Alyssa is a NYC-based freelance photographer shooting fashion, lifestyle and editorial work for brands including Coach, IMG, Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan, etc. She’s hustled hard with a whole lot of grit and determination, overcoming numerous obstacles including losing vision in one eye. Despite the challenge, she preserved and has continued to succeed. Whether it’s photographing The Boston Celtics or New York Fashion Week, Alyssa always brings her A game, a whole lot of gratitude and a good playlist along for the ride. 

The Basics:

Hometown: Sharon, Massachusetts
Current city: New York, New York
Alma mater: Syracuse University
Degree: B.S, Photojournalism
Very first job: Baskin-Robbins Scooper
Hustle: Freelance Photographer

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
My mother Gerrie. She is a powerhouse and I hope to one day be like her. Watching her grow her business (event planning) and build a staff is something I admire and hope to do one day. As a mother, her nurturing personality and strong will are qualities I strive to have. I look up to her more than she will ever know.

How do you spend your free time?
I enjoy cooking and entertaining for friends. I am all for any excuse to craft a charcuterie board and make a recipe out of my cookbook collection on my roof for friends and family. Living in New York City, I love taking advantage of what the city has to offer. I could spend an entire day walking around the city with a coffee and my Airpods and be happy.

Go-to coffee order and/or adult beverage?
Iced coffee all year round, with oak milk. Fun fact: every day in college I had a Dunkin’ Donuts medium iced coffee with milk and a reduced fat blueberry muffin. Four years in a row.

Current power anthem?
“Soulmate,” by Lizzo. If you haven’t heard it, go to Spotify right now!

What would you eat for your very last meal?
A lobster roll and a bloody Mary. Growing up in New England, I have such fond memories of eating seafood with my family.

If you could have coffee with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Hands down, Mariska Hargitay. I am the biggest “Law & Order SVU” fanatic and her work outside of the NBC drama is what influenced my involvement with the No More Campaign. I photographed the campaign last year and would love to chat over coffee about her work with the Joyful Heart Foundation.

What’s something most don’t know about you?
I am amazing at claw machine games. Seriously. I always win. I play them every time I am in a theatre, airport, arcade, or highway rest stop. I never keep the prizes though, so I either will put it on top of the machine for someone to take or give to a child nearby. This often means I carry quarters around in my purse. 

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle.
I am a freelance photographer and CEO of Alyssa Greenberg Photography. I photograph fashion, lifestyle, and editorial work for brands. Some of my clients include Coach, IMG, Brides Magazine, Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, and Moxy Hotels. 

What does your typical workday look like?
I think there is a misconception that if I’m not shooting, I’m sitting at home watching “Friends” and painting my nails (this is me on most Friday afternoons). Running your own business, you are more than just the creator. On a non-shoot day, I’m the bookkeeper, social media manager, tax accountant, retoucher, location scouter, art director, website specialist, archiving technician, new business lead generator, mood board maker, and coffee-running intern. 

How did you break into fashion photography after spending several seasons with the Boston Celtics?
I always say both jobs (NBA and fashion) are similar: everyone is still twice my height and I am still very short. I was traveling back and forth from Boston to New York City (shout out to Amtrak) for any assignment, even if it meant I made no profit. I technically never told people I didn’t live in New York. If they knew my residence was in Boston, they wouldn’t reach out, knowing I would have travel and cost requirements. So, I let people assume I had a place in New York and would couch surf or stay at hotels if I was there for longer assignments. Eventually, I saved enough and was spending more time in NYC than Boston, so I moved. But I did the commute every week for roughly three years. It was a challenge, but I was lucky enough to have parents who supported my career path and told me it would pay off in the end. They were right.

