First, I think about a rough theme. It's usually a world of color. Then I think about a styling. I always try to include something interesting.
When I saw this funny blouse, I had to buy it. I didn't even know which shoot I would use it for, but with Berryverri, the time had come. A blouse with just sleeves and a collar seemed like it was made for my type of work.
To make it not too stuffy, I bought a pair of 80s animal print underpants for the shoot as a contrast.
Berryverri had to work with me early in the morning. She had another shoot in the afternoon and we only got together early in the morning. Since I am an early riser, it was no problem for me.
She's the kind of blonde who turns heads on the street. But she was very thin and spoke openly about it herself. She used to be a few kilos heavier and therefore also her boobs used to be bigger. That's where you lose weight first. The fact that her country was invaded was hard for her. I could totally relate to it.
I often spoke with Ukrainian women about the war. But I tried not to deal with the subject until after the shoot. I was too worried that my pictures would otherwise become burdened.
Which is why I take my hat off all the more to the fact that many models — like Berryveri — have managed to be completely in the moment, completely with me.
Have you ever noticed that we always project something into other people? This woman looks a lot like my neighbor. The man reminds me of my primary school teacher. Why is that?
People said Kate in my last book looked like Nicole Kidman. And Berryverri reminded some people of Scarlett Johansson. I don't understand why we humans always make comparisons.
When I said earlier that I like to experiment, I also meant something like my bra made of ice cubes. I came up with that. And so I did this — mind you without AI, that's important to me — photographically. I don't demonize artificial intelligence, but I don't want to make my photography look ridiculous and authenticity is somehow part of me.
Non-cloudy ice cubes always look better in cocktails and photos. To make clear ice cubes with an insulated drinking cup, fill it with water and place it open and upright in the freezer compartment. Allow the water to freeze from top to bottom, which takes about 6 hours. Remove the cup, allow it to thaw briefly and pour off the unfrozen water at the bottom. Carefully remove the clear block of ice and chop into cubes as required.
The motif itself should be viewed a little ironically. Once again, I needed a moment that would refresh my world of images and not come across as too ordinary. Nothing is worse than being boring, I think.
I was delighted by the subtle eroticism in our series. That "you can look, but you can't touch" feeling is certainly there. Especially on the final image (the spread page).
