Meet Andrew Rivera | Sports Photographer

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

Hi Andrew, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Believe in yourself.”
An affirmation that is very undervalued. In any profession you choose, you’ll have phases when you’re on top of your game and phases where you’ll be demotivated and start to doubt yourself. You’ll start to question if all the time and effort, will be worth it in the end.
It’s important to establish a realistic vision of where you see yourself in the career you choose and tying your affirmation and your vision together.
For me, its helped me in moments where I feel down, feeling stuck. It has also helped me to “stop comparing myself to others”.
It’s creating my own uniqueness, while collaborating and becoming open minded to new ideas to help me progress.

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.
Where I am today, was a good challenge. There were plenty of moments where uncertainty took over but once over that hill, its understanding and learning how to cope, to get over it the next time. A very hard mental challenge Id say.

One of the most important lessons is persistence but also learning when to mentally rest.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of wanting to keep going and creating, which is fine but you have a limit and it’s important to to give your body and mind what it needs rather than ignoring it.

Big misconception that I hear a lot when new photographers come into the field. I understand the excitement when we find something we like, wanting to learn everything about it in a matter of hours on the internet but when we strive too much for it, you’ll crash, which can possibly lead to losing interest. It’s understanding what you’re stepping into and taking in one step at a time.

Another big lesson is net-working. Networking, networking, networking!!!
Most underestimate or don’t think high enough of networking.
You have to become open minded, wanting to work with others, learning from them.
Doing so can lead you to opportunities and enlightenment from others who’ve been on the field for some time.

What I want the world to know about me is my style in photographing sports. From studio work to being on the sports field, I’ve created a small name for myself locally. Wanting to capture the essences of sport and being able to tell a story using all the fundamentals of photography.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I want to thank god for where I am, for the friendships I’ve created and the opportunites presented to me.
I want to thank my friends and family; Willy Calderon, my cousin, For being a role-model I look up to, for the guidance, persistence and encouragement when I needed it most; Brooke Steedman, a colleague I met at college, for showing me around the ropes of the sports world and understanding the game, for all the collaborations we’ve done together; Tim Meyer, A professor who got Brooke and I into photographing for the Antelope Valley College Athletics Department; Steve Benitez, Another colleague of mine who’ve I worked with before in enlightening me in portraiture; To all the athletes at AVC; Your unwavering support will forever be in my heart, for appreciating my work and finally, Byron Devers, Cindy, Mike and Cole Vargas, all staff of the Athletics Department at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster CA, for allowing and giving me opportunities to develop my skill and the love the sports. Will forever be grateful you for all.

Website: https://riveraandrew80.myportfolio.com/work

Instagram: https://instagram.com/a.riveraimages