Meet Emilie Iggiotti | Editorial and portrait photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emilie Iggiotti and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emilie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think about risk as an opportunity, it’s not bad or good, it’s an option. I don’t see myself as someone who takes lots of risks but then when I look back at my journey, I realized that I did take some risks and every time, these decisions led me to a new place and a new experience. In 2009, I left a career as a jurist to pursue a photography business. In 2010, I followed my ex-partner to Canada and moved my brand new business to a new country and a new city (Montreal). In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, when everything was “falling apart” in the world, I opened a new studio and had one of my busiest seasons as a portrait photographer. Every risk I took has been matched with an experience I had no idea I could even have. It was always beyond my own understanding of what this “risk” would entail.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been a photographer for 13 years now, and my journey has not been easy. I went to law school for 6 years, I have a Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property and New Technology. I was destined to be a jurist or legal counsel for artists and musicians. This was the dream job I wanted to have. Unfortunately, in 2005, a huge economic crisis happened right after I graduated and all my dreams came crashing down. There were no more jobs in the field I was hoping to work in. So I had to pivot, I took a job that I really disliked and this just opened the door to the realization that this was not meant for me. In 2009, after years of looking for jobs, I decided to quit my law career and started my photography business. A friend helped me build a website and a blog. I started offering portraits sessions and in 2010, I had booked 10 weddings. I started booking more weddings and I never went back to being a lawyer. I photographed weddings from 2009 until 2016. In 2016, I moved to Edmonton, where I still live, and I decided to switch to portrait photography. Weddings were a great way to get my foot into the photography world but I always knew that portraiture was my thing. So I dedicated my energy to building a strong portfolio and that’s when I realized I wanted to mostly work with women and do women’s portraits.
It was not easy because of course, first, people tell you that you should photograph families or newborns if you want to “make money”. I would look like the eccentric artist who only wants to photograph women and I had a few people rolling their eyes at me when I said “I only photograph women”. But I had a vision and I stuck to it. I knew that women were starting to unleash and come back to themselves. And I wanted to be the portrait photographer who helps them do that through photography.
So, despite the naysayers and the rolling eyes, I stayed in my lane and kept working. Soon enough, we started seeing this big awakening of the Feminine, the Me Too movement, the Women’s March, the focus on women-led businesses, etc. And I was already doing my thing: photographing women entrepreneurs, artists, business owners, so I had no problem finding those clients because well, it was showtime, baby!!
I want the world to know that it’s okay to be you, it’s okay to stand out, it’s okay to have people roll their eyes at you because they don’t understand what you are doing (they don’t have to understand), it’s okay to do your own thing and follow your heart and your intuition.
My story is about being myself and finding my own way in a crowded industry. Because nobody can be me and that is my superpower!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Edmonton, I would take them to an amazing brunch at Blue Plate Diner or OEB Breakfast, then we will go visit the Muttart Conservatory and have a walk in the River Valley. Then, we would go for lunch at Iconoclast Coffee and then walk to the Brewery District. Later, we will go for drinks and dinner at Bianco, one of my favourite restaurants in town. The Walterdale Bridge is a beautiful location to explore in the city and we have so many beautiful parks and green areas. We also have beautiful museums to check out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I had so many cheerleaders and supporters all throughout my life, it’s hard to even just name a few. I would say that one of the first books I read after launching my business that completely changed my perspective on my life purpose and my job was “Linchpin: Are you indispensable?” by Seth Godin. This book changed my life and the way I approached my photography business. I did not have to do it the way everyone else was doing it. I can create my own business, my own way of living without sacrificing my values, my authenticity or my uniqueness. This book gave me the confidence to keep going when I was still very new and unsure of where I was going in my career. Funny story: A few years after reading this book, I randomly met Seth Godin at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. He was on vacation with his family and I was travelling to France to see my family. I took it as a sign from the Universe that I was on the right path. He was kind enough to take a pic with me and I will always cherish this moment because it was such a little special gift from the Universe.

Website: https://www.emilieiggiotti.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilieiggiotti/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilieiggiotti/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilieIggiotti

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Emilie.Iggiotti.Photos/