolving doors at one of the station entrances. Although I received quite a few questioning glances from harried commuters, likely wondering what the hell was so interesting to photograph, I did fire off a couple of shots. The outcome was not quite how I envisaged the image, but will share the results nevertheless.

Revolving doors at Bonaventure Metro

Revolving doors at Bonaventure Metro

Revolving doors at Bonaventure Metro

The plan for today’s shot as I mentioned at the outset was to photograph commuters at the Central Railway Station. Well here is the one image (actually made of 3 exposure – as with all the others in this post) that I did take while I was there.

Central Railway Station, Montreal

The final shot of the day was near the entrance to the Place Bonaventure exhibition hall. I managed to take this shot just before being approached by security informing me photography wasn’t allowed…I guess I need to start being a little more clandestine when setting up my tripod and camera.

Place Bonaventure exhibition hall entrance

To view images in a gallery format, click on one of the images below.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.

- Martin