TV Tonight BBC 3 22:30 - Paparazzi: Next Generation

konastab01 said:
As said by others welcome Londonpap....

I have a few questions.

First off what sort of gear do you own and use regular.
You said you have a D3,1/2/3?

Is it as hecktic as is shown on the show.

Obliously the money is good if you can get the shots?
But is it a 365 days a year job with very little time to your self or do you have your days off etc.

You said you have help out celebs?
Have you ever dated any or is that one of the rules too?
You just dont go out with them.?

You also say you are into fashion stuff?
Does this pay the bills too or is it just something you like to do for fun?

Thanks

S
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Hey,

Yes i use D3, at the moment i have 1, i use a d200 as my emergency second body, however intend to buy another d3 soon,

Hectic, it certainly can be, but as was shown in the show, if you want to avoid all the mess you can. Those who choose to do Amy Winehouse know exactly what they're in for, she's high profile and any shot of her will sell, regardless of what she's doing and how she looks.

However if you want to do something different like a nice little exclusive then you could very well be on your own.

I do work a lot, normally i do 7 days a week if the work is there to be had, if not then 6, leave at 6.20am and get home at 8.30pm, so yes long hours, but the good thing is, i'm self employed, if i want to take a day off, i can or a week for that matter. And on stakeouts, you get a lot of time to yourself to sit and think haha.

Well, no, you don't really date celebs, it's not a rule as such, but certainly i haven't, but i know one pap who has certainly slept with a celebrity and i know a well known t.v. presenter who forged a short lived relationship with a pap in the USA.

I go out a lot in London and it's very normal for me to see celebs out, and ofcourse i'll go and say hello, that's if they don't spot you first and come and say hello, or get security to ask you to leave, depending on who it is lol.

Fashion etc, as a part time occupation doesn't really pay the bills at all, normally it's something you invest in, e.g. studio, travel and expenses, so it's just really a nice break from papping.

Hope that answers everything.
 
fabs said:
Welcome LondonPap. Would be really good to hear your views on the driving issue.
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Yes, ok, the driving in my opinion is what's border line,

Certainly wherever possible, we stick to the law, but not all car follows are like the ones you saw, in fact i'd say most of the time, paps try and not make the celeb aware that they're being followed!

But yes, sometimes people jump red lights, and so do paps, and brake speed limit and so do paps, but we can only drive in the same manner as the celeb in front of us, if they drive like a maniac, then, we follow their lead.
 
Hey,

Thanks for replying about that...
What sort of lens do you use and are you a stalker or fighting with the mob type?

You say you can drive like a maniac surely drivers licenses dont last long when you are getting up to that caper?

Is a scooter or something like that not better for nipping in and about london?
Surely easier to abandon etc.
Plus you wont have to pay the congestion charge either?

Would you recommend it as a job for the short term or is it a long term job?
As from the looks of it it looks very high energy/high reward but burning out from the pressure?

Sorry for so many q's:bonk:

s
 
I'd be interested to hear comments from the paps on guys like Jason Frazer who "arrange" shots with celebs...
 
Papsabout said:
...I would like to say that all the cars that you see in that follow were all other paps/news photographers involved in the follow and not harmless road users as the program made out.
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Surely not all of the other cars on the road filmed were paps? And what about the pedestrians? I think it just disturbs me that people would be willing to do something that could harm someone else just for their personal gain. I can see the incentive but it just seems like madness to me. Of course the blame can't be squarely aimed at the paps seeing as papers and magazines are the ones paying out ludicrous sums of money. I think this documentary has probably backfired pretty badly on the people featured with to my mind only Craig came out of it unscathed. He seemed to be by far the most relaxed and polite out of the bunch.
 
fraggle101 said:
Guys, my agency is on tv tonight, they have been following them around for a few months now.. although iv not worked for them for a while now it should be interesting, i WAS with them during filming but asked not to be filmed..

Check it out..

BBC3 at 10.30 Pm..
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Why:thinking:
 
The over taking on a normal road to follow anmy winehouse seems stupid and just plain dangerous.
I think the person who came out worse was that boy essex he seemed like a right diddy.....
 
