Embrace Adventure: New Respect for Paparazzi

Okay, I still actually think that the paparazzi are a complete blight on society, but I do have to appreciate their skill at taking celebrity photographs, after discovering for myself how frustratingly difficult it can be.

The first trick is just finding them! After all, there are tons of people on the carpet including some big names in the industry who you just wouldn't recognize (writers, directors, etc.), members of the celebs' entourages, and those people who had no business being there at all (like me) but who somehow managed to slip past the guards (unlike me).

My initial strategy was to aim towards the booths where they were being interviewed for TV. But it was hard to get close to them, and the stars weren't necessarily angled very well for those of us on the sidelines, as you can see in these pics of Glenn Close and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

Then there's the question of what you do when you're taking one's photo and another one comes into your line of vision, as you might have noticed in the Glenn Close pic (that's Masi Oka from Heroes in the bottom right). Do you stay with the first person, hoping to get a better shot, or go with the new one so you don't miss him/her altogether? In my case, I moved on.

Sometimes this starts a chain reaction. As I was taking more pics of Masi, I realized he was talking to Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars. (What I wouldn't give to be able to do my hair like that!)

This one was actually a no-brainer for me because I just LOVED Veronica Mars (RIP) and think Kristen Bell is a fabulous actress. Plus she was wearing the most gorgeous blue dress and, let's face it, tuxes just don't capture your attention in the same way. However, photographing Kristen presented new challenges, since she happens to be very animated when she's chatting.

I did finally manage to get a halfway-decent pic of her.

Another, rather embarrassing, problem is when you see somebody go by and you're not really sure if it's “somebody” or not. So you take the pic, “just in case.” For example, I have this shot of a woman that I'm sure I know from somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on it. So if anyone recognizes her, I'd appreciate it if you could enlighten me!

Then there's just the standard challenge that people are moving in front of you constantly, so you don't really have time to wait for the perfect pic. Instead, you just snap at any glimmer of a shot, which is how I ended up with these not-exactly-flattering pics of Debra Messing.

Of course, sometimes you don't even have an opportunity to think about taking a shot, as when Eva Longoria rushed by me at breakneck speed. Man, she's fast for someone so tiny!

I also missed Alec Baldwin, but for some unexplained reason, managed to get yet another one of his brothers. And, again, I'm not sure which one...