Meet Ben Cidre | Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Cidre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, what role has risk played in your life or career?
To me, risk is synonymous with opportunity. When I take a risk, I’m usually striving for something that I haven’t received or completed yet. There is always a danger or failure but there’s usually a proportionate reward if you’re successful and it pays off.

Taking risks has been a fundamental part of my life. Without them, my career would have stagnated long ago and I’d be doing the same things over and over. I truly believe we only grow when we leave our comfort zone – and leaving that comfort zone almost always involves taking a chance and risking something. Whether it’s money, your reputation, ego, a job, or a relationship, something is always wagered when you take a chance. Because of that, we either fail and learn a valuable lesson or succeed and progress. Either way, we gain momentum and evolve as a person.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Math and science always came easy to me throughout school and I was never really interested in the arts. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a business degree and went straight into sales where I excelled. Making great money at my age was awesome but I was spending it just as quickly. After a few years of that, I decided to enlist in the Navy. This was a risk that did not end up paying off but it did get me to where I am today.

A few years in, I won a GoPro camera in a command raffle. I took it on a snowboarding trip, filled up a memory card with footage, then realized I had no idea what to do with it. That is how my career in photography and videography began.

I had never considered myself and “artsy” person and the learning curve was tough. I spent hours if not days on YouTube and Google trying to improve my craft. I loved creating content and after leaving the Navy I knew it was what I wanted to do. Finding work was difficult though. I was green as hell – applying for positions against others who had studied photography/film in college and had been in the industry for years.

Eventually, I landed a job with a start-up electric bike company and the rest is history. Since then I’ve worked in several different industries, done the freelance game, and even worked with major brands like Rusty Surfboards and Petco. The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is – You’re your own biggest critic. Sometimes you have to just get out of your own way, take a chance, and never look back!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, so you’re a friend coming to visit San Diego for the first time? First thing, I pick you up at the airport and we hit Crack Shack in Little Italy for one of the best chicken sandwiches west of Nashville. Afterward, we put the top down in my convertible and take a little tour of the 10+ million dollar homes in La Jolla, and then hit the beach to plan out how we’ll eventually make enough money to buy one. Then we get tacos and watch a sunset.

Obviously, we’ll need to hit all the famous spots San Diego is known for – The Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, catch a game at Petco Park, and see the seals in La Jolla. We’ll have worked up a serious appetite at this point so that means more tacos and another sunset.

Mornings will be bottomless drinks and Nights will be full of endless Pacificos and dancing. You’ll meet people from all around the country. Southerners from Georgia, good ‘ol folk from the mid-west, Boston bros, Denver mountain men, and good people from the northwest tired of all the rain. You will not meet anyone from San Diego though – no one is from here. After all this, you’ll probably be hungry so we’ll get a few late-night tacos.

Every region will get the attention it deserves. From the restaurants in downtown San Diego to the Speak Easy’s in North Park. We’ll visit Ocean Beach for the Farmer’s market and Pacific Beach and walk Garnett street to see where the night takes us. And if at any point we get hungry… don’t worry, we’ll get some more tacos – I know some spots.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout-out to my Mom and Dad. Being the oldest of 3 boys, they were a little stricter and harder on me because I was supposed to set the example for my younger brothers. Having that structure made me the man I am today. They always told me “We don’t care what you decide to do. You will, however, give 100% to it” I’ve tried my best to stick to that!

Instagram: Ben_Cidre