Chat: Mr Paparazzi - Darryn Lyons

60 Minutes presents a live interview with Darryn Lyons aka Mr Paparazzi. Interviewer: Darryn thanks for joining us tonight to talk about your life, career and future.

Darryn Lyons: I'm looking forward to answering the questions and if I can't answer them people will have to run out and buy the book. Now we will go to the questions from our guests.

wic asks: How did you get started in the photo business in the first place and how did you know it was for you?What sort of training, if any, did you have to undergo to enter this profession?

Darryn Lyons: I was lucky enough in Geelong to have an exceptionally talented photographic teacher. I then knew that I enjoyed photography so much I worked in the school holidays at the local paper the Geelong Advertiser and I just loved the thrill of journalism and being a photo journalist. I then went to London as I wanted to make it on Fleet Street and the rest is history. I just love being a photographer it's something that came naturally.

andy asks: Who was the first celebrity you photographed?

Darryn Lyons: When you consider there is 8.5 million images in my archive it would have been in Australia and I think it was James Coburn on a film set in Australia years ago. It's a difficult question to answer as it was so long ago.

jilly asks: I absolutely agree with you - celebrities have an obligation to the public. Why do you think so many feign objection over having their photos taken?

Darryn Lyons: I think because they may have something to hide. I think they become increasingly paranoid as they become more famous. But we live in a world where everyone has issues with something and I'm of the opinion that everyone is entitled to their opinion. There are a lot of celebrities that try to hide a lot about themselves, but the fact is that if you are famous you have a responsibility to be totally frank. As far as I am concerned it's part of your job as an inspirational role-model with a lot of young people looking up to you. In my opinion the people who don't like it are those who can't have it all on their terms.

grevinde asks: You've certainly been criticised for your profession over the years. How do you justify your actions to your critics?

Darryn Lyons: I don't see that my actions need justification, I've been successful as a photographer and was early involved in a business that people were obsessed with. Fame should be appreciated by the celebrities and all I am is a catalyst to give them their oxygen for more fame, success and the huge amounts of money they make. That's the way I justify the role as a photographic pr machine.

rollypolleyolley asks: Crown Princess Mary gets a lot of tabloid coverage here in Australia. To what extent to do you see parallels between her and the late Princess of Wales?

Darryn Lyons: None whatsoever in terms of fame or in terms of profile. Certainly in Australia Princess Mary is big news but to the rest of the world honestly, she is no news and that will continue to be the case. I don't see any comparison other than Princess Mary is a good role-model and is famous in Denmark and Australia but not to the rest of the world. She is nowhere near as high profile as the Princess of Wales was. I also think they are totally different people where Diana was obsessed with the media, I think Princess Mary being Australia, is on a more level playing field in terms of not courting the media. This will serve her very well in the future.

jeune asks: Who is the "it" couple right now as far as photos are concerned?

Darryn Lyons: There are quite a few, certainly Kate and William, Harry and Chelsea. Posh and Becks are doing ok but have dropped a few rungs down the ladder and from an American point of view Angelina and Brad are high on the agenda. It's also about new relationships that the world is looking for. New relationships spark interest around the world. Kate Moss is being in Europe but not elsewhere and it is amazing how it varies.

windows asks: Which country(ies) are most keen to snap up your photos?

Darryn Lyons: Australia is very American led whereas Europe is more British and European. This is good as we can cater to different markets around the world. The biggest market in the world today is the United Kingdom quickly followed by Germany, France, USA and Australia. Our images are sold in more than 50 countries around the world and it is increasing. The celebrity business in terms of photography and video is in a boom stage right now and far more countries are tapping into this celebrity obsessed culture we live in today.

mamm asks: What was it like to be part of the inquest into Diana's death? Were you called on to give evidence of the night Diana died?

Darryn Lyons: The experience was nerve wracking experience especially to be grilled by 4 of the world’s top barristers. I found it to be one life’s interesting experiences and at the end of it I felt the weight of it all was off my shoulders. There are two chapters in my book that go into the details and also the breaking into my office several days after the accident. The book goes into the details of my thoughts on that night. Obviously people who have read it already have found that an insight and something not really spoken about before.

chefben asks: Darryn what do the magazines on average pay for a photo?

Darryn Lyons: A picture is only worth what someone will pay for it at any given time. It can fluctuate. I have a website http://www.mrpaparazzi.com where people send their pictures in - just members of the public - and we have sold those pictures from 40 pounds to 200,000 pounds. So if you have the right picture send it in and I will tell you what we can get for it. The average person wouldn't understand the value but we can do that as we have the experience.

Mick asks: How do you trust that your photographers will send you back the pics and not sell them?

