RB: I left London seven years ago and I worked for them then in bits and pieces, but it never really took off. Then they came to me with a pre-fab team. Amber Valletta was my first cover and I had never shot that kind of a girl before. May Anderson was another of my favorites (left). One of the problems I had in starting a career in fashion photography was I wasn't prepared to shoot just any model. The girls who inspired me were the best, so I held off until I could get them. Terry Jones has maintained one of the most consistent magazines with i-D. The other magazines from London have evolved and changed a little bit and though my covers are different for them, somehow i-D still feels like i-D to me.
LC: Working at i-D, is it barrels of fun or grinding work?
RB: It's definitely something I look forward to. We shoot them after other jobs that day, so it's an all-night shoot—Friday into Saturday morning, usually. With a great team, there's a lot of pressure to do great work because everybody's watching what everyone else is doing and is inspired by it. Or they'll wait to see what Pat [McGrath] does. I feel responsible to them as well, to make brilliant pictures. (gets photo of Stella Tennant) This was taken at midnight one night. Stella has trouble winking without screwing her face. She's been on the cover once before where she screwed her face up, but we can't do that again because it'll look like the last cover. This one will be the April cover. With i-D, there aren't as many constraints and politics I face when I shoot for one of the Vogue magazines.
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