The whole concept came to life when one morning I received a text from my model and friend Aniela saying 'Hey, let's shoot something together. I've been thinking a lot about incense, we should definitely work on that topic'. I said yes, as the theme provided so much to capture: the ethereal beauty of the smoke, the delicacy and mystery of the smell, the great variety of texture and color.

Our goal was to create a series of images that would adequately represent the whole feeling of experiencing the object inspiring us, without actually showing it - the process of creating such a project started to resemble poetry writing more and more. We decided to work on metaphors, associations and imagination. First, we focused on the basis of the concept - the smoke, which can be found in the blurriness and softness of the lines in every picture. The mirrors enhanced the effect with its dreamy distortion and optical illusion. The incense, as it is used in religious practices, is a bridge between the mundane and the mystic - the fantastic reflections seen in some photographs are a glimpse of the other, spiritual, side that although cannot be fully outspoken, can be seen and felt. The choice of colors was quite simple - I decided to choose them based on my favorite scents: roses, vanilla, lavender, pines and spices, each corresponding via composition and light. The texture consisted of three main elements: firstly, the fuzziness of the incense dust, which can be found in the model's dress, secondly, gracefulness of the smoke shown by the blur, and thirdly - the clash of the subtle and organic with the man-made and artificial representing the incense filling space with its' esoteric and magical aura.

The shoot took place in the hall of a half abandoned socrealist hotel in the city of Kraków in Poland. In about an hour we managed to create a series of compelling and outstanding pictures with a coherent aesthetic and topic - but, what I admire most about the project is its unique poetical structure based on symbols engaging the viewer in a one of a kind puzzle to decipher on their own.