You can usually find Lindsay Anne Delaney behind the camera: she is a leading light in the world of celebrity and fashion photography. She has worked with designers and influencers including Sylvia Mantella, Jason Priestly, Cindy Sampson, Laura Vandervoort, just to name a few. However, today, she is front and centre on the cover of this issue’s magazine: “Some people dream of their wedding, I dreamt of being on a magazine cover.”
Delaney’s dreamer mindset started at a very early age. Born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, she always knew that there was something bigger out there for herself. It wasn’t until she was working as an aupair in Boston, Massachusetts, where she enrolled herself in a beginner’s course at the New England School of Photography. It was there that she became deeply inspired by the art shows that the school had exhibited throughout the year. This encouraged Delaney to pursue a Visual Arts diploma back home, in which she was Valedictorian, followed by a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NSCAD University.
As a creative trying to find her space in the industry following graduation, Delaney worked at a chiropractic clinic, where she used her small-town charm and warm personality to build relationships with the practice’s clients. Serendipitously, it took one conversation with a client’s daughter that would change her life. During this conversation, Delaney openly shared her dreams of becoming a photographer: “I want to work in Toronto and New York and be a fashion photographer.” At that moment, the client’s daughter went over and picked up an issue of Fashion Canada, flipped to the last page, where there was a 1996 black and white image of models backstage at a Fashion Week, “I’m a model”, she said. It was to Delaney’s surprise, that she was speaking to Lorca Moore, Canadian fashion model, and wife to famous fashion photographer Chris Nicholls.
Five months after connecting with Lorca Moore, Delaney was given an opportunity to be a helping hand on set in Halifax, for a project that Nicholls had been working on. Naturally, when Delaney boldly took a leap, she soon moved to Toronto to follow her dreams. Nicholls offered her an internship with him soon thereafter. From then, Delaney quickly gained a full-time position as a fashion photo assistant at media giant St. Joseph’s Communications.
Delaney’s work speaks for itself; she has a clear vision that keeps her clients booking her. “Clients are booking me for my creative vision. I’m very confident in what I’m doing. I’m definitely a collaborative person, but if I believe in something, I will push for it. If I can get people to trust in my vision, then I’ve done my job.” As a creative, Delaney is always looking to bring her unique take to any project: “My clients come to me after looking at my latest editorial work/campaigns because they get a feeling from my work. They are confident that my creativity will elevate their project to the next level.”
Delaney has regularly done work for Vitalize Magazine and Preferred Men’s Magazine, priding herself on tight productions and being able to work with editorial budgets. One of Delaney’s favourite shoots was a cover she did for Vitalize Magazine. Her model was Kim Cloutier, formerly a Sports Illustrated “Rookie of the Year”, whom she ran into at Mikhael Kale’s fashion Toronto runway show. It was shot at an abandoned subway station at Bloor and Bay in Yorkville: “It all came together; this particular editorial speaks to my heart because it was a vision in my head that finally came to life. It really was an all-encompassing production with an A-list team. I’m known to tenaciously keep pushing myself outside of the box, to accomplish something I haven’t done before”.
The recent pandemic hasn’t stopped Delaney from doing incredible work. She has taken a “glass-half-full” approach: “I’ve had to pivot, just like everybody else. I think as artists, we were built for pivoting. I also think it’s been a year of personal growth, which is needed for your business to grow as well.”
With that mindset, it comes to no surprise that her most recent work as a director was nominated for “Best Canadian Fashion Film”. The film is called Where Are We Going?, starring Cindy Sampson, available on the Canadian International Fashion Film website: “It definitely reflects 2020… the different voices we have inside of us, and basically people needing to look at themselves. Yes, okay, we’re in lockdown. But what are you going to accomplish during the pandemic, so that when you come out of the lockdown, you feel like you’ve progressed? Or what have you been suppressing inside of yourself that you’ve been ignoring? I feel like people have had to really look at themselves, and that’s not a bad thing.”
In order for Delaney to move on in her photography and her career in a creative direction, it’s important to her to elevate herself and help others elevate themselves: “I will be launching a multi-part project with my business partner, Alicia Churilla. It will be an online digital platform for creatives and will be definitely more than just a magazine. I’m very excited about it because I feel like I’ve taken everything that I’ve learned and I’m creating my own little house of creatives. There are some really talented people out there that need exposure; I love seeing people grow, and if it fits the situation and if I can give someone an opportunity to help them advance, then why wouldn’t I do that?”
Delaney is clearly a champion for women in fashion and business, while creating opportunities for young, talented, and driven creatives, just like Nicholls did for her. Delaney states: “Why wouldn’t you nurture this talent? Some people are afraid to instill what they have learned into other people, especially the younger generation. If I give you the tools to do something, you’re going to do something different than Lindsay. I’m not about blocking people, because I was blocked by a lot of people, and now I’m like, watch me.”
All eyes are on her now, with new directorial projects in the mix, and her plus-sized modelling debut long overdue: “I’ve been asked to do plus-size modelling before, and I’ve said no.” You may be asking, why now? Where is she going? Well, Delaney has clearly set on a new creative path during the pandemic. This has allowed her to expand her creative growth in a new direction, which we are all excited to see: “I just feel I have something I can offer. I’m not afraid to go after what I want, nor do I care what people think I can and cannot do. Because, I frankly wouldn’t be where I am if I listened to what peopletold me to do. We all have the same 24 hours in the day, what you do with those 24 hours is up to you. The pandemic actually gave me time to breathe, so it’s important to ask, where am I going? Where are we all going?”
Creative Direction: Lindsay Anne Delaney
Photographer: Alicia Churilla
Art Direction & Stylist: Cynthia Florek with Plutino
Hair: Cassandra Jakubek
MUA: Victoria Matéo
Photo Assistant: Emmett Charuk
BTS Photo & Video: Ryan Buan & George Hatiras
Retouching: Alicia Churilla & Jamie Mccue
