Maria and Patricia are not only exceptional photographers, but they are also some of my most inspirational female entrepreneurs. You are well aware that simply being a good professional is never enough. Without kindness, empathy, and work ethics, your value is almost meaningless.
So, when I accept professional collaborations, I always consider the human element, not just the career expertise and experience. This was the case for both of my collaborations with the Yellow Creators girls: the Yellow Synergy project and the Blooming After 30s Flower Workshop.
I do not want to say too much because I want you to enjoy the beautiful and inspiring conversation I had with these exceptional women, but I will say this: I have rarely seen such chemistry between two women who form a team or witnessed such mutual admiration.
Could you please tell me the story behind the Yellow Creators? And why was this colour included in the name?
Maria: The story behind 'The Yellow Creators' is connected with our affection for the warm, afternoon sunlight—a soothing, yet vibrant yellow. This particular light always brings a sense of joy. It makes me pause whatever I'm doing just to look at it. 'The Yellow Creators', because we aim to recreate this harmonious interplay of light and shadow, moments that resonate with the same authentic beauty.
I know it sounds a bit cheesy :), but our deep relationship with light and shadow truly is the source of it all.
Patricia: It’s intriguing how people can describe the essence of a color, expressing the emotions it evokes. When I think of yellow, my mind immediately drifts to autumn, evoking a sense of warmth and nostalgia.
I started to be a part of The Yellow Creators story when Maria felt that we could do something meaningful together. I can’t get out of my mind the fact that I see The Yellow Creators as a home, for us, for people who want to be part of this project.
“BEYOND VISUALS, WE BUILD BRANDS”. I love this quote from your website. Tell me more about its significance and how it shapes your work in this wonderful field of photography.
Maria: I'm so glad you love that quote! For us, it's a guiding principle. Often, the focus in photography and videography is on making the image beautiful. While showcasing a certain quality that reflects the product or service is important, beauty alone isn't enough. The real significance lies in the message, the mood, and everything that the image conveys.
It's crucial to consider how every element, even something as subtle as the type of shadows used, contributes to the overall message. Whether we use hard or soft shadows, it can completely change the narrative of a visual.
We don't just use techniques because they look good; we use them to enhance the story we're telling.
Ultimately, the visuals we create must reflect the values and emotions the business wants to be associated with. As creators, our mission goes beyond making things "beautiful" or "catchy."
Our goal is to ensure that every piece we produce carries a message, evokes emotion, and builds connections.
In doing so, we help build and strengthen the brand, making it resonate deeply with its audience.
People often think that a photographer's job is easy. You simply press a button, then edit the photos using whatever programme you prefer. But I know it is not. Therefore, I am interested in learning more about the research, studying, resilience, and bravery that go into the behind-the-scenes work.
Patricia: I know it has become easy to buy a camera, search for tutorials online, and then go out into the world and declare yourself a photographer. But at the same time, I know that true photographers are humble individuals who continue to explore this world constantly, who try to understand how to use techniques to implement ideas, who seek to capture emotions in static images, and who have an obsession with a theme, a color, or a certain type of light.
As a commercial photographer, like ourselves, photography is about more than just taking pictures. It's about understanding the target audience, about the qualities we need to highlight, about consistency, about testing and trying again, about the trusting relationship we have with the client, about knowing when you are overwhelmed, about well-directed creativity, about deadlines, about being consistent; it's about so many things that pressing a button becomes the simplest part of this equation.
So, anyone who thinks that photography is just about pressing a button is naive.
Tell me more about the Yellow Synergy Project. I believe this is one of the most beautiful concepts I have ever encountered in our Romanian "bubble.” And I would like to thank you again for inviting Rita and me to participate last December.
Maria: Thank you so much for your kind words! It was truly a joy to meet and work with you and Rita. We are incredibly grateful for how beautifully we worked together, and it is an absolute pleasure to collaborate with you.💛
At its core, Yellow has always been about people and creating connections, a space for dialogue. We constantly emphasize the importance of our local community. Our role is not just to craft your visual stories but to act as a bridge between local entrepreneurs. This is how Yellow Synergy: Amplifying Local Vibes was born. We gather various local brands and showcase, through a collective visual project, that we support each other to grow better together.
Each chapter has surpassed our wildest dreams in terms of beauty. Because of this synergy of working together, every project has its own personality, and we love that. The images are stunning, but the real magic happened during the shoots. It was about how we connected, trusted each other, and collaborated with people we were meeting for the first time.
That connection and trust made the experience truly magical.
Also, I would like to learn more about what Yellow Support means.
