Posts Tagged 'Royal family'

“No Tolerance” for Invasive Royal-Lusting Paps

Published November 29, 2010 Photography 1 Comment
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The world is in a tizzy over the impending nuptials of Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton, and so in an effort to retain some sense of normalcy, and maybe to prolong his life, the prince will enact a “no tolerance” policy for the paparazzi during his engagement, wedding and married life. He will, according to the Telegraph, have a lawyer at the ready to file civil or criminal charges against intrusive tabloid photographer that violate the couple’s privacy. This is undoubtedly a decision driven in large part by his mother’s infamous death. Among the offending behavior that could land the paps in trouble — vehicle pursuits and telephoto lenses that capture private activity from public land.

I know the argument on one hand: he is a public figure, a member of the beloved royal family, and with that title — and privilege — comes the nuisance of constant attention and scrutiny. But, I also believe even when you’re a public figure you don’t sign up for a 100 mph car crash or the world getting to see revealing photos of you sunbathing in your backyard.

Source: The Telegraph

Police Quash Fan Photos of Royals

Published December 28, 2009 Photographers' Rights , Police Harassment 1 Comment
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We posted earlier in the month on how England’s Royal Family is trying to prohibit photographs taken of them on their estates. The problem in recent months has been that the Royals felt their privacy was being invaded as they were caught on a few occasions doing some less-than-flattering things, and they maintain they’ve always offered up staged photo opportunities (that, really, are the least they could do for their “subjects”). So it’s all the more suprising that fans’ cameras were seized by police as the Queen Elizabeth and other family members made their way to church on Sunday.

Norfolk police have admitted they acted on their own and that it was a mistake. But still, it’s a scary precedent to set, and all the more so since it’s regarding something as harmless as fans taking photos of a public event – of the most public and revered family in the country no less! As Matthew Sinclair from the watchdog group TaxPayers’ Alliance says in the Daily Mail, “There needs to be a sense of proportion and this seems to have been completely lost in this case.”

Article from The Daily Mail

Queen Wants to Limit Paparazzi

Published December 7, 2009 Photographers' Rights 1 Comment
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Photo of Buckingham Palace by madancer

The queen of England is saying off with their heads…that is, to the paparazzi who violate her family’s privacy. The Telegraph reports that Buckingham Palace is taking legal action to bar paparazzi from photographing the Royal family on their private estates. The Royal family grants public photo opportunities but want anything more to be deemed criminal harassment. Some say the Royals are just trying to prevent unflattering pictures from emerging – noting two particular photos where the queen was caught wringing a pheasant’s neck and an earl was hitting his hunting dogs. Paparazzi apparently station themselves on public roads and get intimate shots like these with their telephoto lenses. 

I am firmly not in the aggressive paparazzi camp, so I have a hard time siding with people who intimidate and intrude on their subjects to the point of being sleazy and dangerous. Though, on the other hand, it comes down to public people (in this case, very public) and their reasonable expectations of privacy. Do they have any? Not to mention that it also smacks of some hypocrisy, as the article points out, when members of the Royal family are happy to sell access to their private events for some serious cash to these same “intrusive” media outlets.

Articles via the Telegraph and Guardian

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