#aleyn comprendio

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Aleyn Comprendio

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Image by Aleyn Comprendio

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Aleyn Comprendio

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WildWood Store & Instagram Inspiration

WildWood Store & Instagram Inspiration

So this has been my habit since I discovered Multiply years ago.  I would stay on a social networking site and search for new things that will inspire me.  It usually gets to a point where I really like everything I see on my feed until I get overwhelmed and confused then I start streamlining my feed.

I remember that when I started out with Instagrama few years back, I was following all still…

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ALEYN COMPRENDIO: Destinations and film rolls

As a photography enthusiast, having the best camera is only a secondary requirement in capturing a breathtaking photo. Photography is a special and unique form of art because it is the only one capable of stealing a millisecond of a moment that you can never revisit again.Photographer Aleyn Comprendio caught Prime Manila's eye because of the wonderful creative shots she executes in her photos. Aleyn shares with Prime Manila her story of how analog photography chose her, her humble beginnings and what she does when far (well, not really) from her camera.

When did you start taking photographs and what prompted this?

I started taking film photographs in the summer of 2010, quite accidentally actually when a friend of mine brought his film camera when vacationing in Iloilo and had me try it. I didn’t know what to make of it but I went for it anyway. My first roll was poorly exposed but still had that dreamy feel / effect to it that my friend insisted I keep the camera and shoot more. The rest is history, as they all say.

Prior to that, have been taking pictures using digital point and shoot cameras and dslr as early as 2005 for Friendster and Myspace purposes.

What are the different cameras you use and other gadgets related to photography?

Funny that I share this but I’ve never spent a cent for a camera ever in my life. All of the cameras I use were either freely given or borrowed.

I am using a beat-up Pentax K1000 that my aunt saw at a garage sale. The camera that my friend gave me was a Pentax ME and I have two Fuji Instax cameras that were also given to me. I’m blessed enough to be working in a photography and videography company and be surrounded by creative folks with all the latest cameras around that I could just borrow or rent, should the need arises. My only digital camera is the camera built in my iPhone.

What made you choose analog photography? 

I didn’t choose it, it chose me.

Before I started using film, my digital photographs have that dreamy/ film-like quality to them that I thought to myself why process to look like that when I can achieve it by shooting in an actual analog camera and save me from endless post-processing? Even with that thought, I still didn’t dare purchase an analog camera until it presented itself to me through my generous friends and family.

I didn’t research much about it but dove immediately because I was that excited to try my first roll. It took me about 3-4 rolls to achieve the quality and style that I like and though I’ve gone through troubles with my other rolls (eg. wrong loading, unsecured lock etc) and lost some memories that came along with it, it helped me understand and appreciate the process and the art of analog photography more because I experienced it first-hand.

Do you have any inspirational figures in different fields of art that you look up to?

Oh my! There are so many! Tim Walker, Yelena Yemchuk, Mary T.S. Schaffer, David Hamilton, Shona Heath, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion, and Orla Kiely to name a few.

You’ve been to so many places and different countries! Any food for the soul that you got from travelling?

I haven’t been to that many as compared to other people but thank you! There is no better advice than for inspiring people to travel and see the world. The places you will go, the people you will meet, the culture you will savour and the memories you will make will never amount to any tangible thing.

Other hobbies besides writing and photography?

I love doing sets and styling. My full time job is being the Creative Director for a photography and videography company that focuses on weddings and part of that is doing set design and styling.

I love thrifting for furnitures and accessories too as I have a deep love for interior design and I do that for work as well.

I like reading and perusing bookstores. My book and magazine-buying addiction is evident in this Instagram account.

I am fond of going to well-designed and curated cafes within Metro Manila and abroad where I take endless photos and post them on my main Instagram.

When I am not doing any of those things, I go to art fairs, exhibitions and music-related events.

What are your notable achievements in photography?

I have been blessed to be noticed by people and by the industry that I admire. My photos had been on the cover of a novel by a young Canadian author, album cover art by a Paris-based indie-folk band and I have been featured on The Philippine Star, Lomography.com, Vogue China online and have exhibited at one of my favourite places in Manila, Heima and other group exhibitions.

Top 5 travel destinations:

Since I have traveled mostly in Asia and have talked a bit about my travels on my blog, I'll list instead the places I would love to explore in the future

My top 5 would be:

Iceland

I have so long been wanting to go to that piece of heaven (I even tried learning Icelandic 6 years ago but failed tremendously)

Czech Republic

Ever since I started collecting postage stamps at age 10, I’ve always been fascinated by the Czechoslovakian ones and noted that I will one day be able to go there

Denmark

Because Hans Christian Andersen and The Faroe Islands

Peru

Two words: Machu Picchu

Germany

Because of the culture and the history

Get in touch with Aleyn through her Twitter and Facebook accounts!

- Jade Suarez

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"Here on Parallel Planets, we have a penchant for film photography. So here's another story about an analogue lover, Aleyn Comprendio from Iloilo, Philippines. Aside from featuring some of her lovely photographs, "Beyond the Flow of Time" tells about her inclination with childhood memories, contemporary fairy tales, and Prudence & Lucy." ― Parallel Planets Read and see more from this new story by Jofer Serapio: http://www.parallelplanets.com/2014/08/aleyn-comprendio-beyond-flow-of-time.html

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A Rose By Any Other Name

Maria was my grandmother's name. Margarita is from my Christian sister, Marga Koopmans, who has always been a shining beacon of hope and inspiration. Ann is from this Chinese painter who took me under her wing for no apparent reason and taught me the value of personal finances (among other things). Almira is Arabic for "princess" and "truthful" and is from a good friend back in 2007 who welcomed me into her world and first introduced me to the finer arts. Karina means "pure," a variation of the name "Catherine," and is from two friends: one a teenybopper from Iloilo who was a pretty good sidekick and the other a really attractive bridesmaid. Solita is, of course, from my writing soul mate who got her own name from her grandmother. Nokomis is from my first female best friend and the character from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Song of Hiawatha." The first letters of my daughter's name will read "Maxinne" (MAAKSN) and is from Filipino model/photographer Maxinne Sentina who has my favorite laughter.

I don't doubt that some creative person will see that Maxinne thing, calling Ina just that, or Max for short. Other nicknames I can think of at the top of my head are Mana (from Maria/Margarita + Karina/Ann [as Ana], Japanese actress Mana Ashida, and the Filipino word for "legacy"), Gary (from Margarita, also a nickname I have for Marga), Mira (from Almira and South Korean artist Mira Heo), Aria (from Maria and Arya Stark) and Alleine (from Almira + Karina, the Aklanon word for "what," Filipino photographer Aleyn Comprendio, and the phrase "all in" because my daughter's not going to do anything half-assed).

Some people might think that my daughter will hate me for giving her an extremely long name, but if she turns out to be anything like me, she'll focus more on the boundless opportunities of using a ton of nicknames. Besides, what's in a name?