Each day as dawn breaks in the Bolivian cities of La Paz and El Alto, roughly 3,000 individuals of all ages take to the streets wearing masks to hide their faces, secretly earning money by shining shoes. The stigma attached to this particular labour is so severe that many feel compelled to conceal their faces and work anonymously. As such, they’re unprotected and living on the margins, beyond the state. When Uruguayan photographer and activist Federico Estol heard about this unique social phenomenon, he felt compelled to find out more about this community of undercover workers, hidden yet united by their masks. Further investigation revealed an “amazing story”.

“This urban tribe is distinguished by wearing ski masks so they cannot be identified by acquaintances,” Estol explains. “The discrimination they face is fought with these masks; no one in their neighbourhood knows what their job is. They hide it at school, and even their own families think they have a different job when they go from El Alto to the city centre. They leave home as ordinary workers and store their tools and shoe polish at the associations where they have lunch and clean their hands before heading back home.”

Estol began developing ideas for projects he could work on with this overlooked community. He wanted to dignify their labour and raise awareness while working on a scheme that could provide some actual material assistance. His attempts to penetrate the world of the shoe shiners led him to Hormigón Armado, a monthly newspaper produced by a social organisation which helps the shoe shiners to earn additional income. Estol had the idea to collaborate with the newspaper to create a special edition of the paper and a flyer, and his project Shine Heroes was born – a photo series to elevate public perception of the shoe shiners, as well as to help them feel more empowered and less ashamed of their work.

Firstly, he realised he needed to change the negative implications of the ski mask, which many people associated with crime. Inspired by superheroes with double identities and alter egos, Estol began working with a group of 60 shoe shiners to create portraits of them posed as comic book heroes. “We built a collage storyboard on the everyday life of Los Heroes del Brillo – the Shine Heroes. This inspired the narrative for the final photobook,” he says.

“To pretend the shoe shiners had superpowers, we thought it would be a good idea to use the camera flash from inside the sleeves of their jackets,” he told Dazed. “They would have loved to use a laser, but it was pretty difficult to get one. We used what we already had in a very home-made way: a camera flash with small mirrors.”

The effect is arresting, as flashes of light and plumes of coloured smoke add a striking element to the portraits. Estol’s series transforms the shoe shiners by transporting them out of their everyday reality and, in the process, encourages us as viewers to recalibrate our perception. “Using the camera flash to pretend they had superpowers hid the ink on their fingers –  something people used to see as shabby and denigrating,” he says. “They wore suits donated to the Hormigón Armado organisation, and, among other touches, we added smoke to the shots of the villain by placing sparklers on his arms. Making the project was very enjoyable; the group felt proud throughout the artistic process.”

Estol’s practice as a storyteller, activist and artist has had a tangible effect on those involved. His co-production of visual narratives is founded on the principle of addressing and changing injustices or inequalities. “Now the social transformation is happening with these 60 workers not only in the new visibility shared with the citizens, but also in their daily income,” he tells Dazed. Beyond the portraits, the scheme has evolved into merchandise and even a new business. “We have created more products to sell, such as a rap CD, toys, calendars, postcards, and last year we opened a restaurant called Lustra Gourmet. All these actions are financed by the circulation of the project in the global photo industry ecosystem.”

As the KG＋SELECT Award 2025 Winner, Federico Estol’s Shine Heroes was on display at Kyotographie 2026.