Paparrazi on Larry King Live, April 7th 2007

CNN LARRY KING LIVE: Paparazzi: Do They Go Too Far?

Excerpt:

"JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST: Tonight, the paparazzi -- you see them at every red carpet event, swarming, screaming, hiding in the bushes of the stars and fighting tooth and nail to get the big money shots that we pay to look at.
Some call them stalkers. They call themselves journalists.

But who are these guys? How do they really work and why do they do this? "
Copyright © CNN.com

If you would like to understand a little bit more about what is going on in the celebrity news industry, read the following transcript:

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Cheers,

Gabo

the relationship between the "photog" aka paparazzo and the celebrity

It took me a while to realize something, maybe until yesterday or today, that is that without a close encounter of the 4th kind, by that I mean the meeting between a photog and celebrity at an undisclosed location without their explicit permission or knowledge, the lack of that "meeting" creates a certain sense of disappointment, specially when you know you are supposed to crash into them one way or another, does this make sense? are you understanding where I'm coming from?

Its not about your agency getting mad with you because you didn't get the shots, Its about a "relationship" of sorts, the subject and the paparazzo, the person-photographer that is supposed to capture at one point a story, my stories usually consists on people arriving from a short on long flight, coming back from a business or pleasure trip, but who cares, its still a story it means they went somewhere and now they came back in one piece, with a tan, with a new friend, hopefully, maybe they broke their ankle like Mandy Moore did recently.

So she's travelling with a broken ankle what is the big deal? Perhaps the big deal is that she's a tough cookie, she shows up at an airport gets out of the town car by herself, carries her big bag all the way to the check-in counter and then proudly walks all over the terminal, no crutches, no assistant, no wheelchair. Then again I haven't had any of my bones or joints broken, ever, (knock on wood). Mind you she's 20? Twenty to me now a days sounds like a baby, I'm almost 28.

Gab0 / Bauergriffin.com


Then the night of April 2nd, Rose McGowan lands and I stupidly ask her to teach me some Italian since its her native language, so she says "Testa di Merda", which translates to either "dipshit" initially, she later said it "its their way of saying shithead". She obviously was trying to be funny and insulting at the same time, I didn't take it personally because its just my job, she doesn't know me and probably doesn't even want to know me, but same for her.

It all comes down to... with this job at least for me, after 11 months, if I don't see or photograph a celeb, I get disappointed, because the story is blank and my job is bad one. But if I do see a celeb and get some nice footage, I get a sort of "high", a sense of completion, "good job you've got a story". Its not about getting paid, its not about seeing your images published, I'm not a freelancer, I do not get paid per sq. inch of photo in a magazine.


me shooting Paris Hilton at LAX.
Ben / Bauergriffin.com



I didn't come into this industry being obsessed with celebrities, knowing everything there is to know about their past, present and future. But it is a necessary evil, you need some background, you need to know some history in order to make things work in this job, like any other job, be "prepared".

You look them up on IMDB and see place of birth "New Jersey", then you realize Anne Hathaway grew up in Jersey, I've lived in Jersey. They are regular people with a very special job and a celebrity status that is more so useful and abused in the birth place of celebrities, Hollywood, where they get made and destroyed, celeb factory USA.

Befriending a celebrity? A celebrity getting to know you on a regular basis on or off the job? That is a topic for later.

Fin

Celebrity Blogs and Magazine Blogs/Photo galleries are sure to entertain you.

Celebrity Blogs:

The basic concept in "paparazzi" photography is that once a celebrity is "shot" those photos will be available worldwide within the hour, either in print, online gallery, T.V. etc.

The quickest place to find photos would be blogs, some blogs nowadays have direct relationships with some news agencies. Amongst the most controversial blogs of all is Perezhilton.com, which doesn't seem to have a relationship with an agency and thus got sued.


www.justjared.com

Is another well known up and coming blog is "Just Jared" which doesn't deface photos and tends to keep the stories pretty neutral and concise. Just Jared features photos from an array of agencies such as Getty, Flynet, BauerGriffin, Buzzphoto and others. JustJared is a big american Idol fan, and shows some related videos.


The Superficial
Features full-res photos, a few videos and concise stories as well and is organized by the way of weekly archives.


The Hum

The Hum is a gossip blog written and updated by a couple of E! reporters such as:
Lia Haberman, Juontel White and Gina Serpe. Like all the other blogs, current photos, videos and news ariticles about a wide range of celebrities are available for the picking as well as a "comment" section where the celeb obssesed can vent all their joys and fears.



