Camera Phone Users = Paparazzi?

The other night I was watching a show on E!.  Can't really remember what the show was called but it had to deal with celebs and the paparazzi.  Worst Celebrity moments or something like that.  Anywho, they interviewed the many photographers that have encountered ill-mannered moments with celebs.  To me its kind of like stalking with a permit.  They wait outside of homes, stores and just sneak up and attack, then when they don't get the cooperation of the celebs they provoke anger... in any case this isn't what I'm trying to get at.

I thought back to when I used to go the Mario Badescu salon in Manhattan.  I bumped into Ashely Judd one day and let me tell you... even without make-up shes gorgeous!!  But I thought about what I would have done had I been armed with a camera phone.  Would I have just sneakily caught her at her worst? 

So in thinking this, I came across this article which is a bit old, but it was in my email and of course I never check it on time.  Brings me back to a post that I had started about being a journalists.  Bloggers now have rights as journalists to a certain respect with limits.  But what about camera phone users?  Does this mean that we could possibly be part of the paparazzi?  Actually, wouldn't it be a bit easier for cam phone users since we don't have all that damn equipment to lug around?  Lol, I can see it now... "Shaun Penn broke my camera phone!!!  Thank God I have handset insurance!!" 

Paris Hilton has proved that even celebrities themselves can get themselves caught up in the camera phone craze and have pics plastered all on the net, rag mags and the news.  But what about the regular users?  Could we possibly be junior paparazzi in training?  I know there are several people that may have caught things on cam and share it with their friends and such... but do you think The Enquirer would pay top dollar for a pic that was taken with a phone? 

In the words of Arsenio Hall..... "One of those things that make you go hmmmmmm."

Comments

[Des]

Darla, I think most of us "bloggers" and especially "Photo Bloggers" just take pics for our own interests and that of our friends and family. I have run into celebs on trips (especially Vegas) and often thought about taking their pics with my camera phone but decided against it. I actually don't take pictures of anyone without their knowledge or permission and I think most folks do the same. It's an unwritten rule to just be courteous. I know there's not a lot of that left in the world, but it still can be found!