Meet Ashlyn Eisenga | Up and Coming Sports Photographer

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

Hi Ashlyn, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks are essential when going after what you want. Michael Jordan said, “I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying,” and that sticks with me whenever I make decisions. It all really comes down to the fact that life is so short, and to not go for what you want in this short amount of time is crazy to me.

My photography career has just begun, and taking risks and going out of your comfort zone is how you’re going to be successful. Sports photography is what I’m passionate about right now. In the beginning, going out on the field or court with the small camera I had at them time, surrounded by these huge cameras and people who seem to know what they’re doing, was extremely intimidating. It still is. I have two options in these situations. The risk of people judging me, or the risk of not going for what I wanted in life. I said and always will say to myself in these situations, “Choose your hard.” To me, it would be harder to go home and not have any pictures at all, than to have everyone looking at me with my small camera but have taken a small step towards my goal.

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 photographer, and right now I’m passionate about sports photography. I’ve played volleyball for ten years, and played division 1 volleyball in college. I’ve always loved looking at sports photos and imagine what it felt like to live in that moment. I’ve changed my career path probably 20 times, but my love for photography has never changed. It was always getting a full-time job and then doing photography on the side. Then, I just decided to go for it and try and make it my full-time.

My journey hasn’t been easy. It’s been quite the opposite. There are days I cry, and there are days I feel accomplished. A huge struggle for me in the beginning was going out with my small camera and seeing photographers with huge cameras and who know what they’re doing. My advice for everyone in this situation is to just go for it. They don’t know you don’t know what you’re doing. Would you rather go home with no photos, or suck it up and go home with photos? Choose your hard.

I’m still learning and growing. I’m excited to see where I go. I can’t wait for someone to take a chance on me and to see what I can do. I believe in myself, and that’s all that matters.

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.
I would take them along the Pacific Coast Highway. I’m from NorCal, so whenever someone from out of state would visit we would start in Monterey and travel all the way down. We would stop at the Nepenthe in Big Sur, McWay Falls, and of course the Bixby Bridge. If I’m being honest, I do not know much about SoCal just yet. Anywhere I can surf, hang, have some drinks with friends is the place to be.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have a few I want to shoutout for my success, but first I honestly want to shout out myself. This field is difficult to be successful in. There are so many creatives wanting the same thing. I can guarantee almost every creative has taught themselves, including me, and that is something to be proud of. It’s going out of your comfort zone, getting rejected and going right back out there again and again. It can be discouraging, and humiliating. This is where my family, friends, and boyfriend come in. They always tell me to keep going, that something will happen, and you just have to keep working. It’s true, and you need that reminder from someone other than yourself sometimes. I am thankful I have people who believe in me, and push me to be better, and most importantly are there for days when I don’t believe in myself.

Website: https://illustbyash.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshlynEisenga