How I helped a brand grow through their brand photography journey - London female photographer
Magdalena Smolarska
My visibility mission has been accomplished!
After three years of creating magic with Yuyo Brujo Tango Shoes, I have eventually managed to take their founder out of her shell and put her in front of my camera. And what an exciting journey this has been!
When I first met Yuyo Brujo, we created simple but powerful imagery of their shoes with barely no props.
As they evolved as a business and got to know each other better the shoots gradually got more ambitious, until I finally convinced one of the founders to put herself in front of the camera.
Their Story
Ladies and gentlemen... let me introduce the face behind the beautiful creations of Yuyo Brujo.
Meet Elena, co-founder and designer of Yuyo Brujo tango shoes for women, inspired by the songs and stories of tango.
She is based in London and make her shoes in Spain.
They currently ship to 35+ countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia.
And their website is available in three languages: English, Spanish and Italian.
So yes, all those shoes you see on their web and social media are designed by this talented lady: tango dancer and coffee addict.
Meticulous design and attention to detail are at the heart of what Yuyo Brujo does.
Every shoe is a fusion of beauty, quality and comfort you can feel on your feet. And my goal as brand photographer is to reflect those unique attributes in each brand image we produce together.
Elena set up Yuyo Brujo for two reasons:
firstly, she wanted to bring more originality into the design of tango shoes (all shoes were starting to look a bit same-y)
secondly, she wanted to make the whole process of finding and buying tango shoes online a lot easier.
She has now been dancing tango for about 14 years and she does remember the days when you could only get shoes from a friend who had travelled to Argentina or through a shoe reseller that only had a green or a red pair in your size when all you really wanted was a silver one... ahh, those times.
Who hasn't been there?
Apart from dancing tango (not as often as she used to - six times a week!), she loves dress-making and anything related to art and design.
She is most happy when she is sitting outdoors with a good patterns magazine and a coffee. Because coffee makes everything better.
How we worked and have grown together
We have been working together for more than 3 years now and we had at least 7 brand photo sessions in UK, London & Brighton and Spain.
Each photo session is carefully designed by Elena in line with her creative vision, collection inspiration and overall brand vibes.
I am always impressed with her thought process and attention to detail when it comes to:
story telling brand photoshoot ideas
location choice for the studio or outdoor photo session
styling of Yuyo Brujo shoes
props used in the background
Elena’s dress choices always matching the shoe perfectly
The consistent visual style is reflected across all aspect of Yuyo Brujo business…. shoe, website, social media and brand design. In the same way, how Elena is obsessed over leathers, fabric, stitching and finishes.
By working together for such a long time, we found a way to capture the Yuyo Brujo brand consistently through images and videos alone.
Although each brand photo session has a unique design and story line, the final shoe image has this recognisable look which differentiate from other competitors. This applies to the editing style as well.
We have grown together over the last few years… while I helped Elena create the most beautiful images of her shoes and making herself visible to really capture who Yuyo Brujo is as a brand.
In parallel, I have developed my own personal branding photography business with purpose to empower women through my lens.
Here’s to another three years together Elena!
If you want to have a look at our latest work together, have a look at Yuyo Brujo Tango Shoes website: www.yuyobrujo.com
I’m Magdalena.
I work with clients to craft a story through the brand product and portrait images we produce together. An intriguing story that will make you and your business visible.
International Personal Brand Portrait Photographer and Videographerbased inLondon & Brighton, Sussex, UKfor soulful and purpose driven women.