Film fatale
Lea Duhaylungsod shoots old school, but sensually
By Fiona Patricia S. Escandor
LEA Duhaylungsod likes taking pictures of women, of women in bed sheets and having coffee, of women by the beach, filled with wanderlust. It speaks a lot about her, a 23-year-old photographer of few words, and of the things she adores.
She describes her works as sensual, with the women teasingly a little underdressed, clothed instead with that wistful saturation of color that only film photography can create. It shows their beauty at their simplest selves, she said. Lea has been using film for over three years now.
Her first camera was actually digital, something she got from her dad who also enjoys taking pictures, and an effect of the skyrocketing popularity of digital single-lens reflex cameras a few years back.
But somehow, Lea saw herself backtracking. She became fascinated with film, the careful practice it entails, the tricks on light and exposure, and its raw and emotive feel. It’s very challenging, she said. I love the thrill of it, the thrill of not knowing how the pictures will look like.
Leas collection of analog and instant cameras, with varying lenses and film dimensions, eventually grew over time. Part of her collection are known brands like Holga, La Sardina, Diana and Canonet, plus a bunch of single-lens reflex cameras, some she got from bargain shops downtown. Lea said she never got around to mastering photo editing software.
Lea still dabbles in digital photography occasionally, though. Some of her works have been published fashion editorials in Chalk Magazine, Sofis Mode in Sweden and local dailies. She has also done pictorials with the likes of bloggers Kryz Uy and Liz Dumdum, TV personality Blinky de Leon and Miss Philippines finalist Crislet Gerona.
“I have been part of Cebu Digital Photographers for five years now and Filmography Cebu,” Lea said.
Lea’s works can be found on her blog, an addictive chronicle of her photography projects and travel adventures the sporadic and spontaneous trips she takes by herself. I like exploring new places and blogging, she said.
A fearless, young beach bum, Lea enjoys backpacking to remote islands around the country, getting tan lines and making friends with the boat folks and tricycle drivers along the way.
She makes it a point to travel once a month. Some of the places she has visited on her own are the surrounding islands of Cebu, Caniago Island, Siargao, and towns in Leyte, Bohol and Negros.
I still have a lot of places to cross off my bucket list, she said. But Cebu will always be my favorite part of the world. Even if I have left this place for so many times, I always find myself coming home to Cebu.
Lea classifies photography as her serious hobby. When she’s not out on a quest for the perfect shot, Lea owns and runs the cutesy caf CMYK Dessert House alongside her cousin Vanessa Maliao. The name actually stands for Chocolate Makes You Kiss, but it can also be a reference to the owners’ film photography hobby.
Lea is a graduate of hotel and restaurant management from the University of San Carlos. She briefly did sales for a five-star hotel in Cebu prior to starting anew as an entrepreneur. And five years from now, she sees herself living in an island, taking pictures from sunrise to sunset.
It’s an intriguing lifestyle that will make you wonder how does she do it? With a short and sweet message, Lea replied, Keep shooting. There’s nothing worse than missing a single shot.
Find her online!
Blog: leagoeson.tumblr.com
Instagram: @leagoeson
Head Photographer: Stephen Suico | Asst. Photographer: Chris Oliver Ouano
Make-up Artist: Khymm Lam | Hair Stylist: Rica Ventic | Locale: Quest
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