Baby Brangelina: A million-dollar photo?

A photo of Angelina Jolie's baby is considered the prize of paparazzi.

LOS ANGELES, California -- With Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie holed up in Namibia for the birth of their child, one of the most pressing questions in Hollywood has been: How much money will the photograph of Baby Brangelina fetch?

One million dollars? Two million? More than that?

The growing consensus is the first photo of the offspring of the two hot Hollywood stars will command a seven-digit sum to the lucky shutterbug who gets it. Photos that confirmed Jennifer Aniston and her new beau, actor Vince Vaughn, were an item sold for upwards of $250,000; and US Weekly reportedly paid half-a-million dollars for exclusive photos of Pitt and Jolie on an African beach.

That's petty cash compared to what photos of Baby Brangelina might bring.

"I think it's a $3 million photo," Frank Griffin, a photographer and co-owner of the paparazzi agency Bauer-Griffin, told CNN. "People are prepared to pay that kind of money."

Peter Howe, author of the book, "Paparazzi," agreed about the high value of such a shot. (Watch a Jennifer Aniston tracker divulge how photogs get their shots -- 3:56)

"If it really is exclusive, it could easily fetch $1 million. But before paying a sum like this, any magazine would be wise to investigate the circumstances under which it was taken and the possibility of others being in the market place," Howe said in an e-mail.

Howe, a former picture editor for The New York Times Magazine and director of photography for Life magazine, added, "If you do get a genuine, gold-plated exclusive, it will be worth every penny."

Lurking in the 'sand and scrub'
In a recent report from South Africa's Sunday Times, the couple issued a statement through their security chief, asking to be left alone.

"We love Africa and to be here in Namibia with our family is very special for us," the statement said. "To the local people who have been so kind and gracious, thank you for making us feel at home.

"As for the press, we kindly ask for privacy so that we can enjoy this beautiful country with our children."

Whether that strategy works is yet to be seen. In fact, Griffin predicts it could be a local who gets the magic photograph.

"I think local people will try to get them kamikaze-style, and try and sell them," he said.

Griffin said he doesn't have any staff in Namibia, located along Africa's coast between Angola and South Africa. He noted the country's desert conditions aren't conducive for paparazzi tactics.

"There's only sand and scrub there -- no place to hide," he said. "I don't think anyone from the mainstream media or paparazzi will go to such an extreme as try and sneak in and do something surreptitious."

He added, "I mean, what are they going to get? You can't grab the kid out of the mother's hands and throw it on the ground. ... You can't fly a plane over. If they choose not to have their baby photographed, short of grabbing the baby out of the mother's arms, you're not going to get any pictures."

Howe doesn't quite buy that. He believes the paparazzi are relishing the challenge of getting the photo and beating the tight security around the couple.

"The security was very tight at the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, but somebody still got through and got the snaps," he said.

Photo on their own terms
Both Griffin and Howe believe that a likely scenario is that the carefully scripted couple will release the first photos of their child on their own terms.

"Brad has made it his raison d'etre not to have pictures taken," Griffin said. "I think they'll probably do a set-up and use the benefits for charity. That will take some of the edge off."

Howe described Jolie as "about the most skillful manipulator of the media around today."

"She knows exactly how to play the game on her own terms, and when the pictures do appear, you can be fairly certain that it will be when and how she wanted them to," he said.

"My guess is that she will either tip off a tame photographer ... or she will keep the baby firmly under wraps, have some photographs taken and then release them when and to whom she wants. She may donate the money that they earn to one of the charities that she supports."

But be ready for the unscripted. "With this one, anything is possible," Howe said.