Meet Gaile Romanes | Photographer and Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gaile Romanes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gaile, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been entrepreneurial — not necessarily by choice at first, but by necessity. Growing up in the Philippines, so many products weren’t accessible to everyone, and even as a kid, that felt wildly unfair. I remember in 3rd grade, bringing an entire tub of gummy worms to school (a true luxury item at the time!) and reselling them to classmates during recess. It was an instant hit — not only were my prices better than the school store’s, but my gummy worms actually tasted better and came with a flavor/color choice. A win-win.

I also had a front-row seat to my mom’s Tupperware parties, which I think she hosted mostly for fun (and because everyone else was doing it). But I was totally hooked. The invites, the setup, the beautifully designed catalogs — I was fascinated by the whole dance of it. That was probably my first introduction to visual marketing.

Fast forward to college — I studied Nursing, but my true love at the time was skincare and makeup. I was obsessed with all the amazing local, small-batch products made with clean ingredients. The only problem? You had to get them from a million different places. So, right after finishing my degree, I became a reseller for some of my favorite local brands and set up an online store on Multiply (this was 2009 — way before e-commerce really took off in the Philippines). It was basically a mini-Sephora! I shipped all over the country and hand-delivered orders around Manila, often meeting fellow skincare nerds along the way. It was such a fun season.

Even while training to be a healthcare professional, I knew entrepreneurship would always be part of my adult life. Before I even graduated, I was dabbling in photography and photoshoot production, itching to make it official — but then life happened. I moved to the U.S. for work, and that dream had to wait a little.

Wanderlust Creatives, our wedding and lifestyle photography business, was born a few years later after I met my partner (in both life and business), Jei. We connected over choir and performing arts, bonded over a shared love of photography and film, and needed a creative outlet while navigating our healthcare careers. While planning our own wedding in 2014, we realized how few photographers matched the vibe we were looking for — colorful, whimsical, romantic, with a bit of nostalgia — and how few featured a truly diverse range of clients. So we said, “Why not us?”

At first, we were totally winging it — turning a shared skill into something more — but in hindsight, we were filling a real gap in the industry. Ten years later, we’ve grown so much, shared the most incredible moments with our couples, and now, with our first “baby” all grown up, we’re ready to start dreaming up the next venture.

As I mentioned, choir played a huge role in Jei’s and my life — it was quite literally our thing for years. What started as a fun hobby quickly became a shared passion. We loved everything about it: the performing, the visuals, the costumes, the production, the marketing. Looking back, I realize how deeply rooted it was in my own childhood, too. I was always singing — in church, in school, even in groups that performed on TV, in theaters, and at corporate events. None of it was paid, and I didn’t care. It was pure joy.

One of my favorite memories: in high school, a few friends and I formed a choir just to join a Christmas contest on a popular TV talk show. Honestly, we just wanted an excuse to hang out and maybe get a glimpse of a few celebrities. We didn’t expect much… but we ended up performing live on national TV, meeting the celebrity hosts, and scoring a free meal at a fancy hotel restaurant. We were 15- and 16-year-olds living the dream!

Fast-forward to adult life in the U.S.: Wanderlust Creatives is still going strong. It’s evolved with us, survived the pandemic with us, and for the past 7 years, it’s been our full-time livelihood. We’ve built a lifestyle around our love for travel, setting things up so we can leave L.A. for weeks or even months at a time. But over the past year or so, we’ve started to feel something shift — a craving for community and a desire to give back to one.

We’re incredibly proud of our Filipino heritage and have long been fascinated by the shared cultural threads across Southeast Asia — so much so that Jei even learned to speak Bahasa Indonesia. We’d occasionally sing with our Indonesian friends at church, but we never really started a group of our own. We didn’t want to create just another choir.

To be honest, a lot of traditional choir experiences can feel… exclusive. There’s often a focus on perfection over purpose, with weekly rehearsals and rigid expectations. Most concerts are filled with Western classical pieces that don’t always resonate with wider audiences. My perspective started to shift after helping organize a concert for The African Children’s Choir — their performances raised funds for education and moved people deeply. That, plus our experience singing with Voices for Social Justice (a seasonal, open-to-all choir with a real sense of mission), showed me what choral music could be.

That’s when we — along with a few like-hearted friends — founded Archipelago Vocal Project: a community-based, artist-led choral collective and non-profit organization celebrating Southeast Asian and Asian American heritage. We’re all about equity, inclusivity, and cultural pride, and we aim to create high-quality, accessible vocal experiences that uplift underrepresented voices. Through music, we hope to connect people, tell powerful stories, and inspire artistic and social change.

