Private Photographer: The New Luxury Accessory

Fabulously rich and famous people usually travel with an entourage that includes a personal assistant, a bodyguard, a trainer, maybe a driver and a personal chef (because, apparently, famous people can't stand to be alone).  But when Heather Mills, aka the former Mrs. Paul McCartney, goes on vacation to the Caribbean this week, her posse of 20 people will include a private photographer according to a report in the Guardian. What does the private photographer do, we wonder? Take publicity stills, or vacation snapshots?  (If the answer is the former, perhaps a personal retoucher will be added to the entourage.)

A job as a private photographer – would that be a fun freelance job and a nice way to get paid to travel to a nice place,  or a slavish chore? If you could be the personal photographer to any celeb, who would it be?  Maybe someone who lives in a place you've always wanted to visit? Or how about a notorious recluse, so you never actually have to take any photos of your shy boss?

Comments

[Stupid Photographer]

Boy, you're really dealing with some hard hitting issues here lately, ones that truly hit the central nerve of this dying industry. Yup, nothing more important than stupid day dreaming about idiotic gigs that about two and a half photogs will ever get, worldwide.

[Eddie Torial]

Brilliant, where do I sign up? What better way to introduce yourself to the world of celebrities, make friends, build trusts & network with magazines; this is a business after all, so what if it's not the cure for cancer ?
I've been approached by celebs to teach them photography, and one in particular recieved a new Leica and didn't have how to use it.
"Dear Angelina & Brad, I have high-end Canon cameras, I know photoshop, I speak 5 languages and I'm great with kids..."

[Ziv]

"...perhaps a personal retoucher will be added to the entourage."

Publicist: " Can we remove that wrinkle on her cheek, tighten-up her waist. ...maybe add a leg?"

[Ryan Brenizer]

I just spent a week as a private photographer for some very non-celebrity cool people on a vacation. It was a blast for me, and they said it was the smartest decision of their trip. I know Dennis Reggie also markets himself as a vacation photographer, but his day rate is *slightly* different than mine.

[Holly Hughes]

Wow an assignment that can be described as "a blast"! What did you do? How did your clients find you?

[Ryan Brenizer]

After a wedding shoot, I followed the couple and 40-ish guests out to the Bahamas and Mexico, photographing all the way and frolicking with a few hundred stingrays. Not a bad way to spend a week, and for all the money they spent on the trip, they'll be able to remember it with the kind of visual narrative they wanted.

I think most of my assignments are great fun, maybe I'm weird.

[Ryan Brenizer]

The clients found me when I was interviewed on This Week in Photography and liked my stuff.

[gene x]

Hey Ryan, yes this happens a lot - was talking to a couple who wanted photography for a whole week in Italy to just follow them and their friends around. Unfortunately I was already booked on both weekends that this overlapped with - doh!

[Giulio Sciorio]

Pretty cool gig if you like who you're working for. Maybe we'll see a lot of the staffers that are getting the axe pick this gig.