Meet Irene Opezzo | Photo Director

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

Hi Irene, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m Italian and I moved to Los Angeles six years ago. I am a photo director and creative producer intrigued by amazing stories told through photography. For over fifteen years, I have been art directing and producing photo content across genres internationally, commissioning experienced and emerging photographers and videographers. I graduated from the Politecnico in Milan with a focus on Design, and CFP Bauer, a photography school that opened my eyes and my mind to photography. It was there, surrounded by brilliant mentors and students who would later become acclaimed photographers, artists, and curators, that I discovered the true essence of storytelling through photography.
I cherished my time in Milan, a vibrant city that with art, fashion and culture nurtured my spirit and exposed me to captivating exhibitions and encounters with creative minds.
I got my start working with fashion, portrait, design and fine art photographers in Milan, Berlin and Brussels. Soon, it became clear to me that I was much more interested in the meaning and curation of photographs than the process of making them.

I moved into art directing and producing at magazines such as Vogue Italia and Look. Later I was offered a position of photo editor at La Stampa, a daily newspaper in Turin with over 150 years of history. Over the past few decades, Turin has transformed itself from an industrial center to a creative hub, now one of the most dynamic cities in the cultural and creative field in Italy.
I enjoyed my time there, riding my bike to the office, a busy noisy newsroom. I learned a lot running after tight deadlines, assigning photographers, and working hard until late night and during weekends. I was fortunate to be guided by an editor-in-chief whose genuine passion for photography was a rarity in the Italian landscape.

After a few years, it was time to move on and with my partner, now my husband, we were looking for more opportunities for growth. He is a film director, and I wanted to continue my career in photography, so Los Angeles looked an attractive destination for both of us. The city was huge, it took me almost one hour and one highway to get to an appointment for a coffee, and I was excited to meet so many new people, even though sometimes I was scared to get lost. During these years, I worked as photo editor at Vice News and later became photo director at the luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report, where I currently work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First, I would visit museums and galleries that are part of the vibrant art scene in Los Angeles. There are a few places that are absolute must-sees. One is the Hammer Museum in Westwood. The museum’s courtyard is a peaceful escape from the chaos of the neighborhood. Another gallery that should not be missed is the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Hollywood. In the past few months, I visited exhibitions by artists like Nadia Lee Cohen, Tom Friedman, and Refik Anadol. Their work left me truly inspired. For art book enthusiasts, spending time at Arcana Books in Culver City is a must. They have a vast collection of rare and art-focused publications. An essential experience for art book lovers is “Printed Matter’s,” an independent book fair that originated in New York and comes to town once a year. It will be held at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA next August.
For a classic Hollywood moment, a drink at the iconic Chateau Marmont. For a unique cinematic experience, Cinespia organizes summer screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery that should not be missed.
For a 2–3-day getaway, a trip to the desert. Head towards Palm Springs to explore its mid-century architecture and relax with a margarita by the pool of the Orbit In hotel. Just a few miles away lies Joshua Tree Park, one of my favorite spots to disconnect.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have come to realize that the absence of a traditional mentor figure in my career has been both a challenge and a catalyst for growth. There have been moments when I yearned for someone to enlighten my vision and guide me through a methodology.

I was wrong expecting to have someone with a senior title to provide the definitive answers about the nature of my job, such as which photographer to hire, the appropriate direction to give for a specific assignment, or the ideal photo to open a feature in a magazine.

Given the collaborative nature of my work, my shoutout goes to the many professionals I have encountered along my path. I am fascinated and inspired by those art directors, photo editors, writers, designers, photographers, and writers with who I exchanged energies and visions with me, coming up with concepts, photo essays, and exhibitions. I am fascinated by the energy and vision that arises when collaborating with these individuals, from those who approach their work with meticulous organization and precision, to the free-spirited creatives who won’t respond to emails but consistently deliver remarkable projects.

Website: http://ireneopezzo.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-opezzo-05512a10/

Image Credits
Irene Opezzo portrait: Ilaria Magliocchetti Lombi 01 Tom Parker 02 Steven Fremont 03 Zeb Daemen 04 Laurel Golio 05 Martina Albertazzi 06 Oriana Layendeker 07 Gorka Postigo 08 Maurizio Iorio