Inside Story: Paparazzis

Inside Story: 24 Hour Paparazzi People

Ed Heather Graham & Forest Whitaker

Snapper: ANDREA VENTURINI

Location: ROME

PICTURE DROPS 7.10am

STORY Heather Graham and Forest Whitaker are spotted doing some morning sight-seeing. They're in Rome to promote Mary, the new film by Abel Ferrara, which tells the story of a movie star obsessed with Mary Magdalene.

PUBLICATION It's not like four years ago when we couldn't get enough of Heather Graham. But if we're lucky these will end up as a two- or three-picture story in Hello!

PICTURES BY Andrea Venturini, an Italian freelancer. Based in Rome, who has been catching celebs on camera for 20 years. Matrix says: He's a true Roman paparazzo. One of the originals.

Elton John
Snapper: BUSHELL/DEIDDA
Location: LONDON
PICTURE DROPS 2.57pm
STORY Elton John visits a bookshop in Chelsea, where he is snapped kissing his store-owning friend.
PUBLICATION Page 20 of the Daily Mirror, with the headline 'Gobsmacker Elt'. And on page 13 of Tuesday's Daily Sport under the headline `Elton Kisses an Old Fella'.
PICTURES BY Jonathan Bushell and fellow Matrix director Marco Deidda get these exclusive pictures of a major celebrity. This picture was taken after trailing Elton John's recognisable vehicle.

Richard Ashcroft
Snapper: STEPHEN WALTERS
Location: LONDON
PICTURE DROPS 7.15am
STORY Richard Ashcroft, Jenny Frost and Jo Whiley leave the after- show party for the premiere of Sprung! The Magic Roundabout, Miramax's remake of the television show. The bash was held at the New Connaught Rooms.
PUBLICATION These are great library shots. Depending on what they're wearing, this would make a good spread in a women's magazine.
PICTURES BY Stephen Walters, who describes himself as a nasty photographer who likes to catch celebs at exactly the right moment. The set is filed too late for the daily papers, so Walters has one eye on the weekly magazines.

Michael Jackson

Snapper: AXELLE WOLLSEN

Location: SANTA MARIA

PICTURE DROPS 6.15pm

STORY Michael Jackson arrives for the first day of his court case to face allegations of child molestation. Out of a journalistic pool numbering thousands it is a fierce fight to take the photographs that will be seen around the world.

PUBLICATION This is a massive global story. But what is needed, to outdo the staff photographers on PA or Reuters, is an absolute belter of a picture which will be used around the world. It's all about being in exactly the right place with the right preparation.

PICTURES BY Axelle Wollsen, a Belgian who has been working for Bauer/Griffin for five years.

Ben Affleck

Snapper: BAUER/GRIFFIN

Location: LOS ANGELES

PICTURE DROPS 7.15am

STORY Ben Affleck and his co-star Rebecca Romijn film an intimate scene on set. Affleck's girlfriend, Jennifer Garner, watches intently.

PUBLICATION Tuesday's Daily Sport.

PICTURES BY Randy Bauer and Frank Griffin of the LA agency Bauer/ Griffin. Griffin covered rock'n'roll stars for almost 30 years before forming the agency with Bauer, who had his first picture published at 16. The agency's pictures are received by Matrix on a non-exclusive basis.

Drew Barrymore

Snapper: MAT AND DANNY

Location: LOS ANGELES

PICTURE DROPS 9.25am

STORY Drew Barrymore lets her dogs run free to an LA park which clearly states "Dogs must be kept on a leash". The photographs have an extra cachet for showing Barrymore without make-up.

PUBLICATION This could be quite a funny picture in Heat or OK.

PICTURES BY Mat and Danny of Bauer/Griffin. These pictures are taken by paparazzos working in pairs so that one can use a long lens and one can use a short lens. The Barrymore set are typical out- and-about fare.

Ethan Hawke
Snapper: BRIAN FLANNERY
Location: NEW YORK
PICTURE DROPS 9.28am
STORY Ethan Hawke strolls through New York with a child on his shoulders and one in the buggy. The children's mother is Uma Thurman, to whom Hawke was married until 2003.
PUBLICATION No one in Britain cares about Ethan Hawke. Still, these could end up in the Sunday magazines.
PICTURES BY Brian Flannery for Bauer/Griffin. He spotted Hawke by chance.

Dame Judi Dench
Snapper: JONATHAN BUSHELL
Location: CHELSEA
PICTURE DROPS 1.05pm
STORY Dame Judi Dench, whose daughter is facing a jail sentence, engages in some retail therapy with fellow actor Charles Dance.
PUBLICATION This story could still make the papers. Certainly, the gossip mags.
PICTURES BY Matrix director Jonathan Bushell, famous for his pictures of James Hewitt's cocaine bust.

Destiny's Child
Snapper: BAUER-GRIFFIN
Location: LOS ANGELES
PICTURE DROPS 7.57pm
STORY Destiny's Child, who are reforming after a three-year hiatus, are snapped after a photo shoot at the Barefoot Restaurant in LA. Beyonce is seen in just her dressing gown with her enormous minders.
PUBLICATION Beyonce's very big, so this will probably go into Heat, Now and Closer.
PICTURES BY Alfred and Mus of Bauer-Griffin. These film and pop specialists had notice to set up sneak inside shots and have delivered a globally saleable collection.

Debra Messing
Snapper: BRIAN FLANNERY
Location: NEW YORK
PICTURE DROPS 11.03pm
STORY The Will Grace star Debra Messing is seen wearing her hair uncharacteristically straight en route to promoting her new film, The Wedding Date.
PUBLICATION Whenever anyone's got a new hair-do, it's going to get used. The women's magazines can debate whether she looks good or not.
PICTURES BY Bauer/ Griffin's Brian Flannery, who looked at Messing's schedule and saw that she would be walking in the Tribeca area.

Keanu Reeves
Snapper: JILL JOHNSON
Location: LOS ANGELES
PICTURE DROPS 3.50am
STORY Keanu Reeves faces the cameras after receiving his golden star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
PUBLICATION: Keanu's not huge here right now, so we might struggle with this.
PICTURES BY: Jill Johnson of the JPI Studios' LA office, a trade veteran who specialises in classic celebrity shots.