We’re also proudly low-commitment — a seasonal choir where everyone is welcome, there are no auditions, and we highlight Southeast Asian songs, composers, and arrangers. Every season, we invite a different choral conductor to bring their own magic to the mix. We just wrapped our debut concert, Songs for the Season, at the gorgeous Deco Building in Los Angeles this past holiday — and now, we’re gearing up for our spring 2025 show: Songs for Brighter Days! It’s been such a joy to watch this vision come to life, and we’re only getting started.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For the longest time, I felt a little shy calling myself this — but it’s true: I’m a multi-hyphenate creative and entrepreneur. Whether I’m photographing weddings, producing shoots, or singing in a choir, what ties it all together is this: I’m deeply intentional about community and collaboration. That’s what fuels me. It might not set me apart — thankfully, more and more creatives are leading with heart over hustle — but it’s what keeps me excited about the work I do and the future we’re building, one that’s less about profit and more about purpose.

With Wanderlust Creatives, our photography business, it’s been a wild and wonderful 10-year journey. We started out as hungry, say-yes-to-everything, 20-something immigrants figuring it all out — and over time, we grew into artists who are much more intentional with the stories we tell. I used to think that being an artist meant creating purely for yourself (and yes, there’s truth in that). But I’ve since found so much joy in the push and pull of commissioned work — especially wedding photography — where you get to express your own vision and create images your clients truly love. That’s the sweet spot: honoring your creativity while delivering something meaningful to others.

Of course, getting here wasn’t easy. It took a lot of trial and error, learning how to communicate with people from all walks of life, and taming our egos along the way. But we stuck it out. We’ve learned how to write a better email, how to market our work, how to streamline our editing workflow, and — most importantly — how to work (and live!) with a business partner who also happens to be your spouse. 😂

One lesson I keep coming back to is this: inspiration doesn’t just appear — you have to seek it out. Creative blocks happen, but when you actively feed your imagination through travel, writing, community work, watching films, walking in nature, or simply making time for joy, you keep your creative fire burning. That’s why we don’t lock ourselves into a single look or style. Our work is intentionally eclectic, collaborative, emotional, fun, and always evolving.

That same intention to stay inspired is what led us to build something entirely new: Archipelago Vocal Project. On the surface, it started as a fun way for Jei and me to sing with friends outside of work. But it’s grown into something we’re incredibly proud of — a space that uplifts our community and offers a creative outlet for Southeast Asian and Asian American singers.

Yes, it was intimidating at first — we’re not professional musicians. But our experience building a creative business helped us navigate the many moving parts of launching a nonprofit. We leaned on the tools already available, asked for help when we needed it, and built something rooted in collaboration and joy.

If there’s one thing we’d love the world to know about Archipelago Vocal Project, it’s this:

Archipelago Vocal Project is more than a choir — it’s a joyful, inclusive space that celebrates Southeast Asian and Asian American heritage through song.

We’re a seasonal, no-audition choral collective where everyone is welcome. Each season, we spotlight Southeast Asian composers and arrangers, invite a new guest conductor, and create performances that are heartfelt, community-centered, and totally unpretentious.

Also? We always have food at rehearsals and concerts. Always. 😄

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting LA for a week, I’d start us off in the Eastside — where the city feels creative, cozy, and quietly cool. We’d check into a boutique-y hotel or a charming Airbnb near Eagle Rock or Silver Lake — somewhere with character, vintage furniture, and good natural light, obviously. First stop: caffeine and plant therapy at Creatures Plants and Coffee, one of my favorite hidden gems for a tea or matcha surrounded by greenery. After that, we’d pop into Vidiots for some nostalgic film finds and vintage flick energy, then spend the afternoon slowly wandering along Eagle Rock Blvd. and Colorado Blvd., checking out local bookstores, ceramic studios, and gift shops. Dinner would be casual but delicious — maybe some comfort food with flair at Lola Café, or small bites and craft beer at Relentless Brewery. It’s the kind of day that feels unhurried, warm, and full of small joys — exactly how I’d want to welcome someone to LA.

The next day would be all about art and aesthetics. We’d start with a perfect coffee at Maru in the Arts District, then gallery-hop through Hauser & Wirth before wandering ROW DTLA to browse beautifully curated design shops like Hightide and Kinto Store. Lunch would be a vegan Thai feast at Satdha, and we’d save the afternoon for a visit to The Broad, squeezing in that iconic Kusama selfie. That evening: dinner at Bavel, because the food is unforgettable and the interiors are chef’s kiss.

