When Chris shot these plump, premium Madagascar vanilla beans in natural light with a Nikon Z7 at 105mm, we were shocked. It was not a surprise that the sunlight illuminated the crevasses along the beans’ lustrous ridges, but when we zoomed to 3x, we delighted in the discovery of vanilla rainbow glitter sparkles.
It’s a testament to the power of unseen wonders that escape our notice. The same is true in technology and fragrance. The math behind fractals, or even the coding that underpins a software application, can be beautiful and elegant, but you have to delve to see it. In fragrance, otherwise delicious and pretty aromas contain olfactory elements that are not-so-sexy. For example, within the smell of fancy vanilla, an inky, fecal aroma—castoreum (It’s what beavers use to mark their turf!)—lurks, and you detect it, if you smell with care. Here though, just revel in the visual wonder of how that fancy vanilla appears. Wouldn’t this make a gorgeous fragrance concept for Pride month, tweens, and all of us who squeal for shiny pretties!? (No beavers were harmed in the making of this blog post.)
