MARINA MACHADO … •☾• … CAKE ARTIST
As people who had Italian & French Cheese Wheel Towers to cut for their own wedding, not once, but twice {we got married in Australia and in Germany in 2014 and 2015 and had Italian & French cheese towers at both of them}, it’s quite obvious that Doruk and I were not that much into cakes. We always loved cheeses with their traditions and strong connection to the place where the milk comes from {taste being influenced by the local herbs that the cows were eating etc.} and the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into making them. Sugar and cakes not so much. No cake seemed to get us excited at all the weddings we photographed. Lumps of sugar, covered with flowers to try and make it look good and always too much icing. Usually ‘pretty’ and on-trend at the time, but not evoking any emotions whatsoever.
But then we met Marina Machado and she re-defined our entire concept of what cakes can be. This Brazilian firecracker has completely cured us of our cheese-over-cake snobbery. She bakes, she cooks, she sculpts, has a serious chef-background and pays proper homage to her Brazilian heritage with the best dance moves in her kitchen in Mount Tamborine. This woman is unafraid to look at the world, people and places in depth, incessantly chasing inspiration and truth. Her cakes have depth and stories weaved into their many layers. They are pure art and it blows our minds that she makes her works of art available to freshly married couples to add to their wedding day.
Marina personally delivers every single cake she creates, whether the wedding is in Sydney, in Brisbane or at a remote estate in the Byron Bay Hinterland. She pops them into her mobile, temperature-controlled cake fridges and conquers any mountain road up a windy road with potholes and any airplane trip to make sure her cakes arrive in perfect condition. Her level of dedication, knowledge and artistry feels like medicine to our souls in this industry where each day new people pop up who think ‘weddings are where the money is’ and who try to ‘cash in’ on the market without actually adding their soul into it or investing into proper education.
If you have booked your wedding with us, you know that we recommend Marina to every single couple who books us. She is listed as a recommended vendor in our booking confirmation email to put all our couples on the right track from the outset {amongst some other favourites of ours who stand out in their respective disciplines}.
When Marina asked us to photograph a collection of her cakes, interpreting them in our own way, we were more than happy to oblige. What we didn’t know was that our photos would have a massive impact on Marina in return… We set up a tablescape at our favourite The Black Brisbane in Albion with blooms by our love Haylee from Huckleberry Flowers, Styling by the beautiful Rachael from Society Lane and candles from Studio Billie. Doruk set up his strobes and light and then we all stepped to the side and let him work his magic. When Marina saw the final edited photos, this was her reaction:
”How can you read the soul of a cake like I do?
I have never experienced that level before - photographers sharing the idea of a cake with me! Without myself even giving you an idea of the story behind each cake.
Quiet, beautiful, and with a deep connection.
Thank you both for such beauty and freedom you made me feel.
I will need to wait a little for my heart to settle, so I can write about this on social media.
Art is a representation of who we are, everything we carry from life. The beauty, the ugly, all mixed up in a translation of something tangible. And I learnt to stop hiding the ugly, accepting it, and seeing the beauty in it. Evolving and being free to simply be. Therefore, my art has the bright side and the dark side. Opposites intertwining. Yin and Yang composition and flow.
Until today, I have met 2 Photographers who can really photograph the dramatic, artful part of my cakes. You know, those people who actually get it, that touch the soul of my cakes and who enhance its traces with their creativity and gift. Pure synergy.
You took my breath away. I am truly honoured and very humbled to have the opportunity to work alongside you both and to have you capturing the essence of the unexpected on my cakes, with drama and beauty, an intense dance with sophistication and an arty flair, without hiding or diminishing the story they are screaming.”
Being published in Vogue was less of a career highlight than this. Pure play. Understanding each other as artists without words. Communicating through our respective mediums of sculptural cakes and photography. Thank you, Marina, for becoming our friend, and for letting us have this creative exchange with you. Our souls were nourished and our hearts were happy.
If you’re planning your wedding, please know that there are a lot of ‘fun’ new vendors out there who just turned their hobby into a business and who will likely do an okay job for you at a no-brainer budget. Well, we are not that. We are going in all the way, for every client, and so is every single vendor who we recommend. We believe in putting your soul into your work and putting in the hours and the years, developing real craftsmanship and providing reliably epic service from a deep place within ourselves. It’s what we’re here for - to create, to dig deep and to truly connect.
We will let the images speak for themselves. Enjoy. xx
… •☾• …
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For Wedding Photography enquiries, please hit the button below and fill in our contact form to check availability for your date and receive your offer letter within a few hours. We have 10 years experience in anything from intimate elopements, complex traditional weddings to multi-day love festivals and we cover elopements, weddings and more all over Australia, Europe and the world.
If you’re interested in learning more about our other services for:
• Exquisite Fine Food & Winery Photography
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we’d love to hear from you via email: lovelenscapes@gmail.com
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