LondonPap said:
but we can only drive in the same manner as the celeb in front of us, if they drive like a maniac, then, we follow their lead.
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Obvious question really but what do you suppose causes the celeb's driver to drive like a maniac in the first place? :shrug:
 
I'd just like to say welcome to TP to the paps that have joined and posting on this thread. It's great to see the other side of the issue being put forward :)
 
LondonPap said:
Yes, ok, the driving in my opinion is what's border line,

Certainly wherever possible, we stick to the law, but not all car follows are like the ones you saw, in fact i'd say most of the time, paps try and not make the celeb aware that they're being followed!

But yes, sometimes people jump red lights, and so do paps, and brake speed limit and so do paps, but we can only drive in the same manner as the celeb in front of us, if they drive like a maniac, then, we follow their lead.
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Thanks for replying. Yes, I'm sure they only pick out the juicier ones to show on TV and I'm sure it seems a lot faster through the TV cameras than it probably is. Have to repeat pxl8's question about what makes the celebs drive like that though.
 
konastab01 said:
Hey,

Thanks for replying about that...
What sort of lens do you use and are you a stalker or fighting with the mob type?

You say you can drive like a maniac surely drivers licenses dont last long when you are getting up to that caper?

Is a scooter or something like that not better for nipping in and about london?
Surely easier to abandon etc.
Plus you wont have to pay the congestion charge either?

Would you recommend it as a job for the short term or is it a long term job?
As from the looks of it it looks very high energy/high reward but burning out from the pressure?

Sorry for so many q's:bonk:

s
Click to expand...

I use VR lens, my bread and butter is my 70-200VR,

Yes Scooters are good, but not very safe, and not too nice in the cold weather,

Papping for the short term just doesn't work, as from taking a picture to being paid normally takes around 3 months from the UK, and 6 months plus from abroad, so it's a long term thing!

Yes, it's easy to pick up points, but i'm not that far off 2 years doing this now and have yet to pick up any points.

To be honest we really don't drive like maniacs, any pap out there, would rather lose a car follow, then put themselves or other in harms way. Those who are new to the game, won't even get behind the wheel on a car follow for a long while, until they've got enough experience of what they can be like, all paps normally co-operate to ensure everything goes smoothly on a car follow.

And you've got to have at least a year or 2 driving experience before you can pap drive.

Touch wood, but in all my time of pap follows the worst i've seen is a tiny bumper to bumper touch between pap, (seen worse in people parking).

Any fool can go out there and try, but you've got to be good and committed to make friends and money.
 
fabs said:
Thanks for replying. Yes, I'm sure they only pick out the juicier ones to show on TV and I'm sure it seems a lot faster through the TV cameras than it probably is. Have to repeat pxl8's question about what makes the celebs drive like that though.
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Well like i said, most of the time celeb drivers if they're being followed take it upon themselves to act the superhero and lose the paps.

I've actually seen celebs tell their driver to stop and they've got out of the car and took a cab.

Most of the time celebs don't know they're being followed, and a lot of them who are young (yes like me!) have nice fast cars (again like me) and they enjoy driving them, and if they know they're being followed, they enjoy trying to lose the paps.

I've never seen a pap in trouble with the law for their driving, however i've seen a celeb reprimanded by police and a celeb driver arrested for deliberately running down a pap.
 
3 months to build up seems like a reasonable time,but how do you live if you have moved to a strange city/new people/new faces/new everything?
Did you work in a supermarket or something so you could pay rent and then do the pap stuff on your nights off or when ever you where working...

Doesnt seem like a great job until you are making money which by the sounds of it comes after long hours/self sacrific?
 
LondonPap said:
Well like i said, most of the time celeb drivers if they're being followed take it upon themselves to act the superhero and lose the paps.

I've actually seen celebs tell their driver to stop and they've got out of the car and took a cab.

Most of the time celebs don't know they're being followed, and a lot of them who are young (yes like me!) have nice fast cars (again like me) and they enjoy driving them, and if they know they're being followed, they enjoy trying to lose the paps.

I've never seen a pap in trouble with the law for their driving, however i've seen a celeb reprimanded by police and a celeb driver arrested for deliberately running down a pap.
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Thanks. When put that way I can see your point.
 
LondonPap said:
Well like i said, most of the time celeb drivers if they're being followed take it upon themselves to act the superhero and lose the paps.
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Life would be simpler and safer if the celeb just stopped and let you do your job.
 
Well done for the Paps to come on and post their side.

