History of the Paparazzi

The paparazzi are described as photographers who make their living by taking pictures of celebrities as they live their daily lives. The general public seems to have turned against the paparazzi ever since the Princess Diana incident, in which it was often argued that overzealous photographers may have been a major contributing factor in the cause of the car crash that claimed the life of the young Princess.

The job of the paparazzi can be traced back to the 1950s era, when photographers were kept on staff by movie studios to generate buzz about new films. Today, the job has evolved into that of a freelance photographic mercenary selling off pictures of celebrities to the highest bidder.

The clients of paparazzi, the ones paying for the photos, include traditional news outlets, gossip magazines, celebrity blogs, and more. Just about any media outlet is the potential client of a celebrity stalking paparazzi.

The relationship between celebrity and paparazzi has grown more volatile over the years. More and more celebrities have become violent towards photographers since the late 1990s. The relationship between paparazzi and celebrity is unique. Celebrities need the exposure which paparazzi can offer in order to maintain their fame, but many celebrities continue to see paparazzi as bottom feeders invading the privacy of others for cash. Many paparazzi have gone on record to say that they do not see anything wrong with what they are doing and actually see their job as a service to the celebrity.

The origin of the word "paparazzi" is generally speculated to have come from Federico Fellini's 1960s film "La Dolce Vita" (which means "The Sweet Life") in Italian. Fellini was inspired to make the movie after an incident involving the famous Anita Ekberg and her husband at the time Anthony Steel. The incident involved photographers cruising through city streets trying to take a photo of the couple, and after the pair exited the taxi they were riding in, Steel was caught on film taking a swing at one of the photographers. The image that captured the incident inspired Fellini to make his film about celebrity photographers and named one of his characters "Paparazzo". When asked later about his character, Fellini stated "Paparazzo suggests to me a buzzing insect, hovering, darting, stinging", which suggests his idea that paparazzi are parasites feeding off of the fame of celebrities.

The recklessness displayed by many paparazzi in the field has prompted several governments and jurisdictions to pass anti-paparazzi laws. One example of this is a California law which creates liability against those who invade the privacy of others through photography or other methods of audio visual recording.