Switching Gears: Rubens’ Path From Tennis & Engineering to Photography Success

Vibrant colors and photos of the world’s most beautiful destinations fill Eric Rubens’ Instagram feed. His 456 thousand followers comment in awe at the clear waters of Bora Bora, sunrises over the Cape of South Africa, and the stunning beauty of Rubens’ hometown beaches in San Diego. 

With Rubens’ success in his photography career, it might come as a surprise that photography was not always his primary passion. A national tennis champion during his collegiate years, Rubens earned an engineering degree from UC San Diego and spent seven years in the field before switching gears to pursue photography full time.

“When Blake [Meister] and I won the National Championship, that was really special,” Rubens recalled. “I’d never gone through such a long tournament before because it was winning Regionals, then winning Division II Nationals, then going to the Division III/NAIA/Junior College competition and winning that, so it was such a long, drawn out, multiple-week tournament that we ended up barely winning every match. That was really cool to share with Blake.”

Rubens paired his success on the court with success in the classroom, as he graduated from UC San Diego with his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. Following graduation, Rubens took part in tennis tournaments to decide whether a professional tennis career would be the right fit for him, but he ultimately accepted an engineering position with Northrop Grumman instead. 

“I had a lot of fun with that for a long time,” Rubens recounted about his engineering experience. “It was nice working for a big company and using everything I learned in school, but over time I found myself gravitating towards how I could make the most of my day outside of the 9-5 job, which is when I started going to La Jolla every day after work. 

“I started taking pictures and that was right when Instagram came out, so I was in the right place at the right time, posting the sunset every day.”

As Instagram grew exponentially, Rubens’ following grew with it. His photos were no longer just drawing the interest of his followers, but of companies and agencies as well.

“Agencies started popping up and every company started taking social media seriously, and I was pretty lucky to have a local following I was building,” Rubens remembered. “Then I started getting travel offers from countries around the world, so I started growing more of a global following. 

“Companies reached out and agencies reached out, and I was getting bigger jobs with BMW, LG, United Airlines, Princess Cruises, whatever it ended up being. Those jobs built my photography resume.”

With his increased success in the photography space, Rubens realized he was unable to put the amount of effort he wanted to into both engineering and photography. 

“I took a long hard look and realized with one of them I understood my ceiling and my career path; the engineering route is very straightforward with a big company,” Rubens explained. “You get promoted at this stage, then this stage, then this stage. I knew exactly what I was going to be and where I was going to end up. 

“The other route was like the Wild West. I could work with airlines or car companies, or I could join a startup, or I could stay involved in the tech space and help young companies grow through my audience and my marketing, but I also understand their product since I have an engineering background.”

The wide variety of opportunities that a full-time career in photography could provide was enticing to Rubens, and he decided to leave his engineering job. Because he had already been working with notable companies and agencies, the switch to full-time photography was not particularly challenging for Rubens.

“I’d been turning down so many bucket list opportunities around the world because I couldn’t get time off,” Rubens recalled. “I was turning down trips to Iceland and French Polynesia and all these really cool opportunities. 

“Now I’m able to jump on anything that I think is beneficial or a cool experience, or I’m even able to go across the country in a day to go chase fall colors in New England. That’s the type of freedom I didn’t have before that I now have working for myself.”

Prior to COVID-19, Rubens was heavily involved in working with the travel industry. He has shot for tourism boards, airlines, resorts, and other clients, which comes with the benefit of getting to take part in opportunities he might not have experienced otherwise.

“The experiences are really incredible because it’s their one opportunity to pull out all the stops and showcase their destinations in the best light to a big audience,” Rubens said. “When I’m on trips, I’m staying in really nice places and doing really cool activities and eating well. It’s definitely a lifestyle that I probably couldn’t afford on my own if I wasn’t trying to capture it and showcase what it can be for people who are interested in traveling to that spot.”

Rubens appreciates the unique qualities of each destination he has traveled to, but South Africa stands out to him as his top pick.

“South Africa is probably my favorite country with how diverse it is, having beaches that are equivalent to California and mountains behind that and incredible wine country,” Rubens described. “You’ve also got safari which is one of the best experiences. Being able to go to one country and have all those different types of experiences is incredibly unique to South Africa and maybe only a couple other places in the world.”

New Zealand and French Polynesia rank high on Rubens’ list of favorites as well, but no matter where he goes, Rubens thinks back on his hometown.

“San Diego will always hold a special place in my heart,” Rubens shared. “I’m traveling to all these places that are incredibly beautiful, but after a few days I find myself thinking about coming back home. 

“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that makes San Diego so special, but it has all the beauty of the other spots in SoCal, and the laid-back environment and the people make it feel like a vacation destination even though there’s a lot of people around. I especially love La Jolla with the way the coastline wraps around. All the beaches and coves have their own character.”

Rubens’ appreciation for his home state has been particularly beneficial as of late. With the restrictions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Rubens has turned from international travel to shooting throughout the state. 

“I did a little road trip throughout California for a project, up to Big Sur and Lake Tahoe and back around and down,” Rubens said. “I’ve been taking advantage of the beauty of Laguna Beach and La Jolla, bouncing between the two of those a lot. 

“We’re so blessed to have such nice mountains, deserts, and beaches. I think we often forget how beautiful and diverse our own state is, and how big it is. You can drive for hours and hours on end.”

In addition to switching from international travel to road trips, Rubens has used his time during the COVID-19 pandemic to grow his relationships with non-travel industry partners.

“I’m thankful that I’m diversified working with Sony and Mazda and clothing companies and food and beverage,” Rubens explained. “It’s important to be diversified in your interests because you never know when one path will hit a road block and you need to pivot to something else.

“I thought I was always going to be 100% invested in the travel space and it was always going to be extremely successful because people always travel, and then COVID came along.”

For Rubens, developing strong, long-term relationships with partners in various industries is a key to success, particularly during these uncertain times. He estimates that he spends 30% of his time taking photos and editing them, but the majority of his time is focused on marketing and business development.

“I love the business side more than I love the photography side actually,” Rubens divulged. “I love the networking side of it and being part of a team developing a strategy and seeing our ideas come to fruition. 

“Taking photos and editing them is what got me into this space and I enjoy it a lot, but I miss the engineering side of things which is about being on a team and coming up with a product. The more I can work with a company and develop these ideas and be part of their marketing strategy and plans for the future, the more I feel like I’m on a team again.”

Thriving in a team environment is not the only aspect that has carried over from Rubens’ engineering background. He also believes that his engineering knowledge gives him an edge.

“On paper it looks like I wasted my five years in school and my seven years at my engineering job, but I would challenge that by saying I think that made me more unique because of what I can offer to a company now.” Rubens explained. “Traditionally the marketing side of a business and the tech side of a business don’t go hand in hand, but maybe now you can find someone like me who can bridge that gap. 

“I can come into a young tech company and I can say, ‘I understand the tech side of your product and how that works, but I also understand how to reach a lot of people and how to market it.’ I like to think that I can come into a company and help two sectors that don’t traditionally work hand in hand work symbiotically.”

With his ability to carry over skills from his engineering days as he thrives in his current field, Rubens’ career change has been undoubtably successful. When others approach him uncertain about whether to change fields, Rubens encourages them to not to be fearful of switching to a field they are passionate about.

“It’s never too late to switch,” Rubens advised. “Pursue something you’re interested in at the time, but realize that industries always change.”

As for Rubens, he happily continues to explore the opportunities of the Wild West of photography, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.