Magazine photo galleries:

I think the most popular of them would be:

1. People.com Startracks (link)
2. US Magazine HotPics (link)
3. E! Online.com The Big Picture (link)
4. NYPost.com Celebrity Photos (link)
5. Access Hollywood Photos (link)

more later.

bye

the P.R Machine (Bimbo Summit)

I don't even know if I'm correct in saying... but a few days before this photograph happened, Paris and Lindsay "hated" each other, calling themselves names such as fire crotch, bitch, etc.

This photo also happened a couple of days after that video of Lindsay appeared in some blogs and on T.V. of her saying that Paris had hit her and bruised her and that it wasn't "cool".
Well that night (November 27th, 2006) Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were lip-synching at Guy's bar on Beverly in West Hollywood and left the joint together around 1:00am, that is when Britney got her famous/infamous crotch shot while stepping into Paris's McLaren sports car, they sped away to the Beverly Hills Hotel while being followed by a caravan of 5 paparazzi cars, three teams of X17 and one team for BauerGriffin, (a team is 2 or more photogs, in X17's case its 3+), they stepped out of the car and walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, drunk to drunk from the curb of the BH hotel and we photographed them all the way into the bungalow where they ended up that night, where Brandon Davis chivalrously opened the door for them.

That was that for a couple of hours, from 2:00am till about 5:50am, they came out to the curb and walked to their car in a little bit of a early morning drizzle, must likely more drunk or drugged than before, so the game starts again, we all start flashing them like crazy, blinding them and even ourselves a little. Just as Paris and Britney make into the car safe and sound, right before the passenger side door closed Lindsay comes running out of the bungalows and gets into Paris's car with a little help from Paris's publicist Mr. Elliot Mintz, mind you this car only seats two people, not that morning, because as you may see Lindsay, Britney and Paris behind the wheel inside the $550K machine. What happened next? All three drove to Paris's house at 6:00am, all three got out of the car and all three went into Paris's home for some breakfast, I guess.

Earlier that night at Guy's a few minutes before the celebs came out of the bar, Mr. Mintz was in constant contact with one of X17's infamous videographers, meaning that he wanted full coverage on what was about to take place.

This is what wiki says about the term P.R.:

Public relations (PR) is the business, organizational, philanthropic, or social function of managing communication between an organization and its audiences. There are many goals to be achieved by the practice of public relations, including education, correcting a mistruth, or building or improving an image.

Perhaps this was the intention Mr.Mintz had that night for Paris, Britney and Lindsay..."building or improving an image". Bravo!!!







NYPost cover, November 29th, 2006. Gabo/Ben/Dean/BauerGriffin.com























(New York Post, page 39, 11/29/2006)


The end

Photojournalism Law and Ethics 101

Not that the NPPA regulates celebrity photojournalism, but I know a few people who are members, my boss is one of them, so am I. NPPA (National Press Photographers Association)

This is the NPPA Code of Ethics and business practices, this would refer to the general rule of engagement a typical news, magazine or T.V. photojournalist would follow.

Code of Ethics

Photojournalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:

1. Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
3. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work.
4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.
5. While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
6. Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
7. Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation. (NOW YOU CAN SCRATCH THIS ONE OUT)
   
8. Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage. (THIS ONE ALSO, GONE)
   
9. Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists. (AND DONT GET ME STARTED WITH THIS ONE, DELETE IT)
   

Ideally, photojournalists should:

1. Strive to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.
2. Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.
3. Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.
4. Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one's own journalistic independence.
5. Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.
6. Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.
7. Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Photojournalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.

Join the NPPA for member benefits and discounts: www.nppa.org

The Wolf Pack

photo: G

In this photo Jessica Simpson arrives at Los Angeles International Airport and is greeted by 5+ paparazzi, a "pack". In the foreground you can notice four still photographers directly in front of her and in the background a loner video guy, to her left is her private escort, to the right and behind her an extra security guard.

"The term wolf pack refers to the mass-attack tactics against convoys used by U-boats of the Kriegsmarine during the Battle of the Atlantic and submarines of the United States Navy against Japanese shipping in the Pacific Ocean in World War II."

the Gear

#1 Cameras and e.t.c.:

• Two brands that come to mind in the Digital SLR arena today are Canon and Nikon.
• For video cameras, Sony, Panasonic and Canon are in the mix.
• laptops: Mac or PC (running Mac OSX or Windows Vista) wireless Internet and plenty of hard drive space.
  

