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Festival Mode et Design - A photo story (Day 2)

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I recently took a deep dive into the world of fashion at Festival Mode et Design (Fashion and Design Festival). I mainly experienced the festival with the camera in my hand, from the photographers’ pit, looking to explore and celebrate yet another side of Montreal creativity. Welcome to part 2 of my FMD 2016 photo story, Day 2 of the festival. Let me tell you all about some of my favourite moments.

I spent a big chunk of that Thursday afternoon strolling around the pop-up shops and enjoying the street-fair part of the festival, which was quite cool, I have to admit. Place des Arts was all so fashionable with all the trendy items in the shops and all the stylish people, models, bloggers, fashionistas enjoying the festival. Off stage there was as much of a fashion show as on stage. I also had a quick impromptu photoshoot with some gorgeous models that were all styled-up and posing for whoever wants to capture some glam street photos. Yep...I had so much fun at FMD!!!

Tora Photography - Fashion and Design Festival 2016 - Montreal

I’ve spent some time that evening at the MAD scene. Sadly, I only got to see the ending of the Robes de Papier performance, with beautiful dancers wearing these gorgeous frilly paper dresses...See for yourselves; so creative...

Tora Photography - Fashion and Design Festival 2016 - Montreal - Robes de Papier

Also at the MAD scene I have seen the Tristan Ginger show, in collaboration with Rouge FM, which was really cool and quite provocative, but nothing surprising for Montreal nightlife. 

The rest of the evening I spent it at the Passerelle Casino de Montréal. The first show I have seen there  was the Ardène show Street Stories, showcasing their very youthful and urban latest collection.

The following show was Dynamite, which I was personally very excited to see (anyone looking through my wardrobe would understand why 😃 ). And I was not disappointed. They presented a beautiful collection that was a combination of masculine and feminine, conservative and rebellious. Here are just a few of my favourite items. 

Ending the day was La Vie en Rose, presenting a beautiful and sensual lingerie collection, with a fun and sexy show. Without further ado, I’ll let you enjoy it through these photos.  

Tora Photography - Festival Mode et Design - La Vie En Rose

So that was my Day 2 of the 2016 Fashion & Design Festival. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Stay tuned for more.

(To be continued...)

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Festival Mode et Design - A photo story (Day 1)

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I recently took a deep dive into the world of fashion at Festival Mode et Design (Fashion and Design Festival). The event takes place every summer in Place des Festivals in the heart of Montreal and it spans over several days, bringing together a lineup of fashion shows, conferences, pop-up shops and more. I mainly experienced the festival with the camera in my hand, from the photographers’ pit, looking to explore and celebrate yet another side of Montreal creativity. Join me over the next few days and over my next few blog posts as I recall the experience and show you some of my favourite moments and photos. 

DAY 1

I started off my FMD experience by attending the conference with Max Abadian, a famous and very talented Montreal photographer, with a long career and an impressive portfolio, and who has worked with huge names such as Lady Gaga, Coco Rocha, Cindy Crawford etc etc. It was really inspirational and Max had such great knowledge and tips to share, from details on how he works with the models on the shoots to more at large, career advice. I left the conference really encouraged (there IS still room to grow as a photographer in this crowded city) and thirsty for some more fashion inspiration over the next few days. 

Max Abadian conference at Festival Mode et Design Montreal - Tora Photography

I spent the rest of the evening at Passerelle Casino de Montréal. First, I’ve seen the Cabinet Ephémère show (some really nice collections from Quebec designers) and the Pur Chic show from Rockland (showing off creations from prestigious international brands). Here are some of my favourite creations and moments from the two shows (click on the images to expand):

Following was the Waxman House event, which was a great production, with some nice surprises and overall an awesome kick off to the festival. To put it in a few words, it was a rap concert combined with a very chic masculine fashion show. But I really have to expand on that: it was a live concert with a live band and a talented Montreal rap duo (Migs and Silent J), and some great 90’s East Coast hip hop beats (I used to be an underground hip hop snob in my teenage years, and I really have to give a thumbs up to the music). The fashion was awesome, very chic, but you know, male fashion, not really for me 😃, but I can’t complain taking photos of some good looking models in some great suits 😃. And it was a freakin’ cool surprise to see Zombie Boy as part of this show. And to spice things up, the event ended with a burlesque performance. All in all, great opening show for FMD! See for yourself in the photos below (click on the images to expand):

 

(To be continued...) 
 

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Exploring & Road-Tripping in Gaspésie

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I recently got back from a work-vacation trip to Gaspésie, a wonderful mix of business and pleasure, a little getaway from the big city chaos to the calm of the nature and from daily routine to road-tripping and exploring. It was freakin' awesome! Gaspésie is truly a beautiful place, and I couldn't wait to write this blog post, tell you you all about my adventures, give you some travel tips, and share some beautiful photos. 

