PERFUME & FRAGRANCE PHOTOGRAPHY / ADVERTISING · CAMPAIGNS

View fragrance portfolio ↗Approach & commissions ↓

Close beauty portrait of a woman holding an ornate glass perfume bottle beside her cheek.

Woman holding a white rose beside her face in a softly lit floral beauty portrait.

Portrait of a blonde woman in a yellow top against a soft pink background.

Portrait with closed eyes and coloured trails of light crossing the face.

Chanel N°5 L'Eau bottle on a white surface with diagonal light and shadow.

Tom Ford Velvet Orchid bottle with gold details and magenta and blue edge lighting against a dark background.

Close beauty portrait framed by blue hydrangea flowers with blue and green eye makeup.

Woman in white holding red and cream roses beside her face.

Freckled beauty close-up with a dark flower beside the eye and loose strands of hair across the face.

Rose Quartz fragrance advertising layout with a pink perfume bottle and a smiling portrait.

Woman surrounded by white orchids with her hand raised near her lips.

Red Chanel N°1 L'Eau Rouge bottle above rippling blue water with a visible reflection.

Close beauty portrait with yellow flowers across the face and bright orange lipstick.

Infinite Blossom perfume bottle with a gold cap on a textured surface beside pale flowers.

Close portrait framed by pink peonies with pink eye makeup and softly highlighted skin.

Woman standing in water in a pale bikini with warm sunset light behind her.

Creative floral beauty close-up with gold eye makeup, vivid lip colour and textured flowers.

Beauty portrait framed by white orchids with a bright lip colour.

Portrait with delicate flowers and greenery arranged across the face, neck and shoulders.

Woman holding an Incanto fragrance bottle against vivid green light with a softly blurred portrait behind it.

Full-length portrait in a red dress against a saturated red atmospheric background.

Smiling woman framed by a dense arrangement of colourful orchids and foliage.

Close beauty portrait surrounded by yellow, pink and orange flowers with vivid eye and lip colour.

Fragrance photography by Simon SonghurstDiscuss a campaign ↗

London · Italy · International commissions

A visual language
for fragrance.

Simon Songhurst is a perfume and fragrance photographer working in London and internationally. He creates studio and location imagery for fragrance brands, advertising agencies and art buyers, bringing together bottle photography, beauty portraits and atmospheric campaign compositions.

With 25 years of photographic experience, Simon uses light, colour and setting to give a fragrance a considered visual identity. The portfolio moves between precise still life, floral beauty, expressive light and images shaped by water and the environment.

Discuss a fragrance campaign ↗

Perfume & fragrance advertising

From an olfactory brief to a photographic direction.

A fragrance brief often begins with language: a mood, an association, an ingredient or the character of a collection. Photography gives those ideas a visible form. The quality of light, the choice of materials and the balance between product and person can suggest freshness, warmth, clarity or intensity within the same brand’s visual language.

The work should be specific to the perfume rather than built around a generic luxury setting. A clear bottle in architectural light communicates differently from a dark flacon outlined in colour, or a portrait surrounded by flowers. The direction begins with what the fragrance means to the brand and the response the campaign is intended to create.

Fragrance campaigns

Photographic direction for perfume launches, new editions and established fragrance collections. A principal campaign image can be developed alongside related portraits, product compositions and supporting details.

Perfume still life

Bottle-led imagery in which glass, liquid, typography and surface finish are considered together. Lighting, reflection and background become part of the product’s presentation.

Portrait & atmosphere

Beauty, casting and location imagery that give a fragrance a human or environmental context. Expression, gesture and setting help define the campaign’s character.

01 / Studio & still life

The bottle as a considered object.

A perfume bottle brings together several surfaces within a small frame: transparent or coloured glass, liquid, a label, metal and the shape of the cap. Each responds differently to light. The photograph needs to make the relevant detail legible while maintaining a coherent composition around the object.

The portfolio includes a clear Chanel N°5 L’Eau bottle in clean architectural light and a Tom Ford Velvet Orchid bottle defined by coloured highlights. These are different approaches to product presence: one emphasises openness and shadow, the other a darker surface and a controlled outline. A still-life brief should establish which qualities of the bottle matter most.

02 / Florals & materials

A material reference with a clear purpose.

Flowers can provide colour, structure and an association with the fragrance’s composition. Roses, orchids, hydrangeas and peonies appear within this portfolio, sometimes framing a face and sometimes informing the relationship between product and setting. Their scale and placement determine whether the image feels graphic, intimate or more immersive.

