The February issue of Popular Photography Magazine has a feature article on
photographing in museums by Peter Kolonia.

The article is a great primer on the do's & don'ts  such as, "Call ahead and
find out your destination's policy on pictures."   and gems such as this one,
"Unless you're there to photograph children, avoid natural history museums
between the hours of 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. during the school year." Plus my
personal favorite, "Be friendly with guards. They can be your greatest
resource..."

The article also offers numerous  technical tips on everything from
appropriate high speed films for flashless-shooting to how to shoot
glass-enclosed objects & dioramas.

The article also provides a short list of museums and collections who invite
photographic exploration.  It was interesting to see that almost all of them
could be nominated to the ODDITIES Hall-Of-Fame!

While I was reading this article I was stuck by how much we can learn from
looking at many of our policies from the visitor's point-of-view.

Yes, we need to protect our light-sensitive collections and yes, we need to
protect the visual image rights of our collections.  I also realize that not
every visitor can comprehend our simple signs which say, "No Photographs" and
"Do Not Touch", but they form a vast, if annecdotal,  minority of our
visitors.

Imagine how many of our usually conscienious visitors would be genuinely
excited if they were given a handout flyer which explained the institution's
photo policy plus tips on how to get the best results!

Think of the local audiences which could be cultivated for special
"Shutterbug Tours" of our exhibitions halls and sculpture gardens.  I have
always thought that it would be a great idea for  museums to sponsor  annual
photography contests/exhibits  just for the millions of visiting amatuers who
cross our thresholds.

If some of you haven't given much thought to your institution's photography
policies I encourage you to read this informative article.  Take a few hours
and walk around with a camera yourself.  I bet that putting yourself in a
visitor's shoes  you'll discover a whole hidden world within the place you
work.

Dave


David Harvey
Conservator of Metals & Arms
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA  23187-1776   USA
voice:     804-220-7039
e-mail:   [log in to unmask]