Today we’d like to introduce you to Roger Lopez.
Hi Roger, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
San Antonio was born and raised with seven brothers, three sisters, and a single mother. We all attended local high schools in San Antonio on the west side of town. I’m a proud graduate of Lanier High School class of 1986. I moved to Corpus Christi after high school to continue my college education. I attended Delmore College in Corpus Christi. I studied Justice for my Socialist Degree and doing that, I joined the show department, where I worked for 10 years. This is where I picked up my camera while learning the ropes as a crime scene investigator. I started taking pictures, and one afternoon, I saw a beautiful sunset and took a photo of it. People loved it around work, and I began my photography business. I love taking photos because I can freeze memories for a lifetime. I’ve been in business since 1995. Locally, I came back to San Antonio and opened my own small business, mostly weddings, birthdays, commercials, residential landscaping, nature, and whatever may capture my eye that day, a beautiful sunset over our City, San Antonio Long Hill country I have involved my young daughter at the age of seven to follow my path of taking photos. She’s 14 years old now, her name is Gabriella Lopez. She picked up a camera at 87 and has followed my career. She’s learned a lot, including how to make her own money and photography. I hope I leave a legacy behind where we can freeze time and always look back and remember our loved ones: those who are present, those who have the past on, and those who are still living. I was born and raised in San Antonio on the west side of town. We’re a poor family, but my mother struggled and worked two jobs to make ends meet. I was very proud of her for doing what she did; most of my brothers are retired and live in their lives. My older brothers have great mentors who have been married for over 55 years. I’ve been like my second father along the way there. I am proud to say that I am also a City employee with City San Antonio; I work as a senior engineer tech for the engineering department. I’ve been with the city for 28 years in the last 28 years. I met a lot of people and took a lot of photos. I enjoy it because it’s a passion you must have a heart for, for not everybody can take a picture And create memories. It’s the moment the time that writes smile, that glimmering eye, the sunset, the right cloud, the perfect background. That’s what I do. I only do this on weekends or special days because I work full-time. I support my daughter and her school work, volleyball, and track. She’s my number one priority. I love doing what I do, and if I can help you create memories of a lifetime, look me up on Google under Photography by Roger Lopez to see some of my pictures. Thank you once again for the opportunity. 210-385-4014
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Show me the struggles that I’ve faced, was going through a 15-year divorce and having to deal with my mother being diagnosed with bone cancer! I returned from Corpus to care for my mother, which I did for eight years. I moved into my house and took care of her for the last eight months that she lived the same heartbreak. I ended up going through a divorce and having to restart all over again; I also had to have a complete knee replacement done and struggle through that. It’s been hard, but I have established a stronger foundation for myself and my daughter because of my faith in God, my church, and my community. Every day I wake up, I work for her. She’s my inspiration. She’s my hope and love, the basis of my job and photography business. God has always been on my side, no matter what. I’ve learned that I cannot do anything alone without God at the center of my life. The struggles of life will come and go. You can be knocked down, but is your choice to get back up? I learn along the way. Being humble and kind to others goes a long way. I’ve been blessed.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
So, being an engineer for the City of San Antonio for 28 years has taken me all over the city. I found some beautiful landscaping the city provides and use those on the weekend for my photos. I learned about beautiful parks, beautiful libraries, beautiful sceneries, and the backgrounds of lakes, so I put that into my business as a photographer. City San Antonio is wealthy with culture, stunning backgrounds, and beautiful sunsets, so everywhere I go, make sure that I remember to write it down the next time somebody asks me hey, do you know what beautiful place in San Antonio? We can take photos, and I’ll give them a list of different backgrounds, sceneries, and occasions. Living here in the City of San Antonio has been a blessing. I’ve also traveled to Castroville, Floresville, and Corpus Christi to take photos. I love to travel and spend time teaching my daughter for photography. She’s also picked up her camera, does her own, and brings them to me so I can see it’s a blessing with the creativity that the City of San Antonio provides for my background.
What matters most to you?
What matters to me is capturing that memory, that timeframe of when people were happy when people were alive, their smiles, their eyes, their funny characteristics, the way they live after the hand gestures that they wore capturing memories like that and freeze them in time is most important to me. Having been doing photography for so long, I have come across many people, some young summer old Sunday between some have died, so they are still living with your illness. Still, I remember most of all those people who have passed away taking photos at one point and then seeing them in the newspaper or on the Internet. Facebook that they have passed away, capturing the memories for the family members to cherish for the rest of life is what’s most important to me, giving the customer what he needs and providing those memories for a lifetime.
Contact Info:
- Website: Photographybyrogerlopez.com