Patricia: Yellow Support is a project very close to our hearts and directly ties into our dream of supporting the community, as with Yellow Synergy. We know firsthand how it feels to need help and not know where to find it or to have limited resources.
Yellow Support takes this a step further by offering what we do best—showcasing their work and vision through images for free. We provide a lifestyle or product photo shoot, with the photos edited and arranged perfectly for websites and social media. This way, everyone can see the amazing things made in Romania.
It's not always easy to do this as often as we'd like, but we're constantly trying to find solutions to make it happen.
Do you have any muses? Can you name them?
Maria: Absolutely, I do have muses. Many things inspire me, but at the core, it's about connecting with freedom, flow, and presence. It's about being present to see and feel the story the environment tells in its relationship with light. That moment of stillness where time and hustle fade away, and you become a witness. Those moments are my true inspiration.
Patricia: I wouldn't say that I have any muses right now, but in the past, I was fortunate to find inspiration from many sources. Their influence was vibrant and important for my evolution.
Now, I find inspiration in the synergy (it’s all about synergy) between music and everyday life. I pay close attention to snippets of conversation overhead on the street or at stations.
Recently, I’ve developed a fascination for classic French movies, particularly the works of Jean-Luc Godard. After rewatching some of his movies, I’ve come to recognize them as foundational to my visual sensibilities. As a result, my wellspring of inspiration resembles the fluidity of flowing water.
"Details matter. They create depth, and depth creates authenticity." is one of my favourite quotes. Do you resonate with it?
Maria: That’s an interesting quote, and I resonate with it deeply. Seeing and doing things on the surface is easy and can give you the false sense that you see and understand everything. The real difference lies in the details. When you delve deeper, the details bring you into the present moment. It's like when you are rushing, everything is a blur.
There might be moments when that's okay, but a life lived like that isn’t meaningful. The details differentiate a professional from an amateur, something of quality from something mediocre.
In one way or another, in a deeper sense, it characterizes how we live our lives.
Could you please name some of your favourite collaborations, both Romanian and international?
Patricia: We’ve had numerous heartfelt collaborations, especially with local businesses. Contemporia is one of them and also one of the coolest businesses, and there’s a genuine synergy between our teams.
Caii de la Letea has been with us for a few years now, and we’re delighted to have them as partners.
And as I’m writing here, I’ve just opened Photoshop and am Editing photos for Libra Bank, a collaboration we’re really enthusiastic about.
I consider Philips Avent to be our most significant international client, a project that brought us both excitement and courage.
Maria: Absolutely. We have so many collaborations that I hold dear, each for different reasons. Some stood out because they challenged us with complex briefs and technical solutions we had to find.
Others were memorable for the freedom and trust they gave us, allowing us to create what we felt was most fitting for the brand. When we get this kind of "free rein" and can truly play with our creativity—play is really the right word—the energy and enthusiasm skyrocket.
We are fortunate to have such amazing clients who trust us and give us the freedom to innovate.
Some recent projects that come to mind are with Ricinus, Hollywood Multiplex, La Fleur Boheme, Lejere Boutique, and Haffge. We've had the pleasure of developing great relationships and long-lasting partnerships with many of our clients, and I am truly grateful for that.
Name some of your favourites Romanian and international photographers.
Patricia: Elliott Erwitt is my soulful photographer, and this connects to what I was saying earlier about finding inspiration in daily life, a subject he also pursues.
From Romania, I greatly admire Felicia Simion. She’s like a treasure chest brimming with emotions and ideas, and I’m fascinated by the sensitivity she exhibits. Moreover, she writes so beautifully that I can truly call her an artist, not just a photographer.
Maria: I have several favourites, each resonating with different parts of me. Right now, what comes to mind—I really love Delfina Carmona for my soul, but many more inspire me in various ways. Professionally, I’m obsessed with stop motions :D, and Huddl Studio is absolutely fantastic.
When I feel drained and distant from my artistic side, as happens sometimes, I like to recharge with really good artistic movies. Bergman is pure gold for me.
What does happiness mean to you now?
Patricia: I’m questioning myself too (laughing), but if I take a moment to think, I believe happiness is an emotion we can’t sustain constantly, it’s not realistic. However, we should be more aware and present when we feel it.
But to give a very simple answer, what makes me happy is traveling, smelling my dog’s scent, and being able to cook something delicious for loved ones. It seems simple, doesn’t it?
Maria: Happiness now is when I stop, when there's no more running. It's that feeling of "I've arrived."
It's the peace that comes from finding answers to lingering questions. It's a settled, gentle happiness that penetrates multiple layers of my being.
It's in the moments when I'm doing nothing, just simply being and observing, soaking in my own existence and the world around me 💛.
