Shooting Stars (43 page)

Usage: The stealth of our movements prevented us from being seen
.

Adj.

[formal] covert; secret.

Usage: A stealth follow is hard to pull off.

Adverb

[informal] stealthily.

Usage: We follow stealth, not stealthily, because we like to think of ourselves as fighter pilots.

Story
–
noun

the celebrity herself; or the tabloid occasion for working on a particular job/celebrity.

Usage: It's an out-of-town story in Mexico—super dangerous but could really pay off; “J-Lo is my story—I'm warning you, I'll block you if you don't leave.”

Troll
–
verb
, troll-ed, troll-ing

British: trawl

to circle around (by car or foot) looking for celebrities.

Usage: My doorstep went to pot. I'm going to the city to troll.

Web
–
noun

a location formed by strategic weaving, and one in which a pap, like a spider, will wait for her prey.

Usage: “I prefer they come to me: Me web is sticky,” Simon says.

Work [on]
–
verb, verb phrase
, work-ed, work-ing

to pursue shooting a celebrity, eventually to the point of understanding his or her habits.

Usage: It's hard to make any money on Miley since the Brazilians work her every day; “Hope you don't mind how much I work on you, Katherine”; I like working Fergie—she usually goes out and always gives it up.

My life as a paparazza and my journey to this point has been such a wild, exciting, and wonderful ride, but I never would have been able to come this far alone. It's hard to know where to begin thanking everyone who has supported, guided, and encouraged me along the way, and inevitably I'll draw a total blank on someone (sorry in advance and please know I still love you all the same!). But I do want to acknowledge a number of special people without whom this memoir would be a very different story.

Thank you to Stephanie Bowen, my superstar editor at Sourcebooks, and Andy Ross, my rockstar agent, for immediately “getting me,” and not chucking this book straight in the trash 'cause
everybody knows everybody hates the paparazzi.
It has been such a blast working with both of you, and this book is a reality because you believed in it and believed in me. I can't thank you both enough.

Thank you Elizabeth Zack and the “Evil Editor,” for your edits on my early drafts, particularly recommending limits to my digressions on the LAPD, the lack of free healthcare, and similar “poor-Jen” pity parties. Thank you Julie Pappas, my sister, who made sure this was (fairly) family-friendly, and thank you Melissa Thibodeau, my friend and celebrity connoisseur, who wanted even more stories than the ridiculous number she proofread. Thank you Mom, for making me your grammar protégé, for a lifetime of gentle syntax corrections and for helping me read between the lines. Thank you Susan Gilmore for teaching me how to write in college, and showing me that I
could
. Thank you Simon, Elif, and Donna (you
know who you are) for your encouragement, advice, and comradeship—without you I would never have succeeded in this profession. Thank you Amy for listening to my stories every night and keeping me as positive as possible. Thank you JoDeane, Rhea, and Alexandra for loving me just the way I was, am, and will be. Thank you Charlie, for changing my life. And thank you God for Your incredible sense of humor. I will never grow tired of the adventure you put in front of us all.

Braden Gunem Photography

Jennifer Buhl was a top-earning
paparazza
in Los Angeles for three years, where she photographed hundreds of A-list celebrities. Her work appeared frequently in publications such as
People, Us Weekly,
the United Kingdom's
The Guardian
, TMZ, and E! Online. Prior to photography, Jennifer worked in journalism at CNN, and at television networks abroad in New Zealand and Australia. She now lives in Colorado where she owns a “celebrity-style” family photography business.