Check Out Saúl López’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Saúl López.

Hi Saúl, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I picked up my first camera ever in 2016 after I graduated from Pepperdine with a double major in Economics and Hispanic Studies in 2015. I was heavily inspired by Rory Kramer and Casey Neistat and spent countless hours watching their videos on Youtube.

I bought my first camera on Amazon for $500 and learned everything via Youtube tutorials. At that time, I was working as a high school teacher in my hometown of Pasadena. In October of 2017, I decided to go full-time freelance and it’s really been a wild ride.

Since 2017 I’ve had the opportunity to shoot Fashion Week in New York, Milan & Paris and have worked with brands such as Spotify, Instagram, Apple Music, Facebook, Under Armour, Moncler, Netflix & Amazon. In 2020, I won a MTV Vido Music Award and Mtv European Music award as a drone cinematographer on H.E.R.’s music video for the song “I Can’t Breathe.” This year I also spent some time shooting content for Alicia Keys.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There are so many challenges that come with being a full-time, freelance videographer and photographer. The biggest one is having to become a business person. You are thrust into becoming a small business owner and quickly have to go through a crash course on book-keeping, accounting, administrative work, negotiating, selling and so much more that running a business entails.

Aside from that, my mental health is something that has really taken a huge toll over the last five years. With all the success and wins you achieve, there’s 10x the fails and losses. It can get taxing not knowing whether or not you’ll have worked a certain month; it really eats at your confidence and self-esteem. Being five years in now, I’m very fortunate and blessed to have amazing collaborators and opportunities that keep me extremely busy and get to be in rooms I never in my wildest dreams imagined.

The last challenge that comes to mind is how isolating and lonely this career path can be. Aside from when working on set, you’re often alone when you’re working from home, in the ubers, on flights, in hotels so it’s really important to surround yourself with a strong group of friends and family; I’m very to lucky to have the people in my life who are with me through everything.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in creating social media content for brands, artists, musicians, athletes and influencers primarily for Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube.

Over the last five years, I’ve had some incredible opportunities to work with some amazing individuals. This year I had a video I was the Director of Photography for be part of the Poussin and the Dance Exhibit at the Getty Museum from February to May. I also spent a portion of this year working with Alicia Keys filming her tour rehearsals and shooting her shows in Paris, Milan and LA for her Youtube and Instagram. These are some of the more recent opportunities that stand out to me because of their longevity. Growing up in Southern California, I would go to the Getty Museum on field trips and having a video I shot be on display is mind-blowing to me. On a similar note, Alicia Keys has been around since I was a kid and never in a million years did I envision myself in the same room as her and working with her.

I think was sets me apart from others is just my personality and energy. I pride myself on doing great work, but above that, I’m super easy to work with and get along well with others, I’m reliable and responsible and, as I’ve been told by others, people enjoy having me around. I’m also a great relationship builder and comfortable putting myself out there. A big part of being in the creative field and getting hired is exposure and how many people know you and your work. Without that component, it’s really difficult to have a long-lasting career as a videographer or photographer. I also love documenting my journey and showing behind the scenes of the lifestyle that comes with this and the projects that I’m on. Whether on Instagram or my Youtube vlogs, having a transparent social media presence has also brought me a lot of opportunities because people can get a real sense of who I am and feel a connection with me.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The biggest advice I can give is to just start. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the ideas and visions you come up with, but I would narrow in on one thing and just start creating. In more tangible steps, here are a few things I would do if I was starting out.

1. Identify what you want to shoot: Try everything, whether it’s sports, fashion, music, real estate, weddings, etc. Even if you think you want to do one specific industry, try shooting anything that’s offered to you because you never know if you’ll end up falling in love with that.

2. Create your own content: When you’re starting out it’s important to shoot and create as much as you can in order to hone in on your skills.

3. Networking: It’s important to network but not in the traditional sense of the word. Become a problem solver and offer solutions to people you think you can help. Always approach content creating from a solution-based angle and you’ll have the most success. Don’t try to take from others or look for how you can profit from another person. It’s also important to meet other people in your industry; whether other photographers, videographers, editors, etc. Networking with people in your field will bring you exponential opportunities and introduce you to people you can talk to and develop community with.

4. Gear: Don’t worry about having the best gear right off the bat. Create with whatever camera you have, even if it’s just an iPhone. Reinvest into nicer cameras once you’ve saved enough money to comfortably afford a new camera.

5. SAVE YOUR MONEY! Self-explanatory. Live within your means and plan for your future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saulrlopez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saulopez/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaulLopezVideo/videos

Image Credits
Saúl López