Meet Abby Shepard | Wedding Photographer & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abby Shepard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abby, why did you pursue a creative career?
I didn’t start out pursuing a creative career. When I graduated high school, I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted to help people. My mom was a doctor, and medicine seemed like the best way to help people, so I went off to college and decided to major in environmental science on a pre-med track. At the end of my first semester, I was miserable. I was taking primarily math and science classes and it just wasn’t for me. I met with my college advisor and told them that I missed being creative. He suggested that I add a minor in industrial design. I didn’t know what industrial design was at the time, but my advisor described it as “architecture for things”. That meeting with my advisor changed the whole course of my career. I started taking a few art and design classes and loved them. I worked on creating cooking tools for people with mobility problems, designing logos for nonprofits, and using typography to convey social justice messages. In my design classes, I was learning to solve people’s problems through design. More than that, I realized that medicine isn’t the only way to help people. Art and design can be powerful tools to inspire, educate, and enhance the quality of people’s lives.

Now, I’m primarily a wedding and brand photographer. I get to help people have meaningful and fun wedding days while capturing their day through photographs that they can look back on for generations. I get to help people discover brands and products that will help them have meaningful experiences in the outdoors. I get to create content that inspires people to explore and discover new places and experiences.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m primarily a photographer with two different focus areas.

First, I’m a traveling wedding and elopement photographer who specializes in outdoor weddings and elopements. I capture real moments with bright, bold, natural images. My goal is to make my clients’ wedding day the best it can be and ensure that they have a meaningful, memorable, and fun wedding day that is the start of a lifelong adventure. I’d say I’m known for creating a fun experience and capturing images that show genuine emotion.

Aside from weddings, I’m also an outdoor lifestyle, adventure, and landscape photographer. This usually means that I’m taking photos of people doing things outdoors, like hiking, camping, running, kayaking, etc. I’ve worked with clients including The North Face, Girlfriend Collective, Free Country, AllTrails, Kent County Tourism, Dakine, and more. I also do a ton of landscape photography, and I sell my photos through a print shop and offer commercial licenses.

I’m most proud of the fact that I went full-time with my photography business in 2021. It had been a side gig for years, but never my full-time job. In 2021, I left my full-time job, moved to Colorado, and now I fully work for myself. It’s a great feeling to take something that you’re passionate about and build it into a business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many cool things to do and see in the Denver area!

Day 1: Denver- Denver Zoo, Denver REI, the RiNo District.

Day 2: Denver: Meow Wolf, drive to Red Rocks Amphitheater, Mount Falcon Park

Day 3: Garden of the Gods + Colorado Springs

Day 4: Boulder: Explore Pearl Street, brunch at Snooze Cafe, Hike in Chautauqua Park, Sunset at Lost Gulch Overlook, dinner at Il Pastaio

Day 5: Boulder: Hike Walker Ranch Trail. Ice cream at Sweet Cow. Dinner on Pearl Street at The Post

Day 6: Indian Peaks Wilderness. Hike to Lake Isabelle. Dinner back in Boulder at Kathmandu

Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park-hike to Emerald Lake

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I dedicate this shoutout to Delaware State Parks and all of my central office coworkers and field staff. My time at Delaware State Parks shaped me personally and professionally, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people and experiences at Delaware State Parks.

Website: https://abbyventure.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyventure/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-shepard-a761888b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbyventure1

Other: https://abbyshepardphotography.com/