Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Tripoli.
Sydney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was a teenager, I would spend most of my time going to local shows and catching all the bands in my area! I started bringing my camera and capturing the sets! Sometimes bands would let me in for free if I shot their set, which at the time felt pretty exciting! If I would go to a show without my camera it was always like “Hey! where’s your camera?!” and I was always “that girl with the camera”. After high school, I started getting really interested in fashion and I would collect vintage clothes, I would dress all my friends up in my clothes and drive them around Long Beach taking photos for hours, I’m sure they got fed up at some point! Haha! I had such a desire to capture a vintage aesthetic, the 60s and 70s have always been so inspiring to my style. I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and everything in between. I wanted my photos to look like a time capsule! I submitted my photos to a local vintage buy-sell-trade and they actually gave me a full spread in their seasonal zine! Seeing my photos printed in over 30,000 zines and displayed in stores all over America, I felt validated in a way, like “Hey! I could really make something of myself!” I had such a desire to keep pushing forward with my art!
At this point, I started seeing that I had a style to my photography and I started translating that into my live music photography. I wanted my photos to feel like you were watching this same local band but you are at Woodstock and its 1969! I wanted my work to stand-alone and have its own recognizable style. My style has now developed into a psychedelic/vintage feel and I only fall more in love with my art every day! After finally making some income from live music and photographing musicians in general, I started doing Digital Art for album covers, single releases, etc. Which is such a creative outlet for me and I can really let my style run free! It’s all been such a journey and to actually have this as a career brings me so much joy!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I feel like the path of an artist in any medium is such a bumpy road, in the best way possible! There is definitely moments that I wish it was easier to monetize art, but that is solely based on the society we live in and the constructs in which we are faced with. There has definitely been times where I’ve found myself struggling to make ends meet, and times where I’ve considered going into a field that is more financially reliable, but I know that art is one of my biggest joys in my life and the passion is what keeps me going even when times get tough.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Syd Trip Photo story. Tell us more about the business.
“Syd Trip Photo” is my business specializing in Digital Art and unique Photography. My goal is creating a dream state in my work, a blend of vintage and psychedelic! I feel that what I’m known for is my light painting and kaleidoscope style work in Photography and my Digital Art having a 60s vibe to it! What I am most proud of in my business is staying true to my own style and creating art that I am genuinely proud of and happy with! Another thing that I am proud of is the bond that I build with my clients. I truly make an effort to make my clients feel comfortable with me as a person before they become comfortable with me as a Photographer. I want to capture their truest self, and without a connection, it feels dull and almost fake. My clients are mostly musicians which are the coolest, most interesting people in the world anyways, so of course I want to get to know them!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
There is so many to name, I’ve been so lucky to have such lovely people in my life supporting my craft. A few of my mentors who really inspired me to take photography to the next level is Kyle Riedel, Melissa Rey, and Chelsea Mosher. There is so many more incredible photographers who inspire me and deserve to be named, but these three really planted a seed in me. My biggest cheerleaders are Adrien Garner, the lead of “Honey Badger”, My Mom & Dad, Katelin Bracco, and Tara Todd! Even when I feel like this business wasn’t going anywhere, these angels pushed me and encouraged me! I think someone who really deserves to be thanked is Jacob Mandel, the lead of “Melatonin Girls”, bassist & keys of “Tetra Collective” and a few more bands he is apart of. He has brought in so much business for me with his referrals, and he is one of my favorite clients to work with! There is also so many more people who deserve a spotlight for supporting my art, they know who they are! I love you all!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SydTrip.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydtrip/?hl=en
Image Credit:
All photos and edits by Syd Trip Photo
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