Following a Christian Dior beauty campaign in 1980, Roversi established himself as one of fashion’s pre-eminent photographers photographing icons such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and others. It was this same year Roversi began to use Polaroid’s instant 8 x 10” film which was to become his preferred format. Roversi’s film and printing techniques are diverse and adventurous, both technically and aesthetically, varying from Polaroids to gelatin silver to carbon and dye transfer prints. His signature technique though, is long exposure, the reason for which he eloquently summarises:
“I can’t explain it technically, but when the exposure is very long, the picture of the subject is more intense. The presence is much stronger, much deeper – in the aura, in the eyes, there is something. Maybe the soul is coming into the eyes. That’s something I learnt from looking at early photographs. If you take a picture with the flash, for me it’s empty. There’s an emptiness in the presence of the person.” – Paolo Roversi