Life & Work with Cydney Puro of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cydney Puro.

Cydney, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began taking photos in high school almost by accident. I wanted to try drama, but the first assignment was to lip-sync to your favorite song in front of your classmates. This was 7th grade—there was NO way I was going to do that. I got lucky when photography had an open spot.

I went on adventures with my camera and my friends, convincing anyone I could to climb into a creek, wear dramatic Victorian clothing, or be patient while I attempted to recreate an Irving Penn photo. That’s how I fell in love with photography – just by experimenting. I went on to study with renowned professors like Stephen Shore, Larry Fink, and An-My Lê, all of whom provided different ways of seeing that I translated into my own work.

As I’ve gotten older and the world continues to surprise us—not always in good ways—I’ve realized that it isn’t necessarily the projects that were most exciting to photograph or most celebrated that I return to; it’s the personal work. The images of friends, family, and places I’ve lived are a visual journal allowing me to navigate through my nostalgia like a ship following its course at sea.

And so I have been photographing “family constellations”: babies, children, parents—whomever is in your life that you’ll look at in five, ten-plus years and smile to yourself when you see a photo and remember them tiny, younger, shorter, gap toothed, etc.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Are there smooth roads? I’m pretty certain I’ve been traveling on a bumpy, zigzag road for years. But that journey has shaped who I am and I wouldn’t trade it in.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve never been on a straight trajectory to just being a photographer. I’ve always needed supplemental work to support myself, and a lot of my jobs have been in the creative realm—I feel grateful for that. While I worked on projects like my Remote Island series (which took me to the Faroe Islands, Siberia, and Finland) or my Kitchen Self-Portrait book (which took me to my kitchen), I had all manner of jobs: I assisted photographers, worked at retail stores, bejeweled painted Styrofoam cakes for the Bergdorf Goodman Christmas windows in New York, worked as an assistant photo editor at Goop, entered the niche world of photo research for Media Arts Lab… and I’m still going.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I wish someone had explained how to navigate and understand the business aspects of the art world. The creative side is only part of the equation—knowing how to value your work, negotiate contracts, and build sustainable practices is essential for longevity in this field.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cydneypuro.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laitvert/ and https://www.instagram.com/cydneypuro/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cydney-puro-648228bb/