Hi, my name is Patrizia Corigliano Giovannini. Most call me Pat for short.
One of the biggest feelings I remember growing up was a being in a constant state of confusion. I grew up in the US, then moved to Italy at the age of 9, then back to the States again as a young adult!
I was born in New York to my Italian immigrant parents. My mother & I have a language of our own. It's a mix of English and an Italian dialect from a little town in Calabria, the south of Italy, where both my mother and father are from.
During my early years in the US there was once a class project where everyone had to wear the flag of where they came from. I was wearing the Italian one and most other students were wearing the United States Flag ... I didn't understand why I was different since I was born in the States like everyone else, but my family identified as Italian.
At the age of nine, my family moved to Italy. In the summer-time before the school year started I had to take Italian language classes. Here, once again, I stood out as different.
My clothes, my accent, my mentality wasn't like those of the other kids in the village where I was living. I was labeled the “American girl.”
Fast forward to now. I am an Italian-American. I identify as both because of the beautiful place we live and the beautiful culture I claim as my heritage. Growing up it was confusing, but the experience gave me a wonderfully unique perspective on what it means to be both an “outsider” and someone who appreciates the culture of both as an “insider”.
While writing this blog, I looked up synonyms to see what multicultural “really” meant and some of the words are foreign, strange, alien... !?!
Society labels you as different, because you don't look like, speak like or think like everyone else.
In this beautiful world that is becoming more globalized, with cultures blending, and as we learn more about each other, I think it is time to change the synonyms!!!
Exciting, broadening, adventurous, compelling, fascinating, enriching! It is being submerged in not one country's tradition but two!
I travel every time I have the chance to and it is one of my favorite things to do! Whenever I go back to Italy it's a new experience that teaches me more about my origins, who I am and also enriches me as a human. I am so lucky to be able to share all of this with my son … my heritage and also my love to discover new and different worlds.
What does this all have to do with photography? Simple really ... In being so aware of my own story, and relishing every moment, I cultivated a passion for documenting every journey in life. Of searching for and capturing the authentic.
One of the reasons I specialize in wedding photography is because I love how fulfilling it is for me to document every single couple’s story in a way that is authentic to their unique shared journey. It is important to me that my couples feel comfortable and true to themselves. Being acutely aware of my own cultural differences has allowed me to be able to see and appreciate the beautiful details that make us unique, no matter what cultural background someone is from.
To have a front row seat to seeing two people celebrate love for one another, individuals that, like me feel a belonging to two or more places, hold a special place in my heart. My growth and background provides me the chance to help my couples “not feel different”, but unique and extraordinary.
Photo Credit: River and Roads Photography