Carleton-Sur-Mer

View from Mont Saint-Joseph in Carleton

Carleton is a cozy little town on the south shore of Gaspésie, with nice views and friendly people, and it was my first stop. I had amazing accommodations there, thanks to some truly wonderful friends, and I also had a work thing there. Actually it was Olivier's (my boyfriend) contract with the Circuit Régional des Courses de Chevaux du Québec, to photograph two horse races in Nouvelle (a municipality right next to Carleton). I was assisting, taking my own photos and selling prints. It was fun, especially since I had never seen a horse race before, and I also got really good feedback on my images.  

Percé

After two days in Carleton we continued our road trip towards Percé, a little town at the end of the Gaspé peninsula, and a really beautiful place. The view there is just gorgeous, with the Percé rock and Bonaventure Island, plus there are so many beautiful places to explore around Percé. The first thing we did when we got there was to hop on the boat cruise towards Bonaventure Island/ Île Bonaventure, which is just off the Percé shore and is home to one of the world's largest (and most easily accessible) sea bird colonies. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to explore the Island, as it was almost afternoon when we got to Percé and the last boat off the island is at 5 PM (so yeah, if you're heading that way, make sure you plan accordingly). 

After our boat trip we went looking for a camping spot. There's quite a lot of options in the area, but after a bit of looking around we decided to set up tent at Camping Côte Surprise. It was really the best option. It's situated high on the shore, so the view is absolutely gorgeous, and there's a side of the camping which has a lot of trees so you're sheltered from the sun. It's not very remote, so if you're looking for privacy, this is not your spot, but it was fun and we made some friends in the camping. The place is clean, and they have decent Wi-Fi...I personally recommend it. 

La Grotte & Rivière aux Émeraudes

Day two in Percé was a hot sunny day, and we had found out from our new camping friends about this place called La Grotte (The Cave) and we decided to check it out. To get to it from Route 132, you turn on Route de L'Église and go to the end of it. You get to a big church, and you need to take the road behind it (there's also a map there so you can't miss it). It's an approx. 30 min walk through the forest, and then you get to this small cave with a waterfall...really beautiful. The water's quite cold though, you can't really get under it (not for long at least :) ). 

Our next stop was the one that I had been most excited about: Rivière aux Émeraudes/ Emerald River (Rivière du Portage). It's known as one of the hidden treasures of Gaspésie, and it's really beautiful because its cristal clear waters look green of the sediments in it (I believe), and under a blue sky the water looks turquoise, almost tropical. A real gem of a place!!! To get there you take Route 132 east, up to the intersection with Chemin de la Carrière. Turn on Chemin de la Carrière and you can either park at the first parking and walk along the river up to the waterfall (4.5 km) or park at the end of the road and go straight to the waterfall (10 min walk through the forest). For lack of time I chose option 2. The place itself it's not really a secret so there were some people there, mostly tanning and chilling on the rocky beach, some were swimming, but the water is quite cold, but awesomely refreshing on a hot day.  

Rocher Percé

The following day we spent it in Percé. We found out that when the tide is low (Low tides schedules here) there is a place where you can actually walk up to the Percé rock so we had a very nice afternoon walk. Useful tip (wish I would've known): bring water shoes or at least flip flops; there might be a portion where the water didn't fully recede. and the rocks are painful to walk on barefoot. 

Sea Shack

For the last part of our road trip we head off to Sea Shack. Sea Shack...fun place...It's a bar on beach, kind of hippy, with cozy terrasses and chilling spots, with a hot-tub overlooking the water, with camping spots right on the beach (they have other types of accommodations too), with friendly staff, fun people, and good parties. But you really have to be there to feel the vibe of the place to understand...it's really all about good vibes and good times. But if you're going there hoping for some peace and quiet, you're in the wrong place; there's music at the bar till the wee hours of the night and there's people around the fire on the beach till the sunrise. I wish I took photos that actually capture the feel of the place. We had a little thunderstorm the night we got there, so I only have pictures from before it started to rain and I put my camera away. 

 

After Sea Shack, we went back to Carleton for another horse race gig, then off to Montreal. Gaspésie was really beautiful and fun. It was nature explorations but done my own way: with the camera in one hand and my phone in the other looking for connection in the forest "Wait for me!!! I was answering an e-mail; they want to order some prints for Saturday"...Ah! That freelance life :)))) 

So these are my Gaspésie stories. If you've been there, I'd love to hear some of your stories too, so please feel free to leave a comment down below. 

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Cheers!

Tora