Lots of people are driven to celebrity photography, most think its easy, just be there and get a picture and you will make money, sadly that is not the case. There are thousands of mediocre and ordinary people out there with cameras,thinking they are photographers, photographing and complaining about not making money, submitting pictures to various publications and photo agencies and waiting for great payments that do not come, why ? The photos are not good or the subject matter not interesting, to be a great “pap” you need all the skills a great photographer has…

via La Lettre de la Photographie.

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6 Comments

  1. Celebrity photography is the pond scum of our industry.

  2. …sometimes you have to sell your soul.
    Really?
    Another line of work might be in order.

  3. Let’s clarify… Celebrity “paparazz”i photography is the pond scum of our industry.

    But then again, there’s also Terry Richardson ;-)

  5. Thinking we have an “industry” instead of a bunch of disconnected cottages is an illusion.

    I thought it was a well written piece. Whether you like (and I don’t) the way the celebrity PR industry has come to dominate printed, televised and on-line media with people becoming “famous” for doing nothing like that entire family whose last name begins with a K is an entirely different matter. And clearly there are whole colonies of rats and scumbags who make their living feeding that business with staged “candid” photos (see: http://thebloggess.com/2011/10/and-then-the-pr-guy-called-me-a-fucking-bitch-i-cant-even-make-this-shit-up/ ) as well as those who feel free to invade people’s privacy.

    But Mr. Dome presents himself as acting in a truly professional manner and his matter of fact tone makes me want to see his non-celebrity work. It isn’t his fault Ms. Houston was a drug and alcohol swilling mess, and it isn’t his fault she happened to accidentally off herself two days later – accidentally making his photos very valuable – anymore than it was Sebastian Salgado’s to be right on the spot when President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley or James Nachtwey’s to be in the right spot in front of that church’s cross when the WTC towers started coming down. I am not equating the three events in terms of importance – just pointing out that all three photographers acted like cool headed professionals.

  6. There are lots of morally objectionable things that require a great amount of skill. Con-artists aren’t called ‘artists’ for no reason. Doesn’t make it a good thing.

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