January 31, 2006

Adobe Lightroom Beta


Project: Lightroom is Adobe’s effort to engage the professional photography community in a new way, giving you the opportunity to kick the tires and shape the feature set of a new tool being created just for you. Ultimately, we want Lightroom to be truly built from the ground up by photographers, for photographers, helping solve your unique workflow challenges.

We’re releasing a preview build now so that you have plenty of time to give us feedback on what’s working for you, and what isn’t. Download now and send us your feedback before the Lightroom Beta 1 build expires at the end of June 2006.

To learn more, check out the Lightroom Beta 1(MAC OS X only) DOWNLOAD.

January 29, 2006

The Paparazzi Are Now Everywhere

Celebrities beware: thanks to a website, any member of the public armed with a camera can now put you on the front pages, writes Adrian Turpin



It’s known as the Kate Moss question: how much money would it take for you to shop a famous friend doing drugs to the press? A hundred pounds? A thousand? Ten thousand? Kyle MacRae swears he would never be tempted. “Never. There is no way I am going to whip out a camera phone in that situation. But, believe me, somebody is,” he says. And, when they do, MacRae will be there to broker the deal.

I’m sitting in a hotel overlooking George Square — watching what seems like half of Glasgow bawl into its mobile phone — while the softly spoken 42-year-old southsider explains why his company, Scoopt.com, is set to become a celebrity’s worst nightmare.

“Our society seems to have an insatiable desire for pictures of the famous. Until now the problem has been one of supply. Well, not any longer. There are tens of millions of amateur paparazzi out there with camera phones. If you can only find a way for them to sell their stuff, you have the potential to create something very big.”

Read the rest HERE.

January 27, 2006

Kate Moss Chased by Paparazzi in Paris


Kate Moss took refuge in a Paris police station this week to escape a fleet of paparazzi chasing her car, police said Friday.

About a dozen photographers on scooters and in cars followed the supermodel's car as she left the Ritz Hotel late Thursday, police said. A friend, Jean-Yves le Fur, was driving.

Moss and le Fur stayed in the police station in western Paris about five minutes, then police blocked off the photographers so they could leave safely. No complaint was filed.

Moss, 31, lost contracts with H&M, Burberry and Chanel after Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid in September published pictures of her allegedly using cocaine in a London music studio where her then-boyfriend, Pete Doherty, was recording with his group, Babyshambles.

AKVIS Enhancer: Improve Detail on Your Pictures

SOURCE: CreativePro.com
AKVIS Enhancer: Improve Detail on Your Pictures
(Press Release)Thursday, January 26, 2006
View More In: Graphics
Related Books: Digital Imaging: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Photographers Complete Digital Photography (Third Edition)
AKVIS LLC announces the release of AKVIS Enhancer V.3.0 for Windows and Macintosh. The new algorithm introduced in v. 3.0 makes this detail-revealing software yet more efficient. The new version supports 16 bits per channel.
It may happen that a photographer will take a great photo but some details within it will be lost due to unevenness of exposure; faces may be cast in shadow, or scenery wiped out by overexposure. Merely manipulating the brightness and contrast of the whole frame with photo editing software can improve the problem in some portions of a photo, but might then spoil other areas that need different treatment. Here lies the strength of AKVIS Enhancer.
AKVIS Enhancer strengthens the difference between adjacent pixels having different color gradations and reveals details within shadowed, overexposed or mid-tone areas. Where other similar programs may achieve... READ MORE HERE!

January 26, 2006

SADONNA



Is the Queen of Pop's quest for eternal youth taking its toll?
Thu Jan 26 2006 08:35:03 ET
DAILY MIRROR

SHE'S wowed the world for two decades - but even a fashion icon can have an off day.

And when Madonna arrived in Paris yesterday looking decidedly less than glamorous, fears were raised that her relentless fitness regime may be taking its toll on her looks. The 47-year-old's skin was stretched across razor-sharp cheekbones and her chin was puckered as she turned up for a Gaultier fashion show.

A fellow guest said: "Madonna usually looks so groomed. It was a bit of a shock to see her looking so ropey."

The mum-of-two exercises at least three hours a day, sometimes runs 10-miles, and eats mainly wholegrains and vegetables.

January 25, 2006

CROWE SLAMS 'STALKER' PAPARAZZI


Oscar winner RUSSELL CROWE has launched a scathing attack on the world's paparazzi, comparing them to stalkers.

The GLADIATOR star claims he has no privacy due to the constant presence of photographers.

