How to become a camphone paparazzi

Michelle Henery at The Times went to a private viewing attended by celebrities, armed with a camera phone, to see how easy it is to snap pictures of the famous. Answer is: not that easy.

As you have to position yourself at a not-so-discreet distance from the subject and struggle with four or five commands, you'd be lucky if the subject has not already walked away when you're ready. Besides, many snaps can be out of focus and a few downright unrecognisable.

But it is nevertheless possible to make money from the hobby. Tabloid newspapers and celebrity magazines are bombarded by readers' snaps of stars.

The News of the World and the Daily Mirror sometimes solicit entries from readers and magazines, including Maxim, Loaded and Heat, have sections devoted to these pictures. Heat pays its amateur paparazzi £200 a snap.

The backlash has already started and camera phones are banned from many large corporations, swimming pools and changing rooms.

Celebrities are already camera-phone conscious. Britney Spears reportedly had mobiles confiscated at a party in New York, Prince agreed to grace a nightclub in London with an appearance only after his minders had frisked guests and Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, banned camera phones from his team's Christmas party last year.

Regine | 9:01 AM | Paparazzi |
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