The Portrait Architects Behind The Lounge Booth, Hollywood’s Sought-After Photography Service

In California, Filipino creatives Leo Cabal and Charles Guinto turned a pandemic experiment into one of Hollywood’s sought-after event experiences, working with brands such as Netflix, Disney, and Universal Pictures.

In an era where every event is designed for the camera, Leo Cabal and Charles Guinto have built a business around an old-fashioned idea: making people feel seen.

The co-founders of The Lounge Booth have photographed everyone from wedding guests and creatives to executives and celebrities, transforming red carpets, brand activations, and cultural gatherings into an editorial experience. Their images have become fixtures for events for brands including Netflix, Disney, Universal Pictures, Spotify, and Apple. Yet for Cabal and Guinto, success is measured less by the caliber of the client than by a reaction they hear over and over again: “Wait, that’s me?”

“We don’t just capture moments,” the pair often says. “We give people confidence.” The sentiment feels particularly fitting for two founders whose own story is rooted in reinvention.

Long before The Lounge Booth became a fixture in Hollywood’s experiential marketing scene, Cabal and Guinto were freelance photographers navigating weddings, fashion shoots, commercial campaigns, and creative gigs where they could find them. Like many independent creatives, they learned by saying yes.

“As freelancers, we never wanted to limit ourselves to one niche,” Cabal explains. Each project demanded a new skill: working with different personalities, solving problems in real time, or adapting to unfamiliar environments. That versatility would later become the foundation of their business.

For Guinto, weddings taught him how to operate inside emotionally charged, fast-moving environments. Fashion photography sharpened his eye for imagery that felt elevated and aspirational. Commercial work taught him how to translate a client’s vision into something tangible. Looking back, he sees those experiences converging in The Lounge Booth, a company that sits somewhere between hospitality, storytelling, and photography.

Then came the pandemic. Like countless professionals in the events industry, both men watched their calendars empty almost overnight. What followed became part of The Lounge Booth lore: a challenge from a friend to bring the energy and aesthetics of a fashion shoot into a live-event environment. The experiment debuted at a wedding. One attendee reportedly looked at the final images and declared, “This isn’t a photo booth. This is a photo shoot.” That distinction would eventually become the company’s calling card.

Since launching, the company has transformed from a two-person experiment into a full-scale production studio that has covered hundreds of events and generated millions of impressions. Their client roster reads like a snapshot of contemporary culture: entertainment giants, luxury brands, music platforms, and industry institutions.

Yet amid the growth, Cabal and Guinto remain connected to the values that shaped them as children of immigrant families. They frequently describe hospitality as the invisible framework behind their work. Growing up Filipino, they explain, meant growing up around community. Today, that ethos informs everything from how they manage teams to how they welcome guests onto a set.

“The Lounge Booth has never been just about photography,” they say. “It’s about creating spaces where people feel welcomed, supported, and connected.”

Their Filipino identity has also informed how they think about representation. As young creatives, they rarely saw Filipino entrepreneurs leading major campaigns or building companies with cultural influence. Now, working alongside some of the world’s largest brands, they see visibility as only part of the equation.

“Representation means showing the next generation that they don’t have to choose between ambition and identity,” they explain. “It’s not just about being present in those spaces. It’s about helping create opportunities for others to enter them too.”

Together, the two founders form a complementary partnership. Guinto focuses on vision, creative direction, and long-term strategy; Guinto oversees operations, partnerships, and execution. Both credit the other for helping shape the company they have become.

Still, despite the scale of their business, the essence of The Lounge Booth remains simple. Not every guest arrives feeling camera-ready. Many step in front of the lens carrying the same anxieties that accompany any photograph: uncertainty, self-consciousness, doubt. Cabal and Guinto understand that. Perhaps that is why they have built an entire business around dismantling those feelings.

In a culture obsessed with visibility, Cabal and Guinto have found a way to make being seen feel personal. And that, more than any photograph, may be their most enduring creation.