And yeah, they’re definitely using it to stay famous
I naworld where pretty much anyone can go viral on social media as long as they have a phone, internet access and a good/bad/ weird/dramatic idea, it’s become hard out there for A-listers. Well, obviously not, like, truly hard, but a bit more difficult to compete with career influencers for attention (not to mention for lucrative endorsement deals). Their solution? The expertly taken, looks-candid-but-is-almost-certainly-not street-style photo.
Yes, I mean those paparazzi shots featuring your favourite celebrity striding from supermarket to car or from car to coffee shop in an enviable outfit. You may have saved a few to Pinterest when hoarding future wardrobe inspo. (I definitely will wear a fuzzy jacket and crop top combo one day.) You may have marvelled at said star’s cool off-duty style, their ability to just ‘throw something together’. You and everyone else.
‘A paparazzi-captured image is almost automatically more eye-catching and viral than an lnstagram post,’ says celebrity photographer Miles ‘Diggzy’ Diggs, who’s snapped everyone from Rihanna and Kendall Jenner to the Hadid sisters. ‘People tend to be drawn towards the voyeuristic element.’ There’s something intoxicating about seeing a Very Famous Person when they’re not posing for an official shot. For those of us constantly craving more access to stars, the perceived intimacy these photos impart is practically addictive. Plus, there’s the added excitement that comes with wondering where they’re going and what they’II be doing in their chic clothes. The mystery is half the allure.
Except (and sorry, it kinda crushed me, too) there’s not actually much that’s spontaneous about celebrity candids. Or should I say plandids? Not unlike the long con of the no-make-up make-up look, a lot more strategising goes into these ephemeral moments than it might appear. And the celebs are almost always in on it. Los Angeles photographer Tim Regas often gets requests to take photos of stars in specific settings – usually promoting a street-style outfit. Although it’s generally celebrities’ stylists or managers making contact with Regas, the celebs themselves are ultimately calling the (literal and figurative) shots for what is a surprisingly large team effort. Getting just one casually out-and-about pic can involve a stylist, personal or corporate PR, a manager, friends and, finally, a venue. ‘They all play a role in getting a photographer and a celeb connected for an image,’ he says.
Goal number one for celebrities is to land their plandids in popular tabloids and glossy fashion magazines (hi), says New York City photographer Christopher Peterson. The more exposure a star gains this way, the more likely they are to get wor
