I recently photographed Miguel Saboya, a talented furniture designer and maker who has created stunning furniture and interiors for several renowned restaurants and stores in Lisbon, including Sem and Loja de Cá. 

Despite his impressive client roster, Miguel lacked an image archive for use on his website and social media accounts, as well as for use when he needed to submit images for features in the press and PR enquiries. Following a consultancy call, I devised a series of shoot plans to showcase Miguel's creative process, finished pieces, and client profiles to elevate his brand and online presence. 

During my initial visit to Miguel’s workshop, I noticed that it was a relatively small space with little natural light. It was clear that I would need to supplement the available light with portable flash to utilise the whole environment, including some particularly dark corners. Using a series of soft boxes for the lighting complemented and enhanced the natural light, ensuring I avoided producing an overtly artificial aesthetic. This gentle lighting also helped capture the wooden furniture's true colours and textures.

Over a couple of weeks, I produced a series of images detailing his incredible work in a way that reflected his brand and style. I directed and produced photography of Miguel at his workshop, images of his finished pieces at his home in Cascais, various client pieces in their forever homes, and client portrait images at three locations in Lisbon.

The resulting photographs have since been published on Miguel's social media accounts and featured in Observador magazine (in print) and an online article on www.escolhido.co.  

Miguel is currently working on his website, but if you'd like to check out more of his work, it can be seen on his Instagram account.

One of the highlights of this project was following the journey of one of Miguel's latest pieces, a stunning Japanese-inspired Koji fungi cabinet, from its construction in the workshop to its forever home in his client, Valentina’s apartment.

Images of the elegant tables Miguel designed and crafted for Loja de Cá, a concept lifestyle store and juice bar in Lisbon.