Flash photography?

[GoJoel]

I was just wondering about the museums and churches where photography isn't allowed. Does this refer only to flash photography? or does it include any kind. Are some places different than others? I just figured I could either take non-flash pictures or use a camcorder, but if it has anything to do with copywrite or something, I just wanted to make sure.

[megamay]

It really depends I think, some places say no photography whatsoever. some say no flash. some say no photography but plenty of people do it and you can get away with it. We took our camera pretty much everywhere with us, and if they made us check it, we did, if not we carried it even if we werent supposed to take pictures. (I am a big rule follower and totaly stress about breaking them, but a couple of times we did. i.e. sistine chapel - where they were like hawks watching, but we didnt use flash and held camera down at waist and just pointed up - pics turned out pretty good too. and at mona lisa where the guards could have cared less. we still didnt use flash, but everyone else was.)

Meg

[peterW]

This will often mean 'None whatsoever of any form we can detect unless we have given you permission first' kind of thing. This often applies to well known attractions where they want you to buy their own merchandise etc.

Interestingly, this applies to Westminster Abbey in London, which would charge loads for a permit, but not to Westminster Cathedral down the road - which is why I managed to put an internal panoramic of the latter on my London VR tour, but not the former.

In the British Museum you can hand hold a camera, but if you want to use a tripod you need a permit, and then only allowed in front of the building or in Grand Court.

Lots of museums do not like flash on painted objects or materials as this will damage them over time, and anyway, a flash on something in a glass case does not do so well.