Before Dawn in Quebec – Charles Dion
June 13, 2026
Most people aren’t too excited about getting out of bed at 3:30 in the morning. But Charles Dion does it for fun. For thirty consecutive days this spring, the Quebec-based photographer woke before dawn and headed into nature to document the arrival of spring in the Eastern Townships. His challenge quickly attracted thousands of followers online, and when we came across his Instagram account, we noticed something else too: he was often photographing from a MrJan Gear Floating Hide. So we reached out.
Charles lives near Magog in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, a region filled with lakes, forests, wetlands and rolling Appalachian hills. “Nature is everywhere here,” he says. “The birds are all around us, but the wildlife remains wild and untamed and isn’t easy to spot.”
One of the biggest influences on the landscape is the beaver. “The beavers are the engineers of the landscape. Everywhere you go, you’ll find wetlands they’ve created. Those wetlands attract birds and other wildlife, and so that’s where I spend most of my time photographing.”
Common Loons, Great Blue Herons, Red-winged Blackbirds and countless species of ducks all make use of these wetlands. Many of the area’s natural habitats are protected by Corridor Appalachien, a conservation organisation that Charles regularly supports with his photography.
Scroll through Charles’ images and one thing becomes obvious: he loves sunrise. “I’ve never really liked waking up early, to be honest,” he laughs. “But it’s so worth it. There’s something special about being out there while everyone else is sleeping.”
For him, every morning feels different. “The sounds are different. The light is different. Every sunrise is unique.” That passion for early mornings became the foundation of his 30-day challenge.
Although Charles works professionally as a photographer alongside his partner Annie, nature photography has always been his biggest passion.
Together, they launched CAP en nature, a project dedicated to sharing wildlife and nature photography from Quebec. To help grow the project, Charles challenged himself to spend thirty consecutive mornings outdoors before dawn and share the experience online.
The response was far bigger than expected, introducing thousands of people to the landscapes and wildlife of the Eastern Townships.
Spring migration is Charles’ favourite time of year, especially when ducks start returning to the region’s lakes and wetlands. Before using a floating hide, he relied on a camouflage blanket while sitting on a bench in cold water and waiting for birds to approach. A photographer friend eventually convinced him to upgrade to a MrJan Gear hide.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how birds would react to this big floating object in the water. But it works better than my old technique. The biggest surprise was how comfortable birds were around it. I’ve had birds come within a metre of me. Some incredible encounters happened because of that.”
The hide also gave him access to places he simply couldn’t reach before. “With my old setup, I always needed firm ground under the water. The floating hide opened up entirely new possibilities.”
Like many wildlife photographers, Charles often returns to the same locations. One of his favourite spots is near Kingsbury, where moving water clears the ice earlier than in surrounding lakes. Returning ducks are often among the first to take advantage of the open water.
But birds aren’t the only reason he keeps going back. “For me, photography isn’t only about seeing birds. It’s about creating an image. Knowing a location well helps me predict how the light will behave and where opportunities are most likely to appear. I always get excited when I see a new species. But what really interests me is working with the light.”
Whether he’s photographing a landscape or a Common Loon on a quiet lake, a Great Blue Heron in a wetland or a Northern Saw-whet Owl hidden in the forest, Charles’ images show how much wildlife can be found close to home. Sometimes, discovering remarkable wildlife is simply a matter of setting your alarm a little earlier and stepping outside.
All images © CAP en Nature – https://www.instagram.com/cap.en.nature
Curious about the floating hide technique? Download our free e-book ‘Working with Floating Hides’.
