Carmen Electra turns camera shy

Monday, September 17, 2007

New York (ANI): Carmen Electra is always ready to strike a sexy pose for camera lenses, but for the first time the supermodel didn"t seem too excited about being snapped. The former Baywatch babe performed at 2(x)ist Fashion Week show on Sep 11, where she posed on a hoop that was suspended a death-defying 2 feet off the catwalk. But photographers covering the show were taken aback when they learned that they had to sign a legal agreement calling for a limited coverage of the event.

Snappers were supposed to take pictures of just the underwear models who walked in the show. The contract insisted that the photogs would be levied with a 25,000-dollar fine if they violated the agreement. Sole rights for video were assigned to Wire Image, and for stills to Michael Simon, who happens to be the brother of Electra's manager, Stephanie Simon. "It's completely ridiculous. Why would you cover the show if you can't take a picture of the only celebrity?" the New York daily News quoted veteran photographer Steve Sands, as saying.

However, Carmen"s rep responded by saying that it wasn"t an unusual thing to ask for approval over photos. "Carmen is known for being very gracious to photographers. It is not unusual to request approval over photos being shot of a performance, and we requested the [lensmen] who Carmen was most comfortable with. The media was invited backstage to interview and shoot Carmen after the performance," the rep said.