He fumes, "Our privacy laws are non-existent. The one sentence that's in (the legislation) is 'what a reasonable society expects'. And a reasonable society could not possibly expect you to doorstop someone seven days a week, 24 hours a day, sit outside their house, follow them wherever they go - that's stalking.

"If it was happening to anyone else the police would have powers to do something about it. This bulls**t excuse that they're just doing their job. It gets dangerous, too."

Crowe was especially horrified to hear Australian HEATH LEDGER has been attacked with water pistols by four snappers at the Sydney premiere of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN earlier this month (13JAN06).

He adds, "It's not just their shenanigans, it's what they show to other people.

"So now there's a psychological thing that goes around that it's OK to do something like that to Heath Ledger or TOM CRUISE when they're in public, out there doing their job, and that's completely uncool."

contactmusic.com

January 23, 2006

Britney Rescued By Paparazzi




AP) BURBANK, Calif. The paparazzi that have hounded Britney Spears proved to be a big help on Sunday.

Access Hollywood reports that photographers who had been tailing Spears and her brother Bryan helped them push their broken Ferrari off a Los Angeles freeway.

The paparazzi then waited with the pair until police showed up.The Spears siblings were reportedly driven home in the back seat of a police car.

January 22, 2006

ROBERTA FLACK ATTACKS PHOTOGRAPHER

Carmen attacked by Roberta Flack on the set of Chapter 27 outside the Dakota Apartments.

Here is the account of the incident, in the words of Carmen herself...

"I must tell you it was beyond pushy; it was ugly. Please note I never
got in her face, but before she was in my face, I ran for cover. She is
crazy and spun it around that I attacked her. I only took her photo
while I was waiting for Lindsay Lohan. When she ran towards me I ran
for my life! Thank God for the cops on the scene. The cops were looking
at Lindsay and didn't want to deal with it."

Photo by Carmen

Chapter 27: Things Get Tense

Leto And Lohan Film Set: Chapter 27

Things are getting tense around the film set of Chapter 27.
I heard Roberta Flack got pushy with Carmen on the set.
Steve got a summons for Blocking Flow Of Pedestrian Traffic.


Let us know what else is going on...

January 21, 2006

Crowe warns snappers



RUSSELL Crowe has warned the paparazzi to stay away from his pregnant wife, Danielle Spencer, saying he will "tar and feather" any photographer who comes too close.

Crowe expressed his concerns about Spencer's safety after paparazzi photographers sprayed Heath Ledger with water on a red carpet in Sydney.

The Oscar-winning actor has revealed that the paparazzi's presence may have influenced the birth of the couple's first baby, Charlie, two years ago.

"Dani was three weeks early last time, she gave birth just a few days after she was chased down the street by four photographers," Crowe said.

"Nobody cares, particularly the photographers, nobody cares to focus on what that is. She was just walking down the street with her girlfriend and they rushed her - four of them all surrounded her.

"So she panicked and slipped and all this sort of stuff. If I'd been there that would have been a really serious situation.

"I tell you right now, they will be tarred and feathered if they hassle my pregnant wife again."

Crowe, who married Spencer in early 2003, said his wife is about to enter her second trimester of pregnancy.

"Now she's at 3 months and she's about to get into the second trimester," he said. "In the second trimester of her last pregnancy she was absolutely glowing and ravenous for life, so we're both looking forward to that.

"The first trimester's a little tougher," he added with a smile.

Crowe said Charlie was excited about having a younger sibling. "He understands that there is a baby . . . he's talking now, he's very much in tune with everything that's going on," Crowe said.

The actor said he was more than happy to do his job on red carpets and be photographed at official events with his wife. But he is becoming increasingly concerned about the intrusion by paparazzi in his everyday life and the lives of other celebrities. "I think it's time for the police to have a chat to these guys," he said.

"Our privacy laws are non-existent. The one sentence that's in [the legislation] is 'what a reasonable society expects'. And a reasonable society could not possibly expect you to doorstop someone seven days a week, 24 hours a day, sit outside their house, follow them wherever they go . . . that's stalking.

"If it was happening to anyone else the police would have powers to do something about it.

"This bullshit excuse [by the paparazzi] that they're just doing their job . . . it gets dangerous, too. It's not just their shenanigans, it's what they show to other people.

"So now there's a psychological thing that goes around that it's OK to do something like that to Heath Ledger or Tom Cruise when they're in public, out there doing their job, and that's completely uncool."

