Most Expensive Celebrity Photographs

Pictures are great for capturing memories. Now day's photos are an integral part of our lives with an astonishing increasing number of photos taken each year down mainly to the big rise in digital cameras which are coming down in price and getting better in spec all the time. At the end of 2011 it was estimated 2.5 billion people had a digital camera and let's not forget many phones have an integrated camera. It's estimated on average people will take 150 photos per year that's a massive 375 billion photos taken.

People like to take pictures of people and we love to see photos of celebrities. This is why the paparazzi are so relentless in their quest for photos of the most well liked celebs. We like to read up on what our favourite stars are doing but the price tag some photos fetch prove we love seeing pictures of them.

The market for celebrity photos is worth millions of dollars, and many celebs are cashing in selling. Some big stars are giving the paparazzi the slip by tipping off their favourite photographer or arranging for their own photos of births and marriages going to highest bidders. This gives the celebs total control and final say on the photos, there are also plenty of celebs who donate their earnings to charity like Jolie-Pitt a pair who regularly appear the most expensive celeb photos.

So what makes a photo worth millions?

The big magazines are willing to pay top dollar for photos which the general public are interested in. Having the latest photos 'never been seen before' is going to help boost readership in a fiercely competitive market. There has to be something surprising, newsworthy or an emotional component involved for a photo to start a bidding war between the magazines.

One photo which definitely had the emotional element was a photo which fetched $400,000 of Anna Nicole Smith with her son taken hours before he died. It was emotive and newsworthy as it is connected to such a terrible tragedy.

We love the latest on celeb's love lives. A photo of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt was sold for $500,000 in 2005 which depicted the two on an African beach. Although no affection was being shown between the two, the photos were seen to be validation of a rumoured romance between the Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-stars, after Pitt who had at the time of the snaps had recently split from his then wife Jennifer Aniston.

One the most expensive celeb photos ever sold was the Jolie-Pitt photo of biological daughter baby Shiloh Nouvel. People magazine reportedly spent $4.1m on this photo. This doesn't include the $3.5 million Hello! magazine UK also paid. The two donated the proceeds to African children charities.

We all love a wedding and so do OK! magazine who spent a massive $3m back in 2005 on Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's Wedding Photos. OK! also bought the pictures from the lavish wedding of Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria and NBA all-star Tony Parker. The wedding photos of the big day in Paris sold for a reported $2 million.

For as long as these stars are in the spotlight we will want to see images of their most intimate moments.

Original article

Tips for Perfect Wedding Photographs

Cooperation on a location.

If you are getting married and want to get really good wedding photographs, you should cooperate with your wedding photographer.

You have to reserve enough time for a location of your choice. How much time do you need to reserve depend on how many good photos for printing you would like to get.

If you single out 2 hours for a location between a ceremony and a reception, for example.

2 hours is enough for good wedding photos, but you can meet one or a few of the following problems.

Situation 1

The bride finishes her dressing up and last preparations much later (often from 1 hour to 2 hours later).

Situation 2

The groom comes to a bride's house (place of last preparations) very late.

Situation 3

You spent significantly more time near the church after a ceremony just talking to bridal party or relatives.

Finally you and your wedding photographer have only 20-30 minutes for a location, which is not enough even for standard group portraits.

Situation 4

You are worried about the day and checking up all details, deciding last small problems/ questions, giving a call to anyone all the time.

Situation 5

You get phone calls all the time or your guests congratulate you.

Situation 6

You are emotionally exhausted, tired and very worried about being late on a reception, because of guests who wait you to join them.

Formally a photographer have enough time, but can't do his or her job completely. In this case a photographer can make only reportage photos, but people talking on the phone make a lot of different grimaces, facial expressions, gestures, often not very attractive, and absolutely don't pay attention to the wedding photographer.

In conclusion

It doesn't matter how many hours you reserve for locations, please add 2 hours. Please start this important for you day 2 hours earlier. By the end of the day you will understand why.

If you suddenly have a 30 minutes break - it's break for check the bride's makeup, catch a deep breath and just enjoy the day and think how happy you are.

Cooperation on the reception.

There is a paragraph about a cooperation in the photography contract, please read it and say to the bridal party and all relatives and guests who is going to be with you on the big day.

Guests don't read and sign a photography contract, so they don't understand that their behaviour can make any influence to photographer's work and your photographs. It's not a photographer's job to explain guests that they disturb plans and interfere in photography process. It's your responsibility to make your big day perfect.

What you should say to all your guests. Tips for guests.

Guests should give necessary access for a wedding photographer to the couple all the time.

Guests must not pass any plates, cameras, glasses or shaking hands just in front of the photographer's camera, especially in the most important moments, like cutting the bridal cake and the bridal dance, because we can't replay these moments.

If there is a special booster light for the couple, guests must not overlay this light, because it's very important for wedding photographs.

Guest should not ask the photographer to take a portrait of them, especially when he or she is busy with a couple. The photographer will do it in due time, if it's coordinated with the couple.

Original article