José López Ramiro was born in Guadalajara on January 9, 1911, the son of Leandro López Ramiro - a native of Madrid and auditor in the City Council of this capital - and Carmen Ramiro Fernández from Alcarria. He is the youngest of three brothers, with family home at number 5, Plaza de Oñate – behind the Infantado Palace and next to the Normal School for Teachers-. It is here where he could operate his photographic laboratory between 1930 and 1935, the year in which he was registered as a photographer in the Municipal Census and after working as a mechanic in the "La Hispano" factory, in the section dedicated to manufacturing, assembly and repair. of planes. He then took several snapshots of these workshops and the model airplanes built there. Starting from his modest laboratory in the Plaza de Oñate, he began a career that lasted until the 1970s, more as a photographer installed at street level than as a studio portrait painter. As was common to this generation of photographers, he learned the trade and the techniques associated with his new profession from his own experience, from correcting mistakes, from experimenting with different models of machines and films, and from trusting in the possibility of conceiving a good snapshot from its ease to get a perfect frame. Choosing to develop his work under natural light -avoiding interior work and artificial lighting as far as possible-, will give José López's work a unitary dimension that prevails in all his photographs, portraits and reports. The years of his first stage, are of tireless activity in which José López is recording, image by image, the daily history of the city and the most important events, as well as that of some surrounding towns - Chiloeches, Marchamalo, Alhóndiga, Lupiana , etc.-; In addition, the work is extended with the service provided by its laboratory for the development of photographic reels of individuals and amateurs; and even collaborating with Tomás Camarillo in the treatment and printing of his plates. During the years of the civil war, José López continued to work as a photographer. After the war and after the war, it increased its activity even more, now periodically going to the towns of the province to take the necessary photos of the new identity cards. His objective during the forties will be the witness of the public demonstrations organized by the National Movement: charity acts, the delivery of decorations, the tributes of the Youth Front, the gymnastic tables in the bullring or the parades of students of the Infantry Academy. And, in the 1950s, the urban renewal of the city, especially on Paseo Fernández Iparraguirre, where the headquarters of the Civil Government, the Provincial Court and the Provincial Institute of Hygiene were built. The economic recovery of the country will also have its echo in Guadalajara and this resurgence also affects the activity of professional photography, thus the fifties is a golden age that crystallized in 1956 with the founding of the Agrupación Fotográfica. José López will continue his professional work portraying his neighbors, making event reports or photographing the transmutation of his city. In 1975 he retired with the hope that one day his children would maintain the commercial firm and follow the path outlined. This event will take place in 1985 when his son José López Cortés opened a video and photography studio in Guadalajara and his son Ricardo did the same in Barcelona. On November 15, 1982, José López Ramiro died in Guadalajara.
José López Ramiro was born in Guadalajara on January 9, 1911, the son of Leandro López Ramiro - a native of Madrid and auditor in the City Council of this capital - and Carmen Ramiro Fernández from Alcarria. He is the youngest of three brothers, with family home at number 5, Plaza de Oñate – behind the Infantado Palace and next to the Normal School for Teachers-. It is here where he could operate his photographic laboratory between 1930 and 1935, the year in which he was registered as a photographer in the Municipal Census and after working as a mechanic in the "La Hispano" factory, in the section dedicated to manufacturing, assembly and repair. of planes. He then took several snapshots of these workshops and the model airplanes built there. Starting from his modest laboratory in the Plaza de Oñate, he began a career that lasted until the 1970s, more as a photographer installed at street level than as a studio portrait painter. As was common to this generation of photographers, he learned the trade and the techniques associated with his new profession from his own experience, from correcting mistakes, from experimenting with different models of machines and films, and from trusting in the possibility of conceiving a good snapshot from its ease to get a perfect frame. Choosing to develop his work under natural light -avoiding interior work and artificial lighting as far as possible-, will give José López's work a unitary dimension that prevails in all his photographs, portraits and reports. The years of his first stage, are of tireless activity in which José López is recording, image by image, the daily history of the city and the most important events, as well as that of some surrounding towns - Chiloeches, Marchamalo, Alhóndiga, Lupiana , etc.-; In addition, the work is extended with the service provided by its laboratory for the development of photographic reels of individuals and amateurs; and even collaborating with Tomás Camarillo in the treatment and printing of his plates. During the years of the civil war, José López continued to work as a photographer. After the war and after the war, it increased its activity even more, now periodically going to the towns of the province to take the necessary photos of the new identity cards. His objective during the forties will be the witness of the public demonstrations organized by the National Movement: charity acts, the delivery of decorations, the tributes of the Youth Front, the gymnastic tables in the bullring or the parades of students of the Infantry Academy. And, in the 1950s, the urban renewal of the city, especially on Paseo Fernández Iparraguirre, where the headquarters of the Civil Government, the Provincial Court and the Provincial Institute of Hygiene were built. The economic recovery of the country will also have its echo in Guadalajara and this resurgence also affects the activity of professional photography, thus the fifties is a golden age that crystallized in 1956 with the founding of the Agrupación Fotográfica. José López will continue his professional work portraying his neighbors, making event reports or photographing the transmutation of his city. In 1975 he retired with the hope that one day his children would maintain the commercial firm and follow the path outlined. This event will take place in 1985 when his son José López Cortés opened a video and photography studio in Guadalajara and his son Ricardo did the same in Barcelona. On November 15, 1982, José López Ramiro died in Guadalajara.