July 11, 2013

By Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek

Photography comes naturally for Sammy O. Lopez. He takes advantage of the desert Southwest desert backdrop for his colorful images and says “love” is his inspiration. With an upcoming show in New York later this month, he divides his time between photography and designing for the Charles Austin Design Studio.

Kimberly: How long have you been shooting images?

Sammy: I started taking photos at a very young age, my mother bought me my first camera when I was seven and I have been taking photos since.

Kimberly: What is it that you enjoy photographing the most?

Sammy: I enjoy photographing subjects that inspire me to create and allow me to focus on certain details people sometimes fail to acknowledge.

Kimberly: Were you trained or are you self-taught?

Sammy: Since I started taking photos early in my life I would figure out settings myself, and relied on my natural talent. As I have progressed I realized the importance of educating myself properly in my craft so I have now been receiving training to better develop as a photographer and artist.

Kimberly: How do you manipulate the images?

Sammy: How I determine to manipulate any image depends on the content, idea, or concept I am trying to convey. I usually develop an idea for a certain message and begin to piece it together over time.

Kimberly: Who would you say are your inspirations?

Sammy: I really do get inspired by many things but what really inspires me is love.

Kimberly: Living in the desert Southwest, we have a landscape like no other…what are your thoughts of our backdrops?

Sammy: My settings in my photos usually contain backdrops of El Paso landscape or some sort of desert scenery. I have always thought the area has such beautiful and interesting locations with rich history and I really do consider El Paso my playground for my work.

Kimberly: As an artist, what is your biggest struggle and largest accomplishment?

Sammy: My work can sometimes be misinterpreted, so my biggest struggle will always be to get the audience to understand the work . My goal isn’t to be disrespectful, it is an effort to get people to challenge their ideas in life and never settle. My biggest accomplishment is to get people to understand the work. They don’t have to believe and follow my ideas but as long as they keep an open mind and respect what I do then I have succeeded.

Kimberly: Where can we find your work?

Sammy: Some of my work will be displayed this summer at a special international exhibition in New York City titled The Story of the Creative. You can also check out my portfolio online here https://sammyo.see.me/

Kimberly: Are you scheduled to show in the fall?

Sammy: There is a show in the works for this fall at an undisclosed location where I will be unveiling a mural I have been working on. The Story of the Creative is a seven-week long event that runs through the summer beginning July 25th and continues through September 10th.