Featured Image Credit: Unilad Original
Topics: Celebrity
Callum Jones
A security expert has explained why celebrity bodyguards flash their torches when in the public domain.
You may be thinking, why on earth do individuals with such a job decide to flash a torches, and I can tell you they don't just do it for the fun of it.
There are all manner of different concerns that you have to consider when you are put in charge of someone's security, something that is only heightened when you are looking after a celebrity who is a person of interest.
Being in the public eye can bring with it many risks and problems when you're out and about, particularly if the celeb is known for saying a controversial thing or two.
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And the bizarre method of shining torches around as they come out is actually targeted at one particular problem that many famous people might face when they are out and about in public.
But what is it actually for? Well, back in 2020, Will Geddes, a bodyguard for the rich and famous, explained all in an interview with UNILAD.
He said: "If you are coming out of a situation or a building with a celebrity where there is some intrusive paparazzi, the strobe on this is especially good. What that will do is blind your assailants very, very quickly."
TikToker kevikodra has also shed light on the situation in a video on the popular platform that went viral back in 2023.
"If you flashlight in front of the camera, you essentially blind the camera. The flashing confuses the camera and doesn't allow the paparazzi to get the right photo. One's going to be overexposed and the other one's going to be underexposed," he said.
"The other one's just going to be flat out blurry so it prevents these people from getting the perfect photo and having these paparazzi sell a photo of them without their permission."
Believe it or not, celebrities do not necessarily own pictures which have been taken of them, as counterintuitive as that might sound. In fact, unless there is some other agreement in place, the picture is owned by the photographer.
And this is where the usefulness of torch comes into play for celebrities hoping to have a gander on the streets without the intrusive journalists getting in their way.
Not only are these flashlights a way to protect privacy, they're also a way to try and maintain control of an individual's public image, as unauthorised pictures of yourself are less likely to end up published.