Crowe said his family life in Woolloomooloo (and on his farm in Nana Glen, in northern NSW) has never been happier and that he was simply hoping to protect his wife's wellbeing in the lead-up to the birth of their second child.

Source: The Sun-Herald

January 20, 2006

Lexar 133X CompactFlash and SD Memory Cards



Fremont, Ca., January 18, 2006– Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a world leader in advanced digital media technologies, announced availability of its new Professional CompactFlash® (CF) and Secure Digital™ (SD) flash memory cards designed to deliver optimal performance in all digital SLR cameras. Speed-rated at 133X, Lexar’s new flash memory products are capable of a minimum sustained write speed of 20MB per second and signify the company’s continued commitment to providing professional photographers with reliable flash memory cards that deliver fast image read and write speeds, and seamless operation throughout each step of the digital imaging workflow process enabling the user to spend more time taking pictures.

“Our new 133X cards allow digital SLR cameras to perform optimally and support the high speed transfer of images and information, and help improve the photographer’s digital imaging workflow,” said John Omvik, director of professional product marketing, Lexar. “Lexar’s new 133X cards are ideal for those photographers who require reliable, high-performance flash memory that makes the most of all the professional-level features available in their digital SLR camera.”

Like all of Lexar’s Professional series CompactFlash memory cards, the new 133X cards include Lexar’s Write Acceleration Technology (WA). The WA technology is designed for optimal performance in digital SLR cameras, allowing these cameras to exchange and store images faster, for super fast image-write speeds. In addition, the new 133X CompactFlash and SD cards include Image RescueĂ” 2.0, Lexar’s award-winning image recovery software, and a trial version of Photo MechanicĂ” 4.0, the popular image browsing software from Camera Bits. As with all of Lexar’s professional products, each card includes a lifetime warranty and unlimited access to Lexar’s dedicated technical support team for professional photographers.

January 19, 2006

Lindsay Lohan's Mom Dina Talks One-On-One With 'E! News'

The Lowdown on Lindsay Tonight (Thursday, January 19) at 7:00 PM ET/PT on
'E! News' With Anchor Giuliana DePandi

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- "E! News" got some surprising responses to questions posed to Dina Lohan, Lindsay's mom, at last night's (Wednesday, Jan. 18) Ford Supermodel of the World event in New York. Anxious to clear up the controversy surrounding the recent Vanity Fair article on the young superstar, Dina told "E! News" -- "That Vanity Fair article was a little misconstrued unfortunately, and it's not Vanity Fair's fault -- it's the reporter. Lindsay put out her own statement saying she (the reporter) misconstrued her words and hopefully, when we do 'Oprah' and hit 27 million viewers, they'll make their own decisions."

The entire Dina Lohan interview will be featured on "E! News" tonight (Thursday, January 19) at 7:00 PM ET/PT with anchor Giuliana DePandi.

Lindsay's health, which has been fodder for the tabloids for nearly as long as Lindsay has been in the public eye, was a topic of conversation as well. According to Dina, "Lindsay has had bronchial asthma since she was two. She's completely fine. Asthma -- you can be fine in two days. She's 19-1/2, she does need to maintain it. She does need to stop smoking and she's on a pill to help her do that. She's a little girl, she'll be okay."

Those tabloids and the paparazzi, which seem to follow Lindsay's every move, were also on Dina's mind: "We love the paparazzi -- there's good and bad with everything. We don't hate all paparazzi. If someone's gonna drive their car into you -- okay, that's a bad egg. This day and age tabloids come out once a week and they don't even check the facts. It's too fast and furious... "

Even Lindsay's younger sister Ali got into the act last night, telling E! about her own desire to act. "I watch my sister do it a lot and I thought it was fun to do." And what advice did big sis give Ali? "Don't listen to what the critics say."

The Lighter Side of Photography....

(Click on cartoon to ENLARGE)

SORVINO'S PAPARAZZI TUSSLE


Pregnant Oscar winner MIRA SORVINO and her husband CHRIS BACCHUS had a paparazzi scare as the prepared for the Golden Globes last weekend (15JAN06) - when a desperate snapper tried to get shots of their daughter.

The actress and rocker Bacchus were relaxing in Hollywood when the photographer decided to try and get shots of the family.

Sorvino recalls, "The photographer ran onto a private property trying to take pictures of the baby. Chris asked him to stop, the guy hit him with his camera.

"Chris pushed him away, he fell, but Chris grabbed him before he hit the ground and later the guy apologised to Chris."

