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

Hi Ted, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
At the beginning of this adventure, I set out with the clear (and possibly selfish) intention of changing public perceptions of visually impaired and blind artists. After a car accident in 1999, I was left with no vision in one eye and only 5% low functioning vision in the other, effectively ending a decades long career in the videogames industry where I created game franchises for Atari, Accolade and Mattel Toys. As a result of the accident, I can only see blurry shapes and color, so it made perfect sense to return to school and pursue a degree in fine art and studio art photography. Diploma in hand, I set out to create work with my (remaining) sights set on an exhibition.

It took me several years of honing my skills and building a solid portfolio to get that first show. Like any photographer, I explored landscape, portrait, product, macro, and abstract imagery before I finally found my lane in the photography world and started building a cohesive body of work. My first gallery shows were all focused on my traditional landscape work, and my intention of changing perceptions of what the visually impaired could do was working.

Survival in any endeavor is predicated on knowing when to stay the course and when to pivot to another strategy. During one of those early exhibitions, I was approached and asked whether I would be interested in donating a print to a charity auction. This was out of left field for me, since I do not sell my work, I only exhibit it. I donated the print and raised a significant amount of money for an organization which funds research to fight ALS. Suddenly, I was not only using my photography to illustrate the capabilities of blind and low vision artists, but I was directly making a positive difference with my art. Since that time, I have donated many prints to auctions that support Guide Dogs for the Blind, Lighthouse for the Blind, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and many others. My advice here is that whether it is in business or in life, always keep an open mind and be willing to pivot no matter how clear your focus is.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a blind photographer, travel influencer and photo educator based in Denver Co. I see the world in a very different way than other photographers, but despite my lack of sight, I hold degrees in fine art and studio art photography. To take my images I concentrate on the rules of composition, line, shape, depth, and light value and rely on the camera to capture the detail in the scene for me. I embrace my lack of sight, and use the camera as a tool to show others the way I see the world.

The most important lesson I have learned is that one can achieve anything if they set their mind to it. The road to arrive at your desired outcome may be very different than you anticipate, but you can make it.

I’d like it to be known that I don’t sell my work, rather I donate prints to organizations that make a positive difference in the lives of others.

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?
The itinerary isn’t in the city, but outdoors!

The first day of the itinerary would begin with a stop at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to check out the buffalo and other cool wildlife. People are always fascinated that there is a wildlife refuge stuck right in the middle of a sprawling urban area. From there, we would head toward the Garden of the Gods to check out the majestic rock formations and pikes peak. We would end the day by stopping at 3.14 Pi Bar and having some amazing hand pies for dinner.

The second day would be wandering around the Buena Vista area where we would visit the Deer hammer distillery and the crazy good Aloha wings and burger bar next door.

Lastly, the rest of the time would be spent wandering all over Rocky Mountain National Park (with some time in Estes Park of course). We would hit Trail Ridge Road, Bear Lake, Dream Lake and Sprague Lake. For the last day, we would hike to Alberta Falls and hit the amazing Café at Trail Ridge for one of their Green Chili Burgers.

Do you sense a theme? Outdoors locations and cool burger bars?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I like to take this time to tank my wife, children, friends and the great people at Guide Dogs for the Blind for supporting my efforts in art and giving me the confidence to use my work to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Website: https://tahquechi.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nedskee/

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

Image Credits
Copyright Tahquechi Photography

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