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A Day In The Life
Daily Ink
Stored in: Photography News
Posted On: April 05 2008
By: Brittney Bush
Photo © jeffbalke
At just after 1 p.m. on a recent weekday, two men recline in one of five SUVs parked on a shoulder west of Spears' home (more vehicles are to the east). Electronica blasts from its open windows. The passenger, thin with bags under his eyes, says they'd been on the job for 20 hours. "We can't really talk," he muttered. "We're too tired."
FBI stakeout? No, it's the paparazzi.
Once known for hiding in bushes and behind fences, today's paparazzo thrives on speed and agression as much as on stealth. In fact, the waiting game may be the only aspect of the job that hasn't changed much. An NPR story follows the followers -- specifically, paparazzi assigned to superstar Britney Spears -- and examines the photographers' lifestyles and business models in the internet age.
Modern paparazzi follow their targets incessantly -- often with the celebrities' consent -- and do whatever it takes to get the footage and then disseminate it quickly: "When they hit Melrose, where Spears' black Cadillac Escalade made a left hand turn, 10 cars in the Brit Pack ran a red light en masse. Honks and yells came from angry rush hour drivers that paparazzi refer to as 'civilians.'" This is a job that now requires not only high-end camera equipment, but also high-end vehicles. SUVs are popular for their durability (vehicular accidents, unsurprisingly, are common); BMWs are leased because the maintenance on the brakes, quickly worn from stunt-car style driving, is free.
The work is dangerous, the profession is despised by almost everyone outside of it, and -- despite this Guilded Moose column -- can't offer much creative satisfaction. So why do people do it? Well, the money's good, the citizenship requirements are... flexible, and you get to spend time near the beautiful people. Some paparazzi even gain a measure of fame themselves, such as Adnan Ghalib, who actually dated Spears for several months.
An even simpler explanation, perhaps, lies in the basic economic law of supply and demand. Curiosity about the rich and famous never goes away, and people want what the paparazzi are providing.
Spears is shopping with her mother at the Miss Sixty jeans store at the corner of Melrose and Crescent Heights. Twenty-six paparazzi line up against store windows, pointing cameras inside from every possible angle. Catcalls come from passing vehicles: "Get a life!" and "Leave her the (expletive) alone, you idiots!" But also, over and over again, there's the question — the one that stems from the same curiosity keeping glossy celebrity magazines alive: "Who's in there?"
And so the game goes on.
3 comments on this Ink
On April 07, 2008, Lori Hale Williams said ...
i read this the other day, with equal parts disgust and fascination. exactly like we look at pictures of celebrities. there's something to that...
On April 07, 2008, Kym Bearden said ...
It is a job and the people yelling ,cussing and judging are the first to buy the magazine which has this photographers photo inside. It does not matter what the "job" may be people will always find some reason to have complaints. Just do your job and do not fret on it!
On April 09, 2008, k t said ...
in february i was in hawaii and happen to be in the same place as chelsea clinton. parents took turns taking pictures of chelsea with their children. i stood there on the sidelines anxiously waiting to get close enough to get a good shot. but then i caught this look from her. . .somewhat of a "i'm a bit overwhelmed here" look. all of the sudden this extreme wave of guilt rode over me and i put away my camera. i felt like the paparazzi.
Otherwise, in Photography News:
- Previously: A Picture Not Taken
Utata Ink is a daily publication edited by Bryan Partington (striatic). Photos used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and obtained via the flickr API unless otherwise noted. To make a contribution to Ink, please visit Ink Me.
