Photographer: Topless Aniston 'Exposed Herself'

Dec. 6, 2005 — -- The photographer who snapped topless photos of actress Jennifer Aniston says he never intended to sell them, but he admits exclusively to ABC News that sending them to publications along with other pictures was "maybe my mistake."

Even so, Peter Brandt says that the former "Friends" star should take some responsibility. "She's the one who went out there topless," he said in an interview with ABC News Radio's David Blaustein. "I didn't go looking for it."

"I haven't sold those pictures anywhere," Brandt said. "You know, they're suing me and all the publications who are publishing them, and I haven't sold them anywhere."

"What I was trying to sell was the pictures of [actor] Vince [Vaughn] and her ... Sending the topless pictures along with [the other photos] was maybe my mistake," he said. "But I wasn't intending to sell those."

The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that Brandt invaded Aniston's privacy by using a telephoto lens to photograph the 36-year-old star "from a great distance through invasive, intrusive and unlawful measures."

Brandt denies he broke the law, and claims that the incident took place at Aniston's Hollywood Hills home three weeks ago, and not at her more secluded residence in Malibu, as some accounts have suggested. He claims he was standing on a public street, about 300 yards from her house, hoping to get shots of Aniston with Vaughn, who is reported to be dating the actress.

"She has no fences around her backyard," he said. "I did not trespass."

"When I saw her come out topless, I go, 'Oh, God, this is not what I want, this is not what people want to buy anyway,'" he said.

Brandt says he sent out all the pictures he took to a handful of publications, never intending to sell the ones that have caused the scandal.

"I didn't figure anyone was going to buy topless pictures because that's tough to sell," he said.

"I only sent it to five or six different editors ... OK, maybe I shouldn't have sent the topless pictures but, you know, I have them and when you sit on something that big, I'm not going to make editorial judgment. I'm a photographer, editorial judgment is done by the magazine."