An olfactory brief might refer to floral, citrus, woody, aromatic, amber, gourmand or chypre characteristics. Those terms can guide a photographic conversation without requiring every note to be illustrated literally. Select materials and botanical references according to the brand’s actual formulation, the creative idea and the visual distinction of the campaign.

03 / Light, colour & mood

Atmosphere built through light.

A defined shadow, a coloured edge or a softer luminous background can change the apparent character of a fragrance image. The aim is a deliberate relationship between the light and the subject, whether the frame contains only the bottle or brings a person into the composition.

The portfolio includes coloured light across a portrait, saturated green around a fragrance bottle and a strongly red campaign setting. These images show how colour can establish a visual world around the product. Simon’s wider practice includes light painting and treating light as an artistic medium, considered in relation to the specific brief.

04 / Location & environment

A sense of place within the image.

Water, daylight and a surrounding landscape can give a perfume campaign a distinct atmosphere. The portfolio includes a bottle above rippling water and a location portrait in the sea at sunset. Surface, reflection and the direction of the light contribute as much as the setting itself.

For location fragrance photography, discuss the role the environment should play: a recognisable destination, a particular quality of daylight or a more abstract relationship with water, stone or space. Access, timing, casting and the practical handling of the product should be considered alongside the intended visual treatment.

05 / Beauty & casting

The person within the fragrance story.

A portrait can introduce a fragrance through expression, gesture and presence. The bottle may be held close to the face, or the person may occupy a wider campaign setting. The relationship needs to feel intentional: the product and the casting should belong to the same creative direction.

The Rose Quartz advertising layout, bottle-in-hand portraits and floral beauty images in this portfolio show different ways to connect person and perfume. Makeup, hair, styling and the treatment of skin should be considered as part of the fragrance identity, with the creative team agreeing how those decisions carry through the series.

06 / Launches & campaign use

A consistent direction across formats.

Eau de parfum, eau de toilette, parfum and extrait launches may require a shared campaign identity while giving each product or edition a clear place within the collection. The photographic brief can set out the role of the main bottle image, the campaign portrait and the supporting visual material.

Print advertising, retail displays, point-of-sale materials, outdoor campaigns and digital placements need different compositions and space for copy. Packaging and gift-set artwork may introduce further constraints. Share the proposed layouts and final specifications early so the image requirements are defined before the shoot.

Developing a perfume launch, a new fragrance collection or an atmospheric campaign brief?

Share your creative direction ↗

Commissioning the photography

A clear direction, developed together.

Begin with the fragrance positioning, target audience and the intended character of the campaign. Useful references may include the olfactory brief, the bottle and packaging, materials, casting ideas and an initial treatment. Identify which elements are essential and where the direction remains open.

Include the proposed shoot dates, studio or location requirements, budget range and creative team already attached. Image count, layouts, output requirements and retouch direction should be discussed alongside usage territories, duration and media. These details connect the creative ambition to a clearly scoped commission.

The fragrance identity

Brand positioning, collection context, olfactory references and the bottle design. Share the visual tone you want to establish and the audience you want to reach.

The photographic approach

Still life, beauty casting, studio set or location. Include the intended use of materials, water, flowers or coloured light, and any layouts already developed.

The campaign requirements

Image count, formats, launch schedule and media. Provide artwork dimensions, space for copy, budget range and the territories and period of use.

Commissioning questions

Can a brief combine perfume still life and a campaign portrait?

Yes. The portfolio includes standalone bottle photography, bottle-in-hand beauty portraits and wider atmospheric imagery. Share how those elements should relate within the campaign and the deliverables you require.

Do you work in the studio and on location?

Studio and location briefs can both be discussed. Simon works in London and internationally and is based between London and Italy. Include the proposed setting, dates and creative treatment in your enquiry.

Can an independent fragrance brand enquire?

Yes. Share the brand positioning, product range, launch plans and budget range. A clear brief helps establish the scope whether the work is for a new perfume house or an established fragrance collection.

How does this differ from your beauty photography portfolio?

This page centres on the fragrance product, its visual identity and the world around it. For a wider selection of artistic portraits and editorial makeup stories, explore creative beauty photography.

Perfume & fragrance commissions

Your next fragrance campaign.

For perfume brands, advertising agencies and art buyers commissioning distinctive fragrance imagery, contact Simon Songhurst with your brief, product launch or creative direction.

info@simonsonghurst.com ↗London · Italy · International commissions