Happy October readers! It's been a while since I've put a post up but with the snow beginning to coat our beautiful Rocky Mountains I can't help but feel the stoke and reflect on what an incredible year it has been. While some may claim the 2014/2013 season wasn't the most ideal for snow conditions I beg to differ. It was a year for snow hunting, and that is were the adventures being!

This past year started off at Sunshine Village in some perfect Nov/Dec powder before heading to my Montana home and teaming up with Whitefish Montana with Great Northern Powder Guides for another epic season. GNPG kept me pretty busy with clients, film crews, athletes and face shots until April. Then I headed back to my roots in the Canadian Rockies and dug into a few pow days at Sunshine Village before heading out the door for 10 days in Revelstoke BC. In Revy I photographed for SheJumps.org a non-profit organized dedicated to helping women experience the outdoors on any skill level and in multiple sports. Every year SheJumps partners up with the Selkirk Lodge for a ski  
mountaineering class, and what a treat it was to learn technical skills with a bunch of rad chicks in the backcountry. We also did some filming/photographing for the new Lyndsey Dyer film PrettyFaces that is touring now - check it out here!! My "season" has been going on for 12 months straight now, and things got a little spicy in the summer months. I followed not only the snow but photo opportunities and I landed in some pretty spectacular places including Whistler in July and Jasper in August, not to mention snowboarding in suburbia Calgary in the middle of September, thank you snow gods! 

Currently feeling so grateful for the places my camera has taken me and the people that I've met along the way. I cannot wait to be playing in my backyard - Sunshine Village again this winter. Sunshine's has one of the earliest opening dates around every year and their level of stoke is contagious. I'm not sure if you suffer from the same snow starved feeling as I do, but I cannot wait to be in the white mountains that I call home. 

It's the time of year where everyone is getting snow mode and prepping their gear. What are your favorite preseason tricks or hacks? Are you an October waxer, maybe starting some cross training? I want to hear your secrets and share them in my next post :)

Until then, let the flakes fly!

A.

 I had the really cool experience of photographing Robert slalom water skiing at Predator Bay last week. After postponing twice due to weather I am so glad we waited, couldn't have asked for better lighting on the course!

 What does a day shooting at Fernie Alpine Resort look like? Well if you're lucky enough to get a bluebird, it looks a little something like this! 

I'd been in communication with RCR (Resorts of the Canadian Rockies) for a few weeks of trying to get to Fernie for a photoshoot, but with storm after storm I was stuck in Montana - being stuck in Montana, specifically Whitefish Montana when its storming is not a bad thing! But conditions were not ideal for photographing, and I'm sure glad I waited it out for this picture perfect blue sky. From the top of the new Polar Peak chair we could see endless peaks, hooray for above alpine skiing! Our 9-4pm day on the slopes consisted of 3 full runs top to bottom, with smaller runs connecting chairlifts and such... welcome to a day of photographing vs. skiing! No complaining here, just exposing you to the fact that a photographing day is very different from a typical day of skiing. Photo days are very thought out and each run is dissected into "different shots." Fernie was bursting at the seems with photographing opportunities so we would stop constantly scouting lines and photo opps, set up, shoot and repeat a few times each run. We encountered some lighting issues only once, and that's because we ventured into the trees for a little "jib" on the mountain bike features, after some trial and error we were able to work things out and get a few great shots.

The day was filled with blue skies, "almost" goggle tans, power pockets, chutes, adventures in the trees, tons of photo opportunities and believe me we took them welcoming, and of course some Apres talk & brews. Success in photo world indeed!

These two rad chicks came out in last minuet photoshoot and taught me all about how to keep longboarding regardless of the snow. Meet Elena she rides for Landyatchtz Longboards & Royal Boardshop and Victoria she too rides for Royal Boardshop. Keep an eye out for them this summer at the comps, they are making a splash on the local Longboard scene.

Hannah let me photograph her for the fun of it. Something I haven't done in a while, just for fun. 

Don't get my wrong, I enjoy every photo shoot, love the people, love the experiences and the outcomes, but its different when its just for you. I got to be creative and do just want I wanted with no client in mind. I had fun. Thank you Hannah.

This is sample of the "new" Print Wedding Albums that I am providing as an option for my clients. 

This beautifully library bound leather album has a square cameo window on the cover, pages lined and edged in timeless silver, and inside cover pages made of high quality silk fabric. Album size and page count varies on price. 

I'm kind of in love with this option, I hope you are too! Having wedding album regret? Have no fear, I'll make any a custom wedding album featuring their own wedding photos, and I can even do touch ups if needed. Send me a message for details! abbydellphotography@gmail.com

Who knew dog apparel could be so stylish?!

Lauren from Dogdog Goose, did! She handcrafts custom collars, and boy they are study! Driggs, my almost 1 year old 80lb "pup" has put it to the test; swimming in ice filled lakes, hiking in the mountains, scratched when trying to reach that "oh so itchy" ear, puppy school training, and so much more. Looking to spice up your pups "pants?" be sure to check out the Dogdog Goose;; houndmaid goods collection on facebook, HERE, or on Etsy HERE. 

Cheers to the creative Lauren, and her inspiration Luci (Dalmatian).
All the best!

