Becoming a viable paparazzo actually requires a variety of skills, as it takes more than mere doggedness to succeed. The best celebrity photographers are equal parts glad-handers, sh*t-stirrers, independent businessmen, and secret agents. They cultivate a myriad of contacts and tightrope risky budgets, they are constantly on the make in a relentlessly competitive industry, and, yes, they actually have to know how to take a high-quality picture.

In the wake of the rare kind words,here are five things that you didn’t know about the paparazzi.