2016—first ever test shoot with Bronija Ales, who I had met almost in passing during a basic linesheet shoot. My growing love for cinematic fashion all began through a series of test shoots with the wife Meg Manzano, who introduced me to Nicole Ceballos, who became my core makeup artist. Since this one shoot, we’ve grown together and independently as creatives and professionals in the industry.

For this test shoot, we had Meg styling and art directing, Nix for makeup, Carlo Umipig for hair, and Bronija as our muse. We borrowed an old Benz of our friend Roxanne Montano, and revolved the theme of the shoot around the classy aesthetic of the car. Bronija was the perfect muse for this shoot, as if she was a time traveler from 1967.

This was our last layout, taken at around 5pm. Initially shot without any “rain” and just ambient light from outside and the door light, we threw in the water and studio light as the set looked too plain and the background had visible distractions. The shoot through umbrella was set to help define the rain. I dialed down the aperture to 1.8 to keep the details foggy, and kept the shutter low to invite some minimal blur. The door light stayed on to compliment to the cinematic atmosphere, while we kept the door across Bronija open to provide more light. Back then, the Sony A7Rii was still the latest model, so shooting at ISO 2500 was me testing out the noise reduction of the brand; boy it did not disappoint.

Photography by Artu Nepomuceno, assisted by Ignacio Gador
Styling and Direction by Meg Manzano
Makeup by Nicole Ceballos
Hair by Carlo Umipig
Musing by Bronija Ales