Darryn Lyons: I would like to think that is staff loyalty and if someone does a good job for the photographers they do the same. You would only do that once and get away with it without me knowing. Also the photographers don't have the contacts and infrastructure to sell the pictures and they have the potential of losing a lot of money if they wanted to do it for themselves.

sniffer asks: How does technology play a part in what you do?

these days you can scan bluetooth enabled phones from a laptop of the rich and famous walking down the red carpet obtaining photos, messages, contact list, videos, just a few tricks among others, btw im for hire ;)

Darryn Lyons: This is exactly what my new company does, it was created for exactly that. New technology must be embraced my company is not developed into a 360 degree digital media asset. Anyone now with a mobile phone or a camera or handycam can make money from their images through mrpaparazzi.com which has won an entertainment website for 2008 so there is no doubt the digital revolution has played a large part and will continue to play. I'm embracing and certainly enjoying all of this new technology. Log onto mrpaparazzi.com and you're hired.

macca asks: I still think as a celebrity, you are a person with a life outside the job, and that there are times when it should be private territory.

Darryn Lyons: I agree. I think the only issue at times is when you turn the tap on and turn it off. Celebrities seem to get it all wrong and it is difficult for us at times to judge when a celebrity wants publicity and when they don't. It's easy to advise celebrities what to do, for example you don't need to go to high profile restaurants if you want privacy. It is easy to have privacy and with the kind of money celebrities earn today, privacy is easily bought. I have advised celebrities in the past on exactly these issues. I don't think you can go and promote a movie or a cd on your terms and ask the press to be there and sell your baby and wedding pics for millions then turn around and say hold on, stop taking my picture. Anyone's home is their castle and privacy in anyone's home should be enjoyed unless it is a massive story in the public interest and I would liken that more to a politician than a celebrity.

Linda1 asks: Do you think that it is that the public want or care about what celebrities do, or is it that the magazines THINK that the public care.

Darryn Lyons: In Australia I only know what the figures are and 3 million people a week read celebrity magazines. My website receives a million people for the celebrity breaking news daily. I can only be judged by the success rate that people do love gossip about celebrities. I think it's a "girl thing" and very much about gossip but that the men don't care so much and would rather be at the pubs with their mates. I think celebrity has become a culture with young people and there are worse influences on their lives and I don't think it does anyone that much harm and it is quite hilarious at times and should be viewed that way. It's all about show business.

nick asks: Is there a lot of money in tip-offs?

Are there any professional tippers as there are paparazzi?

Darryn Lyons: Yes. It's a huge business I have people on the payroll from personal assistants to drivers to house keepers, hotel and service industry workers all over the globe. Tippers receive 10% of the sale through the website or individual phone calls to my offices wherever they may be. The best payday we've had for a tip was about AU$200,000 - paid over time for massive and important information. But they range from $20 to higher amounts and it's a lucrative business. We even have celebrities who tip us off as well.

Fi asks: What is one photo that you haven’t taken that you believe would be the icing on your portfolio?

Darryn Lyons: My passion is wildlife photography. I have covered wars, animal pictures in the early days, celebrities, news. But my great passion when I find time, would be to take a year off and travel from Antarctica to the Andes and become a paparazzi to the creatures on the planet. Lions, tigers, sharks in the sea. I get a lot of satisfaction in seeing animal images. This is also from a charitable sense of helping animals.

anna12 asks: Are you celebrity-obsessed yourself -do you take a personal interest in the pictures that your agency owns?Or is it all just business for you?

Darryn Lyons: Good question. It is a business of course, I love great images, but I do find at times a lot of pictures of celebrities are quite insignificant. I just love really great great images and it doesn't matter what that is whether it be a celebrity or a baby tiger. But I am fascinated with the whole world of celebrity and I thoroughly enjoy knowing every famous person's do's and don'ts and wrongs and rights. It's a very strange world out there in the world of celebrity.

Eve asks: Is there anything that you wouldn't publish? Where do you draw the line?

Darryn Lyons: There are many I wouldn't and haven't published. The reasons for which are incredibly varied. There certainly is a sense of power at times that one can make or break a certain celebrity but there are deals done often and pictures at times have even been bought off the market or simply placed in my safe for safe keeping, because I personally have a moral issue with those pictures being published.

isaak asks: Where do you see paparazzi photographers going in the future as far as laws and restrictions are concerned. e.g. 20 meter exclusion zones etc.

