Paparazzo and Moral Arbiter
How low do you have to be for Ron Galella — the ur-paparazzo against whom Jackie O. won a restraining order in 1973 — to look down on you as scummy? In WWD, Jacob Bernstein found out.
Keep in mind, this is a man with high standards:
R.G.: There are ethical rules. You have to respect the celebrity's wishes, more or less. I will not go on their property or into their house. But I will knock on their door. I knocked on the door of Doris Day in Beverly Hills and she answered and said, 'Are you a professional?' I said, 'Yes,' and she slammed the door in my face. But I did get a couple shots of her in the back of her house swimming in the pool with her dog. I went next door to the neighbor's property and the gardener gave me permission to shoot from there.
And do today's celebs live up to his rules?
WWD: Do you miss it?
R.G.: No, I don't. I feel that I got the best of subjects: Liz Taylor, Jackie O and Princess Diana. To me, the celebrities of today are like live mannequins. Britney Spears, the Hilton girls, you name them. They get attention by wearing sexy clothes or no clothes at all. They're publicity hounds.
That's right, folks. The man who says shooting pics of Doris Day in her pool with her dog was OK because her neighbor's gardner gave permission? Even he thinks Britney's a slut.