January 16, 2006

When the celebrity radar goes off, you must answer the call


(Copley News Service Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)LOS ANGELES - They prefer to hunt lucrative "exclusives," but midafternoon, paparazzi partners Arnold Cousart and Sergio Huapaya leave Ben and Jen's Brentwood neighborhood for the "hot zone," which is moored by celebrity-trodden, boutique-lined Robertson Boulevard.

During the 20-minute drive over, Huapaya's eyes dart as he recognizes umpteen paparazzi, all in dark SUVs, passing each other on the streets of Brentwood, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

"There's the guy who was run over by Britney's mom," Huapaya mentions as a black 4-by-4 crosses an intersection. Lynne Spears apparently mowed over a shutterbug in 2004 after a crush of paparazzi surrounded her car when she and Britney went puppy shopping at a Santa Monica pet store. The photog suffered minor injuries.

On Robertson Boulevard, the late lunch crowd jams the Ivy, a celebrity hangout with ever-present paparazzi on the sidewalk.

"Hold on, something's happening right now!" Huapaya barks, as he cruises past the famed restaurant.

"It's coming south," he relays over his two-way to Cousart, who is about a block away. Huapaya circles back through an alley, stops at a red light at a corner and grabs his camera from the back seat. In a split-second, he's aiming out the driver's side window at the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, who just emerged from the Ivy and is basically in his face.

The Weight Watchers spokeswoman has shed more flab and apparently wants to flaunt it. With a gaggle of paparazzi on her heels, Fergie opts not to duck into her chauffeured black Denali at the curb, but to milk a photo-op toddle down Robertson.

Huapaya is wheeling around the block to get back to Fergie when his celebrity radar buzzes. About 30 feet away, he spots a black Range Rover at a gas station. "Is that Kimberly Stewart?" he asks out loud, referring to rocker Rod's party-girl daughter.

Like other paparazzi, he's memorized a long up-to-date list of license plates and makes of celebrity-owned cars.

He soon parks and rushes out in front of strolling Fergie, who ridiculously pretends to act casual and chatter to a friend with a half-dozen photogs at her toes snapping away. As Huapaya ambles backward with camera to his face, Cousart, at the other end of the block, yells into the two-way radio: "Turn around! Turn around!"

Behind Huapaya is Stewart, frozen in the crosswalk and nearly trampled by the Fergie stampede. When the photogs notice her, the blonde tart bats her eyes and taunts, "Bye guys! I'm going shopping."

She skips across the boulevard like the Piped Piper, literally stopping traffic, with panting paparazzi in tow. When she enters the trendy Madison boutique, the shutterbugs frantically press their cameras to the store windows.

Huapaya isn't among them. He's across the street because his radar rang again. At the Lisa Kline boutique, the motorized black "paparazzi curtain" has been dropped in the front window to shield prying lenses. On the sidewalk outside, Huapaya recognizes the bodyguard of Grammy winner Alicia Keyes, who it turns out is shopping inside.

"Can I ask you to not take a photo?" the bodyguard nicely asks Huapaya.

"Sorry, can't," Huapaya politely answers.

"Thought I'd ask," the bodyguard shrugs.

One of Huapaya's two cell phones beep. "Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married at the Scientology Center today," he blurts out after disconnecting. On the paparazzi Richter scale, it's a magnitude 10. (And it'll turn out, not true. Another paparazzi agency, meantime, rents a helicopter to fly over the Scientology Center and Cruise's home.)

Nearby, Cousart, who dumped his SUV at a red curb, squawks into his cell. "Mandy Moore is on the move! She's going north on Laurel Canyon!"

Moore appears headed to the home of "Scrubs" star-boyfriend Zach Braff. "If we get a kissing shot, we're breaking a story," Cousart excitedly says.

Keyes slips out the boutique's back door, shrouded by employees who act as a human paparazzi curtain. Huapaya splits for the Scientology Center in Hollywood and Cousart leaves to check on one of his agency's photogs now parked a house down from what is believed to be Braff's canyon home. Moore's black BMW X5 is in the driveway.

En route, Cousart spots the SUVs of rival paparazzi parked on the Sunset Strip outside the castle-like Chateau Marmont hotel. The much sought-after, tabloid-fodder Jessica Simpson is having drinks inside.

It's now nightfall and cold. A dozen paparazzi line up on a strip of sidewalk across from the Marmont, legendary because John Belushi OD'd in one of its rooms. Over the next three chilly hours, there's no Jessica.

At one point, a Range Rover pulls into the valet.

"It's Lindsay!" a photog shouts.

