Gal Gadot being interviewed on the red carpet in a black dress close up

Introduction

Some Celebrity Photographer information going Behind the Scenes delving into the Celebrity, Entertainment and Showbiz World with the main focus being in London. What is it like to be in this Industry as a London Celebrity Photographer specialising in Female Celebrities. A few words  in connection with the Female Celebrity photos taken by Frank John the founder and owner of frankjohn.com that feature here. Photos featured in this article are also more Behind the Scenes in feel and look. Giving you a taste of what it is like and what you have to deal with on a daily basis.

Main Photo: Gal Gadot taken from behind the Interview Pen whilst being Interviewed at The Fast and Furious Premier, Leicester Square London on 7 May 2013 Copyright frankjohn.com

Katy Perry with a fan brunette and grey coat close up portrait

Katy Perry with a fan outside The Corinthia Hotel, near Trafalgar Square Central London. A decoy was sent out a few minutes earlier. Didn’t work did it! Photo Copyright Frank John frankjohn.com

Why Female Celebrities?
As stated on the main page of this website I specialised in Female Celebrities only, but if Brad Pitt or George Clooney were standing in front of me, of course I would take the photo and upload it to the Sales Site. For me it was like night and day, from very early on in my career that I was getting much better photos and what I call “connection shots” from the female stars than the men. So that’s what I ended up doing, till the very last day as a Celebrity Photographer. The women were interested and the men were not. It’s that simple! Hence Female Celebrity Photographer.

The two main Celebrity Photographer Camps?
Firstly to make things clear there are two categories of Celebrity Photographer possibly more but these are the two main ones and they are poles apart.

  1. Studio Celebrity Photography. This is controlled environment photography. where you are working with a celebrity by previous arrangement in a studio environment by appointment and taking photos. They may be portraits or candid but are posed under controlled lighting. Sometimes they maybe outdoors.These may be used for promotional purposes or to feature in advertising and many other uses. This is classed as “Commercial Photography” and would involve discussions and meetings with a major brand and also the celebrity concerned. A Model Release would also be signed by the celebrity concerned giving their permission for said photos to be used for the purposes as described as in “they are endorsing that product or service”
  2. Event and Paparazzi Photography. This is celebrity photography either live at events including Red Carpet, Film Premieres, Awards Events etc or Paparazzi style shots as in Radio and TV Station arrivals, Airports, Hotels and general day to day shots in public places. It’s photography on the fly, live and in the moment. You may get the photo….you may not! This is as far removed from the controlled studio environment as you can get. This is classed as”Editorial Photography” or “News Photography” and because of the high speed nature of this type of work it is physically incredibly difficult or impossible to get each celebrity photographed to sign a model release. Hence why you see these style photos marked as “Editorial” and “No Model Release” meaning they can be used in the News and Media but not for Commercial use where a product or service is being endorsed.

I was mainly in the latter camp which was Event and Paparazzi work as in Editorial Photography

cheryl in shades and grey and tan dress full length radio 1 london
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini (Cheryl) arrives at BBC Radio 1 on 24 July 2014 in Central London. Paparazzi Photos

Cheryl looking great, wave and a smile BUT in this game you have limited control over the background, who is in it, barriers and railings, vans. Did get some better shots when she came out including her engagement ring! Photo Copyright Frank John Famefad/frankjohn.com

The differences between Commercial Celebrity Photography and Editorial Celebrity Photography?
The two main striking differences between these two camps apart from the obvious just stated previously is you CAN do a Take 2, 3 and 4 in the Studio. There is no Take 2 with Event and Paparazzi work, if you didn’t get the shot first time then the moment is gone forever never to return. It’s a fail….it’s that simple!

