We hit up our favourite Italian snowboard snapper Eleonora ‘Lele’ Raggi, to talk pow slashing, collecting high heels and happiness for all

Interview by Anna Langer, photo by Nikolaus Raffl

After a few years working with boardsports, I don’t really feel much pressure about the gender detail anymore. Maybe in the beginning it was a little bit harder to get credibility with media.

I grew up on the Lake Garda, surrendered by mountains, so I started snowboarding as a hobby amd then slowly got in to it during the years. It seemed like a fun field, with its dark sides of course, but still allowing you to combine a sort of passion with your job.

At 14, I attended an Art school where I discovered photography and developing in a dark room. Just got addicted and couldn’t stop anymore! Then I moved to Milan for photo studies and since then I tried to work with it.

Photography will always be my big love, but it’s great that I can combine my passion for photography with snowboarding. Which can be hard too sometimes, so when it’s an epic day, I’ll pack my photo bag and do a pow slash getting to the spot for the shoot. There I get ready to do my best, and get an epic photo.

I would say, the most difficult part about being a snowboard photographer is that your hands freeze and your back is screaming of pain at the end of the day, but you might be smiling. You’ll have pretty hard conditions many times, so remember to get some warm stuff!

There’s definitely a difference between shooting girls and guys. With girls I feel usually more relaxed and have more fun!

But I don’t like judging. There are a bunch of girls out there that are killing it. I think that it’s also really good to see female video productions. But I also see that a few female events have been cut from brands budget and it’s never easy to improve and get better stuff done, if you don’t have a good support. But the girls are pushing and won’t stop either.

After having lived in Milan for a couple of years and seeing a bit what the fashion machine is like, I can definitely say I love fashion. And sometimes I wish I had more time for that. Even on the photography point of view.

I have a BIG collection of high heels. What’s wrong with that? Maybe I can’t really walk well with them. I guess that everyone has its own idea of femininity so just keep it!

I think I still have lot more to do and to learn and the way is still pretty long! But looking back, I would make a couple of changes maybe. I would move away from my mother country a bit earlier, but then I guess that what I’ve done and went through also made me into who I am right now. So no regrets!

If I had one magic wish, I would make sure that human rights would be respected worldwide. Happiness is the biggest wish in any case.