If you are absolutely amazed by glamour and the lives of the rich and famous, you probably think that if you cannot become a celebrity yourself, the next best thing is to become a paparazzi photographer. Getting into paparazzi photography sure looks like you will be one step closer to meeting your favorite celebrities and spending some time with them.
However, being paparazzi is a lot more difficult than it might seem at first. That is why before venturing into this kind of business, you need to make sure you are familiarized with everything that it involves. This article will provide you with all the details you need to have in mind if you are considering to become a paparazzi photographer.
- You need to have skills like a war photographer
While other types of photography mainly focus on being creative and authentic, paparazzi photography is all about technique, so we can easily compare it to war photography. What this means is that you must learn how to be quiet, sneaky and practically invisible when needed, if you want to take a great shot.
Furthermore, you need to have high-quality equipment and learn how celebrities think, where they are going, and what they are interested in.
- Street smarts will lead you to the cash
Being street smart in any kind of businesses is a great and useful asset, however, in the paparazzi business, it is considered to be a key to success. You cannot be good paparazzi unless you are persuasive and have good intuition, detective and research skills.
- You’ll need a spy network akin to the one CIA has
Becoming paparazzi also means that you need to develop some ninja-like skills. Not only that you need to have people around you who will update you about celebrities’ schedules and serve as your spy network, but you also need to be prepared for a lot of spying yourself, as well as lots of waiting (sometimes for hours and hours, and even days), which all requires immense patience.
- Contests can help you get exposure
No matter what kind of photography style you are into, photo contests can be a great way to see if you got what it takes to be successful. Taking part in GuruShots’ photo competition will help you become recognized, enable you to meet other people with similar interests and make some valuable business relationships which can be beneficial for your future work.
- A single photo can get you a lot of cash but it takes a lot of cash to get a single photograph
It is already a known fact that successful paparazzi photographers make crazy amounts of money. One single shot can bring you some serious cash, you can start by practicing on various cool online competitions to win money. If you look at some vintage paparazzi photos it’s clear that it took a lot of hard work, investment and a special set of circumstances to get things just right.
As we have already mentioned, your equipment needs to be top quality, so be ready to make large investments. Also, as paparazzi, you will be required to travel a lot in order to find celebrities that you want to take photos of, so this means more spending.
- Celebrities have symbiotic relationships with you (but not always)
The relationship between celebrities and paparazzi are usually pretty symbiotic, meaning that the majority of celebrities will want to work with you, mainly because they can also benefit from your photos by getting great exposure. That is why if you want to make some connections with them, you need to be aware of the fact that celebrities are just ordinary people.
On the other hand, there are those celebs who had a really bad day or simply don’t approve of paparazzi, so don’t be pushy with them and expect them to make an exception when it comes to you. If someone doesn’t want you to take their photo, try to take one unnoticed.
- The competition is fierce
The last thing you need to bear in mind is that the competition in the paparazzi business is severe. If you are not thick-skinned and really competitive, think twice about whether you are suited for this profession.
Until you manage to establish your work as top quality and gain some respect from the experts, be prepared for a lot of obstacles and challenges. In this business, you have to stand up for yourself – the majority of your colleagues will be devious and try to get you out of the paparazzi business because it will just mean more work and money for them.
If you are ready to endure bad (and sometimes even aggressive) people, constantly be on the move, and put a lot of time, effort and money into paparazzi photography, this is undoubtedly one of the most fun ways to earn great amounts of cash.
