Beyonce Bans Photographers on Her Tour

[jobeterob]

Beyoncé says 'No, No, No!' to photogs

Taking image control matters into her own, very well-manicured hands, the pop superstar bans photographers from her ongoing concert tour.

By George Varga6:38 p.m.April 25, 2013


In 2011, Beyoncé recorded "Best Thing I Never Had." Now, that song may become the new theme for the many photographers hoping to shoot pictures of the glamorous pop-music superstar in action on stage.

In an act of image-control fitting of a woman whose repertoire also includes "Diva," "Me, Myself & I," "Ego" and "Are You Filming Me With That?", Beyoncé has decided to ban all professional photographers from her ongoing "The Mrs. Carter Show World Concert Tour." [[Mr. Carter, of course, is her husband, Jay-Z.)


Beyoncé commercial


Instead, she has hired a lone shooter -- take a bow, Frank Micelotta! -- to be the lone photographer on her tour, which kicked off April 15 in Europe and opens it U.S. leg June 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Micelotta will take pictures of Beyoncé at each show. Those pictures will then be distributed to media outlets after each tour stop.

Since her meticulously choreographed concerts are identical each night in song order, costume sequence and every stage movement, a cynic might wonder how anyone could tell which concert which photo by Micelotta is from.

But enough about me.

The reason for Beyoncé's photo ban stems from her performance earlier this year during the Super Bowl halftime show. Apparently, she was unhappy with some shots that caught her grimacing or striking unflattering poses. Her annoyance grew when many of those same shots swamped the internet.

In February, her publicist requested that a website remove its unflattering Super Bowl photos of Beyoncé. That -- surprise! -- did not happen.

The solution, on her current tour, is simple: Don't issue any photo credentials to the media at all.

Beyoncé is hardly the first artist to take such an action.

Bob Dylan has rarely allowed photographers at his concerts for many years, but that's because he doesn't want them distracting from his music or from his fans' enjoyment.

When Barbra Streisand launched her first comeback tour back in the last century, photogs were granted the first minute of her first song to shoot their pictures, after which they were escorted out. [[The industry norm at concerts for photogs is usually the first three songs.)

Wlll Beyoncé's plan work? Will media outlets use only the images she approves by her self-appointed tour photographer? Or will the media pay fans in the front rows for the photos they shoot of her on their phones?

One option is to not run any photos of Beyoncé with reviews of her concerts -- a move that could lead her to reconsider. Or not.

What do you think? Is Beyoncé justified? Or is she taking herself [[and her image) too seriously?

[smark21]

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the Killers, is another performer who has banned professional photographers from concerts, other than a chosen one, whose pics are then reviewed before any are released. One media outlet got around the ban by creating lego figures of the group to illustrate a story about a Killers concert:

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/02/25/...nt-you-to-see/

I guess Beyonce will be given the lego treatment as well.

[jobeterob]

They seem to get to a certain level and then have some moments where they do believe their own publicity and either start reading The Prophet or banning photographers.

Beyonce is the ultimate icon of today but this is nonsense. I read yesterday that Mr. Carter is worth $460 million. This is what you get led to when you have too much money.

[glencro]

As a professional photographer I really hate to hear this. If she thinks that she will be able to stop images of her from the tour from hitting the internet, she has another thing coming. There will be thousands of camera phones in the audience and security can only control so much. Every artist has its day when they are no longer on top and will look for publicity. At the same time, I'd give my first born to be that Frank Micelotta.

[Soul Sister]

From what I understand Beyonce has her own professional photographer on tour to photograph everything to ensure no unflattering photo's wil be used in the press as was done in the past.

If a photog has a camera looking up her dress while she's performing, I can't say I blame her.

S.S.
***

[marv2]

She is trippin! There will come a day when she is going to be desperate to have her picture taken; so much so that she'll be secretly calling the paparazzi everytime she goes grocery shopping..............trust and believe! LOL!

[jobeterob]

She is trippin! There will come a day when she is going to be desperate to have her picture taken; so much so that she'll be secretly calling the paparazzi everytime she goes grocery shopping..............trust and believe! LOL!

But the question is:

~ will she get overweight when she's old?

~ will see wear makeup when she goes to the store?

~ will she have been such a big star in her heyday that she will be content with her life?

[marv2]

But the question is:

~ will she get overweight when she's old?

~ will see wear makeup when she goes to the store?

~ will she have been such a big star in her heyday that she will be content with her life?

will she be such a washed up diva hag that all of her contemporaries still hate her guts? hmmmmm......

[alexgarret]

So I take it this is the old hag you refer to on the Beyonce thread? Are you being treated for your bipolar disorder?

Originally Posted by marv2
Those Detroit girls still looking pretty good huh?

[milven]

Don't expect Marv to answer. That's what he does when you catch him in something.

[simplysupreme]

will she be such a washed up diva hag that all of her contemporaries still hate her guts? hmmmmm......

She'll most likely care less about what some old triflin' ass cows, still holding on to some 40 year old shit, think of her.

[jobeterob]

Huge stars like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga all have crazy, deranged fans. So does Diana. It is part of the landscape and as long as they aren't dangerous, you just treat them as "part of the landscape". If they try and take their picture with you, you go "deer in the headlights" and get away from them ASAP.

Every level of Supreme is also aware of nutty fans; Mary Wilson definitely is.

We just happen to have a resident one.

[soulster]

This is the age of modern technology. She can't stop it.