Paolo Rovers

Paolo Roversi grew up in Ravenna, Italy, experimenting with photography and darkroom techniques before he was out of his teens. In 1972, an invitation from Peter Knapp at Elle brought him to Paris, where he joined the Huppert Agency as a reporter. Not long after, he assisted British photographer Lawrence Sackmann, a formative period that shaped his approach to image-making.

By 1980, a Christian Dior beauty campaign placed him firmly on fashion’s radar, and he found a permanent home in 8 x 10 Polaroid film. That format sparked his signature long exposures, a method he believes taps into something beneath the surface of his subjects. His process has also stretched beyond instant film, moving into gelatin silver, carbon, and dye transfer prints.

Over the years, he has published several monographs—Nudi, Libretto, and Studio among them—each offering a glimpse into his evolving ideas about portraiture. His portfolio includes campaigns for Cerruti, Comme des Garçons, Dior, Saint Laurent, and Valentino, as well as editorials in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Interview, Marie Claire, The New York Times Magazine, Italian and British Vogue, and W. After more than three decades in Paris, Roversi continues to shape the conversation around fashion photography, guided by a belief that an image should reflect more than just a moment—it should capture the spirit behind it.