Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield find a positive use for the paparazzi

The couple saw the huddle of photographers as a means of celebrating charities

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were eating at a Manhattan restaurant when they spied a group of paparazzi loitering outside.

Instead of getting irritated and unleashing offensive rants as some of their Hollywood stars have been known to (including Jonah Hill and Alec Baldwin), the couple saw it as an opportunity to promote some of their favourite charities on handwritten notes – which is perhaps one of the most positive purposes for the paparazzi devised yet.

They covered their faces with the notes, which listed charity names, including Youth Mentoring, Autism Speaks and Worldwide Orphans.

“Good morning! We were eating and saw a group of guys with cameras outside, so we thought let’s try this again,” said Stone’s note, which featured an arrow pointing to her boyfriend’s sign.

“We don’t need the attention, but these wonderful organisations do.”

“Here’s to stuff that matters,” read Garfield’s note, which listed the charities.

The Spiderman co-stars employed the tactic once before in New York, after being photographed by the paparazzi.