October 10, 2007
Just One More Before Bedtime!
The New York Times reports on children paparazzi in Hollywood. [via Ypulse]
"... Since February, Blaine, 15, and his best friend, Austin Visschedyk, 14, have been spending late nights skulking around nightclubs, restaurants and private parties, staking out the likes of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton (older women, all), declaring themselves the youngest paparazzi in the business.
“They’re pretty shocked to see us,” said Blaine, a thin, soft-spoken shutterbug who runs his own photography company, Pint Size Paparazzi.
In one sense, the boys are another example of precocious Hollywood youngsters, following their show-business dreams a little ahead of schedule. Viewed another way, however, they may be unprepared innocents, colliding with one of the roughest sides of the entertainment industry.
... “I’m going to let this go as far as it takes me,” said Blaine, fidgeting with his V800. “I want to be friends with the celebrities more than take photos of them. I kind of wish I was going to the parties with them.”
Austin has sold photos to The Daily News in New York and OK! magazine, among other publications, while an image Blaine shot of Ms. Spears extending her middle finger recently fetched $500 at a local art show.
“What struck me originally about them is that they both have a good eye,” said Brad Elterman, an owner of Buzz Foto, an agency that brokers sales of celebrity photos."
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