Personally would love to experince this sort of photography, As previously said by one of them, Its not technically brilliant but the "buzz" you must have outside of a club fighting for the shot for tomorrows front page must be a really good rush!
 
fabs said:
Not done a wedding but do group shots and trying to get them where you need them can be a bit like celeb chasing at times! :eek:
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Nope - far easier as people 'expect' to be Shot rather than hope NOT to be Shot

:D

DD
 
I admit my comment was bait... There was a similar comment from one of the guys on the programme and it struck me that's it the same as saying that's the celeb's fault they have to break the law. :nono:
 
pxl8 said:
Life would be simpler and safer if the celeb just stopped and let you do your job.
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There are some celebrities that do that,

Paul McCartney will stop, let you get your pictures and then nobody will follow him,

However, it's not always about a simple full length, we need to build sets, people shopping, eating, dating etc,
 
Hi


I was involved in the documentary but only saw it for the first time when it was shown on BBC3, Although i agree with a lot of the posts on here, there are a few points which do seem slightly unfair. The point of the doc was to really put across the point of how hard and demanding the work is....which i think it did. The editing of the programme did not paint some of the situations or the people in the best light. And after speaking to various people and getting their direct thoughts and views, it became quite clear that the views from people of how they think the industry really works and how it was shown were quite different as i have found myself for the past few days telling them the story more to the truth.

The main points i can see that have been discussed seem to be the justification of taking certain pics or when you would or wouldnt and the driving of some paps.

As i think someone else tried explaining it did not give a true accurate view of what it is really like....I mainly work nights and must admit on some occasions it can be quite hectic on a follow but genrally the paps have a lot of respect for each other and the target car...Most of the time the action day or night is happening in London...Busy roads where at best of times you will be lucky to reach speeds over 10mph on a good day...Risks ARE taken sometimes and always calculated and have never seen someone do something which could be a serious risk or danger to themselves or someone around them...I would rather lose a follow than to risk life as i think or at least hope everyone else would as well.

The point relating to Is there a line between right and wrong...

There are a lot of restrictions as to what we can do and what we cant do anyway, laws we must abide to etc.......I am sure there have been plenty of pics taken by photographers that if made public would cause uproar so i do believe the media does in a way protect both sides...The celeb, the photographer and the viewer....

There is like anything a line between right and wrong, i must admit i have never heard of an occasion when the line has been crossed...I know i certainly wouldnt. Morals and personal feeling should never be over ruled by money.

The whole intrusive issue that was raised.....Celebs at clubs, restaurants, bars etc....basically hot spots in London where celebs know they will get snapped if going there....Well why go there? Why where rediculous outfits? Why do something or be with someone in a busy place where if snapped is going to create a story, scandal or controversy....Unltimately the showbiz media is controlled by the celebs....

Issues may be raised as to how pics are got but could anyone imagine a world with out glossy mags, red top papers etc.....It wouldnt happen and more to the point wont. The knock on effect would be interesting....The films which are released and not promoted because the star of the show was not having there shots taken???
A great example... a true story involving George Clooney once upon a time...... The movie was a flop!!

Make of it what you will but its an industry which is always going to be here....and has been for a long time.

For those of you that said Paps are scum....please try and think of something a bit more constructive to say, it may be your opinion but i think its just an insult.
 
Welcome another pap....

I think its great that you guys are coming on and try to answer questions regarding this matter.

This is a running series isnt it?
How many parts are in it?
or was it a one off show.
 
LondonPap said:
Yes, ok, the driving in my opinion is what's border line,

Certainly wherever possible, we stick to the law, but not all car follows are like the ones you saw, in fact i'd say most of the time, paps try and not make the celeb aware that they're being followed!

But yes, sometimes people jump red lights, and so do paps, and brake speed limit and so do paps, but we can only drive in the same manner as the celeb in front of us, if they drive like a maniac, then, we follow their lead.
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there is no justification for breaking the law so you can get a photograph whatever the car in front is doing nor justifying it by saying its only other paps cars.

what you are doing is of no real importance that you can risk other peoples lives.you are not attending an emergency nor are you bettering the world.
 
You only need to look around when you step outside your front door....The law is being broken everywhere the majority on road.....Not saying 2 wrongs make a right....

Would you drag a person out of his car at a set of lights once you have caught up with him after he sped off in front of you and tell him he is driving too fast......????????

