Meet Theo Wecker | Photographer & Software Engineer

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

Hi Theo, how do you think about risk?
I took a huge risk starting a photography business. When I was fresh out of my degree, I met a woman who really pushed me to follow what I wanted to do in life. I had no back-up plan but, still, I decided to give my dream a shot. I quit my job and started searching for freelance jobs. It was slow starting but they started to roll in, even in a small town in the Midwest (where my wife was attending university). I took risks to drive to Chicago and to go to places I had never imaged, like spectacular cooking events hosted by tourism boards for different countries. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but that’s just part of the risk isn’t it?

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 began my career as an excited 12 year old being mentored by a family friend who was a photo-journalist. I would sit on his living room floor listening to his stories and learning more about aperture, shutter speed, and film speed. He was kind enough to lend me an old Nikon and a broken 50mm lens. I remember taking photos with that old set-up and publishing them on National Geographic’s photo sharing site. Whenever I would get over 5 likes, I would be over the moon. I kept that same attitude of looking for likes and attention up as I continued my studies and started my business. However, I quickly discovered that it really isn’t healthy to look at numbers and statistics, and it’s easy to forget why you began in the first place. I really struggled financially when I started doing full time photography and I had to start supplementing my income with web development and graphic design. I constantly was looking at Youtube numbers, Instagram numbers, sales and I forgot to love the craft and I forgot why I started in the first place. It is so easy to get mesmerized by metrics as a means of success. Now, these days, I try to think back to my beginnings in that photographer’s living room and try to remember my roots when I go out for a shoot. I think about when I knew almost nothing about photography and the joy of a simple shutter click. I try to find new fun projects to do in my downtime and to remember why this art means so much to me, in the first place.

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?
If my best friend was visiting Durango (and they recently did!), I’d take them up into the mountains for a camping trip. We’d wander along mountain ridges, taking photos of the San Juans when most people aren’t out, we’d go for trail runs and drink beers at the local breweries afterwards. I’m known for my disdain of seeing people at trailheads and my regularly pushing up mountains, so I would probably take my friend deep into the wilderness into the back of beyond where we would hopefully see some beautiful views, wildlife, and perhaps share a coffee or beer by a mountain stream while tenkara fishing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to all of the people I have met along the way. Whether that’s people who didn’t believe in me, people who helped me and taught me, people who didn’t have the same chances or support that I had, or the lovely people I’ve met and took photos of and with.

Website: https://www.theowecker.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theowecker

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/theowecker

Image Credits
Theo Wecker