Lohan's passenger-seat companion hides his face with a Chanel paper shopping bag, an unintentionally hilarious sight. As the camera-clicking paparazzi rush in the dark to the edge of the hotel driveway, the "Herbie: Fully Loaded" hipster exits her SUV and appears to deliberately turn toward the frenzied pack for a sec.

Once Lohan sweeps into the hotel, it's navel-gazing time again. Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. eventually trots up the sidewalk and a few paparazzi flash in his cursing face.

After he leaves, they gripe his picture probably won't sell.

January 15, 2006

Paparazzi spat with Heath Ledger: 'Bring it on' says snapper

Sydney - Paparazzi photographers who fired water pistols at Hollywood heartthrob Heath Ledger said Sunday he would be happy if the young Australian made good on his threat to press charges over the incident at last week's opening in Sydney of gay cowboy film 'Brokeback Mountain'.

Peter Carrette said the spray was in retaliation for a previous incident where Ledger is alleged to have spat at press photographers, a claim the star denies. Ledger's girlfriend and co-star Michelle Williams was also got a little wet on the warm Sydney night.

'Bring it on,' Carrette told Australia's AAP news agency. I'd love to see it, because he won't. He doesn't have a leg to stand on. Everything I say is a fact. It's true that he's misbehaved for the past 18 months, but he won't do it again in a hurry.'

Carrette doubted distributor Roadshow Films would make good on its promise to ban the five photographers from future red carpet events.

'They need us more than we need them,' he said. 'I put out to 56 countries of the world and if they don't need that sort of publicity ... they're cutting off their noses to spite their face.'

At the upcoming Golden Globe awards, Ledger has been nominated for best actor and Williams for best supporting actress for 'Brokeback Mountain'.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

January 13, 2006

The top is off Jennifer Aniston's paparazzi case


How many times do we have to go over this? When you take your bikini off in public, and someone takes a picture, your privacy is not violated. See, some celebrities just think they own everything.

Peter Brandt, the paparazzi being sued by Jennifer Aniston for capturing those topless photos of her, claims that the actress has no cause of action to bring forward her Violation of Right of Privacy complaint.

Brandt claims that Aniston's complaint doesn't really make sense. He also claims that it isn't very valid, because they've been over this already:

"The complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, and the pleading is uncertain, ambiguous, and unintelligible."

Additionally this claim has already been decided in another case ... which held Aniston did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to a topless photo of herself because it was in the public domain."

What surprised us most about this complaint, is that it's coming from the girl who totally nipped out on every episode of Friends. Why do celebrities need to walk around their properties and lay on their lawn chairs naked anyway? Isn't that why we have magazines like Playboy and GQ?

You can read the court papers HERE.

Paparazzi shoot water pistols at Ledger



Five paparazzi photographers whom Heath Ledger allegedly spat at have retaliated at the Sydney premiere of his new movie - shooting the actor with water pistols.

As Ledger arrived with partner Michelle Williams at Cinema Paris at Fox Studios on Friday night, the photographers took aim at the Hollywood heart-throb with the toys.

They hit him in the face and chest, wetting his hair and clothing, in an action taking some 10 seconds.

Ledger put his hands up to protect himself and tried to shield his partner, who was also hit by the water, as they moved quickly inside the cinema complex.

Upon seeing the incident, security guards moved towards the paparazzi but the five had left the scene.

Veteran paparazzi photographer Peter Carrette, who was not (not) involved in the incident, told AAP: "Enough is enough.

"Some boys thought they would get him back for spitting at them. It's (spitting) totally out of order.

"I came here to do my job but if anyone spat at me I would deck them.

"We are just doing our job. He gets $250,000 a picture (a movie) and we get $250 a picture. Who the hell does he think he is?"

Last week, Ledger said he was hurt and embarrassed by claims he had spat at journalists on the Sydney set of the movie Candy last year and by a recent report that said his uncle spat in a photographer's face.

"It's disgusting and awful. I would never in a million years do anything like that," Ledger told News Ltd newspapers.

"I'm not some sort of dirty spitter."

To the premiere, Ledger wore a hooded jumper under a black suit jacket, his outfit completed with sunglasses and sneakers, while Williams wore a navy Chanel dress.

January 10, 2006

A Fair Weather REVIEW

National Board Of Review Of Motion Pictures Awards Ceremony
Tavern on the Green
6pm


For the first time in many years, this event (in the middle of an open air Central Park) had fair weather. We have shot this event in prior years (no joke) in snow, rain, sub-freezing temperatures, under no tent with no light, no help from PR and numerous other horrid conditions. But this year was very mild for winter. PR wasn't that bad and there was ample room provided for photographers (two sides as opposed to the usual one side.)

