Fia McCarty

PHOTOGRAPHER & ATHLETE

My name is Fia McCarty and I am a photographer and an athlete.

I’ve always been connected to sports, but my main connection to sports is that I was a Division 1 swimmer at Boston University and am currently a sports photographer. 

I am grateful for BU athletics for creating a space where I could start from the bottom, grow, and learn to become the photographer I am. I also am grateful for my swimming career because it has taught me what true hard work and perseverance feels like. But most importantly, I am the most grateful for my mother who has supported my dreams no matter how big, small or even sometimes crazy. Her support has made me into the strong and confident woman that I am. None of my successes would have been possible without credit to her. 

I am very grateful to be surrounded by so many creative and amazing women that it is hard to pick just one. I am so lucky to have been supported by so many women in this field. Eliza Nuestro is not only one of my closest friends but she is one of the most talented photographers and videographers that I know, when stumped with photography I often find myself asking myself “what would Eliza do”. Eliza showed me compassion and friendship when I needed it most. She is part of the reason I am the photographer that I am, without our countless editing nights, and sideline shoots together, my love for photography would not exist - at least not as much as it does now. 

Like I said before, I am beyond lucky to be surrounded by such amazing women who inspire me to be better every day. Thank you to ALL the women in sports - keep inspiring future generations to come.

As most people know, being a woman in sports is not easy. I had the privilege of not only experiencing what it is like to be behind the lens, but also what it is like to be in the pool as an athlete. Although I would not trade my swimming career for anything, it has not been easy. When I was 16, I was sexually assaulted by one of my teammates. I kept it to myself for months, until I finally told my mom. When I came forward and told my coaches I was accused of lying. This was one of the hardest things for me to deal with because I didn’t understand why I wasn’t believed. I knew from this moment on that there needed to be a change in swimming and women’s sports. I began to use my voice and social media to bring awareness to the issue that is happening in women’s sports. In college I became involved in Morgan’s Message, which is a program for mental health awareness among student athletes. I primarily specialize in educating athletes on sexual assault and harassment. 

Being on a team that has men and women practicing and competing together - it is not hard to notice when things begin to feel unequal. In high school, it was more obvious, derogatory comments made towards the girl's team, things like “women belong in the kitchen” or other outlandish comments. It was easier to combat, because I could use my words to counter what the boys were saying. When I got to college, I had assumed that this behavior would end, and for the most part it did. Outlandish derogatory comments had stopped for the most part, but things were still said, words were easy to correct. What wasn’t easy to correct was the feeling that I was feeling. It’s a feeling that I don’t even know how to describe, it almost felt like defeat, when I spoke to some other women on my team, I learned I was not the only one who felt like this. The women were held to a higher standard than the men, we were penalized, and the men were praised. There was an obvious power imbalance between the men and women’s teams, and when brought to attention, we thought things would change, but they didn’t. That was the most frustrating part about all of this, I used my voice over and over and over and I was never heard. But I will not give up, I will not let the future generation of women experience the defeat that I felt. I will not let the new generation fall out of love with a sport they dedicated their life to, like I did.  

As for photography, I think most women in sports can relate to similar challenges. When you walk into a room of creatives and you’re the only woman there. How often men down talk our abilities and try to explain our own career to us. Constantly feeling like you have to prove yourself, and your abilities. Being flirted with by fans in the crowd, there are so many things that women in sports have all experienced. So I just stopped letting these men win, I stopped feeling like I had to fit in with these men and be on the “same level” as them. When someone makes a comment, I just laugh and walk away or say nothing at all, I don’t try to prove myself to them, my work speaks for itself. It’s not easy to gain this type of confidence but once you do there is no turning back, its the most rewarding feeling ever. 

There are so many things I am proud of, some are tangible like working for the Celtics, or shooting the PWHL. But what I’m most proud of myself for is finishing my swimming career regardless of what I went through. I’m proud of myself for not being afraid to start photography at the age of 20. But most importantly I’m proud of myself for being kind and being able to help the new photographer with any questions that they have, because we have all been there.

Going forward, I hope to create work that I’m proud of and to continue fostering a healthy environment for the other women in sports. I hope to one day inspire the young girls and women who want to pursue the same career as me. If this leads to me working at my dream job, the Montréal Canadiens I certainly would not complain. 

I hope in the future that we start to see a growth in professional women’s sports. I hope to walk into more rooms and see women coexisting with men. Most importantly, I want all women in sports to feel and know that they belong here, the future really is female. The women I work alongside are some of the hardest workers I know, and produce truly incredible content. I cannot wait to see how the women in sports community grows and flourishes. As far as my goals for my career, I just want to create art that I am proud of and inspire the future generations.

Find Fia’s work on Instagram @srm.media and her website https://fiamccarty.myportfolio.com/