I worked with Peter on a story for Vogue Spain, in July 2019, a few months before he died. I was nervous – not simply because he was Peter Lindbergh, but because, although I am used to performing in front of thousands of people, being shot is a completely different dynamic. There’s an intimacy you have to embrace when you’re working one to one, and it can be scary.
Peter was completely in control of everything, particularly the lighting. I knew in an instant that he wasn’t going to rely on post-production or things like that.
There was a purity about the way Peter worked: he would laugh all the time and that was infectious. He asked me to sing so that his son could shoot a video of it – I loved the fact that he worked with his son. Peter told me that his eyes had filled with tears when I stopped.
He had another request which amazed me: short nails, no make-up. I had my doubts. At least, until I saw the pictures. Then I understood. They are timeless, mythic – and yet so fresh. A photographer who truly brings out the humanity in the person he’s shooting – that was the genius of Peter Lindbergh.
