Paparazzo

A paparazzo (plural paparazzi) is an amateur or professional photographer who takes candid photographs of celebrities, usually by relentlessly shadowing them in their public and private activities. Celebrities claiming to have been hounded by such photographers often use "paparazzi" and even "stalkarazzi" as a derogative term. News agencies commonly use the word in a broader sense to describe all photographers who take pictures of notable people.

Quotes

• The very real and present risk associated with being pursued as a celebrity pales in comparison to the daily, imminent danger to the public at large...The person being followed knows there is wanton carelessness behind them. The pedestrian crossing the street, or the car expecting to have the right of way does not. A severe accident occurring from this kind of vehicular pursuit is not a theoretical possibility, but a situational certainty.
  • John Mayer, LA Regional Paparazzi Task Force hearing, Los Angeles City Hall, July 31, 2008

• Paparazzi were loitering in increasing numbers with their high-tech cameras and intrusion drones, a sure sign that a scandal was suspected.
  • Sean McMullen, The Centurion's Empire (1998), Chapter 6, ISBN 0-812-56475-8, p. 317