  1. Studio work is normally one photographer, maybe an assistant or assistant(s) and make up all working together but you are not competing against other photographers in the studio, if there are other photographers you will be working together.. With event and paparazzi work you will be up against at least 2 or 3 other photographers in London maybe up to 50 or 60 at a massive premiere or awards event. Photos also need to be uploaded inside the hour otherwise they are dead literally, unless you have an exclusive or some original shot that nobody else managed to get.
Daisy LoweLFW 2014 in grey dress and blue coat London

Daisy Lowe London Fashion Week. 14 Sept 2014 Not looking in my direction, zero eye contact and huge crowds leaving the event… but still a reasonable shot. It’s not easy getting their attention in such situations. Photo Copyright frankjohn.com

It’s all in the Timing?
The type of Celebrity Photography I did was all nano second stuff. A lot of the time making sure they are at least semi looking at the camera, trying to get their arms and legs in the right position, making sure you are photographing their best side, and trying to make them look as good as possible in sometimes pretty horrific lighting conditions and in competition with other photographers, security and screaming fans all getting in your way. It’s not easy, the odds really are stacked aginst you but in this job you have to perpetually “pull the rabbit out of the hat”. If you didn’t get the shot you can’t exactly say “excuse me, can you come out of that doorway again please I missed the shot?”. That will not be happening. You learn the hard way.. “no shot=no food” Once you realise this….. your success rate will be at least 95%….it has to be otherwise you can’t pay the bills. It’s an exciting but very precarious way to make a living.

Twilight Breaking Dawn 2 Premiere Crowd Scene Leicester Square, London

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Film Premier 14 Nov 2012 General Scene Shot Leicester Square, London

The Industry and People involved in it?
You meet a lot of people as a Celebrity Photographer not just the stars themselves but anything associated with them. As a Photographer you are part of what is called in the Trade ” The Industry” as in “The Entertainment Industry”. The Industry is everything to do with the Entertainment Industry including Film, TV, Radio, Music, Theatre and the rest. The people involved with this world includes everything from cleaners, security, red carpet layers, event organisers, interviewers, event presenters, film sets and production, recording studios, TV, Radio and Theatre staff, music video production, live events, Hollywood itself, the media, film crew, videographers, set installers, lighting crew, make up artists, entourage, pr and agents and agencies I could go on here but you get the idea. It’s huge hence why it is called “The Industry”

As a Celebrity Photographer you are just one small cog in this vast machine or “Industry” and on the promotional side of things rather than behind the scenes. You are more at the coal face. It’s a prominent role more so than say the lighting crew on a film set but both are important. As a photographer you will sometimes be just feet away from these people, you are eyeballing them and they are eyeballing you and communicating with them to get them positioned for the best shot. In some ways you are more like a director but you have to do it in such a way that it doesn’t feel they are being ordered around. It’s not “do this” it’s more “is it possible …… please” sort of situation. It also has to be done in a calm and professional manner in sometimes highly pressurised situations rather than screaming like a hysterical fan after an autograph or a selfie. That approach never works as a celebrity photographer…..you learn that very quickly but at huge events you are left with no other option.

SUMMARY
This is just an introduction to what is involved in being a Celebrity and Event Photographer but hopefully it makes you realise what is involved to get the photos that you see on this website. It’s not simply a case of point and shoot at 10 fps or what is called in the trade “spray and pray”. There is a bit more involved than that!

famefad blog at Tumblr. Photographers and Tulisa Contostavlos and Nicole Scherzinger at back of ITV Studios

Famefad was my previous branded website which was blog and gateway to the Sales Site which was at Photo Shelter. An archive tongue in cheek blog written by myself under the FameFad brand at Tumblr which is still out there???? featuring photos taken by myself that are reject photos at various events. These are photos that are not portfolio or media publication or fit for general sales standard but give you an idea of what can go wrong when you are taking photos of celebrities including focus, lighting, obstructions, backgrounds, bad hair days, photo bombers you get the idea. All photos at Tumblr are Free to use just give a credit back to frankhohn.com such as Photo by Frank John frankjohn.com

Famefad Frank John Flickr Page with Celebrity Photos

More reject photos and some low res not bad photos also feature at the Famefad Flickr page under my name. Check out the Flickr Page for further details. Mostly old photos from the very early days in 2012 when I didn’t have that much experience of dealing with these celebrities and the photos are a reflection of that…..they all seem to be looking in the other direction????

If you want even more information on what it is like to be a Celebrity Photographer specialising in Female Celebrities head over to the Frank John FAQ page which goes into great detail on gear, photo techniques and more. Essential reading for those who are just curious, or for those who may be interested in becoming a Celebrity Photographer themselves. I tell it how it is….there is no glamour!

Finally over 40 recently released Fame Fad branded former website photos over at the Fame Fad page. All photos by Frank John

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