St. Mark

[lightandlife]

This topic may be of limited interest in this forum. Europeans are closing doors to photographers. Many museums and churches have staked "no video, no photography" signs everywhere. Some of them still allow photography without a flash.

During the summer, I was fortunate to get a couple of shots at some relics of St. Mark in Basilica di San Marco in Venice. D30 had much difficulty inside the Basilica. 10D would have been great.

http://www.pbase.com/lightandlife/st_mark

[robertwgross]

Do you know what their primary reasoning is?

Do they think that flash guns will cause art to fade?

Are they simply unwilling for photographers to get any kind of image/copy of the artwork?

Or is it some kind of bogus security issue?

---Bob Gross---

[lightandlife]

Primary reason? money, I think. They figure that if you don't let people take pictures of your treasures, more people will visit and more money can be collected.

Yeah, they think flashes will raise the temperature of these treasures. They may be right. One or two may not hurt, but millions of flashes a week may hurt precious paintings and treasures.

Even guards were shouting at the flashing assisting lights, and I am tired of educating them.

A few years ago, Uffizi museum in Florence was open for photographers not using a flash. Now it is completely closed. No pictures, whatsoever. You can only look! I was trying to hurry before they closed these museums, but it was too late. Should have done it a few years ago, but I was not thinking clearly then.

[Mark Benavides]

I seem to recall flash affected paintings and would hasten fading (similar to sunlight fading the paint on the exterior of your home).

Maybe the same applies to stonework....