The narrative of campaign face Najeem, an artist in his own right who speaks five languages, has resonated with Boyd more than any miniskirt editorial from her past. “He was only 18 – a frightened child – when he left his home in Afghanistan,” recalls Pattie on Zoom from her studio in West Sussex. “He spent weeks hiding in forests and had this enormous journey to undertake all on his own.” Pattie captured Najeem – who now makes mantu (Afghan dumplings) for a living in Britain – standing with a shadow cast behind him representing his past and news reports on refugees projected across his face. “You and I couldn’t imagine losing our friends, our family, and having nothing – this really shows how tragic it is to be a refugee,” explains Pattie, whose mission was to go “beyond the headlines” and share personal accounts.
Boyd, now 79, is still amazed by the power of the camera. “Once I started photography, I realised it was all about communication,” asserts Pattie, still rocking those signature bangs that once inspired hundreds of girls to cut their hair. Her job, she realised, was to make her subjects laugh. “There’s always something funny in the world,” smiles the woman whose conversation skips between her modelling heyday (“we weren’t spoiled like today’s girls – we had to do our own hair and make-up) and charity shops (she’s delighted with a £5 Irving Penn book she just snapped up). “We start talking about all sorts of things on set and you can see [the nervousness] gradually disappear – then I get the shot.”
Despite helping to sell The Beatles’ dream (Harrison wrote “Something” for Pattie), she maintains she is quite shy, really. Much happier behind the lens, Boyd recalls “always being tense” on shoots for era-defining designers, like Quant and Ossie Clark. “I mean, it was more tense if the clothes were ugly,” she adds, bluntly. “It was easier when they were beautiful, because then I could imagine wearing them somewhere glamorous – which I never knew was ahead of me.” Boyd’s has been a life well-lived thanks to globetrotting with her touring lovers – even if she jokes, during our call, “Why on earth did I marry George Harrison?” Her only creative regrets are not taking more pictures of John Lennon, who “had the most beautiful face – his creativity emanated from the body”, and having not yet photographed Bob Dylan (“he represents so many people, he represents so much.”)
The UK for UNHCR shoot was rewarding in its own way, because “everyone was working towards the same goal”: to show refugees as people, not just news reports. “Honestly, I don’t know if I could cope,” she reflects. “I just think the bravery of these people is extraordinary.” But Pattie, with her own charming methods, is responsible for creating a space for Najeem, Maysara, Alexandra, Hamzeh, Amany and Vera to share their stories. As she used to tell herself back when, say, that Vogue shoot made her feel tense: “Whatever your role is in life… seize the day and carry on.”
To see Pattie Boyd’s photography and the ways you can help UK for UNHCR support refugees to survive the winter, visit Unrefugees.org.uk/lookbeyond
