Conversations with Sandy Altamirano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Altamirano.

Hi Sandy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have enjoyed photographing since I was in high school. I would buy disposable cameras and carry them around whenever my friends and I were heading to backyard gigs or just snap photos at school for fun. Once I became a senior, I decided to join yearbook because I noticed no representation of my group of friends in the previous yearbooks; it was always jocks, cheerleaders, and the cool kids. Once I was in the yearbook, I took advantage of being able to use a camera with more manual settings and that’s where I felt I had found my passion.

While attending CSULA I found little gigs here and there to make some money with photography as I studied for my Film degree. I didn’t have a path and was not sure where I was going with it, I just knew that I enjoyed every minute of it.

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?
It was definitely not a smooth ride, there have been many challenges during my growth with my photography. I have sent out emails, DM’d companies about collaborations, I would either get “no” or have been left on “seen”. I have done free gigs to prove my abilities to companies. Being pushed against the current has taken a toll on my energy and there would be times when I would doubt my abilities. However, one thing is that all these challenges never stop me from being persistent and growing my skills.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My photography focuses on live music and community events. I am active within the Chicano/Latinx/indigenous community nestled within Northeast Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, and Downtown Los Angeles. I am most proud to be able to document the movement that is happening during this time of gentrification in our neighborhoods. Photographing music that has evolved from our neighborhoods onto stages is a remarkable thing and I am humbled to be able to display it through my work. My passion for music and my community is what drives my photography.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sandyaltamirano.com
• Instagram: sandyaltamirano_

Image Credits
Sandy Altamirano