Forest

It had been almost 5 years since artist Antony Crossfield last photographed me in a studio session for one of his projects. I never saw a finished work from that shoot, but the memory of it and Antony’s striking portfolio of works had stayed with me. Happily, he remembered me too, and knew Esther and I posed together as a couple, so when a specific vision took hold requiring a genuine couple in an embrace, he contacted us. It took a while to agree the date, but on 18 May we went to his flat for a shoot.

Preparation

Antony and his assistant welcomed us and – whilst showing every care and courtesy one would expect from true professionals – talked us through the concept. Before we began, Antony showed me the images he had developed from my previous shoot. To me they were extraordinarily wonderful but he wasn’t quite ready go public with them yet. I would love to describe them and the fascinating environment of wall-to-wall arts paraphernalia in which we found ourselves but, alas, discretion does not allow.

Creation

Quickly we set to work. Esther and I undressed, stood upon a little platform and took direction for our first embrace. We then continued in different rotations, with a variety of limb positions and shifting shadows. Again, I won’t reveal techniques but suffice to say our 2-hours flew by as we pursued the ideal shot. And I think at the end we got it. Less than a fortnight later Antony emailed us both with his finished work – a beautiful, tender, haunting, stark and very striking composition, shared below: ‘Forest‘.

Completion