But of course....there's a kicker. Halle Berry was the last to show... and hardly stops. And of course...she wears that ol' NYC in Black Fashion. Meanwhile Felicity Huffman (in an amazing orange dress) posed so much we actually applauded her for her cooperation!

January 9, 2006

LOHAN BUYS BLOOD-STAINED ANTIQUE


LINDSAY LOHAN bought the blood-stained chair she sat on in a Hollywood antiques shop after recently running from the paparazzi - because she couldn't bear to think of it being sold on internet auction site eBay.

The teen actress/singer dashed into Hideaway House Antiques after crashing her Mercedes Benz in the street outside as the paparazzi swarmed around her last October (05).

She says, "I ran into the corner (of the shop) and sat down on this old chair, and I look down and there's blood specks all over the chair.

"I looked at my assistant. I said, 'Buy this chair. It's not getting sold on eBay.'"

Is Angelina Jolie Toying With the Paparazzi?


Angelina Jolie is pregnant and getting married - or not. Depending on your favorite tabloid, you can pretty much dress Angie up as a perggers mom, or a high flying airplane pilot that is madly in love with Brad Pitt. The reason, according to one published report, she loves to play games with the paparazzi.

Ang toys with photogs?
Ang toys with photogs?

Keeping tabs wonders - is Angelina toying with the paparazzi?

The tabs are all over the place with their Angelina Jolie coverage this week. Us' cover story says that there'll be no wedding to Brad Pitt any time soon, quoting a rather muddled-sounding "source close to the actress" who says, "She wants to be married desperately, but is addicted to her independence."

Us also shoots down pregnancy rumors; of the photos that made gossips think they saw a bump, "a source" says, "She would totally play games with [photographers] just for fun. That's how she is."

-

Star, on the other hand, says the pair are on "the eve of their nuptials … which, sources say, could happen any day"; and Life & Style is downright cocky, describing the actress as "Mom-to-be Angelina Jolie" and claiming that she called Jennifer Aniston herself to give her the news.

-

Life & Style dishes that she called Jennifer Aniston and told her about the pregnancy to clear the air. "She hates the thought that there could be any hard feelings with Jen now that there is a baby on the way, a source that is called a friend of Angie and Brad's told the tabloid.

-

Sister publication 'In Touch Weekly' says Jen called Brad's cell phone and Angie picked up. Surprise!

Jolie grabbed the covers of all four tabloids and if she is just toying - she's really good at it.

Public Paparazzi Website Scoops Front Page Exclusive

(I-Newswire) - The Snitcher Desk is happy to announce the first of what promises to be many front-page exclusives submitted by a member of the public.

A quick-thinking amateur photographer landed a front-page photo exclusive for the New York Post with a snap of Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter and his MTV-veejay girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo. The sale was facilitated by the recently launched public paparazzi website The Snitcher Desk. Armed with a small digital camera, the sharp-eyed Snitcher photographed the couple poolside in Maui, earning him a four-figured sum that is still expected to grow from further sales generated through periodical titles. Not a bad return for a couple of minutes of his time.

Since launching in mid 2005 The Snitcher Desk has seen consistent growth in the quantity and quality of submissions from a growing band of Snitchers, which is reflected by this recent success - a mere hint at what is to come.

The Snitcher Desk is the missing link between the public paparazzi and the world's press. The submission process is simple. Users can either upload their photos direct to the site or send them instantly by e-mail from their PC or cellphone. If the photos are good enough, they are immediately piped onto its syndication network where the world’s media will have access to them in a matter of moments. The Snitcher Desk only takes a modest 20% cut of the fee received from its partner agencies, returning 80% to their customers, who can relax, as the only other steps they will need to take are the ones to the bank.

With the forever-evolving technology in the world of digital photography – be it on camera phones, or the increasing availability of more compact and higher quality digital cameras – the average member of the public has a good chance of getting a quality shot. Just by being in the right place at the right time, and aided by The Snitcher Desk, any opportunist could find their photographs on the cover of tomorrow’s papers in the US, the UK and around the world.

January 3, 2006

NAKED by STEVE AZZARA


Our buddy Steve has a new book comming out. You can check out the website at WWW.NAKEDBOOK.NET.

Thank God it's not Steve Azzara Naked...that would be bad. LOL!