Good day to you, and welcome to Maria’s little lighting palace.

Maria is the founder of EmberShade, an independent lighting art consultancy and mentor, dedicated to real-time lighting design in Unreal Engine 5.

Her practice centers on emotional architecture, cinematic storytelling, and technical mastery within interactive environments. She previously served as Principal Lighting Artist at Sharkmob London, Splash Damage, and Romero Games, contributing to AAA productions with a focus on in-game and cinematic lighting.

Over the past 14 years, Maria has worked across Asia, Europe, and North America, collaborating with leading studios on titles such as Far Cry, Robinson: The Journey, Star Citizen, Gears 5, and others. Her expertise spans hybrid and real-time lighting technologies, with deep experience in engines like Unreal and CryEngine.

Maria’s lighting journey began in 2007 as a fashion photographer and stage assistant. Since 2013, she has maintained a personal archive of lighting studies, tutorials, and creative experiments, offering insight into her evolving methodology and cross-disciplinary approach. Her work bridges intuitive artistry with forensic precision, positioning lighting as both expressive formula and technical practice.

Please see consultation for details of my knowledge-based lighting collaboration.