Just a Paparazzi Shot? Or Something More...?

I had the idea for this post quite a while ago so these photos are quite old, but Easter vacation just started so I've had a lot more time to blog than usual. Anyway...
There are two types of pictures I'm talking about. Firstly, there are the very beautiful, chance photos taken by a paparazzo, or someone with a camera handy, that look like they could be from a photo shoot, or some sort of ad campaign. These usually go unnoticed, but photos are a huge part of my life, as well as the lives of many bloggers that I come across during my daily 'blog rounds', so this post isn't just for me, really. It's for anyone who understands the importance of pictures.
Secondly, there's the career-making photos that can either be taken by chance or, carefully planned and hunted down. These photos make headlines around the world. A picture's worth a thousand words, after all...

Beautiful by chance...
Hilary Duff

I stumbled across this paparazzi shot a while ago, on People.com. I don't know if it's the wonderful contrast of colour (dark weather and clothes, bright red umbrella and coffee cup), or the inanimate raindrops captured perfectly still, but this photo is an instant classic in my book.

Paris Hilton

Don't worry, in no way am I referring to this shot as beautiful. It's mainly here because I, personally, see it as...captivating. I'm not a huge Paris Hilton fan, but back when Ms Hilton was in Australia, frolicking on Bondi Beach, this photo was making 6pm news nationwide (just to showcase Paris' open sexuality, I believe), and I took notice. It is very sexual, but there's something graceful, yet edgy at the same time about it.
I guess I just have a thing for photos featuring drops of water mid-action.

Kate Bosworth

As I've previously mentioned, I love this photo. It's so retro, and could totally just be a nostalgic photo from someone's photo album. There's just something about it...

Head-Lines, Here We Come...
Ok, so this didn't exactly make headlines, but it definitely caused a stir.
The story: the picture on the left is the poster for Lindsay Lohan's 2006 movie 'Just My Luck', and on the right is the picture (not the exact one, I couldn't find it) that the poster 'ripped-off'. A paparazzo doing the daily 'Lindsay rounds' snapped this gem, and apparently after Lindsay failed to get a good enough picture during a photoshoot for the poster, they decided to use this one. I remember seeing it in a magazine a little while ago. I knew this poster looked familiar...

Gisele is one tough cookie.
The story: during a taping for the 2002 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, four PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protesters managed to get up on stage, carrying these signs ('Gisele Fur Scum') chasing Gisele down the runway. But the supermodel, just tried to ignore them and kept on walking like the absolute professional she is. The protester's were later led away by security, and news of the incident made headlines around the world. Why Gisele, you ask? Maybe because she had just been coined a supermodel at the time? But the fact that she'd signed a modelling contract with American Fur company Blackglama probably didn't help...

It was the photo that started a chain of events that would catapult Kate Moss into a world of über-fame, eventually securing her more modelling contracts than before the incident. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but here's the basic story as far as I know it: back in 2005, whilst in a London recording studio with then-boyfriend Pete Doherty, Kate Moss was photographed snorting cocaine by a reporter, seemingly un-phased about being caught in the act. Kate was soon dropped as the face of campaigns for H&M, Chanel and Burberry. She then released this public apology "I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them," she said. "I want to apologize to all of the people I have let down because of my behaviour which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business associates and others." Friends such as Naomi, Helena, Johnny Depp and Alexander McQueen publicly defended Kate, but in early 2006 she was arrested in Britain, only to be released after 6 months due to lack of evidence (photos of alleged-drug use don't stand up in court).
Today Kate is the second highest-earning supermodel after Gisele, with Moss earning $USD9 million dollars over the last 12 months.

I'm sure there are a thousand more of these beautiful photos being taken as I type this very post, but these are the only ones I could rustle up in time. So, with that in mind, I was thinking of making this an ongoing thing. Think of it as an ode to all the photography/fashion/celebrity lovers out there, myself included.
Let me know what you think. The importance of pictures - go or no?

EDIT: many of you were commenting that the pictures weren't showing (I guess we all the realise the importance of pictures, now, lol). Thank you for letting me know, that could have been quite embarrassing. Lol.
I made some adjustments so hopefully they're coming up now. If not, let me know in a comment or email, and I'll see what I can do.

Catch.

Romany

[photos courtesy of cbsnews.com, popculturebuzz.com, people.com, thesuperficial.com and posterwire.com]