PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

noun Also written photo-opportunity (Lifestyle and Leisure) (Politics) In media jargon (especially in the US): an organized opportunity for press photographers and cameramen to take pictures of a celebrity or group of celebrities. Etymology: Formed by compounding: an opportunity to take a photo. History and Usage: The idea of the photo opportunity originated in the US in the mid seventies, but was turned to advantage particularly by President Ronald Reagan and his administration during the eighties--a technique which other politicians did not fail to note. Journalism developed in such a way during the eighties that a historic agreement or summit of world leaders could be summarized in the results of a photo opportunity and perhaps a sound bite of an official statement, and politicians became the ones hounded for a picture, taking the place of the film stars of previous decades. This approach to world events has been called photo-opportunistic; a person who takes advantage of it is a photo opportunist. By the end of the eighties photo opportunity itself was often abbreviated to photo op. They operate in the slick new tradition of political handlers, whose job is to reduce a campaign to photo ops and sound bites. Time 21 Nov. 1988, p. 144 We must not be dazzled by these photo-opportunistic images. This modern magical foil for our memory can help us discover anew the luxury of retrospect. Life Fall 1989, p. 37 The rebuilding of Eastern Europe offers Tories photo-opportunities galore but confronts the Foreign Office with one of its trickiest tests in years. Economist 2 June 1990, p. 29