Paolo Roversi, the photographer who took Kate Middleton’s 40th birthday portraits, is sharing secrets about the now-viral photoshoot.
Roversi recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, where he explained how he captured the duchess’s elegance on camera. The professional photographer revealed that he asked Middleton to dance in front of the lens, so the birthday images would look less staged.
“In the end, I wanted to take pictures in motion, so with that wonderful wide skirt I made her dance in front of my lens, a kind of accelerated waltz mixed with a pinch of rock ‘n roll,” Roversi told the outlet.
Roversi admitted that dancing in front of the camera helped calm Middleton’s nerves. “At first, the duchess was apprehensive. Every day she is machine-gunned by photographers but not used to posing; knowing my photos with the models, she was a bit fearful in facing a real session, which then required about four hours of work,” he explained, referring to his supermodel clients (like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell). “But once she started it would be very easy, I reassured her.”
The photographer also said that styling was kept to a minimum for the photos, which will be hung in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Roversi revealed that Middleton had “little makeup, no hairstyle, simple earrings, a ring. The focal point of Kate’s face is her gaze and smile.”
Leave it to Middleton to look regal, despite her minimal modeling experience.
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