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Paparazzi: And Our Obsession with Celebrity [Hardcover]

Peter Howe (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

February 15, 2005
Stealth, impersonation, bribery, lock picking, ducking the cops. Oh, yes, and the odd bit of photography, too.

No, the paparazzi don't have it easy. They're reviled by their subjects, by their employers, by their voyeuristic audience—and by the fashion and news photographers who think of themselves as artists and the paparazzi as creeps with cameras. They're the bottom feeders who shoot celebrities in all their infamy: drunk, undressed, distressed, lip-locked wih folks who aren't their spouses. They're the hunters and chasers who've nabbed on film everyone from Pamela Anderson to Princess Diana.

And we all love it. We may not want to admit it, but we can't get enough of these photos, keeping the paparazzi in business by buying everything from People to the National Enquirer and all the fan magazines and tabloids in between.

Paparazzi turns the spotlight on these photographers and their highly paid profession; on the celebrities who are the object of their lenses; and on the society that begs them to capture these megastars in both ordinary and compromising positions. The top practitioners of this global pop art, along with the photo agency owners, magazine editors, and the stars themselves, give us stories of the famous and infamous we've never heard before. It's our golden opportunity to get behind the viewfinder and see the hunted from the hunter's point of view. Paparazzi turns the spotlight on these photographers and their highly paid profession; on the celebrities who are the object of their lenses; and on the society that begs them to capture these megastars in both ordinary and compromising positions. The top practitioners of this global pop art, along with the photo agency owners, magazine editors, and the stars themselves, give us stories of the famous and infamous we've never heard before. It's our golden opportunity to get behind the viewfinder and see the hunted from the hunter's point of view.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Paparazzi are "the result of a collision between a culture obsessed with celebrity and an established tradition of street photography," explains Howe, a former New York Times Magazine picture editor. The best photos taken by paparazzi, he says, have an element of confrontation, whether it's Cameron Diaz attempting to cover herself with an umbrella on a sunny day in Beverly Hills, Princess Diana forcing her hand in front of a camera, or Jackie Kennedy pulling her turtleneck up past her ears in an effort to cover her face. Howe's saucy yet erudite look at celebrity culture also illuminates the barely respected paparazzi themselves, from Rino Barillari, one of the original paparazzi of the Via Veneto in Rome, to Brittain Stone, lead editor at Us Weekly. It's a captivating read, bursting with gritty images of famous people in everyday scenarios, interviews with photographers and journalists about some of the biggest celebrity news incidents in recent American history and cheeky attitude (e.g., in the opening pages, Howe lists the "cast," giving descriptions for each major player in the book. Susan Sarandon's description reads: "If you don't know who she is, you're reading the wrong book").
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

Stalk the wild star, do battle with the hot-tempered leading man, and be there when the cops bust the naked starlet.

It's all part of the job.

Welcome to the world of the paparazzi, where celebrities and accused murderers, royals and rock stars, know them all too well. They'll go to any length to get a photograph; deception, bribery, and downright lying are some of the milder ploys.

Peter Howe turns a serious eye on the origins, the ethics, the stalkers and stalkees, and our insatiable appetite for celebrity that keeps these photographers in such demand. More than two hundred tabloid-worthy photographs accompany interviews with the top practitioners of this dark trade, as well as with magazine editors, photo agency owners, and the subject themselves. Together they treat us to the "real" stories behind some of the world's most famous faces.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Artisan (February 15, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 157965262X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1579652623
  • Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.1 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,794,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Howe is the author of Waggit's Tale, which was his first book for children. The second book in the series, Waggit Again, was published by Harper Collins on April 28th, and a third, Waggit Forever was published in the Spring of 2010. A fantasy called Warriors of the Black Shroud will appear at the beginning of 2012. He was born in London, lived in New York for more than thirty years, and currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and two dogs. He is a former New York Times Magazine and Life magazine picture editor, and the author of two books on photography: Shooting Under Fire and Paparazzi.

 

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Average Customer Review
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at the photographers who hound celebritites, July 11, 2005
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This review is from: Paparazzi: And Our Obsession with Celebrity (Hardcover)
Peter Howe has done a terrific job at explaining who the paparazzi are, what compels them (think $$$) and why we're compelled to look at their work (think celebrity driven culture). His commentary is insightful and his interviews with the paparazzi are lively and revealing. Howe, an experienced photo editor, has chosen a wonderful collection of pictures. My own favorite: a National Enquirer shot of a bleary eyed Harrison Ford during a bar binge with partying fans.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars THE MOST HATED YET THE HIGHEST PAID, June 3, 2005
For most of us, just the name "paparazzi" brings forth thoughts of stalkers, intruders, low lifes who seek to profit from photographs of the famous, particularly in private moments. According to author Peter Howe, that's not too far off. He speaks to paparazzi as follows: You will be "despised by your subjects, your peers, and the public, the ultimate consumers of your work. You will run afoul of security guards and publicists, lawyers and the police. You will be punched, spat upon, and have any number of objects thrown at you. And you will earn a great deal of money."

Mr Howe also asks why if everyone hates their work, are paparazzi the highest paid photo journalists in the world? He posits a simple answer - because we are a celebrity obsessed society and crave every news tidbit and photo of celebrities. Further, he notes that while we condemn paparazzi we stand in line to buy copies of People Magazine or The National Enquirer (think of the magazine copies sold containing beach photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie).

Whether we can't wait for a glimpse of the latest intimate photo or detest paparazzi so much that we wouldn't add a penny to their wallets, Mr. Howe has created an interesting study of their work. He's a former picture editor for the New York Times Magazine and director of photography for Life. In 173 folio size pages Mr. Howe treats his subject objectively and with amazing thoroughness.

We learn of the paparazzi's early days (it was much easier in the 1950s when young Italians first discovered they could brings in some extra lira by selling photos of vacationing celebs to newspapers and magazines.) Money has always been the paparazzi's prime interest - they pursue those whose photos will fetch the highest price, and they'll do anything to accomplish this. Perhaps the most far-out example of their no-holds-barred attiude is photographer Phil Ramey who hired a submarine to get shots of Princess Diana on a Caribbean island.

Most paparazzi are male and, frankly, not a particularly likable lot as they don't seem to care what anyone thinks of them and are extremely driven. We're reminded that paparazzo Ron Galella wore a football helmet to try to catch snaps of Marlon Brando after an early encounter with the actor put Galella in the hospital minus five teeth. For the paparazzi life isn't all hiding in bushes as Ben Affleck led one on a 120 mph chase.

The other side of the coin is that A-List celebrities need to have their photos in print or they'll soon be C-Listers. Perhaps Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have the best idea of all - they allow the paparazzi limited access which significantly diminishes intrusiveness.

Whatever the case, it seems that paparazzi are here to stay (not at all discouraged by the 15 packets of ketchup Brad Pitt frosted a cheeseburger with before tossing it at a photographer). In addition to interviews with many of the featured photographers "Paparazzi" holds over 200 photos, from Frank Sinatra to Charlize Theron.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, July 22, 2010
By 
Steve H. Meitus (Denver, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
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Ver well written. Filled with interesting facts and opinions. Don't miss if at all curious about fame.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
paparazzi photography, other photographers
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Los Angeles, Phil Ramey, New York, Frank Griffin, Steven Ginsburg, Ron Galella, Michael Jackson, Via Veneto, Britney Spears, Elizabeth Taylor, The National Enquirer, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Brittain Stone, Cameron Diaz, Mustafa Khalili, Barry Levine, Las Vegas, Susan Sarandon, Liz Taylor, Princess Diana, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Bauer, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise
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