MEET MARIYA & RICARDO

Mariya Shupenya

Professional Photographer | Professional High End Photography Retoucher

I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, a city where art, music and visual culture have always been part of my world.

My journey, however, began in medicine, a path that taught me to observe people deeply, to understand emotion, and to notice the beauty hidden in small, quiet details.

When I moved to Portugal, I discovered a new world filled with opportunity and creative freedom. It was here that I met Ricardo, a filmmaker, and together we built not only a life, but a shared vision for storytelling and imagery.

We first created Beyond Creative, and later Ricardo & Mary Pictures — a space where our creative languages could merge into one.

Over time, I dedicated myself fully to photography and artistic retouching, shaping a visual style that is sensitive, honest and emotionally driven.

Through my work, I seek to capture lightness — real, unposed moments filled with emotion, connection and energy. I am drawn to natural storytelling, where families and couples can simply be themselves, without direction or formality.

I believe photography should reflect love in its purest form and reveal the beauty in every person, exactly as they are.

Today, I create alongside Ricardo — supporting each other, growing together, and building stories that matter.

From heart to heart — this is how I see and photograph the world.

Ricardo Silva

Cinematographer | Director | VFX

I was born in Portugal, in Caldas da Rainha, where sound and image quickly became my way of understanding the world.

I graduated in Sound and Image, specialising in multimedia and visual effects a path that led me into the world of cinema, where light, sound and emotion come together to tell stories.

Over the years, I’ve worked in film and audiovisual production, across documentaries, interviews, music videos and commercial productions. Today, alongside our work in weddings, Mariya and I continue to collaborate on commercial projects, bringing together our cinematic and visual language across different creative fields.

Along this journey, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with institutions such as the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, experiences that shaped both my technical craft and artistic vision.

In 2020, during the pandemic, Mariya and I founded Beyond Creative — a production house focused on photography and film for brands. Later, we created Ricardo & Mary Pictures, a more personal project, rooted in emotion, connection and the stories that truly matter.

I believe every couple has its own rhythm, energy and presence — and that is what guides my work. No two films are the same, because no two stories are.

My purpose goes beyond documentation. 

I create films that are felt — honest, cinematic and enduring, shaped by emotion and the quiet beauty of real moments.