Need my celebrity fixes.
April 20, 2017 8:25 AM   Subscribe

How does the paparazzi work, exactly? There are many, many celebrities who are photographed almost 24/7. Where do those photos go?

(Frivolous question filter) Let's say I want to come home every night and look at pictures of everything that has been done that day by, say, oh, Princess Charlotte or the Olsen twins. Is there some sort of paparazzi central for each individual celebrity? Places like TMZ or the Enquirer or People only post the weekly highlights; I'm wondering of there's something closer to the source. When photographers get their pictures, I'm assuming they sell them to somebody; where do they go from there? I know people who know every single darn detail about a celebrity, and it's always way more than I've seen on TMZ; how do they get their information? Is it just a matter of surfing all these different sites, or can one view the work of an individual photographer, or what? Thanks.
posted by Melismata to Media & Arts (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Lots of stuff at http://www.wireimage.com
posted by primethyme at 8:54 AM on April 20, 2017


Best answer: "The paparazzi" are just a bunch of freelance photographers. They take a bunch of (ethically dubious) photos of celebrities, and then sell them to publishers. Given the nature of the game, a lot of the photos are utter crap, and get deleted. But beyond that, it's hard to say. There's not a central clearinghouse of photos. After the publisher buys them, they can do whatever they want with them, whether that's posting them on a website, or stashing them under the couch cushions.

I'd be surprised if individual photographers had their own public-facing websites. That pretty much destroys the entire business model. The whole point is to keep photos fairly scarce so that your photos are more valuable. If you post them direct to the public, not only do you lose the revenue from selling them to a publisher, but you also devalue other future photos. I don't imagine AdSense or whatever would bring in enough revenue to justify those losses. I'm sure there are some that do it, but I don't think it would be widespread.

In terms of knowing a million little details, I'd bet that one of the easiest ways to learn details about celebrities' lives is by following them on social media. That's essentially auto-paparazzi.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:32 AM on April 20, 2017


Best answer: This search query at Getty Images is what you want. You can use all sorts of filters in the left panel to control for date, location, person, etc.
posted by oxisos at 9:46 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


My wife is semi-obsessed with Rihanna, and she follows several websites and Twitter accounts like rihannadaily.com that basically do provide near-daily paparazzi photos and news updates about the singer's life. I'm sure there are similar sites for just about any major celebrity.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:23 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


FWIW I don't think they are photographed constantly 24/7. There are very few international stars who command that kind of money/insanity (Angelina Jolie is the only example I can think of). I think they typically tip paps off for those candid "just like you" or "enjoying a weekend with new fling" shots.

Source: University of Lainey Gossip

(Seriously though her analysis of celebrity publicity tactics and -- the best part -- publicity wars is always fascinating.)
posted by schadenfrau at 11:46 AM on April 20, 2017


An open secret about this business is that some celebrities tip off the paparazzi to their whereabouts. It's not all happenstance.
posted by girlmightlive at 4:40 AM on April 21, 2017


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