Hollinger packs them in for a cause

Since morning, people - including many Quebec 'vedettes' like Mitsou, TV host Isabelle Racicot and Olympic swimming champ Alexandre Despatie - had come from all over and were lining up on the first floor of her Sherbrooke Street studio.

For a $50 donation to Opération Enfant Soleil, members of the public got a five-minute family photo session and a chance to mingle and even be photographed with their favourite celebrity. The high-resolution images were then transferred onto a CD for later use.

It was a bargain, considering Hollinger normally charges clients more than $1,000 for a comparable shoot. By the end of the morning she had photographed at least 50 individuals and families, before finally deciding to take a lunch break and sit down for a brief interview.

"I'm exhausted," she told the Examiner. "This is my first break. It's hard work but I'm so energized by the great turnout today." She was being assisted by fellow-photographer Hélène Menapace.

Hollinger, who currently divides her time between celebrity shoots for the Quebec showbiz magazine La Semaine and her own corporate assignments, said the fundraiser was an opportunity to get back to family portraiture, one of her favourite pursuits.

Mitsou, who has known Hollinger for the past eight years and showed up for her session in the early afternoon, explained why she decided to come and lend a hand to the cause. "When she decides to do something she does it really well," she said.

"So she was able to get people's attention and get people's friendship, as well. The people that you see here, she personally asked them to be here and I think we all love her. She's very, very professional and she's a great lady and she's one of my best friends."

Over the next few weeks, Hollinger plans to follow up the family photo shoot with a related project also to raise funds. In conjunction with the pharmacy chain Familiprix, she's currently working on a photo spread for a calendar commemorating Opération Enfant Soleil's 20th annual telethon, which takes place June 2 and 3 next year.