Meet Geneva Heffernan | Sports Photographer

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

Hi Geneva, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I find sports photography to be an incredibly fun and rewarding career. I love the community of sports and the atmosphere of the ballpark and arena. I feel alive and thrive around the competitive comradery of sports and enjoy feeling like I am a part of the greater business of sports entertainment, contributing the fantastical escape for fans and the history-making objectives of the athletes.

While I got into sports photography for the thrill of capturing athletic feats, I have stayed involved because of the people. Sports photographers are a unique bunch who work odd hours and have to find the fun in every day to keep pursuing work in the field. The Denver sports photo community is particularly close and goofy. I laugh more at my job than anywhere else, with the antics of the other photographers fueling me through late-night overtime games and extra innings.

Creative fields bring together eclectic groups of people able to be authentic in the workplace.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Connections with people is the single most important way I have been able to achieve success. “Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met, my name is Geneva.” has built my entire sports photography career. I have been blown away by how willing people are to help me. I have had the opportunity to meet such fun, engaging, creative, and talented people and photographers simply by saying hello.

Of course, I pinch myself that I am lucky enough to work in professional sports and be surrounded by professional athletes, but I have found just as much success on the sideline of a high school lacrosse field as the photo well of an MLB stadium. Making connections with other creatives brings life to my job and motivates me to grow and improve every day.

Sure, some parts are difficult. Sexism and misogyny are still engrained in the sports world, and I occasionally I have to maneuver through some uncomfortable situations, but overall I witness positive changes and acceptance of women in sports media (and of women’s sports). The sheer number of us has grown and I love documenting glass ceilings shattering around me as women take on roles formerly forbidden, becoming general managers and coaches and earning long-overdue equal pay.

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?
Well, I’d obviously have to start with a sporting event, an Avalanche or Rockies game, depending on the season. We’d go hiking or skiing, but that doesn’t count as in the city. For food, we’d go to El Taco de Mexico, Blue Pan, and City, o’ City. We’d get doughnuts from Parlor Doughnuts, Pandemic Donuts, Dochi, and Voodoo Doughnut to compare them all. We’d get ice cream at Sweet Action, Little Man, and an ice cream truck if we stumbled across one. We’d play volleyball at Wash Park and go for a jog around Cheesman Park. We’d bike along the Cherry Creek trail to get to all these locations and enjoy all Denver has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to everyone who has given me a chance. So many people have believed in me before I believed in myself.

Sandy Nelson, Lu Ann Cahn, Chris Swan,, Ed Hille, John Adam, Betsy Manning, Joe Labolito, Andrea Swan, Kaitlyn Semborski, Laurence Kesterson, Angela Delvecchio, Angelise Stuhl, Tina Urban, Sarah Hartsell, Bonnie Clark, Teresa Harris, Chanda Jones, Mitch Leff, Miles Kennedy, Matt Dirksen, Jake Nesbitt, Kyle Cooper, Michael Martin, David Zalubowski, Ron Chenoy, Isaiah Downing, Andy Cross and of course my family have all helped me and my sports photo career grow, and that is just to name a few!

Website: genevaheffernan.com

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghheffernan

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

Image Credits
David Zalubowski