Midweek, I’d take them to Old Town Pasadena — one of my favorite places to slow down and soak in some charm. We’d start with iced matcha lattes at Intelligentsia and do a little window shopping, then make a quick pit stop at my favorite Erewhon branch in Pasadena for one of their infamous (but honestly, so good) smoothies and a few too-pretty-to-eat snacks. From there, we’d head to Pasadena City Hall for a mini photoshoot session — because yes, those arches and courtyards are that photogenic. Lunch would be at Bone Kettle, where the flavors beautifully blend Indonesian and Filipino comfort food — it’s the kind of meal that feels like a warm hug. For dessert, we’d head to Motto Tea Café for fluffy Japanese pancakes, creative teas, and some solid bestie convos.

Another afternoon would be all about culture and connection: brunch at Kusina Filipina or Big Boi for Filipino food with heart, coffee from Kindness & Mischief, and a visit to Fowler Museum or, if we time it right, Philippine Expressions Bookshop. Later that day, we’d head into Chinatown to explore its art galleries, quirky gift shops, and the historic charm of the neighborhood. Just a short walk away, Los Angeles State Historic Park is one of my favorite hidden gems — the skyline views at golden hour are next-level. We’d wrap up the day with dinner at Lasita or some dim sum if we’re craving comfort.

No week in LA is complete without some coastal magic, so we’d spend a full day driving down the PCH to Malibu. Brunch at Malibu Farm, beach time at El Matador, and a sunset stroll by the water would be our little escape. Back in the city, we’d spend a day creatively recharging at Huntington Library & Gardens (especially the cactus garden and Japanese pavilion), then go on a bookstore crawl — The Last Bookstore, Lost Books, Stories, Now Serving LA. Dinner that night would be a treat-yourself moment at Osteria Mozza, or a tasting menu at n/naka if I managed to score a res!

And because my world wouldn’t be complete without it, we’d spend one evening dropping into Archipelago Vocal Project rehearsal — I’d introduce them to my choir fam, we’d sing, laugh, and probably eat too much post-rehearsal hot pot at Boiling Point or grab boba at Wushiland.

For our final day, we’d keep things sweet and simple. Morning pastries and brunch at Republique, a lake walk through Echo Park, and maybe a joyride on Angels Flight just for kicks. Before their flight, we’d pick up a banh mi or donut from Donut Friend for the road — and stop at Artbook at Hauser & Wirth for a little souvenir to remember the week by.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who’ve helped shape the path that brought us here — from my preschool piano teacher who first sparked my love for music, to the many choirs I joined over the years that sharpened my skills in reading music and vocal technique. But if I had to shine a light on one especially full-circle moment, it would be with a mentor-turned-friend: April Rae “Sunddie” Manalo.

I first met Sunddie growing up in our small town of Baesa in the Philippines. She was at least a decade older than me, so we weren’t exactly peers — she was more of an Ate (older sister figure), someone I looked up to from afar. Our paths crossed often — our families were close, we saw each other at church, and I vividly remember her staying at our house once. But what really stuck with me were the vocal coaching lessons I had with her in high school. She didn’t just help me technically — she gave me the confidence to truly explore my voice, and to imagine what singing (especially in choir) could mean for my life.

I ended up applying to the same university she went to (though I chose a different major) and even joined the same university choir she had been part of. Over the years, I kept tabs on her journey — both of us eventually moved to the U.S., pursued careers in healthcare, and still found our way back to music, often running into each other at random choir gigs or events.

And then came the most serendipitous twist: when we launched Archipelago Vocal Project, we asked her to be our very first guest conductor — and she said yes! Those weeks of working together were such a gift. We got to catch up, reminisce, and dream up what could be. Having Sunddie lead our very experimental, passion-driven choir felt just like those early lessons — full of encouragement, validation, and so much joy. She brought out the best in all of us and helped set the tone for what Archipelago Vocal Project could grow into.

Honestly, I’m getting chills just writing this. Life has a wild way of coming full circle — and I’m so grateful for all the people who show up at just the right time, like Sunddie did.

Website: https://www.wanderlustcreatives.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archipelagovocalproject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568944175433

Other: Instagram for Wanderlust Creatives:
www.instagram.com/wanderlustcreatives

Image Credits
Wanderlust Creatives, Zaidsdead