'We know dirt sells,' says owner of photo agency

"WE JUST want to make as much money as possible, we know dirt sells," Ray Senior, owner of photo agency VIP Ireland, told the…

"WE JUST want to make as much money as possible, we know dirt sells," Ray Senior, owner of photo agency VIP Ireland, told the symposium. His agency pursues photographs of celebrities.

Mr Senior, who describes himself as "the worst of the paparazzi", claims his agency sells celebrity photos from Ireland on to other agencies and publications in 180 countries.

"We want to position Ireland to the world as a place where the celebrities are and where you should be too," he said.

He said he saw no ethical limits to his work. Celebrities were just commodities to him and it was for the publications to which he sold photos to make ethical decisions.

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"I believe everything should go in [to the photo] and the public should be able to make up their mind about what is ethically right or wrong."

If a celebrity falls out of a nightclub drunk or is seen with a white substance up his nose, his agency would take the picture.

He said he would fire any photographer who was uncomfortable with the content of a shot. "There is no ethics in this for me - it's just about making money."

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.