Photography for the launch of the modernist was such a great day. I knew the photographer, Jon Holloway, from some corporate headshots he did for me. He is amazing to work with and he found a super venue for us over in Hackney.
A very full day was planned as I wanted to get the main shot for the modernist as well as a few pictures of me. I also wanted to get a main shot for the next fragrance - and that's when it got weird…
…the image I wanted was an everyday object but shot in a way that made it eerie. The more you looked at it, the creepier it got. Like an old house you look at from the outside and sense there's something going on behind the windows; that you're being watched and you don't want to go in.
We found a fireplace that straddled the corner of a room. The floorboards were at a different angle to the walls and the wallpaper was Escher-like. It called to both Jon and I.
Jon started doing his magic - I love the way he can sense light and use the equipment as an extension of his aesthetic without it ruling him. After a few test shots, he began lining up the frame.
Or at least he tried to.
Every time the line was set and Jon looked up at the fireplace and back down at the camera, the line had changed. It was as if the parts of the picture - fireplace, floor, walls - were realigning themselves, not wanting to be photographed. The spirit level on the camera was all over the place.
I looked on and felt a chill across my neck. A pebble ricocheted down the chimney and the base notes of the fragrance were strong in the air - which was odd as I hadn't sprayed any.
Did I mention the fragrance is called geist?...