Darryn Lyons: Interesting question. I am certainly for the rights of journalists and a code of practise. I think it's difficult to enforce a law but the 18m or 20m rule discussed in America recently isn't such a bad idea as it will distinguish the professional photographers from the cowboys who just do it to make a buck. I think they will be found wanting professionally if that law is brought in. I think it's different in the UK and Europe where long lenses are used far more. In America it's more of a pack attack attitude which unless it's a huge news story is a difficult situation. I think freedom of the press is something I've grown up with all my life and I think all a privacy law would do is play into the celebrity's hands. Freedom of the press is important to keep it all fair and honest. The world of celebrity is not always what you see is what you get and the paparazzi are there almost to keep the celebrities honest, which I think is a good thing.

imelda asks: Do celebrities ever try and buy the photos before they go to print?

Darryn Lyons: Yes, some do.

MrMelb asks: Do see much of a market in Australia for paparazzi?

Darryn Lyons: I think certainly there is a market here, but in terms of fame Australia really adopts more famous people than it has itself. We adopt Russell Crowe and others and I think there is a market here and I have photographers based in Sydney who actually spend a lot of their time flying around the world. The problem with Australia is that far less international stars are coming here for some reason I'm unsure of. Maybe because the stars like to go to where the paparazzi are.

DMW asks: How do people get involved in Australia, to start providing you with tips, and selling images?

Darryn Lyons: They do it through my Sydney office at Big Australia and they can log onto pigpicturesphoto.com or mrpaparazzi.com and email their details and they can be chased up. www.bigaustralia.com.au and click on the contact links.

B asks: What keeps your moral compass working? Where do you seek advice?

Darryn Lyons: My moral compass is from the way I have been brought up by family and guided by friends. I think one always needs a rigid reality check of the situation. I've had a lot of difficult decisions to make throughout my life but I am pretty content. I don't think you can get advice from anyone you need to know the business and there are people in the business who have made wrong decisions. It's down to experience and I've done the hard yards. I am very honest with regard to people who phone with information or images and I think what you get with me is a black and white situation I know whether there is an issue or not. I'm not there to protect celebrities and I think they should be treated like everyone else.

nick asks: Being able to see the best and worst of celebrity in such intimate detail yourself, why do you cultivate a public image of yourself that draws so much public attention to you personally? Do you like to be the centre of attention and do you ever find yourself harassed by paparazzi?

Darryn Lyons: Yes I think it's part of the brand that has been built around the world. I think I have a responsibility as being a token head of the profession that I should put myself up to public scrutiny and I don't try to hide anything. I don't mind if people like or dislike me I have an opinion and I am entitled to that. There is no doubt that Mr Paparazzi is a global brand and I should be held up to scrutiny as I'm the figurehead of the paparazzi world. People rely on me for their daily 'fix' of celebrity gossip whether in words or pictures and it is a brand that is likened to a Galah or a cockatoo but really I guess Mr Paparazzi is to celebrity as Col Sanders is to KFC. I put myself in that position because I should be as scrutinised as the next celebrity and also just for the record I am a Leo, that might sum a lot of it up. But I am a shy Leo.

andy asks: What advice would you give young or new photographers?

Darryn Lyons: We are always looking for young talented and particularly Australian photographers. I think my book is a good aspirational bible for up and coming photographers who want to carve out a career in the business. I'd be happy for any young photographer to send their C.V. to my company in Sydney. I'm always trying to help young Australians into their chosen career and I would embrace anyone with talent to go down that route in either a local newspaper or an agency such as those I won around the world. At the end of this chat the details will be left for someone to contact one of my company staff.

windows asks: You seem to have achieved so much. What's next for you?

Darryn Lyons: Waiting for the right woman to come along and have a family. Also spend less time being a workaholic. Certainly the digital side of the business is a massive priority for me which is going extremely well but also my television production company is what I enjoy the most and making television is one of my real enjoyments in life. Making laughable and serious TV. That's where things are going. I'd like to put more time into my personal life but it's difficult as I enjoy the journey of life and I have an obsession with ticking boxes and I've got a long sleep coming so I want to fit in as much as I possibly can.

Interviewer: Unfortunately we are out of time, do you have any last words before we finish up?

Darryn Lyons: I'd like to thank you all for logging on tonight and I would like you to enjoy more of the rollercoaster life and answers to your questions in my recently released autobiography through Penguin Viking called "Mr Paparazzi" and for anyone who wants more information on a career including tipsters and would be photographers or journalists, they can send details to www.mrpaparazzi.com and email those details through to one of my staff. Or you can email to info@bigaustralia.com.au . Thank you so much it's a shame I can't sit here for longer answering your questions it's been thoroughly enjoyable. And giddy up !!!!!! You're all welcome to my nightclub in Geelong "Home House". Thanks again.

Interviewer: This concludes our chat with Darryn Lyons, Sunday March 16, 2008.