JULIA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHS AUTHOR TAYLOR JENKINS REID FOR TIME MAGAZINE

“Kaya Berne, a photo editor at Time magazine, contacted me about shooting Taylor two months before the shoot was to take place,” says Julia. “This gave me time to read Taylor’s books and truly dive deep on the concepts we wanted to execute. In her books, I noticed a common theme of powerful, smart women in charge of their own lives and making their own paths, so I leaned on this concept for the cover.

We wanted to show who Taylor is, what her books are about, and a queer element, as Taylor announced her queerness to the world for the first time in this article.

The scenario we shot was a group shot with Taylor at the center with a lot of movement around her—people kissing, reading, looking around. It was the first time that Time had a lesbian couple kissing in their magazine, let alone on a cover. It was a thrilling experience.”