Paparazzi

Paparazzi are a form of photojournalists who usually take candid photos of celebrity subjects like singers, actors, TV presenters, politicians etc. They usually provide the photographs taken to various news and entertainment publications, without being under their employment.

The term ‘paparazzo’ (which is the singular form of the noun) comes from Italian and it is believed to have its roots in the annoying sound of a buzzing mosquito. The movie ‘La dolce vita’ from 1960 by Federico Fellini featured a character named Paparazzo, who was a photographer. This is probably the origin of the name given to the type of photographer described above.

The paparazzi are regarded mostly as an annoyance by many, especially those who are regularly under their continuously watchful eye. Famous people are constantly followed by these photographers that hope to catch stars, celebrities and politicians doing anything from the very mundane to the very outrageous.

Due to their incessant pursuit of fresh photographs and fresh faces in the media and particularly to their wish to shoot scandalous footage, paparazzi usually come very close to stepping on the toes of many of their subjects. Some go too far and invade the private space of celebrities or other noticeable figures which often leads to incidents.

Common incidents include yelling at the photographer, swearing, sometimes even removing the camera and withholding it. Many confrontations between celebrities and the paparazzi lead to court hearings. There have been cases of untruthful claims and violation of privacy. One of the most well-known examples of the negatives of paparazzi is the death of Princess Diana in 1997 due to a car crash, believed to have been caused by trying to avoid the paparazzi.

These photographers have been calmed down in some countries, especially on the European continent, where various laws and curfews have been put in place to restrict their access. In Germany and France the paparazzi must have permission from their subjects to make photos of them available to the general public.