Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfredo Ramos.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve always admired artists of all kinds. I remember when I was younger I wanted to find what creative talent I had, if any. Growing up I had a very big imagination so naturally I tried to use it in an artistic way. I would always draw little cartoons here and there, but because they would never turn out the way I imagined them it didn’t last very long. Later, when I got to high school, I came across graffiti and thought it was the most amazing form of artistic expression. Until this day I still love graffiti but only on paper because I was never really the one to risk getting arrested to paint the walls. So then, because I wasn’t going to go out in the middle of the night to paint the walls, I decided to try and paint on canvas. I bought paints, brushes, canvases, and an easel. That was probably the most stressful time in the pursuit of my artistic identity. After trying to paint on canvas, I had a new-found respect for painters. PAINTING IS HARD!! I hung up my easel and decided that painting was not for me but I still felt like I had not discovered my artistic calling. One day, as I was attending a mixed media art show, I recall my attention being grabbed more by the photography exhibits. I remember thinking that the photographers were once in a place where they saw something beautiful and wanted to capture that moment forever. I loved that concept and it was then that I decided that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to capture beautiful moments and sights forever.
2009 is when I decided to buy my first DSLR camera. It was a basic, $200 Sony camera. There wasn’t anything particularly fancy about this camera, just something to familiarize myself with the functions of a DSLR. Like many who begin their journey into photography, just about all the photographs I took with the Sony camera were done so using the Automatic setting. After several books and many tutorial videos later, I was starting to get the hang of the Manual setting; because you’re not a “real photographer” unless you shoot in Manual Mode, right?! And when I say that I was starting to get the hang of it, I mean that I knew what the settings meant just not how they worked together. This still lead me to believe that I was ready for a better camera so I sold my Sony camera and purchased a Nikon D5000. And after another camera and another year of practice, I traded up once again to a Canon 7D. This became my favorite camera. This was the camera that I was bettering my skills with along with the help of my friend and fellow photographer, Tommy. I experienced a lot with that camera; Photos of friends, places, and even a project that was exhibited in a nationally known art show. Sadly, one day, that camera was stolen and I was without a camera for quite some time. Recently I was able to replace that stolen camera with a Nikon D750 and I was able to get back to doing what I love!
I came to discover that landscape photography is what I love to do. Every time I would go somewhere, no matter where it was, I would always look around and notice little details around me. I would look at something and then move around and look at it from another angle and noticed it completely changed the way I looked at this item. This started to happen more and more as I looked around the city of Houston. So, because of this, I started taking pictures around the city and it’s been the main focus of my photography. But, of course, there’s a whole world out there so I’ve been traveling as much as I can, trying to photograph as much of it as I can!
Please tell us about your art.
I have been practicing photography for a few years now. I say practicing because I doubt that I will ever say that I have reached a point where I can no longer improve my photography. Every time I pick up my camera to take some pictures I try to produce an original image and learn something I didn’t know before. Most artist will tell you that they are their worst critic, and I am no different. To this day I’m hesitant to call myself an artist but I’ve been called one before so I’ll take the title with a smile
The landscape photography that I do has taught me to take a little bit of extra time to look around more and observe what is around you. I feel most people who go somewhere, whether it’s a place they’ve been to many times or it’s somewhere new, don’t take enough time to appreciate what is in front of them. I never really knew the meaning of the quote, “stop and smell the roses” until I started doing landscape photography.
What I hope that people take from my photography is to look around more. There is beauty everywhere. Sometimes you don’t see it because you’ve been there many times before but if you take a little more time to look around, maybe even look at it from a different angle, you can see beauty in everything.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I think that it can be tough for artists today. There are a lot people who love all types of art and I think because there are so many artists out there it’s tough to create something original. It’s always awesome when you see an artist create something that you’ve never seen before. I feel that inspiration can come in many forms but more so than anything it comes from other artists.
One of the best things I’ve seen in the photography scene in Houston are photographer’s meet-ups throughout the city. It allows photographers from all around Houston, and even surrounding cities, to come together to network, collaborate, and learn from each other. The meet-ups are mostly centered around portrait photography but, because they shoot in various locations, landscape photography also comes into play. I believe this is something that should be done in all cities and not just for photographers, for all forms of art!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Lately, I have been exhibiting my work in several art shows called The Pancake and Booze Art Show. They come to Houston several times a year and they exhibit all forms of art. Instagram is where I post all of my photography as well as announce any art shows where I plan to exhibit my work.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/a.ramos.photos/
I also have an online store where I sell prints of my photography.
Online store: https://aramosphotos.bigcartel.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aramosphotos.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.ramos.photos/
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