Well, at the sound of midnight on Friday January 22nd, Michael Tourigny, Rosie Bitts and myself, still high on adrenaline and over-the-moon touched by people generous spirits, left for home.

Part one of the fundraiser, the Photo-Marathon, was so much fun! It was the first time Michael and I worked together and I absolutely LOVED it! Michael is a rare gem of a human being. Generous down to the bone and a pleasure to be around! Thank you so very much to Heather Johnston, Harrison Lansing, Jesse Holland, Marilize Botha, Tasha Winters, John Capelli, Gillian Davidson, Christopher Ruffell, Jaquie Lewis, Nicole Brown, Shealyn Taylor-Jackson, Samantha O’Farell and the lovely Red Cross representatives (I know I am forgetting some volunteers, my apologies), for making the day such an AMAZING success! We raised just over $4000! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Part two of the fundraiser was equally as amazing! With $5000 worth of silent auction items, burlesquers (with their amazing display of boas, sequins and skin), musicians, improv, and DJ’s, the night was a sure winner! I am always amazed at the local talent that surrounds us! What an evening! So many volunteers to thank! At the count of midnight, we had raised $6000! For a grand total of just over $10,000 (still counting the money….)! Simply amazing! Thank you to all the artists who performed and poured their hearts for Haiti. And THANK YOU for all who donated dollars to the Haiti fund. We will have an accurate tally by the end of the week!

The Photo-marathon was such a hit, that Michael and I have decided to extend it until Saturday Jan. 30th (by appointment only). Again, 100% proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross fund for Haiti. Call me to book and appointment or for more information! 250-590-2625

And thank you for spreading the word!

The following images were taken on Friday Jan. 22nd, during the photo-marathon by the lovely and talented Jesse Holland. Thanks for letting me post them!

In light of the recent disaster in Haiti, I have joined forces with Michael Tourigny (fellow photographer) and burlesque entertainer Miss Rosie Bitts to organize a fundraiser for the Canadian Red Cross fund for Haiti.

In this two-part fundraiser event, we wish to raise $15,000. The bigger mission though is to inspire and challenge others in the artistic community across Canada, to create events and raise funds!

Part One – Photo-marathon
A day of back-to back short portrait-sessions (5-10 minutes). Michael and I are hoping to photograph at least 200 portrait-sessions ($60 minimum donation per session). 100% of donations will go to the Canadian Red Cross. Representatives from the Red Cross will be present to collect the donations and issue tax receipts. If the demand is great enough, we are prepared to photograph all weekend long. The portrait-sessions are open to individuals, couples and families. Within two weeks of the event, the participants will be able to pick up a CD-ROM with 2 digital images for personal use (*not for corporate or commercial use*).

For more information or to book an approximate time slot, please contact me at: info@dasilvafoto.com, or by phone: (250) 590-2625. Participants may also show up without booking a time.

WHAT: PHOTO-MARATHON FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI
WHEN: FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2010, FROM 7AM TO 6PM
WHERE: MICHAEL TOURIGNY STUDIOS, 2001 DOUGLAS STREET, VICTORIA BC

Part Two – Gala Soirée
Organized by Miss Rosie Bitts, the soirée will showcase local performers, including burlesquers, musicians and DJ’s, for an evening of fabulous entertainment. Minimum $25 donation at the door. 100% of the donations will go to the Canadian Red Cross.
For more information or to offer your help in organizing the evening, please contact Miss Rosie Bitts at: rosie@missrosiebitts.com.

WHAT: GALA SOIRÉE FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI
WHEN: FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2010, FROM 8PM TO MIDNIGHT
WHERE: UNIVERSITY CLUB, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA (http://club.uvic.ca)

Facebook group: To Haiti with Love

Peace and love,

Véronique
xxxxxx

Happy holidays everyone! I hope you find the time to appreciate all the beautiful things in your world and take some time to celebrate YOU! Take the time to hug and love a neighbour who might feel a little overwhelmed, sad or lonely during this time of the year.

