“When the lights of this fashion world go out, the Paolo that remains is a very simple Paolo. He is the one on this beach, innocent and like a child” says the legendary photographer Paolo Roversi in a snapshot shot not far from his hometown, on the Marina coast in Ravenna, Italy for the needs of a documentary dedicated to his career.

In the documentary “Il sentimento della luce” premiered at the Soccani Foundation in Milan in the presence of himself and editor Carla Soccani, personalities such as John Galliano, Naomi Campbell and Monica Bellucci appear and tell their own stories about the collaboration with the photographer.

Among other works in the documentary are Paolo Roversi’s famous photo from 2003 with Natalia Vodianova for Egoïste perfume and the portraits of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.

Born in 1947, Roversi moved to Paris in the 70s and worked at “Studio Luce”. The name of the studio refers to the photographer’s fascination with lighting, which has forged his unique style of combining realism and illusion that defines his cinematic and foggy work.

“When he starts taking pictures, you feel completely safe. Paolo’s direction is minimal, but… you feel the light on your face, it’s a kind of lighting dance. Everything is very natural: Paolo’s light is restrained but intense,” says fashion designer John Galliano in a scene from the documentary, produced by Rai Documentari, curated by Giuseppe Roli and Martina Progietti and directed by Dario Miliardi.

The documentary will be shown on Friday on the Italian national television channel Rai Tre.

The Italian photographer edited the 2020 Pirelli Calendar themed around Shakespeare’s Juliet and created a series of portraits of Kate Middleton released by the UK royal family on her 40th birthday.