vendredi 29 octobre 2004

The Rat Pack Shoot First... Ask Questions Later! The unedifying sight last week of so-called paparazzi and Prince Harry involved in an altercation outside a London night-club does nothing for the public perception nor reputation of accredited press photographers. The modern paparazzi, whose interest is purely in the highest pound or dollar figure possible on their cheques, know that their aggressive approaches more often than not result in an instant off-the-cuff and often regretted reaction from a celebrity. One provocation followed by one reaction results in at least fifty high-powered flashes. One young photographer involved, who had been doing such work for only a few months, received a cut lip when his camera was pushed into his face... and thus became a momentary celebrity himself, his agency asking £10,000 for the pictures he shot whereas agents for other photographer's who took similar images were offering theirs for a few £100s. Will this set a precedent? I think it has already been set and well-established by such hunting packs... they hunt their quarry, torment it mercilessly then go in, not for the kill, but for any inflicted hurt they can make so as to allow their victim the opportunity to flee... only to be hunted by the baying pack another time. Ultimately all involved have to share a proportion of the blame... the Prince for not exactly setting a good example of a 20-year old Royal at 03:20 in the morning, the night-club staff for tipping off the press agencies, the pushy photographers clicking and pushing for the fastest and biggest buck, the tabloid newspaper editors sensing increased circulation for a day or so, and the readers who pay their money to gaze full of admiration, or envy, at this trivia. The photographs hardly qualify as sensational, dramatic, exclusive or as scoops (contrary to what many accompanying headlines would have you believe) because they are basically set-up... everybody sets-up everyone else on a merry-go-round that only slows down to let the weary or those-not-worth-the-bother to get off... and for other eager seekers of such publicity to jump on board. And judging by the state of some of those who get off it would appear that the merry-go-round hardly slowed down at all when they made their undignified exits! However, most of those involved from the Prince to the pauper (by pauper I refer to the readers... they're the only ones who pay-up their hard-earned whilst the rest all make it) are happy to a varying degree at the end of the incident because there's only one thing worse than bad publicity... and that's no publicity! Paparazzi in the old days had a certain code of conduct... or at least respected the "stay at least ten feet away from the broad" judgement handed down by an authority with a black gown, a gavel, and clout. I did some time on newspapers in the 70s and the rules were simple... if you were on, say, the Royal rota that day you got the pictures... if you weren't on the rota you did some gardening or went to the pub. I remember Princess Anne coming to a small town where I lived but the photographer already at the event said, "Sorry mate, it's the Sun newspaper's turn on the rota today," and I shoved off. However, there was "open season" on the Royals at certain events... and in 1982 Princess Anne provided a bonanza of action pictures in a few seconds when, to the horror of the thousands watching and the delight of the packed press enclosure, it all went wrong and she plunged headlong from her horse Stevie B into the Lake at the Badminton Horse Trials. I can't remember if it was there where she gave the infamous "Naff Off" quote to the press... but she certainly burned our ears with that or a very similar sounding couple of words as I and others jogged, still clicking, alongside her very soaked and very angry form. So twenty two years ago were we as bad as the photographer's who caught Prince Harry off guard last week? I think not. Princess Anne, although a fine British Olympic Team horsewoman, was her own victim of a sporting error in a gruelling event. The press wanted that picture but didn't contribute to making it happen... the clatter of the many motor-driven cameras could have distracted her or horse, but I doubt it... she was a true professional and used to big events. On a few other occasions I saw her riding along quiet Gloucestershire lanes near where I lived but I never raised my camera. I simply respected the situations for what they were... her quiet moments in an otherwise hectic schedule of Royal duties around the world. I could have taken a shot and asked questions later but I didn't... maybe that's why I'm a pauper compared to today's "rat pack" paparazzi. But I reckon I learnt better values in and of life in those days than the photographers who are shooting first and never asking the questions today. 9:01:05 PM    comment []