Countless people take pictures on Parliament Hill.
But not like Maurice “Moe” Lepage.
Lepage takes pictures from his workplace, which just happens to be a construction crane towering directly over the renovation work being carried out on the Parliament Buildings. “I’m 165 feet from the ground,” he says matter-of-factly.
It’s a unique vantage point for one of Canada’s most recognizable buildings. “I get to see all the comings and goings. I get to see the Changing of the Guard every day. I see the start of the Show of Lights.”
His crane is also one of the best places from which to take pictures, which Lepage does on a regular basis.
The man who works among the birds also likes to tweet. Moe Lepage is known for sharing his bird’s-eye view on Twitter. “I’ll go from time to time when I’ll post every day, and sometimes I’ll go a week between posting. It depends how busy I am and how much I have going on,” he says.
Lepage has no photography training. He just pulls out his iPhone and snaps whatever catches his eye, from the distant horizon to hundreds of people doing yoga on the grass the Hill.
The results can be stunning. Taking unique pictures is one of the perks of being perfectly at home hundreds of feet up in the air in a small cab atop a swaying tower. “It’s almost calming,” he says of his lofty workplace.
Such is the life of the man who, quite literally, oversees Parliament Hill. Lepage says it’s a job, and a view, he wouldn’t trade for anything.
Well, almost anything. “My wife thinks if I won the lottery I’d still work,” he says with a laugh. “But I say try me!”
