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

Hi Caelinn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have always been a risk taker. I think that’s escalated even more so since moving to Colorado, 6 years ago. There are so many new adventures to be had and lots more activities to try. I think that has absolutely transitioned into how I approach my everyday life and my overall career. If there’s no risk, there’s no reward. If you really want something, you have to be willing to risk the safety of knowing. The first big risky move I took was moving out to Aspen, Colorado as a 22-year-old. Not knowing a single person, but fully aware I was about to have the time of my life. If you’re confident in what you want, you will do anything to make it work and that’s what I did when I eventually switched to photography full time. I always knew that I wanted to get into photography at some point, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. Truly the best decision of my life, and things didn’t always go as planned, but I am so happy I took that risk. You just have to be willing to jump. Because the worst thing would be looking back on your life and thinking you didn’t give it your all. Take the risk. It’s always worth it.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I will never forget the older gentleman that was in my junior year of college photography class. We had just turned in our first film project of the semester and our next assignment was to go around and critique other students’ photos. This gentleman came up to mine, looked at it for a few minutes, turns to me, and said ‘you truly have the most unique and beautiful eye for photography.” And that’s what truly makes me so excited about my art. My creative and different perspective. Being able to take a single photo, and share my point of view with the world. There is no better feeling.

I will say, photography has always come very easy to me. I only took the one photography class in college. But I was never a strong student, and very much a visual learner. I never understood why my brain worked the way that it did. But when I have my camera in my hand, everything clicks, it all just makes sense.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Good question!! I live in the mountains so there would be lots of time spent outside. We’d start the weekend off at Meat & Cheese with a delicious chicken board and of course rosé. Wouldn’t have a late night though because we would have an early start Saturday for a nice long hike. Post-hike we would go to Home Team BBQ for some tasty wings and beers. Naturally would have to go home for a little nap before heading back to town for dinner at Las Montanas. Sleep in on Sunday after a fun night out. Stop at Craft coffee in Carbondale before heading to Beaver Lake in Marble, Colorado for a nice relaxing beach and hang out. Throughout the week we would go to Maroon Bells for sunrise, Avalanche Ranch for a hot spring dip. Long bike rides to Woody Creek. Do some running in the Hunter Creek Valley with some days of mountain biking in Sky Mountain Park in Snowmass mixed in. Making lots of home-cooked meals and drinking tasty wine throughout the week. Finished off with a double scoop of ice cream from Paradise bakery before my friend went home. There’s very little downtime that happens in my life, especially living where I live. Wouldn’t have it any other way!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest shout-out goes to my parents for always supporting my crazy life decisions. I have always gotten these quiet grins from them when I approach them with new life decisions. Including when I decided to move to Colorado after college just because I thought the mountains would be a good fit for me. Or more recently when I decided I was going to do some solo traveling in Europe to fulfill the crazy urge I have for travel, photography, and adventure. They have always encouraged me to live my life to the fullest, even when some of my life decisions are very spontaneous. Lucky to have two of my biggest fans supporting me along the way.

I also would like to shout out my best gal pals and my three sisters, who have truly been the biggest support system in my photography career. They have been the ones who have seen my work from start to finish. Whether it be insisting we head to the park with some wine and a cheese board for a quick evening shoot, being my ski, running or hiking models, or dragging them to the beach for the perfect cocktail photo. They have all been incredible ‘hype girls’ about my work and I am so blessed to have such a strong group of women stand behind me!

Website: https://www.caelinnelizabethphotography.com/

Instagram: caelinndonahue & caelinnelizabeth

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.