How does the media get personal photos of celebrities?

Ellie_2014 · Sep 4, 2014

I apologise if this is the wrong section, but I was at a loss as to where else to post it. I came across a gallery of celebrities in high school photos, and after a quick internet search, found many other similar galleries.

I was wondering if anyone knew how the media acquire these? Do they get leaked (ie. by the celebrity's friends, family or former classmates), or do the celebrities post them online or sell them to the media themselves?

Maryn · Sep 4, 2014

My understanding, which may be incomplete, is that yearbook photos are often either leaked by former classmates, for a price, or are available at public sources, since many schools place them in libraries. You can also purchase yearbooks from sources like ClassMates for about $300--a small price for a celebrity's teen photo.

Maryn, who was offered $200 for her yearbook (who's famous? No idea)

Ellie_2014 · Sep 4, 2014

Would this be the same with candids like their prom, family and childhood photos, wherein they'd be sold to the media by the celebrity's family or friends in ownership of said photo?

Maryn · Sep 5, 2014

As a guess, yes. Of course, there'd be a difference between the photos your date's parents took ("You kids look so cute!"), which might be sold by the sister of your date who's still annoyed you left town and married a supermodel, or the one sold by your own brother who's not on speaking terms with you ever since you became a zillionaire celebrity and refused to give him a half a million dollars so he could live like he imagines you do, and the one taken by a professional, whose contract dictates under what conditions copies of photos can be sold--if anybody can even find that contract a decade or two after those pictures were taken.

As a fangirl grown long in the tooth, I'm okay with celebrities' yearbook photos reaching the media, but sharing personal photos taken by family and friends, present-day or in the past, seems really invasive. Of course, there's money in it and some people value that more than the celebrity's privacy.

Maryn, who cringes at some celeb photos

Ellie_2014 · Sep 7, 2014

I can't help but notice that some celebrities have quite a few 'personal' photos leaked, whilst some only have one or two. Does this mean that their photos were simply made more public in terms of yearbooks etc. which can be purchased by anyone, or does this suggest that their photos are considered more 'valuable', I suppose to sell on by others, as you mentioned above?

cornflake · Sep 7, 2014

Ellie_2014 said:
I can't help but notice that some celebrities have quite a few 'personal' photos leaked, whilst some only have one or two. Does this mean that their photos were simply made more public in terms of yearbooks etc. which can be purchased by anyone, or does this suggest that their photos are considered more 'valuable', I suppose to sell on by others, as you mentioned above?

Are you talking about old pics, like childhood ones, or current candids?

Old ones, they're likely just sold more because they're more valuable, there was a period of value (someone has a big hit show or movie and everything involving them becomes hot, then if their career goes back to a more even keel, there'll be less demand but the stuff that was sold off still exists) or because the celeb has been around longer. Like, Brad Pitt has been a commodity for decades; it's enough time for everyone who went to h.s. with him to consider it at least.

If you mean newer stuff, it depends.

Ellie_2014 · Sep 7, 2014

cornflake said:
Are you talking about old pics, like childhood ones, or current candids?

I was thinking more about old pictures - so like childhood and high school photos - but I suppose it'd be the same for current candids too.

frimble3 · Sep 8, 2014

I imagine some of it's provided by the celebrities themselves. If someone from a good-quality fan-site, or reputable celebrity site is putting together a gallery of baby pictures, and asks if you want to be included, it might be good for the ol' image to take part.
And, that way the celebrity gets some control over what image is shown.
Like a celebrity selling the chance to photograph their wedding to a magazine, or the first photos of their baby, to stop the paparazzi from going crazy trying to get that 'forbidden' shot.

cornflake · Sep 8, 2014

Ellie_2014 said:
I was thinking more about old pictures - so like childhood and high school photos - but I suppose it'd be the same for current candids too.

Not really, no. Current candids are sold - by paps and agencies. That's what paparazzi do all day. Some people alert the paps to their location (Paris Hilton is kind of famous for it); many, especially the bigger gets, paps find on their own or with tips from cohorts all over the place.

Reziac · Sep 15, 2014

Yearbooks are usually public (some schools put them on the school website), or at least readily available. There are "clipping services" that do nothing but scour the media-and-print world seeking anything about $subject (and they aren't expensive). And what cornflake said about paps and agencies.

JimmyB27 · Sep 17, 2014

My Dad went to school with one David Robert Jones, whom you might better know as David Bowie. He was contacted by the guy writing Bowie's biography and provided a school photo, which went into the book.

How does the media get personal photos of celebrities?

Ellie_2014

Maryn

Baaa!

Ellie_2014

Maryn

Baaa!

Ellie_2014

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Ellie_2014

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Reziac

Resident Alien

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood