Single Light Photography
Concept
“Perfuming was considered a very skilled craft in ancient India." The Kama Sutra has provided a perfume-guide for every part of the body.
“Perfume was not meant to be merely dabbed and applied—it had to be absorbed into the skin and mingle with your perspiration to enhance your body’s fragrance. Over the course of the day, as you perspired, the sweat would distil through the layer of scent and morph into an entirely new smell that was unique to you. ”
“Both men and women wore perfume but the perfuming rituals of women took longer and were far more complicated. For women, the perfuming was done after the bath and could take up several hours.”
“Perfume was a way of life. Clothes, bedrooms, bath water—everything was perfumed.”
Excerpt From
The Arts of Seduction
Ittars are typically essential oils or absolutes derived from natural sources They are extracts of natural flora and fauna.
These natural perfumes are offered for sale in very small quantities poured in small and decorated or sometimes jewelled traditional decanters.
The use of of ittars in the Art of Seduction, as told by the Kamasutra originally and reinterpreted by author and expert Seema Anand is a methodical one. For each body part, and to evoke different emotions, a specific ittar was used.
The inherent sensuality of these perfumes assumed by our ancient texts is a more hidden fact. We aim to embody this same sensuality, by personifying five chosen ittars, namely:
Khus: (rain on scorched soil), Sweet, Deep, Woody, Earthy, Smokey & Heavy and sedative
Jasmine: Deep, Rich, Floral, Sharp, Exotic, Aphrodisiac
Rose: Relaxing, Gentle, Soft, Sweet, Does not diffuse as much, Fruity
Kewara: Sweet flavour, Food flavouring (Paan and Mithais), Fresh, Sophisticated, Floral, Tropical, Sharp & Intoxicating
Sandalwood: Relaxing, Woody, Citrus, Oriental, Chypre, Ferns & Leathers
Rose
We tried to bring out the gentle and sweet notes of the rose ittar through the soft folds of the sari drape.
The model is in a world of her own, enraptured by her own beauty, as she gazes at her rose-covered body.
The black background offsets the sensuality of the red drapes. The warm lighting cast on the model adds to the sensuality of the overall image we tried to create.
Jasmine
The soft colour of the garment against the vibrant colour and texture of the satin presents the duality of the scent - innocent yet flirtatious.
The whites against the blue embody a fresh essence.
The model is lost in thought, unaware of her own innocent beauty. She, like the scent, is symbolic of youthful and playful notes.
Khus
The smell of rain on scorched soil is captured by this ittar. The model is shown with damp hair, as if she has just stepped out of the river.
The brown accents are representative of the earthy notes of this scent.
We opted to make the frame clean and minimal to enhance the humility of the scent.
Kewara
Sharp and intoxicating by nature, Khus is an intoxicating scent. Often used in food items like paan and mithai, the model showcases these elements with the rolled paan leaf and silver foil.
The frame aims to establish a union of the sharp notes of the scent with masculinity.
Chandan
The strong grasp of the model of the rudraksha is an ode to masculine sensuality, which we combined with the woody and relaxing nature of the scent.
The neutral colours add to the relaxing characteristic of the scent.
