There have been numerous threads on the forum here about the 'rights' of a photographer, in a public place, to photograph whomever they please - given that it is a public place.
Almost invariably though, the forum regulars distance themselves from paparazzi - who are generally held with the esteem one reserves for a cockroach.
But the line between street photographer and paparazzo could get blurred if lawmakers in Malibu have their way. See the linked article; locals are upset over the paparazzi invading their beaches for shots of celeb surfers / beach goers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-malibu24-2008jun24,0,2161692.story?track=rss
If such laws were enacted, seems to me that they could be used to hamper the work of other street photographers as well. I hate the paparazzi as much as the next guy, but I hate even more the ever-increasing glut of legislation in this land.
For my money's worth - a few well timed right jabs to the proboscises of the offending paparazzi should be all the deterrent required ....
Partial extract:
Paparazzi caught in Malibu's surf and turf war
The summer surf is up in Malibu, and that means competing cultures are colliding with more zest than usual: surfers who jealously guard their favorite beaches, locals who want Malibu to remain a West Coast Mayberry and younger celebrities who love to hate their attendant paparazzi.
Case in point: Over the weekend, obscenities, fists and video equipment went flying in two incidents involving paparazzi, celebrities and surfers, capturing the attention of Internet junkies around the world.
The paparazzi -- also fixtures in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood and West Hollywood -- say they are just doing their job and insist that some younger celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, whose surf outing first drew the crush of paparazzi to Malibu on Saturday, welcome the attention. But many Malibu locals resent seeing hordes of photographers, who frequently sell their shots and videos to websites such as tmz.com and X17online.com, stake out their favorite haunts. They say the aggressive shooters pose a safety hazard and are spoiling the sophisticated ambience that has drawn residents and millions of visitors to Malibu.
Can Malibu -- which routinely endures wildfires, mudslides and cellphone dead zones -- survive the age of TMZ and X17?
Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich is working with Kenneth W. Starr, former White House independent counsel and dean of Pepperdine Law School, to research the possibility of crafting a law to regulate paparazzi.
"The city of Malibu will do all it legally can to protect and preserve the natural beauty and tranquillity of our town," she said in a statement Monday.
More at link .... http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-malibu24-2008jun24,0,2161692.story?track=rss
Almost invariably though, the forum regulars distance themselves from paparazzi - who are generally held with the esteem one reserves for a cockroach.
But the line between street photographer and paparazzo could get blurred if lawmakers in Malibu have their way. See the linked article; locals are upset over the paparazzi invading their beaches for shots of celeb surfers / beach goers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-malibu24-2008jun24,0,2161692.story?track=rss
If such laws were enacted, seems to me that they could be used to hamper the work of other street photographers as well. I hate the paparazzi as much as the next guy, but I hate even more the ever-increasing glut of legislation in this land.
For my money's worth - a few well timed right jabs to the proboscises of the offending paparazzi should be all the deterrent required ....
Partial extract:
Paparazzi caught in Malibu's surf and turf war
The summer surf is up in Malibu, and that means competing cultures are colliding with more zest than usual: surfers who jealously guard their favorite beaches, locals who want Malibu to remain a West Coast Mayberry and younger celebrities who love to hate their attendant paparazzi.
Case in point: Over the weekend, obscenities, fists and video equipment went flying in two incidents involving paparazzi, celebrities and surfers, capturing the attention of Internet junkies around the world.
The paparazzi -- also fixtures in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood and West Hollywood -- say they are just doing their job and insist that some younger celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, whose surf outing first drew the crush of paparazzi to Malibu on Saturday, welcome the attention. But many Malibu locals resent seeing hordes of photographers, who frequently sell their shots and videos to websites such as tmz.com and X17online.com, stake out their favorite haunts. They say the aggressive shooters pose a safety hazard and are spoiling the sophisticated ambience that has drawn residents and millions of visitors to Malibu.
Can Malibu -- which routinely endures wildfires, mudslides and cellphone dead zones -- survive the age of TMZ and X17?
Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich is working with Kenneth W. Starr, former White House independent counsel and dean of Pepperdine Law School, to research the possibility of crafting a law to regulate paparazzi.
"The city of Malibu will do all it legally can to protect and preserve the natural beauty and tranquillity of our town," she said in a statement Monday.
More at link .... http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-malibu24-2008jun24,0,2161692.story?track=rss
