Brian Ach "The Photographer Project"

(shot this at a MOPLA event at the Pacific Design Center)
I call them event photographers - the guys (and gals) who get to go to Oscar parties, Emmy parties, and other high-end parties to photograph for the likes of WireImage all the way down to the paparazzi who prowl the streets of Los Angeles. For a while, a few years ago, I managed to hook up with one of these event agencies. There were book signings, charity events, party events and I would drive over to the location to take photos of celebrities - though because I was just starting out, I got the low end of it - an aging country star book signing. a Desperate Housewife doing a charity event, random parties at different nightclubs in Hollywood.

I discovered there was another world with celebrity event photographers and honestly I'm not that good of knowing who is who so I had to ask some of the other photographers who the person I was shooting was. Things were easier when there was a handler around who would spell out names to the photographer and explain who that person was. When people asked me about it and exclaim "You're a paparazzi !" I would mention I was a "legit" as the agency was notified and when I get to the location sometimes there'll be a 8x10 paper on the ground with the name of the agencies so all I had to do was look for my spot to stand. Other times, the photographers would make their own list and police themselves.

What I found most fascinating was the lives of the shooters themselves - listening to their conversations, talking shop, it was very surreal in a way. I think I knew I wasn't cut out to do event when I realized I would rather shoot the photographers than the celebrities themselves. So ended my career of about 3 months. None of my images ever licensed and I took it as a sign that celebrity event photography wasn't for me.

I still kick myself that I didn't maintain contact with some of the photographers I met. I've always thought I should do a photo series on them but like some things in life, it just slips through your hands.

I thought about that when I read Stella Kramer's blog where she talked to Brian Ach who just released a book on Blurb called "The Photographer Project" a collection of 64 celebrity photographers in New York along with their answer to 10 questions such as "Tell, please, in detail, about the most crazy, interesting, funny, odd, or touching celebrity story that you have been part of."



Stella asks how Brian got started with this project :

The project was started because a friend of mine and fellow photographer, Paul Hawthorne, had become sick. No one really knew how serious it was at the time, but the medical bills were mounting for him and his family .... Paul (and I) belong to a small group of entertainment photographers in NYC. We shoot all of the red carpets, concerts, and parties for agencies like Wireimage and Getty. Not having Paul around every night was kind of sad.
The reason the project seems personal, is because it is.

Paul was a mentor to me when I broke into this business over 4 years ago. ... I started the project in December of 2008, shooting it out of my Brooklyn studio. The call went out to all the photogs in NYC who do this type of work- from the big names like Kevin Mazur to the street paps. I was going to shoot full-length portraits of them, have them fill out a questionnaire, and put the end product together in a book. The book would then be sold to raise money for his family.....

Sadly, Paul passed away right before Christmas. The shock was palpable, no one really knew how sick he was. I vowed to go ahead with the project and see it through to the end, for Paul. It has taken me a year, while working for my agencies and doing other work.



Read the rest of the interview here




A percentage of the sale benefits to the family of the late Paul Hawthorne.