Marko Mihaljević, a professional photographer with years of experience in architecture photography, and Ivana Valter, set stylist and owner of Studio 7, are a duo who are connecting knowledge, experience, and ambition to create visual stories for luxury brands, clients in hospitality, and charter agencies.
Ivana and Marko provide clients with customised services for visual content created according to the highest standards of quality and with a tailored approach. In other words, they created FAB.
What is FAB and how did the idea come about to start this boutique agency?
After several completed projects, we realised the same client needs were constantly arising, but there were no offers on the market that encompassed the sought-after services.
In short, we realised our clients are asking us to create visual content, i.e., photographs and videos, but that they often lack experience and on a daily basis, we resolve thousands of issues tied to aspects of planning and organising the production of visual content.
FAB is a summation of these experiences, and a result of years of work, it is the moment when we stop simply being people who photograph a space, and we become a team advising clients on the whole path that needs to be taken for visual content to be excellent.
On a daily basis, we resolve thousands of issues tied to aspects of planning and organising the production of visual content.
FAB offers video and photography services. These base services are regularly supplemented with art direction for projects, soft decoration of spaces, and, as a rule, production services. What does production imply?
In our projects, production – as a very broad term – means collaborating with casting agencies to find models or actors, bringing stylists, hair and make-up artists on board, planning the entire transport for the team and equipment, and developing the log book for the shoot.
Every successful project starts with good planning, and at this stage of forming the budget, our role is to ask clients the right questions, so they can get the greatest value for their money.
You are pioneers of this kind of service in the region, and the demand for this type of agency is growing.
That is correct, clients are more and more educated, they know what they want, and they recognise the importance of visual branding. What has proven key to FAB’s success is that we include the client in our creative process and together with them we create materials which they are satisfied with.
We listen to what the client wants, we brainstorm with them, and we advise them. We are, in fact, an extension of the client, part of their workforce, that is, their creative force.
The common theme of our projects is always the harmony of human beings with the space around them. Whether the subject of a project is a hotel, a boat, or a piece of furniture, we always draw energy from the space, which forms the backbone of our aesthetics. Our task is to feel the essence and convey it to the end user in an authentic way.
What is the philosophy behind FAB?
We believe in solutions that are created not only as a result of careful consideration but also as a result of feeling and observation. The common theme of our projects is always the harmony of human beings with the space around them.
Whether the subject of a project is a hotel, a boat, or a piece of furniture, we always draw energy from the space, which forms the backbone of our aesthetics.
Our task is to feel the essence and convey it to the end user in an authentic way. We would even go so far as to say that we want to guide the end user to look at the space around them or the object they have in front of them so they might get to know it better and see its beauty.
Business-wise, in our cooperation with clients, our philosophy is to always be a partner and an ally, so that we are more than just a supplier completing a task.
We are guided by the principle that everything we do, we do with passion and the desire to get the best results because as long as we apply ourselves in this way, it all makes sense in the end.
Who are your most common clients?
Our clients typically include a diverse range such as small start-ups, family-run businesses, domestic well-known brands with renowned careers both in domestic and foreign markets, private investors, established companies with years of experience, as well as big corporations.
The greatest appeal comes from the fact that each client brings a different energy, we undertake a different creative process with each of them, which gives us the greatest motivation and passion for what we do. Clients such as Hidde, Grupa, Bluesun Hotels, Amadria, Maistra, Le Meridien…
We don’t believe in ready-made briefs that are used to simply ‘complete’ the job, our goal is to fully understand the values that the client represents.
Why is visual branding of particular importance nowadays?
We live in a digital age where everything is very fast-paced, easily available, and constantly changing. In just a few clicks, you can see what your holidays will look like on the Italian coast or in Istria or anywhere else in the world…
With a few clicks, you can visualise how to furnish your home, which furniture to pick, and how to equip your villa or holiday house. You can see what food the hotel you want to visit offers, or the most beautiful locations at your destination, the coves where you will spend time with your family and friends.
This is possible because nowadays, everything is visually based and easily available online…If you don’t approach it seriously, you are losing out on the opportunity for a guest or customer to choose you.
In our opinion, the topic is no longer why is photography important, but rather how can a brand present itself, and what it offers, in the best way using photography.
Each boat has its own form, and each form is a story and feeling in and of itself. Our task is to capture the best possible photograph, and the best photograph is one that showcases this form in the best light.
What is the greatest challenge when photographing yachts?
The greatest challenge when photographing yachts is the constant change that is omnipresent when you are at sea, whether out at open sea or in a bay.
At the same time, the constant change of the sea, the sky, and the wind is what’s most beautiful about photographing yachts. The natural elements are ceaselessly changing, forcing you and the boat to adapt.
Each plan is a brilliant plan, until Jugo starts blowing (SE wind), or you sail into a bay where you had planned to shoot, but you realise a fleet of sailboats has anchored, and you quickly need to switch to plan B or C.
The sea and boats have taught us that a good plan is the basis of everything, but one has to be flexible, creative, and organised to react correctly in a moment of change, keeping in mind the end result.
Each boat has its own form, and each form is a story and feeling in and of itself. Our task is to capture the best possible photograph, and the best photograph is one that showcases this form in the best light.
Achieving this requires focused observation, drone flights above and around the boat, as well as taking several trips with the tender around the boat so as to capture the right moment, the right light, and the emotion in the form of the boat.
Photos Marko Mihaljević
Video FAB
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