Comments on: Ten reasons why you shouldn’t take photos in museums

By: Everywhereist

Everywhereist — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:36:33 +0000

Gary, you are AWESOMESAUCE. Seriously.

By: Gary Arndt

Gary Arndt — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:23:33 +0000

Stan, you a) clearly have never actually seen the Mona Lisa, or b) you are a pretentious douchebag.

By: Everywhereist

Everywhereist — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:20:12 +0000

Stan, you clearly need a hug, because you are a cranky pants. C’mere, you. Despite the fact that you smell like beefaroni and angst, I see the beauty in you, and wish to embrace your squishy humanity.

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:04:35 +0000

Crowd more interesting than the Mona Lisa? Sounds like you belong in a mall, not a museum.

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:02:52 +0000

Your mental rant against the guy who asked you to photograph him is ridiculous. It was just a “neat” idea to be photographed next to a meaningful work of art, that’s all. It’s no different than being photographed with the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower in the background. Congestion and flashes aside, a mere photograph doesn’t “cheapen” or hurt anything. Claiming that some piece of art is above being photographed, or that photographing it with someone standing next to it is offensive, is ludicrous. Speaking of ownership and meaning and all that, how about the video clip copyrighted by Paramount that you scarfed for your little blog?

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:04:09 +0000

Oh my goodness. I love the Louvre, but the picture taking there is out of control. There are large crowds and congested areas around the famous works, and it’s incredibly annoying (not to mention harmful to the pictures). You’ll cry when you see what happens in front of the Mona Lisa. No Italian woman should suffer so. When I went, my friend Jamie and I added to our fun by pretending to be oblivious girls who “accidentally” interfered with other people’s shots. I highly recommend it. Oh, and check out the Flemish paintings of dead game. There aren’t many crowds, and they’re very cool.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:56:09 +0000

Great post, and interesting to me as I have to deal with this topic on an almost daily basis ! I work in one of the most stunning palaces in the UK ( actually make that Europe, or the world, I admit I’m biased!). One if the biggest problems that our front line face is people taking photos in the rooms. The photographic policy has been relaxed over the years to reflect that it is now such a central part of visitors experiences wherever they go. There are some rooms where we don’t allow photography, namely the chapel as it remains an active chapel and is technically the chapel of a certain individual who’s grandson had a rather high profile wedding recently, and rooms in which some very high profile paintings are on display. Some of our reasons:
- the main problem is people focusing so heavily on what they can see through the lens and trying to get a decent shot they back up into objects and paintings, it DOES happen, these objects can’t be replaced!
- flash is hugely disruptive to other visitors, especially when lots are going off at once (and you would be amazed at how many people don’t know how to turn the automatic flash off on their own cameras)
- crowd control issues develop when people gather to take photos of particularly iconic items
-we don’t allow the use of tripods because 1) they can become trip hazards and I have witnessed unsuspecting people fall over badly placed tripods 2) they can damage the floor (not all come with protective padded feet- tip
for you, stick a tennis balk on each foot of the tripod -I still won’t let you use on though !)
-lenders conditions – museums and galleries rarely own all the objects in their care, it may be that one of the conditions in which an individual/organisation has loaned an object is that photography is not allowed. We have to respect that.
- linked to the point above, for some it is an issue of copyright, we don’t worry about that, but for some it is a real problem.

Let’s face it , most photos taken in these circumstances come out as poor quality and simply for practical reasons you’d be better off buying a postcard, yes we need the money, but they will be taken from an angle that you don’t stand a chance of getting on the visitor routes and will be better as a result.

My advice to all ….. Ask, and then respect that advice. Don’t take it out on the front line staff who are often
trying to enforce unenforceable rules which they have no say in. They really are ‘just doing their job’. I agree, they shouldn’t be rude. But equally nor should the visitors (and the amount of uncalled for abuse my team gets on a daily basis is incredible).

Thanks for raising the topic Geraldine.

By: Sha Menz

Sha Menz — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:25:28 +0000

11. People engrossed in what’s in their viewfinder have a real knack for backing into, stepping on or knocking over other patrons, or worse still, other exhibits!

Don’t cheat yourself or others out of the REAL experience that is offered in these places.

The value of this was brought home to me when I visited the magnificent Kings College Chapel in Cambridge years ago. Since all photography is banned, I went without my camera and bought postcards & prints from the gift shop before I left. Having returned home I shared them with family & friends, all of whom were totally blown away by what they saw…and all the while I sat there thinking “they really aren’t even close” to what I had experienced inside that building. Even some 13 years later, the memory of it moves me emotionally and the pictures (which I just dragged out again) seem insipid by comparison.

Thanks Geraldine for touching on this without fear!! (I too am partial to an exclamation point or three!!!)

By: Michael Hodson

Michael Hodson — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:16:41 +0000

LOL, they might be, but in this case I was so interested that they allowed it (frankly, I was shocked) that I actually double and triple checked later. They do, in fact, allow it. Then again, they also have about 3-4 rooms clearly marked “No Photographs.”

I would hope in museums that don’t allow photography that the guards would actually throw people out.

By: Everywhereist

Everywhereist — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:40:45 +0000

And yet, there are times when I’ve seen people ask if they could take pictures, and the guards have looked at folks like they’re idiots because the answer is obviously NO.

Maybe museum guards just like looking at people like they’re idiots?