When in Cebu
This was one of those shoots where everything just aligned.
I was visiting Cebu, and my friend Jessica — who always seems to know someone — arranged a session with a group of local fashion designers. They had created modern takes on the Filipiniana and wanted to see them come to life on film. Not a catalog shoot — something a little softer, more personal.
Darleen was the model. We didn’t know each other, but there was an ease to working with her. She moved with quiet confidence, and had this stillness about her that worked perfectly with the space — an old home with light filtering through wooden windows, lace curtains, and iron bars.
We shot this in the 1870 Jesuit House in Cebu — one of the city’s oldest standing structures, tucked inside a hardware store and filled with stories. It was the perfect setting for something rooted in tradition but interpreted with feeling.
I used my Leica M7 with a Voigtländer Nokton 50mm. No flash, no reflectors. Just film and patience.
⚙️
Tech Notes:
- Camera: Leica M7
- Lens: Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.5
- Film: Ilford Delta 400
- Light: Natural window light only
- Location: 1870 Jesuit House, Cebu
- Scan: High-res scan from original 35mm negatives
Filipiniana-inspired fashion, soft window light, and the kind of calm you can’t pose into being.