Amanda Lopez is without a doubt, one of our favorite photographers.  She has a unique way of telling a story by simply allowing her photography to speak for itself.   Amanda is no stranger to the MADE family.  She recently showcased her work at the MADE in SF gallery exhibit at Artifacts Boutique in Sacramento and INVS in San Francisco.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Amanda about her latest project CaliLOVE which is opening at Free Gold Watch (1767 Waller Street, SF) this Friday, June 18th.  Read below as Amanda takes us through her creative process.

Tell us about Cali Love?

Last year, I was asked to be in a Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) show curated by Mayra Ramirez who encouraged me to create new work for the exhibit.   CaliLOVE is an extension of that project and is a celebration of more than the concept of death–it celebrates the preciousness of life.  CaliLOVE aims to capture the juncture between life, death and the everyday choices that define who we are and where we are headed.  My talented team, hair stylist Justina Downs and makeup artist Jenni Tay have really helped me capture my vision for the project.

Why Dia De Los Muertos for inspiration? Why not a bubble gum pop holiday like Valentines Day?

Dia de los Muertos is waaaay more interesting! A lot of my work is influenced by my culture so for me it makes sense that I would select a Mexican celebration as motivation for this project.

How did you choose your subjects for this project? Any Bay Area artists that we know?

The subjects are all friends and I was lucky that they were all down to let me photograph them. I chose a range of people from photographers, designers, writers, and editors to be a part of the project.  Some noteworthy SF musicians that are part of the series are  Miss Haze (40 Love), DJ Whooligan (40 Love), Deluv, The Evangelist, and bass player Josh Lippi (The Park).

CaliLOVE: Behind The Photo Shoot from Amanda Martinez on Vimeo.

Continue reading about CaliLOVE after the jump!

We know you won’t admit it, but did you know that you’re a BADASS photographer and overall creative genius?! Who are your mentors and who do you look up to for inspiration?

WOW. Thank you! That’s really nice of you to say. I’ve been lucky to have some amazing mentors in my career.  Some stand outs include my high school photography teacher, Mr. Tafoya and photographer extraordinaire, Estevan Oriol.  They changed the way I looked at photography and have impacted the course of my life and creative direction.  I’m extremely grateful to the both of them.

Seeing people do what they love is my inspiration.  It’s hard sometimes taking a creative path, but to have the courage to do it, that’s really inspiring.

We think that Amanda Lopez should work with MADE on our future collections. What do you think?

I would love that! I admire the work you guys are doing and it would be an honor to work with MADE.

(you heard it here first…MADE & Amanda Lopez collabo in the near future!)

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