Paparazzi photography. Everyone knows about it. Some love it. Some hate it. Photography degree students should be aware of the field, simply because of its size and its continuing growth. Entire establishments have been built to hire and market the photographs that these photographers take and the media industry will never stop growing, so where does a paparazzi stand on the field of legitimate photographers.
Paparazzi have attempted to lay claim that they are journalists by trade. That their work is for the public and their gathering of celebrity photos is necessary. Many major news publications have shied away from the hiring and utilization of paparazzi but many magazines and websites pay handsomely for these journeyman photographers to go out and get the shot.
The world of paparazzi photography is far from glamorous. They are known for being pushy and for following big celebrities everywhere they go. Some push the boundaries of a celebrities privacy and many bend laws to get their shots.
These photographers are criticized for not caring about the quality or artistic value of a shot, simply the person in the shot and the money value of their photographs. A paparazzo usually works independently and often these photographers will hold no formal degree.
Their insistence on acquiring photographs has been pushed to extreme lengths. The death of Princess Diana has been largely attributed to the influence of paparazzi. Diana’s impaired driver had been attempting to outrun a number of paparazzi when his reckless driving caused them to crash. After the crash, with certain people, including Princess Diana, still alive in the vehicle, the paparazzi continued to take photos.
Many have confirmed that Diana’s driver was impaired and that was the main reason for her death, but the lengths a paparazzi photographer will go are exemplified in that moment.
This complicates matters for a market of photographers looking to find jobs for legitimate publications. The bad reputation for paparazzi has led to many publications to shut out any celebrity photographers and has also led to paparazzi-run publications to only accept the occasional shot from their independent photographers.
Photography students are the exact opposite of paparazzi. Photography students care about composition and lighting and the true artistic value of a shot while the paparazzi focus on the “big shot”.
Simply holding a photography degree will help any prospective photography climb above the crowd of paparazzi photographers and allow them to enter the job market without fear of being called scandalous paparazzi with little regard for the privacy of their subjects.
Get information on photography degrees by using the form on this page. School representatives will guide you through the process and answer an questions you might have.
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