What’s it like to work one-on-one with celebrities and well-known brands?
Often, working with celebrities you’re given minimal time to capture their portrait. I look at it as more of a challenge than a road block. I get to capture their essence in that present moment, which is a unique experience I never take for granted. Being young and a pop-culture aficionado, I love working with celebrities and hearing about their passions and projects that inspire them. One experience that stands out is not a typical story. My dad and I met Keith Richards in his hotel room a couple years ago. My father, a rock-and-roll memorabilia collector, had a recording tape of Keith in his collection that he wanted to gift back to him. I brought my camera to document the moment and photograph them together. It will always be my favorite image ever taken, and a story I will never forget. I was certainly “star struck.”

What’s been your biggest career milestone?
When my photograph was made into a mural in Soho for Oscar de la Renta earlier this year. Seeing my work on such a large scale is a feeling I can’t describe. It truly was a career highlight. My adorable sister organized a surprise party, where all my friends were in party hats outside the mural to celebrate it being completed, and then we all went to dinner to celebrate. I am lucky to have a strong support system here in New York City. 

How has being a woman affected your professional experience?
I haven’t shared this story with anyone besides my close friends and family, but feel this is an important discussion to have: It was during last year’s New York Fashion Week that I was uncomfortably touched by a male photographer backstage. In the moment I froze; I was caught so off guard. I didn’t have time to react or make a scene. I had to power through working. When the show ended, all my feelings rose to the top. Gasping for air and answers I cried. Backstage at Fashion Week, I feel outnumbered by gender as well as age. In Fashion Week, specifically, we need more safe spaces for women (they have implemented this with models, and I think that’s a huge stride) and stronger security watching how the photographers interact with one another. I think women supporting one another instead of looking at each other as competition will help raise each other up emotionally and with our career. Talking more with each other about money/rates and experiences would help equalize the pay gap in the industry.

What’s the gender ratio like in your industry? Do you see it evolving?
The photo industry appears to be predominantly men. Sometimes being a female photographer is a disadvantage, but in other times it works to my benefit. The “Me Too” movement is directly evolving the gender ratio, since brands and companies are hiring more female photographers. Companies like Girl Gaze are helping this effort by minimizing the gap. Stories need to be told from more than just the male gaze, so hiring female photographers adds a new perspective to how we view art and photography in the media. 

How did the challenge of losing vision in one eye affect you?
It affected me greatly, personally and professionally. When I was initially diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis, I had to be in the doctor’s office multiple times a week. I had to turn down jobs I thought might be too hard for me to do, whether the lights would be too bright and painful, or the travel was too long to be away from my doctor. It only got more difficult when I had a cornea transplant and then a second transplant four months later. Personally, it resulted in low self-esteem. I lost friends and relationships during this time. Not everyone knows how to be a friend to someone who is sick. Not that I would wish to have this happen to me again, but I do think overcoming so much has made me a stronger person in my personal life and career.  From my experience, I found taking the time for myself and asking for help (something I don’t do easily) helped me overcome my fears. I couldn’t give my all to my career if I was still sick, so I needed to take care of myself first. I knew I wasn’t going to switch careers (despite being a photographer with only one working eye), so I had to make it work. I left myself no other choices. I trained myself to shoot with my left eye (my right eye had been my dominant shooting eye). I was born to be a photographer and this personal challenge wasn’t going to change that. 

Are you involved with any other side projects or organizations?
I am a member of The Wing; every babe who hustles should be a member in their city. This community of strong independent women has inspired me to grow and created a space for me to feel safe. I am also an ambassador for 305 Fitness, a 55-minute dance cardio class with lights and a live DJ. The upbeat music and dancing is an escape for me. 

Who are some women in your field you look to for inspiration?
Victoria Will. She is an incredible portrait photographer and has a knack for capturing people in such a beautiful light. I also love the way Peggy Sirota’s images come to life. Energy emits from her photos and I can only imagine how fun it is to be on her set. Lastly, Zoey Grossman: her fashion work is truly stunning. I am forever inspired by the way she captures the female form.

Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Don’t compare yourself to what everyone else is doing. (This is easier said than done.) In an age of social media, you constantly know what projects everyone is working on. What’s right for you in your life at this time isn’t the same for someone else. Put your happiness first and success will follow. 

Connect with Alyssa:

Instagram

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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