Photography, Surfing, and Eco-Friendly Wetsuits. Meet Anna Ehrgott
After I came across Anna Ehrgott’s lovely Tumblr page I reached out to see if she’d be interested in sharing her photos of Costa Rica with the Harmony community. Turns out she is a surfer, a seamstress, and designs both board bags and wetsuits. She has also devoted time to volunteering at a turtle sanctuary. Perfect for our Central Creatives series, it is rare and wonderful when a connection through social media rings so true.
Name: Anna Ehrgott
Where do you live? Topanga, California. A small town nestled in a canyon.
What is your main artistic practice?
I’m a self employed seamstress, I use sew with solely upcycled fabric from factory remnants or hand crafted fabrics that support small businesses. I mostly make board bags for surfboards (sagebrush bags) and other items.
I was a model for a few years, during that time I was also interning with photographers to learn both sides of the trade. After a surfing injury kept my out of the ocean I started taking photos from the beach of my friends. When I healed I wanted to continue shooting photos, so I then got into water photography and bringing a camera out into the lineup with me. It’s still one of my favorite joys.
Designing women’s stylish wetsuits for an eco-friendly, custom fitted, Japanese wetsuit company called Axxe Wetsuits has been a fun new thing for me. I’m excited for them to come out in the women’s catalog in the next month or so!
Tell us about what brought you to Costa Rica.
This was my third time visiting the beautiful country of Costa Rica. The first two times were to visit the cloud forests and spend time volunteering at a turtle sanctuary, keeping track of and protecting the nests of sea turtles. This time I made the trip with my boyfriend to attend our friend’s wedding ceremony in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, which was the main reason to come to the area. They were married at the Vista De Olas hotel, overlooking the town, the ocean and the cape of the peninsula, which is natural reserve land. It was such a stunning place. We wanted to stay longer, so we spent the next two weeks surfing the fun beach breaks in Santa Teresa and exploring the Nicoya Peninsula. Santa Teresa was especially nice for me, being an organic, vegan, surfer I was in love. The organic market and the ocean were both walking distance from where we were staying. The mornings were spent indulging in fresh papayas, surfing, and exploring tide pools. Mid-days were lazily spent in hammocks with books and puppies until the afternoon golden light led us back to the ocean. It was so amazing to watch every single sunset on the trip from the sea, such amazing colors. Valentine’s Day was fittingly the most pink sunset I’ve ever seen!
I loved shooting photos in Santa Teresa, the sun shone every day and provided a perfect conditions for surf photography. My boyfriend, Alrik Yuill is an artist and was especially inspired by the free spirited travelers and his artwork and sketches reflected the happiness, the sun shine, and the surfing we enjoyed with friends.
Where can we find your work online?
My board bags are for sale on my site sagebrushbags.bigcartel.com, my photography blog is annaehrgott.tumblr.com and my instagram for it all is @annaehrgott
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