what do you think of paparazzi??

After 12 years I just left LA, where a very good friend of mine was a coordinator for paparazzi photographers. He had moved up the ranks after several years, and now had his own team staking out a number of people at several locations.

It is NOT a great job. You sit or stand around all day.

It does NOT pay well, except for a select few. There's tremendous attrition and burn-out.

They are not ex-cons or homeless people, but they are often not the most motivated self-starters in the world... usually just another guy who prefers to think of a quick-rich scheme than actual hard career work.

They are perfectly comfortable with the job while they're doing it... as is almost everyone else. There's no bouncers or security guys stopping them, unless specifically paid to. And don't forget, they live in a city with porn stars, self-help gurus, C-Listers, How-To-Get-Rich TV infomercialists, and conservative radio hosts... they are nowhere near the bottom of the yuck-barrel who are faking it through life.

They usually have a good sense of humor.

They usually have the best gear, both in terms of cameras as well as the ability to upload a shot to a service.
 
After 12 years I just left LA, where a very good friend of mine was a coordinator for paparazzi photographers. He had moved up the ranks after several years, and now had his own team staking out a number of people at several locations.

It is NOT a great job. You sit or stand around all day.

It does NOT pay well, except for a select few. There's tremendous attrition and burn-out.

They are not ex-cons or homeless people, but they are often not the most motivated self-starters in the world... usually just another guy who prefers to think of a quick-rich scheme than actual hard career work.

They are perfectly comfortable with the job while they're doing it... as is almost everyone else. There's no bouncers or security guys stopping them, unless specifically paid to. And don't forget, they live in a city with porn stars, self-help gurus, C-Listers, How-To-Get-Rich TV infomercialists, and conservative radio hosts... they are nowhere near the bottom of the yuck-barrel who are faking it through life.

They usually have a good sense of humor.

They usually have the best gear, both in terms of cameras as well as the ability to upload a shot to a service.


Wow LA to Germany! That is a jump! Did you get sick and tired of the paparazzi following you around all the time? I thought I recognized you!!! :lol:
 
I was talking about this like an hour ago with my brother. It's pretty crazy how these photographers have carved themselves a little niche market.

My girlfriend (religious people mag reader) made a statement the other day about how gross the papps must be and how they are bad people... I retorted with "You read the stuff and pay their wages, stop reading that crap and there wouldn't be so many of them". I personally find the stuff horrifying. The "celebrities are just like us!" section is just a nausiating (sp?) example of an ugly post-modern society.
 

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