Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Citizen Paparazzi Cash in on the Celebrity Craze

Crowdsourcing is cutting into the paparazzi business. Some time ago we reported on how amateur photographers can sell their photos online and now another kind of photographers gets upstaged by amateurs.

In recent years, more tabloid magazines have begun accepting picture submissions from non-professionals which lead to a growing number of citizen paparazzi agencies that act as intermediaries. Here are some of them: peoplepaparazzi.com, Cash4yourpics.com, Scoopt.com, Spymedia.com, and Thesnitcherdesk.com. Gawker.com incorporates more amateur photo submissions as a way of enhancing its popular “Gawker Stalker Map,” which maps out celebrity sightings around the city each day.

A lucky shot can make you rich. The snapshot of Britney Spears Las Vegas nuptials that ended in annulment was sold for $150,000 by a couple who also got married there that night. But keep in mind that if you act like a papparazzo, you are at risk of being treated like one by body guards.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Photography Against Dogfighting

The Humane Society of the United States’ End Dogfighting in Chicago campaign sponsored a photography project in which members of the campaign’s Pit Bull Training Team were given disposable cameras and asked to document a day in the life of their pit bull. The result was “Pit·ography,” a 33-photo exhibition showcasing the beauty of the urban pit bull that took place at Chicago’s Carroll Center. (Some of the photos are here.) And the dogs and their owners were serenaded with violins.

Anthony Pickett, a member of the PBTT and Pitography photographer, says his favorite photo in his collection is the one of his two-year old pit bull, “Nino,” on his back: “I like it because it shows how loving and gentle he is.”

This event is part of the community outreach component of The Humane Society of the United States’ End Dogfighting in Chicago campaign. The program strikes at the core of urban dogfighting by using proven preventative methods such as youth anti-violence intervention, dog training classes, humane education, community outreach and law enforcement partnerships.

“The beauty of ‘Pit·ography’ is that it portrays pit bulls in a new light,” said Sandy DeLisle, End Dogfighting in Chicago campaign coordinator. “In this season of rebirth and renewal, this project shows us the pit bull is not a fighter, but a loving companion.”


The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization — backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the Web at humanesociety.org.