How paparazzi outwit the Strip

But there is a reason the Jackson kids probably felt safe walking around the casino without the usual masks. As I have written on the Buffet before, Vegas usually does not have paparazzi. This is largely because of the ability of casino resorts to ban any photographer from their private property forever.

But in past months, as the value of celebrity photos has shot up, the dense pack of famous visitors to Vegas has started to prove an irresistible draw to paparazzi willing to test their ingenuity and luck against casino security. One recent incident involved, of course, Britney Spears and took place at the Wynn.

Obviously, a photographer standing with professional equipment pointed at an elevator that Michael Jackson's kids are about to come out of would be visible to hotel security. Not every security camera can be monitored at every moment in real time, of course. But because of the magnitude of his fame, the Luxor would, for safety reasons, probably monitor Michael Jackson's visit as worth the attention of security.

So, how could this photo have happened?

First off: It does not appear to be a professional's camera. That is the opinion of three professional photographers who work shooting pictures at Vegas resorts regularly. They all agree the photo of Jackson's children obtained by Splash News Online was taken by either a cellphone or a civilian camera meant for only souvenir shots.

That explains part of the mystery. After all, a lot of tourists have cameras with them in Vegas casinos. Also, a tourist could easily have simply been there by chance to photograph the Jackson kids as they walked off the elevator.

But this answer raised other questions: How did a tourist have the savvy to negotiate and sell the photo? And so quickly? Also, how would the photographer know for sure those kids were Michael Jackson's children? There is no family resemblance. More important, how would the photo agency know the photographer has not doctored the photo or simply made a mistake in identifying who the photo represents?

In short: That supposed tourist photographer must have had a lot of credibility with Splash, because Splash has a lot of credibility to lose by putting out photos of Jackson's kids if the agency turns out to have been duped. Would you believe a stranger tourist from Vegas who called you and said he took pictures of Michael Jackson's never-before-seen kids without masks?

Because Splash usually uses the same freelance photographer for Vegas events like red carpets and press conferences, I called him. He is not a paparazzo. I've known him slightly for years and he is not the sort to be sneaking shots of kids -- anyone's kids -- nor is he willing, professionally, to risk being banned from MGM-Mirage (owner of the Luxor and nine other properties on the Strip) resorts. And indeed, he confirmed for me that he did not take the photo of Jackson's kids. He added that he had no idea how Splash obtained the photo. He was unwilling to discuss or speculate beyond that.

So, in trying to find the story behind how that picture was taken, obtained, judged credible and released, I spoke to three other local photographers who have all shot for national publications or agencies. According to all three photographers, this is probably what happened.