Probably not...infact you probably wouldnt even notice because it happens everyday, it seems for some people we are an easy target.....Someone to say to.."Its people like you that......." Im not saying "reckless" driving is acceptable...ITS NOT, however i find it hard to take to much critisism and negative comments when people may not know the full truth...

Ooops sorry you watched a TV PROGRAMME.....so it must be true.
 
BigEx said:
You only need to look around when you step outside your front door....The law is being broken everywhere the majority on road.....Not saying 2 wrongs make a right....
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Indeed, there's plenty of people locked up for robbing banks, mugging old ladies would it mean I'd be justified in doing the same? Of course not.

Why not be honest, you disregard the law because you want to make some money. It's not about calculated risks, or what other people are doing, it just comes down to getting the shot. You have, in the eyes of most people, a job that, at times, has a number of moral issues.

I think people might respect you guys a bit more if you didn't offer up some dubious and on occasion laughable justifications. No one, but no one is forcing any of you to do this job, any action you take, any decision you make is entirely your own. Or has someone got a gun to your head?
 
I don't get the animosity to be honest. Plenty of people have jobs which, according to your own particular values, involve making moral decisions which may not be popular. Doctors, lawyers and teachers are some of the most high profile but I don't see the majority of people calling them scum etc.

I think the issue people have with the paps began with the perceived involvement in the death of Diana. I don't know enough of the facts to really make an opinion on that but she wasn't exactly backwards when it came to using the press either.

It's purely my opinion but these guys are doing a job, unless we've done it we don't really know what's involved. It's easy however to jump onto the bandwagon and focus on the things a documentary maker wants to include for dramatic effect. I wonder how interesting the programme would have been if it showed these guys getting a 1000 shots by waiting at a red carpet do?
 
Nobody has offered satisfactory justification for that type of behaviour, other than its a job, and I get 50k/end of.

BigEx said:
Ooops sorry you watched a TV PROGRAMME.....so it must be true.
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wait, stop the thread, its over, we wuz conned, this pap says so, and we all know what pillars of the community they are....might as well end it here.
 
Heat - Hot - Warm - whatever demand celeb shots of pished peeps with their knickers on full view; why? Because other 'sad' peeps want to see celebs being normal and thus help in justifying their own sad Friday/Saturday night lives

Cheryl (Girls Aloud) puking is apparently SOOOOO much more interesting than Carol (unkown) puking - weird but true

DD
 
Looking back on all the posts im not sure there is one post where they honestly think the behaviour of some is completely justified.....Its not, as i have said before but what some people (JOXBY) are clearly unable to do is realise that the truth has been massaged slightly by the programme editors.....I urge you to pick up a camera and try your hand at paparazzi photography maybe that way you would understand the comments posted by the real paps and understand their frustration at seeing damning comments....
 
Why not attack the people who demand the pics....ultimately the reader of the glossy mags????
 
BigEx said:
I urge you to pick up a camera and try your hand at paparazzi photography maybe that way you would understand the comments posted by the real paps and understand their frustration at seeing damning comments....
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Is that an offer?:naughty:
 
BigEx said:
Looking back on all the posts im not sure there is one post where they honestly think the behaviour of some is completely justified.....Its not, as i have said before but what some people (JOXBY) are clearly unable to do is realise that the truth has been massaged slightly by the programme editors.....I urge you to pick up a camera and try your hand at paparazzi photography maybe that way you would understand the comments posted by the real paps and understand their frustration at seeing damning comments....
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Yeah, because I'm 13, this is the only reference and experience I've had with paps in my short life, and am completely unable to separate fact from fiction in made for TV documentaries.
This isn't Myspace, and peeps aren't stupid.
 
remember to keep it civil guys, this thread has great potential to give a realistic insight to an area of photography which isn't normally available :)
 
joxby said:
..... and peeps aren't stupid.
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Its a sad fact that in our country the majority of peeps are stupid - hence where this whole industry has become so in demand and profitable.

People obviously do want to know what A or Z list celebrity are doing, where they are, what they are wearing etc. The nation has been dumbed down by red top papers and so called 'in' magazines.

Take Colleen McLoughlin ... someone has yet to convince me she is a celebrity. She is a media creation based on the fact she married a pig ugly sportsman. Even thats a joke considering he would rather visit massage parlours for granny s*x than go home to her. What exactly can she do ? flout around with shopping bags spending obscene amounts of money.
 
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