Meet Ashleigh Scully

Hi! Thank you for visiting my website. I am a 22 year old professional wildlife photographer based in New Jersey and I have been capturing nature images since I was 8 years old. I am a recent graduate of Texas Christian University and I am going back to finish grad school for one more year. I am an aspiring photojournalist and writer, majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. I have taken classes in Communications, Sociology, Astrophysics/Astronomy and World Geography. My master's degree is in English literature, and through this I hope to attain the tools I need to become a successful photojournalist and writer out of school.

As far as being a Division 1 student athlete, it has been challenging to balance my academics, sports requirements and my love and passion for photography and conservation. I was recruited when I was 16 to be on their D1 Equestrian team and have been competing with them for four years now. I am a four time All-American, triple first team All-American, Big 12 Rider of the Year: Fences, 2024 and NCAA Co-Rider of the Year: Flat, 2023. Due to remaining NCAA eligibility from the pandemic, I have the opportunity to stay a 5th year to compete at TCU.

School has kept me busy these last couple of years and because of this I haven't had much time to get out into the field. But with all of my undergraduate courses completed, and my master's coming soon, I am focusing primarily on applying writing skills to my photography.

I have spent my college summers backpacking, working, and traveling. Last summer I obtained my advanced scuba diving certifications, specializing in drift diving, night diving, fish identification and advanced free diving. Last summer I spent two weeks in Svalbard, Norway, photographing arctic wildlife in hopes to educate people on the rapid decline of sea ice and its effects on global ecosystems and wildlife.

When I'm not in Texas at school, or New Jersey at home, I am often found in Wyoming, where my family will be moving in the next couple of years. Most of you know me for my photos of foxes, owls and bears. I hope that in the upcoming years my education and photography can help me become a voice for conservation efforts in our rapidly changing world.

My Achievements:

2024 100 For the Ocean campaign member
2021 NANPA Outstanding Young Photographer Award
2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner and Finalist, 11-14 years, Youth
2017 Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice International Awards Youth Wildlife Photographer of the Year
2017 Yellowstone Forever Youth Wildlife Winner
2017 Audubon Magazine Photography Competition Top 100
2017 Adobe Rising Stars Campaign member (Adobe Lightroom Instagram takeover)
2014, 2015 and 2016 Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice International Awards Youth Highly Honored
2016 GAP / Ellen DeGeneres GirlPower campaign member
2016 Audubon Magazine Photography Competition Top 100
2016 Yellowstone Forever Youth Landscapes Winner
2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awarded Finalist, 11-14 years, Youth
2015 Por el Planeta International Wildlife Nature and Conservation Photography Competition Youth 10-13 Winner

See all Achievements here

In the News:

My Equipment:

I am currently shooting with a Canon EOS R5 and a Canon EOS 5D MIII, and I use a few different lenses, some telephotos, and sometimes with a 1.4x teleconverter. I also use a Gitzo tripod and a Wimberley gimbal head. But I am often found handholding my equipment.

Links:

I hope you enjoy viewing my photographs!

- Ashleigh