An online photography community has revealed the top 10 most expensive paparazzi shots ever sold.
A photo of Princess Diana with a lover holidaying on a yacht tops the list at $6,000,000, with photos of a bald Britney Spears, which sold for $500,000 and images of Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s first child, Apple, which sold for $1,000,000.
“Some people might disagree with seeing celebrity photos strewn across the media, but the long and short of it is, if there’s a demand for something, then there will be supply. Paparazzi photography is like any other industry in how it works, if a magazine is willing to pay for a photograph of a celeb because its readers want to see it, then someone will fill that position.” – Mark Condon of Shotkit
Shotkit consulted with one of its community members, who has been a paparazzi photographer for more than 30 years, to compile the list. The paparazzi photographer explained that candid shots of A-list and internationally known stars will command paparazzi the most money, with the right shots even having the potential to be sold multiple times.
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Celebrities who have recently been in the news because of a personal event, such as a break-up or entering rehab, sell for the most, in addition to photographic evidence of pregnancies or dramatic weight loss or weight gain also being highly valuable to the media.
According to the pro, paparazzi photography has declined significantly over the past ten years, with the advancement of social media and camera phones, and the tightening up of privacy laws. An average ‘pap’ photo is sold for roughly £200 now, whereas fifteen years ago, photographers could charge upwards of £1,000 per photo.
The full list of the most expensive paparazzi photos, as well as insight into a paparazzi photographer’s life, can be seen at the Shotkit website.
“I know that the paparazzi get a bad rep, but there is no denying the amount of skill required to do what is obviously a difficult job. Especially in the age of smartphones and social media, it must be more difficult than ever, and the insights from our community member shows how technology advancements are changing, maybe even damaging, the industry.” – Mark Condon of Shotkit
Top 5 Most Expensive Pap Pictures
- Princess Diana and a lover – $6,000,000 / £4,700,000
- Anna Nicole Smith deceased framed by a body bag – $1,500,000 / £1,170,000
- Photos from the wedding of Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K Stern wedding – $1,000,000 / £779,000
- Images of a baby Apple Martin – $1,000,000 / £779,000
- Last photos of Daniel Smith (son of Anna Nicole Smith) – $675,000 / £524,000