The main differences between Canon and Nikon Digital SLR's are:

1. Price and value
   
2. Image Sensor Size (resolution, mega pixels, etc)
   
3. Image Color and Exposure
4. Nighttime flash color and exposure
   
5. Technical Support and warranty
   

#2 Transportation:

This varies a lot from Paparazzo to paparazzo or Agency to agency.
Most prefer compact, mid-size to full-sized SUV's and some cars including:

• Chevrolet Suburban's old and new
• GMC Tahoe's new
• Cadillac Escalades old and new
  
• Range Rovers and Land Rovers, LR3, etc.
• Toyota 4runners and Sequoia
• Old Ford Bronco's
• Old and new Ford Mustangs
• Subaru Impreza sedan or Wagon
• Ford Explorer's and Expeditions
• Mercedes Benz C, E, SL or M class
• Audi A4's, A6's and Q7
• Honda Elements
• Toyota Minivans
  
• basically anything with enough power to keep up with celebrities driving habits.

Very few paparazzo use motorcycles or mopeds/scooters.


#3 Essentials:

• a nice pair of binoculars (Canon, Nikon, Leica or Minox)
  
• pocket knife toolkit (Swiss Army, Gerber or Leatherman) should be plenty.
• bright and durable flash light.(Surefire, Maglight, etc)
• water (in your car)
• Portable/in-dash GPS or a city keymap (Thomas Guide for LA)
  
• smartphone, cellphone, Nextel, pair of walkie-talkies, police scanner
• messenger bag, backpack
  
• buisness cards
• windex
  

(more on the subject will be added later)

hit and miss (information)

The job is not 100% accurate all the time, it is mostly about chance in some cases. A little luck here and there goes a long way but hard work usually gets the shot, meaning long hours inside a car, parked at a "door step", then following the celebrity in a car (non aggressively is preferable), then doing the story (i.e. a celebrity goes to Bristol Farms for some groceries before Thanks Giving day).

Sometimes you can drive along the streets, neighborhoods where celebrities are most likely to be spotted (i.e. on Robertson Blvd.) Why do some paparazzi hang around Robertson Blvd? The answer is quite easy, its because several high-end restaurants and clothing boutiques attract most but not all celebrities.

• Robertson Boulevard Guide by Citysearch.com
  

Celebrities know if the do not desire to be photographed they shouldn't be anywhere near Robertson Blvd.

Quoting Scarlett Johansson in Parade Magazine:

On avoiding the paparazzi: “There’s plenty of restaurants and neighborhoods that I just try to avoid. It sucks—especially in New York, because you want to feel like you can walk around anywhere. But it’s okay. I think it’s an adjustment. It’s horrible that you have to make the adjustment, but being as I can’t change the state of where we are now, and I’m sure it will never change, you just have to make the adjustment. What’s the alternative? I don’t want to move to the middle of nowhere. I’m a city kid.”

Information is KEY, without this nothing exists. The most basic information is to know where a celebrity lives and/or stays while in town (i.e. Hotel or leased/owned house), other information is where is a celebrity dinning or having brunch at any given day.

There are two types of information, common sense and acquired.

This is common sense:

• Is a celebrity going on vacation?
• Is it his/her birthday?
• Are they expecting?
  
• Are the splitting up?
  
• Are they hooking up?
  
• Did they perish?
• Where they in an car accident?
• Are they in rehab?
• Did they "come out" (gay/lesbian/trans gender)?
• Did they have a makeover (shaved their head, blond hair, black hair)?
• Is it a Holiday?
• Are they filming a movie?
• Are they in a TV commercial?
• Are they addicted?
• Did they commit a crime?
• What car do they drive?
  
• etc...

Acquired is the type of information that is given by an "informant", sometimes even a publicist or in many cases a magazine reporter.

Thanks to information is that all the headlines and photographs that fill the magazines and its covers exist every single week.

Enough for tonight.

to be continued...

about the "blogger" and paparazzo

This blog was started out of madness really. Ti's a very hard industry to work for, but we'll talk about that in the future.

Gabo as he is "known" in the industry (and credited as such in some magazines/tabloids) is a celebrity photojournalist or has been trying to become one since April 28, 2006, 11 months ago. Since then he has photographed approximately 2000 photos of various celebrities for the agency he currently works for.

He knows nothing about the industry in comparison to some of his peers per say, but he's seen and heard enough to understand some of the intricacies and politics that run the Celebrity News machine. I will elaborate more on this within the next few months.

first things first:

this is what the definition of the job is:

Paparazzi is a plural term (paparazzo being the singular form^[1][2]) for photographers who take candid photographs of celebrities, usually by relentlessly shadowing them in their public and private activities. Celebrities claiming to have been hounded by such photographers often use "paparazzi" as a pejorative term^[3] while news agencies commonly use the word in a broader sense to describe all photographers who take pictures of people of note.^{[4] (thanks to wikipedia)}