 Things are about to get a little personal on the blog today... weird I know.

2011 has been one crazy, busy & successful year. I thought I'd do  a little recap, with photos you most likely haven't seen before, photos from my personal collection...

 Why start the year (January) with beach photos? Because this is where 2011 all began, Southern California. I had a total of 6 trips to California this year, all for work (see I'm not too personal)... but my sister does live in California so it was a little personal. It was great to spend time with her and her family, she is the gorgeous top right. My sisters boys are avid swimmers, so California screams pools and beaches to me. This year I learned how to Paddle Board. My brother in-law is very involved in the Surf industry and let me try out an SUP, loved it. If any of you are familiar with Southern California, you'll recognize that big orange balloon, its from The O.C. Great Park, located just blocks form my sister, its become a yearly tradition to visit the park and go for a ride. Now I know that you are probably worried that this is during the winter months and I haven't said the word snowboarding yet, don't worry I did PLENTY of that. I got out over 60 times, many of which included photographs. Check out these blogposts to see my EPIC winter season at Grand Targhee Resort: Telefest, Tele Open, GHEE much?, Bring on the Snow & Here Kitty Kitty. 

Photoshoots from California this year include:  My Family, Jordan & Malia, it must be love, at the park, Miss Basketball Alberta, The Austins, T&M: the party, San Diego Love, Merry California, The Shattucks & Da'Quan Bowers.

Welp, we made the move back to Calgary from Idaho. The hardest part? Leave my friends (yeah it just got personal again).  

Oh so many friends, love you all, especially you girls..

Top Left: Megan (T&M: the party, San Diego Love, at the park, Seeing Double - 120, & MAK.) my best snowboard bud. Not only did we spend spend everyday snowboarding or dreaming about snowboarding, but we also enjoyed some awesome summers boating. Lucky for me, she is in California, so I do see her every so often, but defiantly miss our day to day goofiness! Love ya Mega!

Top Middle: Kaitlin (MAK & Seattle.)my girl girl. Kaitlin is always gorgeous, always got something funny to say, and always knows whats going on, unless your in Graphic Design, then she might be clueless(inside joke). In 2010 I visited Kaitlin in Seattle, and I'm still waiting for her to come visit me in Canada. Despite the long wait to see her, she's been a great friend, always listens, and loves to sweat it out with me in Zumba. 

Top Right: Anissa (environmentals & also featured in my "University of Faces" book). Nista as I like to call her, was my very first University friend. We were some what random roomies, and instant best friends. If it happened in college, Anissa was by my side. A great example and always supportive of my work. I wish her all the best as she too left Idaho for Washington DC. Go get em Nista! 

Bottom: Marisa I cant believe she is not on my blog, she is however on my website and makes a great model. As you can tell from the bachelorette  crown on her head, she is a married woman now, big congrats Maris! Marisa has been one of my best friends since I was 13. We grew up together, snowboarded together, shopped together, gossiped together, and took tons of silly photos together. I can't believe how far we have come together, lots of years together to come, cheers!

Moving means we needed a new home. Lucky for us, we found a great one! Unlucky for us? We had to spend a summer building a fence, building a deck, and putting in grass. Good thing my husband is a handyman because when I say "we" I really mean he did it all. Not that I am afraid to get to work and get dirty, because we all know that is exactly what I like to do, but because we added a new addition to the family, a PUPPY. Driggs is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Love that little guy... well he used to be little, now he's 75lb and full of puppy brains. Needless to say, he made having a fence a priority. Driggs being the big boy that he is needs lots of exercise, so I began walking him off leash with Acara from See Spot Run dog walking. One thing lead to another and I was doing lots of photos for Acara's Christmas gifts to her clients; photo calendars. Never thought I would consider myself an animal photographer, but I absolutely love it and hope 2012 brings more of it.

See Spot Run Photos: ALL PHOTOS,  Sophisticated Pooches & Off leash.

And then came the never ending fall. Its January and it still feels like fall, being the snowboarder that I am, I am hating this. This "fall" has been full of photoshoots, and I am so grateful for that. Thinking that Fall would be my slowest season, has turned into one of my busiest times of year. Big thanks to my clients for that one. If you haven't noticed, this year has also been full of a lot more studio work. I've set up my very own studio, (It can be portable too) and I've not only used it a lot, but I have learnt a lot about studio and continue to love it and its unique abilities. 

See my 2011 studio work here: The Lockings, Lauren LIGHTS,  Sophisticated Pooches, It's that time, Just One, Kate's Real Food, Women's Night, After the fact, Go skate day TRES, Go skate day DOS, Go skate day uno, Film Family, the newbies, True Ladies, Two Finger Knife - II, G.Bars, Love Uganda &  PROOF.  

And then came some big news about 2012.... I will be working with Great Northern Powder Guides for the winter of 2012. Based out of Whitefish Montana. I'll be the photographing for the GNPG clients, publications and advertisements. If you haven't heard of them, check them out HERE, or on facebook. I'm sure you'll be seeing and hearing a lot ore about them in 2012. Book your cat skiing adventure, and drop my name for a deal :)

Also, the photos below are proof that I don't age, I still look 16, so bring on 2012, I'd love to look just a little order than that! Thanks :)