Conversations with Conor O’Shea

Today we’d like to introduce you to Conor O’Shea.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My professional career started with my first introduction into the outdoor industry. I moved out to California in the summer of 2012 to attend and hopefully become a whitewater rafting guide. I attended guide school and fortunately was eventually hired on as a staff member. That summer I learned so much about myself and the kind of person I wanted to become. I was introduced into the world of whitewater sports and rock climbing. After that summer working, I knew I was destined to come back. After returning home to New York, I spent the next 2 semesters competing my coursework to complete my associate’s degree.

During my last few weeks of school, I was informed the rafting company I had worked for last summer was selling their business. I was totally shocked and bummed that my summer plans would be completely derailed. Luckily I did not let that stop me because I applied to several new companies and was eventually hired by one. After completing my degree, I drove across the country to California and made a significant stop in Fort Collins, Colorado along my way. Little did I know this would be the place I would call home for the next seven years. After finishing another amazing summer guiding rivers in California, I decided to move to Colorado in the pursuit of rock climbing and outdoor adventure. I spent my first few years building my outdoor resume by completing my wilderness first responder certification and swift water rescue technician certification. I spent my days outside rock climbing and attempting to push myself outside of my comfort zone.

I eventually decided to apply to the Colorado Outward Bound School in the hopes of becoming an outdoor instructor. After a few weeks of interviews and waiting I was accepted to the program and was offered an opportunity to come to the training in Moab, Utah. This was literally a dream come true for me and I jumped on the chance to become an outdoor instructor. It felt like every challenge and obstacle in my life I had accomplished had lead me to this moment. I spent the next few years working as an outdoor instructor of Outward Bound. Taking students whitewater rafting, backpacking, canyoneering, and rock climbing. This inspired me to pursue photography in the outdoors sharing a landscapes and outdoor adventures. I then reached a turning point in my life where I felt that I needed to pursue a career that was more financially feasible so I decided to move back to Fort Collins to hopefully find a new job. This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life. Sometimes I still wonder if I made the right decision.

After a few weeks of pursuing job opportunities, I eventually was offered a position to be a direct care provider for an agency that supports adults with disabilities. While this was vastly different from my last job, I’ve found that my true calling is working with people and supporting them in their daily lives. In my spare time on the weekends, I get out to shoot landscape photos and still pursue outdoor adventures. I’ve been slowly building my portrait and family photo portfolio for a few years now, being that my background was in landscape photography, this was a steep learning curve. I’m grateful for everything photography has taught me about myself and the outdoors. I will continue to seek adventure and exploration throughout my life, with my camera by my side.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Risk is an essential and undervalued part of anyone’s life. It has played a major role in my life and has helped define the kind of person I strive to be. Most of the life-changing decisions I’ve made in my life were based on risk and the acceptable amounts needed to achieve my goals. I’ve taken many risks in my life that have lead me to the place that I’m at today. The two biggest risks I’ve taken in my life were moving out to California in 2013 to become a whitewater rafting guide and the other was when I moved from Colorado to Moab, Utah to pursue a career in the outdoor leadership field. I truly believe I would not be the person I am today without the risks I’ve taken.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize as a landscape photographer but I also do individual and family portraits as well. It is a goal of mine to work more on business and real estate photography moving forward, but I’m very content with where I’m at. Photography work is part-time for me right now but eventually would love to be able to do it drill time. I work as a social worker currently during the week so my time to get out explore and shoot photos is on the weekend. I’m most proud of my profession as an artist and creator. I use social media platforms to share my work but feel the most accomplished from the travel journey my photography has taken me on. What sets me apart from others is my creativity and energy. I hope my work inspires people to pursue their dreams and get out in nature!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I spoke on this somewhat already, but I truly believe that risk tasking is an essential part in understanding you were are. By also challenging ourselves to be our best and to try new things that make us uncomfortable. Risk has played a major factor in my life and continues to do so. As I’ve gotten older, my risk-taking with extreme sports has calmed down somewhat. However, I do still rock climb, raft, hike, and ride dirt bikes in my spare time. I love being able to experience these things in nature firsthand but also be able to capture those moments on camera. Risk has made me the person I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coshea845.wixsite.com/mysite/colorado
• Instagram: Coloradoconorr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conor.oshea.3382