Thank you for the amazing year – I am truly grateful for all the unbelievable experiences and people I have met this year! Wishing you a glorious New Year filled with hope and peace. xxxxxx

On October 25th I attended and photographed a fashion show / silent auction evening at the amazing Craigdarroch Castle organized by the lovely ladies of NOVS (Needs of Victorian’s Society). “NOVS is a dedicated group of women working to assist a wide range of Victoria’s recognized charitable and non-profit organizations. NOVS was founded in 1974 and for the past 35 years, with donations from their fundraising endeavors, has helped over 140 groups that serve a wide range of needs in our community.” Proceeds from the show and silent auction were given to the School Breakfast Program, ensuring that all children start their day at school with a tummy full of healthy food. My client, friend and exceptional local business-woman Carolyn Harvey-Smith (Auréa Gems and Essential Luxuries on Johnson Street) commented the evening and provided some of the clothing and luxurious jewels that bedazzled the castle’s guest.

What a pleasure it was for me to take part in such a fantastic event! And if you have never set foot in Auréa, I strongly encourage you to! You will discover a magical array of gorgeous beads as well as locally designed fashion and jewelry to compliment any wardrobe!

I had the utmost pleasure of photographing the first ever Victoria Every Woman conference on Sunday October 18th 2009 at the beautiful Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina. The Every Woman conferences have been around for 7 years in Whistler and more recently Vancouver. Co-founded by an Olympic Runner and a World Championship Gymnast, Lynn Kanuka and Kerri Carlson, Every Woman is about inspiring women through physical activity. The annual conferences offer an opportunity for women (all ages, shapes, sizes) to try new activities in a comfortable and supportive environment. From their website: “The concept of every WOMAN is to celebrate and learn from each other’s unique differences by providing a healthy, comfortable and non-judgmental setting for women to share their expertise with other women and inspire participants toward individual growth, reflection, support & motivation.”

HOLY inspiring is all I have to say! I will be back next year for sure! Some of my favorite moments at the event were the Bellyfit classes, Nia (that was so much fun!), Asmira’s bellydancing mastery and watching the West African Dancing troupe.

Well, these last few months have been interesting to say the least! My girl started Kindergarten and that came with all it’s apprehensions (mostly on my part strangely enough)…. I knew she was ready for school, but here she was in all her timidness entering a full-time program in a foreign language (full french) with kids she did not know, and taking the school bus to top it off. Well, she did it without a blink or a tear and surprised us all! She was actually worried for me and prepared all sorts of beautiful crafts the week leading up to the start of school “So you know that I’ll be ok”, she said. Melt your heart I tell ya!

A funny thing happened as soon as Sofia started school… awesome photography projects presented themselves, I got selected for Jury duty (which was a fascinating experience), I started teaching at the local photography school (Western Academy of Photography), I started blogging on a great photography site out of Australia (Digital Photography School), I started the wheels on the next Girl’s Night Mixer (which sold out in 48 hours – crazy!), I jumped into the Help-Portrait project (www.help-portrait.com), and I agreed to be part of a group exhibit showcasing the work of some of the faculty at the Western Academy of Photography (opening ceremony November 5th at 6pm at the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria – 1001 Douglas Street). It’s been an amazing but exhausting last couple of months! OOufff!

But truly, to top it all off, poor Sofia, who celebrated her 5th birthday this past week, was diagnosed with the Swine flu this morning. She is doing great and is resting. She always surprises me when she is sick – she doesn’t complain about it one bit! She is trusting her body, watching lots of movies and smiling through it all. What a trooper. We are closely monitoring her.

So, my apologies to all my amazing followers who are religiously checking my blog for new posts – I will get to it! But first, let me catch my breath……

A beautiful golden August morning greeted the inaugural “Yoga at Woodwynn Farm”. Simply speechless….

Oh my it’s taken me awhile to post this one up! It was so difficult to choose my favorites! In mid July, I headed out to beautiful the Hatley Castle to photograph the magnificent Katrina Beveridge. I have been working with an awesome team lately to make these magical shoots happen: Erin Froese (hair and make-up), Franklin Porter (vintage styling), & my assistant Leona Fowler. We discovered Katrina had a secret talent – she can jump! We had such a fun time putting this shoot together! This was definitely the kind of shoot where I literally had to be stopped (this time, I ran out of memory cards and everyone was exhausted – after shooting well over 2000 images) because I would have just kept going! I love it when the magic moment is so sensual for me! I want more!