We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Agnes Lopez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Agnes below.

Agnes, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I am five years into filming a documentary, JAX Filipino Chefs #MoreThanLumpia,

I believe it is important as Filipino-Americans to record our own stories and share them with the world from our own perspective. We are one of the largest Asian populations in the United States but are hardly represented in any popular media, even in fields that we make up a considerable percentage of workers, like healthcare.

The global Filipino Food Movement is happening right now I believe a documentary film is the perfect medium to immortalize how it has evolved and grown over the years. It is also an opportunity to educate the people of my hometown of Jacksonville about one of its largest immigrant communities.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started my photography career in 2003 after working as a wardrobe stylist and makeup artist on commercial and stock shoots. For much of the early part of my career, I was a generalist, photographing everything from events, headshots, editorials, and commercial work.

In the last few years, I have shifted my focus to food photography and working on personal projects that explore the Filipino diaspora and community. My photography studio finished construction at the end of 2019 and I have been able to do a number of food and drink campaigns for national brands during the course of the pandemic. I have also continued to do editorial work, photographing people for publications like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, an award-winning cookbook, and newly-released design book “Big Thrift Energy.”

The project that I am most proud of is called “The Faces to Remember,” a series of portraits that features Filipino World War II veterans, some of whom were survivors of the Bataan Death March. Sadly, these veterans had to fight not only in the war but for decades afterwards to receive the mere recognition of their sacrifices for the US war effort in the Pacific theater. I traveled all over the United States to photograph the veterans and the project was a journey for me, exploring my identity as a Filipino-American.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I hired photo consultant Suzanne Sease to take a look at my work and help me build a portfolio. Out of the thousands of photos I sent over, she kept commenting on the quality of my food work. That threw me for a loop because food photography was only something I was doing for the magazine I was working for at the time and I hadn’t even considered it as something to make my focus.

Once I pivoted to food photography, a whole world opened up to me creatively. I was able to use the connections I had from my editorial work to bring together a group of Filipino chefs in the Jacksonville area with the goal of changing the food culture of our city. Not only is that happening now, I have branched out into documentary filmmaking, which has given me the ability to connect with so many creatives in my community.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission in my work is to share stories from the Asian community, often through the lens of food culture.

I want to send a clear message, not just to Filipinos, but all immigrants that one does not need to relinquish their roots, language, food, or traditions and strive to be a “model immigrant.” It is important to embrace and even amplify our differences so that we enrich the lives of everyone we
come into contact with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.AgnesLopez.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agneslopezphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agneslopez/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-lopez-7316834
• Other: Https://www,jaxfilipinochefs.com

Image Credits
Agnes Lopez