About Me:
What's good everyone! My name is Aidan O'Connell and I am an Event, Sport and Travel Photographer/Filmmaker, based out of Boston, MA. I grew up outside of Boston and gained a love for traveling at a young age due to visiting family all across the country (Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, ect).
I am a dedicated professional, taking the time and preparation to achieve the perfect shot while focusing on telling a story. I hold myself accountable for everything I say and do, thus would never put myself, or a partner, in a spot to fail or jeopardize anything. I throw my entire self into my work, dedicating myself to the project until it is done correctly, to the best of my ability, and to the consumers best needs.
What Would You Like to Accomplish?
I love to tell stories and that's what has made photography and filmmaking so fun for me. Whether its a fun day on the slopes, a getaway weekend vacation, helping achieve personal goals, or just showing the behind the scenes of the creation of a product/service, I am there.
They say a picture can tell 1000 words... but if taken properly, I believe they can tell a lot more than that. My main goals in life are to be able to travel while connecting with people and communities across the globe that get overlooked by the mainstream media, bringing their stories to life and garnering more attention to global issues. Transforming imagery into 3D spaces and giving us the ability to "travel" to other parts of the world through VR is a vision I dream of daily.
I also hold a strong desire to help expand the abilities of the human mind, overcoming mental struggles and progressing humans in a positive way through the use of technology.
How'd You Get Started?
My senior year of high school, I took an Intro to Photography class and enjoyed myself, but it wasn't until the summer of 2016 (best summer yet don't even try to argue) when my family and I took a road trip from Seattle, WA down to San Francisco, CA that I had a feeling a camera just felt right in my hands. SIKE! Although I did have fun capturing shots on that trip, a couple more years passed by, I graduated college from UMass Amherst with a B.S. in Sports Management, and THEN had no clue what to do with my life, when I really figured that out. I wrote the rest of this in the third person cause why not... Enjoy!
He got his (real) start in 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA doing Portrait Photography for Red Sox tours and games, while also working on his street photography skills outside of work using the surrounding architecture, people, and culture Boston offers. After the season ended, he transferred out to Aspen, CO in December 2018, where he continued crafting his Portrait Photography skills and began learning the ins-and-outs of Sport and Action Photography at Snowmass Mountain.
What Came Next?
While working at Snowmass, he helped found the company Roaring Fork Recaps (RFR), a video recap company in the Roaring Fork Valley specializing in family vacation recaps, with a couple co-workers. The following summer of 2019, they landed a video production contract with the Ascendigo Summer Adventures Camp based out of Carbondale, CO.
Ascendigo Autism Services uses outdoor sports and activities to help people on the spectrum step out of their comfort zones and accomplish feats they never believed they could before. Using photos and videos, RFR helped bring these campers amazing growths and accomplishments to life, allowing them to share their time at camp with their families, and have special, lifetime memories that they can all look back on whenever they please. Here he gained valuable experience not only behind a camera, but learning some very eye opening things about himself, society, how people interact, and what you truly need to enjoy life to its fullest.
He has also worked with companies doing product advertising through photography, using his own creative perspectives, angles, and contrasts with the help of the landscape and architecture surrounding him to create photos that please the eye, and bring the product to life.
"Be Yourself"