Watch Top L.A. Paparazzi Hunt Down Top D.C. Politicians

Paparazzi photographers in Los Angeles spend their days and nights pursuing celebrities who aren’t actually very important people on the world stage. On the other hand, politicians in Washington, D.C. have a huge global impact, yet they’re largely ignored out in public. VICE recently decided to do an experiment by setting L.A. paparazzi on D.C. politicians.

For this 7-minute segment that aired on HBO’s VICE News Tonight on August 30th, L.A. paparazzi Rick Mendoza and Vladimir “Dutch” Labissiere were sent to D.C. to see how their skills and tactics translate to the world of politics rather than entertainment.

“High level Cabinet officials and politicians are mostly left alone when they are out in public,” VICE writes. “While the corridors of the U.S. Capitol can be a media gauntlet, outside of predetermined media availabilities high-powered officials can usually go about their business without worrying too much.”

After being tasked with “making things slightly more uncomfortable for the people who make some of the country’s most important decisions,” the two photographers learned that “while you can find these people in D.C., it’s still hard to get them to answer any questions.”