Soft Portraits & Sweeping Landscapes – Paco Manalo Takes on the Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens

Paco Manalo is a content creator and photographer who finds joy in experimenting with new gear and capturing life’s little moments. When he first tried the Lomography Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens, he was instantly drawn to its vintage charm and the dreamy portraits it created – a lens that felt as full of character as his own photography journey.

In this interview, he shares photos taken during a meaningful trip in Laiya, Batangas in the Philippines, and creative street portraits with friend and model Lianne Cruz using the Art Lens.

Hello, Paco! Welcome to the Lomography Magazine. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself?

Hi! I’m Paco. I’m a senior content developer at an I.T. company, and I’ve been creating e-learning materials, videos, and other digital content for about 10 years now. But outside of work, photography is where my heart really is. I started with portraits, but lately I’ve been spending more time out on the streets capturing everyday life.

How did your journey as a YouTuber begin?

It actually took me some time to get started. It was around 2017 when I got the idea to start YouTube but I got stuck in research limbo and didn't start until 2019. Then the pandemic happened and it was tough to go around and do things. I started for several reasons really; to document parts of my life, to share my passion for photography, to learn how to shoot and edit videos, and even understand analytics.

Outside of YouTube, what are the things you love to do every day?

Coffee! I can't function without coffee. I'm not a coffee snob. Instant, brewed, or however it's made, I just need my dirty bean water fix.

When did you first get into photography? And what kind of cameras or gear do you find yourself reaching for the most?

My fascination with photography started as a kid. My dad had this film camera I played around with. I didn't into it until around 2011. I had a friend who had a couple of Nikon DSLRs and a couple of Lumix cameras. He also had a plethora of vintage lenses adapted to them. I got my first camera in 2016 as a gift from my partner. Currently I use a Sony a7iii. My go-to lens for portraits is currently the Lomography Petzval 55mm f/1.7 MKII. My everyday carry is the TTArtisan 50mm F2.

You recently tried out our Nour Triplet Art Lens. Where did you take it on your first shoots?

I went to the beach for the weekend and tried using it there. I quickly realized that it felt like more of a portrait lens. At least that's where I fell in love using it. A friend of mine, Lianne, models for me and we went around the city taking photos.

What was your first impression when mounting the Nour Triplet Art Lens? Did anything about it surprise you compared to modern lenses you usually review?

It looks like an interesting lens. Very steampunk looking. A couple of other people mentioned that when they saw me using the lens. I think it's cool that it can switch from soft, classic, and bubble. Classic has amazing performance in terms of sharpness and color rendition. Bubble gives that bubble bokeh effect.

But I have to say I love the soft look. We took a few shots at the start of a shoot switching from soft to classic to bubble. When we were looking at the photos we were like 'yup...we're shooting in soft for the entire shoot'. We loved the look that much.

How did the lens transform your perspective when shifting from intimate portraits to sweeping landscapes?

64mm is a very unusual focal length. I had to step back or shoot through foreground. Normally for landscapes we have an unobstructed sweeping view. But with this I'd shoot through the leaves of a tree or a branch. It made it feel like you were there in the end result.

Your beach photos carry such a sense of place and feeling. What stories live behind those frames?

Oh, there is a very interesting personal story behind that. I'm part of a team of content developers and our former manager who resigned 2 years ago, always kept in touch. She changed the lives of everyone on the team in more ways than one.

She planed a trip to visit, flew in from the US, and that was the weekend we had at the beach. It's crazy because a storm came in that week and we had a 2- to 3-day window at the beach where the rain barely reached us. The beach was in Laiya, Batangas.

After shooting with it, what kind of photographer or filmmaker do you think would really click with this lens? And would you use it again in your own projects?

I think people who enjoy the look of vintage lenses or lenses with a lot of character will gravitate to this lens. The soft look can also compliment "light and airy" edits. Definitely amazing for portraits.

Tell us about your creative dynamic with Lianne - how did the two of you bring the shoot to life?

Lianne is just amazing model. We've been shooting for a few years now and she is just very easy to shoot with as she knowns her angles and poses. I reached out to her telling her about this lens I'd have to test out and asked if she was interested in doing a shoot. She was enthusiastic to do a shoot so I created a mood board, trying for find photos that had the same qualities from the Nour Triplet Art Lens. Not easy to do since I didn't have the lens yet at that time.

I checked the Lomography website for photos that used the lens, used them as reference shots on the mood board. Lianne is very creative and the kind of model that communicates ideas for the shoot. We'd take a shot, review it, and she'd pitch an idea or two and we'd go try that out. The weather was challenging, but I think the photos came out real nice.

Finally, can you share one of your favorite photos you captured with the Nour Triplet Art Lens?

This was literally the first photo from the shoot. There are a few others but this photo is what amazed me and showed me what the lens can do

Thank you for sharing your experience using the Art Lens Paco! See more of his video reviews in his YouTube account.

written by reineso on 2025-11-04 #gear #videos #in-depth #manila #philippines #batangas #portraits #nour-triplet-art-lens #paco-manalo Share Article