A Super Chic Bridal Shoot in Lisbon by Tory Smith

Get swept away in an effortless wave of muted tones and soft fabrics with this editorial shoot in Lisbon from photographer Tory Smith.

I ‘met’ Tory Smith on Instagram. A sentence I have not said before as these days the only people you meet on Instagram are robots and thieves. So a few days ago I was pleasantly surprised to get a message from the real Tory Smith asking if I would like to work with her. I jumped at the chance and messaged her straight back after a quick peruse of her feed showed me that she was certainly someone who shared my aesthetical taste in bridal.

A fellow Lisbon via London resident like myself, Tory Smith has managed to capture the beauty that is all around the city without even photographing the outside world. Lisbon is famous for its fading facades, multi-coloured apartment buildings and a defiance against ripping everything down and starting again. Lisbon unlike London for example doesn’t hide its semi-derelict buildings behind shiny new ones, no it celebrates, cares and slowly renovates them – keeping the vibe of the city alive. Something that can only be experienced when you arrive in the city is, the light. Its special. Before arriving I was told many times by my partner’s relatives that ‘the light is magical’ and ‘its like nowhere else’ and I thought, come off it! But ‘é verdade‘, it does have a wash of colour and a brightness of light that is like no other. It’s this light & rustic beauty that I feel Tory has captured so perfectly in her shoot ‘The Painting’.

Tory Smith is a British Photographer & Videographer based between London & Lisbon with over 10 years experience in the business. She has shot for brands such as L’Oreal Paris, Lee Stafford Hair & Beauty, Harrods and Aspinal of London to name but a few. Alongside multiple high profile shoots for leading agencies and fashion magazines. Her style is very recognisable and unique in its use of soft lighting and an imaginative approach to colour. Tory Smith is a storyteller, and I am so glad that I get to share her Lisbon tale with you here.

Tory’s shoot ‘The Painting’ came about after a revelatory weekend trip to Lisbon with a friend roughly four years ago. Unlike many tourists to the city she ventured further than the ‘Pink Street’ and got lost within the walls of the capital. She became inspired by the people, the magical light and its colour. These three observations harmonised perfectly with her own vision for what life should look and be like, she knew from then on that Lisbon needed to become her second home. Tori has lived on and off in the city since then and has continued to be energised by the city’s creativity, serving as a fuel for her inspirations. This photo-shoot is testament to that.

Lisbon is a city of rare finds, its one of those places that is a joy to get lost in. Don’t pick a path, just choose a rough direction and you’ll never be displeased with what you uncover. Tory stumbled on just such an exceptional place when she found the location for her shoot. An apartment located in one of the typical old neighbourhoods once used by fisherman in the capital, the building looked common from the outside, but inside she discovered a living space that oozed romantic sophistication. The whole apartment was created by Tomás Colaço, a painter from Lisbon who cannot bare to see an empty wall! His work is expansive, expressive and tonally in tune with the city of his birth – often referencing Portugal’s rich history in his art. The apartment Tory found was decorated floor to ceiling in Tomás’s murals alongside all of the decor, which was chosen by the man himself. To quote Tory Smith she says ‘You were immersed inside a giant romantic painting which made you feel creatively alive!’.

Upon finding her location Tory quickly set about realising her dream photoshoot with the help of a talented team and collaborations with some amazing Portuguese bridal designers. In a city that is so youthful in its style and creativity it was easy for Tory to find wedding dresses that matched the brief that she had laid out. In particular she connected with Bride-to-be, a unique bridal shop/concept store that matches a fun, personalised service with highly regarded couture wedding dress designers from Portugal such as Anah Hana. Every beautiful bridal needs a finishing touch and that came in the form of fine jewellery from NOL Jewellers. Based in Chiado, the heart of Lisbon, NOL is well known in the city for taking art to a whole new level and their ready-to-wear and bespoke pieces are much loved by the glitterati of this town. The whole look was finished off with the contemporary floral arrangements by Gaivota Flores, a highly experienced florist based in Cascais with an eye for what makes a beautiful bouquet.

When all of these elements combined, they created ‘The Painting’ by Tory Smith. A wonderful celebration of Lisbon and a chic style of editorial that we need to see more of in bridal.

A huge thank you to Tory Smith for sharing her work with me and I can’t wait to see what work she creates next!

Adeus a todos

Credits:
Photographer: Tory Smith Photography
Makeup & Hair: Miguel Molena
Clothes Styling: Tory Smith
Retouching: Munshi Studio
Model: Vitoria at Karacter Agency
Flower Design: Gaivota Flores
Clothes: Nol Jewellers, Bride to Be Lisboa
Location: Lisbon
 
Instagram:
Photographer: @Torysmithphoto
HMUA: @miguel.molena
Retouching: @munshistudio_com
Model: @karacteragency
Flowers Design: @gaivotaflores
Clothes: @noljewellers @bridetobeconceptstore