Paparazzi struggle as Pitt-Jolie birth nears

WINDHOEK - It's the million-dollar shot. An exclusive photograph of Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with their newborn, especially one taken in the far-flung African state of Namibia where they are staying, would be gold dust to the lucky snapper.

Little wonder paparazzi from around the world are lurking outside the Burning Shores Lodge in the seaside resort of Langstrand where the couple are staying ahead of the birth, due in mid-May.

"It would be one of the biggest celebrity pictures of all time if there was a genuine exclusive," said Darren Lyons, founder of London-based Big Pictures, one of the biggest celebrity photo agencies.

"It would be over a million dollars."

He confirmed he had a "team" in Namibia, a sparsely populated land with deserts, huge sand dunes and game reserves, but would give no other details. He, like many others, believes however that the odds are stacked high against a genuine scoop.

Not only must the paparazzi contend with cloth screens surrounding the luxury resort.

The police have joined private security guards to protect Jolie, 30, and Pitt, 42, from prying lenses, and one guard has used pepper spray to keep a photographer at bay.

The couple may also throw a spanner in the paparazzi's works by posing for a selected media outlet or holding a carefully staged photo call giving everyone access.

"There are two options," said Rhianne van der Linde, account manager at Images 24, the pictures arm of South African media group Media 24 which runs a stable of newspapers and magazines.

"Either Brad and Angelina decide to schedule an exclusive photo shoot with a reputable magazine and photographer, or they are going to make a public appearance and the paparazzi can gather and everybody gets the same shot.

"That would take the price down to normal levels," she said.

South Africa's Sunday Times reported that Jolie had sold exclusive rights of the first pictures of the baby to US celebrity magazine People, which would in turn donate US$3.5 million to UNICEF. This could not be independently confirmed.

People magazine also reported that the couple have a plane on standby should they decide to have the baby elsewhere, though doctors usually advise against flying late in pregnancy.

US television news magazine Dateline NBC has already had access to the couple, with correspondent Ann Curry travelling to Namibia for an exclusive interview with Jolie.

Few will find the going so easy.

Namibia has already expelled several photographers from the seaside resort, and the government warned other journalists it would take all measures to ensure the couple continue to enjoy their stay.

In addition to temporary working papers, any journalist visiting to cover the Pitt-Jolie stay "will have to be accompanied by proof of consent that the couple had agreed to meet with them", a Ministry of Information statement said.

Paparazzi on the ground are clearly finding life tough.

"I'm disguised as a sand dune but I'm getting absolutely nothing," one foreign photographer said jokingly, although he added quickly that he did not want to be identified for fear of immediate reaction by Namibian officials.

"This has really gotten out of hand. There is a no-fly zone over the hotel, it is an unprecedented display of police power. It is really ominous."

Similar fears were raised by Namibia's National Society for Human Rights, which said on Tuesday the visiting celebrities were gutting Namibia's constitutional guarantees of press freedom by agreeing to the extraordinary security.

"It is a dangerous precedent, especially that tomorrow any government official can use the same example to claim that his or her right to privacy is being violated or they are being harassed by the media," said a society spokesman.

- REUTERS