Celebrity

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A celebrity is anyone 'famous for being famous'. According to Andy Warhol's famous dictum, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes at some point in their lives. Celebrities are (by definition) favourite topics for photography, including by amateurs, but there are some ground rules which should be understood, to avoid heartache, disappointment, misunderstandings, the law, broken equipment, and worse.

This section applies to amateurs. Professional paparazzi, society photographers and photojournalists should each know the ground rules of their own profession. Note that none of this is offered as legal advice!

1. First, law and custom varies from country to country, and even from region to region. Don't assume that what is permitted where you live is permitted where you are visiting! Check first.
2. As people who live by their fame, most celebrities are generally keen to be photographed most of the time, and even, when the pressure is low, to pose for you. They will generally make it clear when they want to be photographed, and when they don't.
3. To paraphrase Shakespeare, there are three kinds of celebrities — those who are born famous, those who achieve fame, and those who have fame thrust upon them.
   1. People who are born famous, such as royalty, children of rock stars, and so on, may have no desire to be famous at all, and may be barely aware of it. In some countries, such as the UK, there are informal agreements about the amount of coverage children of royalty will receive. Generally, it is best to accord those who are born famous the same degree of respect that you would accord ordinary children. This is also true for spouses, partners, and other friends and relations
   2. People who have worked hard to become famous rely on the oxygen of publicity to keep them there. In most cases, they are keen to be seen, and be photographed, but there are exceptions. These include events where they are under contract and the event organisers have determined that there will be no unofficial photography, and charity events where they are posing for paid photographs in aid of the charity, in which case unpaid photographs are actually reducing the charity's earnings. There are also cases where the celebrity is 'on their own time'. This varies from person to person. Some are always happy to be captured on camera, others intensely resent pictures being taken when they are out shopping, etc, and trying to live a 'normal life'. Also note that most celebrities present a particular public persona. If you are going to photograph them being celebrities, the unspoken bargain is that you do so representing them with their public persona.
   3. People who have had fame thrust upon them need to be treated differently from those who have tried hard to be famous for a long time. Some people enjoy the instant stardom, and are happy to be always on camera. Others just want to get back to their ordinary lives. Yet others enjoy the stardom while it is happening, but regret it later on. People who have had fame thrust upon them fall into a few basic categories:
      1. Victims of traumatic circumstances. Although famous, these people are also themselves recovering from life-shattering events. When appearing at a press conference or an awards ceremony, they will probably accept they are going to be photographed, but, outside of these and similar controlled events, it is generally best to avoid pointing a camera. Note also that family members of a victim of a tragedy may be acting with their own agenda — they may tell you a person wants to be photographed, when in fact they actually don't. People under emotional stress can also change their minds rapidly.
      2. People who have gained notoriety, such as criminals. You should be careful photographing anyone who is famous for breaking the law. There may be significant legal restrictions on doing so in your jurisdiction, and even professional photojournalists fall foul of them occasionally. This is not legal advice! Just a word to the wise that when the law is invoked, it is generally better to be safe than sorry.
      3. People who are celebrities because of success or ability, not as a result of seeking fame. Olympic athletes, Nobel prize winners and other award winners will generally be well-briefed on how to handle the press, and may be very happy to be photographed on public occasions. People who have come into the public eye in professions that do not generally attract attention may find the whole business overwhelming, and, except on very rare occasions, may be camera shy.
      4. Heroes and spokespeople in great events. The kind of people who rescue children from burning buildings, dedicate years of their lives to treating AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, or go out daily on dangerous search-and-rescue missions are rarely the kind of people who enjoy being celebrities. Generally speaking, anyone who catches the public attention in this way has been promoted by some organisation, or by a news agency. If in doubt, it's always worth ringing up to find out what the ground rules are.
      5. Family of accidental celebrities are not celebrities themselves, and should be accorded the same respect with which you treat any private citizen
4. When celebrities ask for copies of your pictures, if you are photographing as an amateur, it is polite to let them have them, at least by email. Someone who has starred in 24 episodes of a TV series, appeared in a dozen films and is endlessly on radio plays may be a star in your eyes, but they may be an out-of-work actor in their own eyes, unsure when they will work again, and may be keen to add your picture of them appearing at a charity event to their collection
5. Although celebrity magazines trade heavily on pictures of celebrities behaving badly, this is best left to professionals who work to their own code of ethics, and also know what risks they run.
6. If you have actually hired or otherwise persuaded a celebrity to appear at your event, determine carefully with their agent, or with them, beforehand what the ground rules for photography will be, and how much extra time will be allowed. For an awards ceremony, most of the recipients will want a picture of them with the celebrity, and the local papers may want a picture of some of the winners in a more newspaper-friendly setting. Respect any agreements absolutely, especially where the celebrity is contractually restricted. If you are a talented photographer, but also the event organiser, it is probably best to hire or otherwise book another photographer to actually take the shots.
7. Other photographers may cause you more problems than the celebrity. Professionals may resent amateurs trying to get access to press areas (even unofficial ones) at events. Other amateurs may get cross if you block their shot.

As a photographer, never allow yourself to be fooled into thinking that exciting subject matter makes a good image, although a celebrity picture may be a saleable image. The skill of making an ordinary person appear famous is greater than the skill required to capture a furtive snap of someone who is already famous.

• This page was last modified on 26 January 2009, at 00:24.
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