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Vladimir Putin's press office has been forced to issue an explanation after hiring a former glamour model as his personal photographer.
Yana Lapikova, a 25-year-old former Miss Moscow contestant, was confirmed as one of Mr Putin's official personal photographers on Tuesday.
An anonymous photographer and blogger who first disclosed the hiring of Miss Lapikova posted some of her racier modelling pictures alongside her own efforts - including ill-focused shots of fruit.
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It is unclear how much experience she has. An online portfolio in her name includes a few dozen shots of cats, reportage from the interior of a prison and landscapes in Israel.
''I think it's fine and nothing to be ashamed of. I think we can only congratulate the Prime Minister's press service on such an acquisition,'' the blogger commented.
Defending the appointment, Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's press secretary, said the service had been looking for a new photographer for some time because the others were too busy covering events attended by Mr Putin's deputies.
He insisted that the selection was entirely due to professional merit.
''We don't select photographers based on gender. She's a really good photographer. Her modelling past doesn't concern us at all, it's not a crime,'' he said.
Photography plays a key role in the strategy adopted by the Prime Minister's press office. His ''action man'' image relies on numerous outdoor photo opportunities with polar bears and tigers, or showing him horse riding bare-chested in Siberian rivers.
Miss Lapikova will work alongside two professional photographers who document Mr Putin's regular meet-and-greets and encounters with endangered predators.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/putins-model-choice-for-photographer-20110617-1g7tz.html#ixzz1PaGqni3G
Yana Lapikova, a 25-year-old former Miss Moscow contestant, was confirmed as one of Mr Putin's official personal photographers on Tuesday.
An anonymous photographer and blogger who first disclosed the hiring of Miss Lapikova posted some of her racier modelling pictures alongside her own efforts - including ill-focused shots of fruit.
Advertisement: Story continues below
It is unclear how much experience she has. An online portfolio in her name includes a few dozen shots of cats, reportage from the interior of a prison and landscapes in Israel.
''I think it's fine and nothing to be ashamed of. I think we can only congratulate the Prime Minister's press service on such an acquisition,'' the blogger commented.
Defending the appointment, Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's press secretary, said the service had been looking for a new photographer for some time because the others were too busy covering events attended by Mr Putin's deputies.
He insisted that the selection was entirely due to professional merit.
''We don't select photographers based on gender. She's a really good photographer. Her modelling past doesn't concern us at all, it's not a crime,'' he said.
Photography plays a key role in the strategy adopted by the Prime Minister's press office. His ''action man'' image relies on numerous outdoor photo opportunities with polar bears and tigers, or showing him horse riding bare-chested in Siberian rivers.
Miss Lapikova will work alongside two professional photographers who document Mr Putin's regular meet-and-greets and encounters with endangered predators.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/putins-model-choice-for-photographer-20110617-1g7tz.html#ixzz1PaGqni3G
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