Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Lopez Galdamez.
Hi Jose, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began photographing in my freshman year of high school. This was an unusual time to start an art form like photography, given the COVID-19 quarantine, but it was exactly what I needed. My photography teacher, Matt Sheridan, structured the class in a way that required me to expose myself to various genres, pushing me to photograph a diverse range of subjects while also experimenting with manual settings and Photoshop. Although difficult, I was always excited to see the outcome and how it aligned with my vision for the image. I continued taking a photography course throughout high school, exploring what styles I enjoyed and researching artists for inspiration. I noticed a shift in my work after being introduced to film director Wong Kar-wai, which motivated me to explore and enhance the use of color and vibrant lighting. This began with my exploration of the cinematic photography genre, where I aimed to create a visual that, ideally, accurately mimics cinematography. I had to practice differently composed images, using my environment and unique vantage points, as well as learning visual storytelling with a single frame. Despite the challenge and a genre far from my comfort zone, I found myself enjoying the experimental nature of doing something I had not done before.
My growing love and appreciation for the art of photography led to the birth of JSJ Photo Collective, a collaborative photographic group with my friends and fellow artists, Josue Monterroso and Solomon Lytle-Hernandez. Together, we encouraged ourselves to delve deeper into our art, eventually finding our shared interest in the Latino population of Los Angeles. Our focus led us to street vendors in our neighborhood of Koreatown, where we captured candid portraits of our community.
I continued experimenting further, pushing my editing and using different photographic media such as 35mm film, Polaroids, and infrared. As of now, I am continuing my work at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Although I was just beginning my Sophomore year, I had already explored documentary photography throughout my Freshman year and was continuing to do so in my first semester.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Art can be challenging; I have sometimes found myself stumped by artist’s block, feeling like I have no creativity. What I’ve learned is that a lack of creativity, for me, calls for experimentation; photographing without expecting anything, simply having fun. This acts like an invitation for growth rather than a roadblock. Despite this, I believe it’s been a relatively smooth road. I’ve created work that I enjoyed and work that I didn’t, but both still taught me valuable lessons about myself as an artist. The transition from Los Angeles to New York has also significantly influenced my art and has been an exciting yet uniquely challenging experience.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As of now, I don’t think that I specialize in only one thing; instead, my work is a combination of my various interests. Sometimes, my practice has a political undertone, and other times it is a documentation of my culture and life experiences.
One series that I am passionate and proud of is my body of work titled “Latinos in New York” (images 5 and 6). With this project, I was able to showcase the lively Latinidad that flourishes throughout each of New York City’s boroughs. This series has given me not only a purpose to explore New York, but it has also allowed me to see the parallels and contrasts that exist between the Latin cultures found in NYC and my home in Southern California. Being a visitor to the East Coast, my goal was to capture an authentic glimpse of this passionate and lively culture and to dispel the negative stigma often portrayed by the media.
Reflecting on previous projects, I found creating visual storytelling from my Horror series (images 2 and 3) particularly interesting. I first took both of these images for the front cover of my high school’s horror literary magazine. I conceptualized both scenes and was then able to execute them through location, use of props, composition, and editing to achieve a tangible image of what I envisioned. After photographing horror on a few occasions, I decided to create a series of it.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
That’s it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jal9653.myportfolio.com/work
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jose.l.opez/
- Other: JSJPhotoCollective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsjphotocollective/
Image Credits
Portrait photo credit: Jackson J. Jung-Ortega
