Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to ALFREDO LOPEZ . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, ALFREDO thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
“Legacy” Is a word, That to me means success over time. It’s also a word that I feel means you leave something behind like a treasure for when your time is done on this earth or even in this industry.
Now for my Legacy… I want my legacy to be derived from all the things I’ve had to overcome. I want my legacy to be one that inspires others to do things their way. I built my business in unorthodox conditions, and from scratch. I’ve built it by providing the best quality work, Best prices, Always giving loyalty, and from word of mouth.
I feel my legacy will be carried by every one who I’ve had the pleasure of working with, by every artist and every person who’s stood in-front of my camera. My legacy lives through them and their love for my work. It’s nice to know as artist supporting artist that we all can understand how our work is a part of us.
I’m Blessed to have a gift I can share
ALFREDO, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
To all the readers who have not read my first article, I got into the photography industry a year and some change ago and now it’s a dream come true to say “Skateheadz Photography is a business”.
I got into photography accidentally. I always had the talent and eye for it even at a young age but never pursued it. It took going through a financially and emotionally crippling divorce to open the gateway for me.
I was homeless and living out of my car for about 6 to 7 months and had near to no money. So I started doing photography on my iPhone 8+ of my 2 kids Alina & Elijah and landscapes then the inquiry’s started coming in.
Later I found out I had family in the area so i finally got a roof over my head with my cousin morrel and got a little stable, Then I had to make a huge investment in myself. That was buying my first camera and lens. It was the scariest and hardest thing I had to do. Especially since it was going to take up what little cash I did have left over.
To say the least, It worked out but It took a lot of hard work, and long nights. Definitely A lot of good people starting with Jenny Voss a local musical queen and lots of other amazing artist and local talents.
I think what set me apart was my ability to capture everything with uniqueness and my turn around time on photos was unheard of from what almost every client has told me.
I think what most people liked most above those 2 major things was that although I was producing high quality photos and selling my craft. It was never fully about the money. It was about building a friendship, A foundation, A business and not to add i loved working with everyone so that was an awesome bonus to.
I did take every dollar I earned, But I feel when my pricing was too much for some clients who needed photos or content we made it work. I feel my understanding of what it was like to struggle humbled me to build with those individuals. I’m proud that all of those individuals are doing amazing at their craft now and have hit the road running. They’ve always thoughtfully returned the favor by referring me to others or helped open doors to exclusive events and got me into places where I would later grow my own network of people, Friends, and clients, Which would led to an amazing sponsorship with Taffari World that I currently have.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
As mentioned before my finances where horrible but my best friend Alex Morrell actually wanted to get into the photography scene and wanted to join Skateheadz Photography at one point, So he actually bought most of the equipment needed to begin laying the foundation for a business. He later decided it wasn’t his thing and pursed other ventures but I definitely wouldn’t be here with out his support, Faith in my business, and me as a small business owner.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Personal interaction is key. I directly Add every single person on some form of media and directly send them their photos after all the edits are done.
They get amazing photos and feel good they didn’t have to follow up and it shows. They automatically tag me and mention me, on stories and post etc etc and then the web of friend request and adds start flowing.
It’s nice when you see people you don’t know have tons of mutual friends with you. It builds a trust with them before you even start. It’s definitely a lot more work being direct and keeping everything one on one but the results to me are worth it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: skateheadz_photography
Image Credits
PHOTOS OF: 1. DJ SUSIE DE LOS SANTOS 2. SODOWN 3. FELIX CARTEL 4. JOHN SUMMIT 5. ALORA 6. ANDREA LIZET CASTRUITA 7. MATOMA 8. SNAKEHIPS