Five good reasons not to take photos at the museum

As we all know by now, the Culture Decree strongly advocated by Minister Dario Franceschini has lifted the ban on taking photographs inside museums, under certain conditions (no profit motive, images made for personal enjoyment, and so on): at this link you can delve into the issue and learn more about our point of view. The lifting of the ban has, predictably, sparked endless enthusiasm. But, as is often the case when it comes to culture, Italy lags culturally behind the rest of the world: and the case of photos in museums is no exception. Therefore, while the rest of the world questions whether it is appropriate to continue to allow visitors to museums to take photos, Italy shows that it has no interest in the debate and approves a rule, drafted moreover in a rambling and confusing way, that allows anyone to take photos in museums. Evidently Minister Franceschini does not read foreign blogs and newspapers (and anyway, we would have been enormously surprised otherwise).

Photo: Jason Scott

Since we are probably among the very few (if not the only ones) in Italy who do not see eye to eye with this recently introduced measure, let us try to understand why it is appropriate not to take pictures in museums, or at any rate to take them very sparingly. Let us be clear: we do not want to appear as those of the most absolute prohibition. We too have happened to take photos inside museums. But in each case always where we were allowed to, always taking care that the room in which we were taking the photo was completely empty, always at a proper distance from the works of art, and always adhering to the rules of the museum (e.g., photos without flash). And we do not deny that among the museum public there are also those who have an urgent need to take photographs: to document an image that cannot be found on the web or in the most up-to-date catalogs, to conduct a study or research, to document an event (an exhibition, an evening) that they want to report on. But certainly, these cases affect only a small part of the museum audience.

As for the promotion a museum would receive, in the meantime, we would need to understand how the large galleries (such as the Uffizi, Louvre and the like), already famous in their own right, could benefit from hundreds and thousands of always identical shots, mostly taken by improvised photographers with no art or part. On the other hand, it would be interesting to assess the impact of visitors’ photographs on the promotion of small museums: however, since no such investigation has been done, we cannot determine with certainty whether visitors’ photographs really serve to promote a museum. However, dear reader or dear reader who visits museums, you should know that trying to look at works of art by being in the midst of a crowd equipped with cameras with telescopic lenses, bulky tablets and smartphones to take selfies on repeat is a truly terrible experience. And it is also terrible for the person taking the pictures. So we give you five good reasons not to take pictures when you go to the museum.

1. It distracts you. Think of the time you would lose to: take your camera/tablet/smartphone out of its case, set up your shooting paraphernalia, look for the right shot, wait until there is no one in front of the work, take the photograph, check on the device screen whether it came out well, possibly take it again, do the appropriate rechecks, declare the shot satisfactory, put the paraphernalia away. Don’t you think it’s much better to invest all this time in getting carried away by the work of art you’re looking at and trying to understand it better?
2. Disturb others. Blocking off an entire room because you necessarily have to take a picture of a painting (or, even worse, because you want to take a selfie in front of it), is an activity that greatly inconveniences others. Why must you prevent another visitor from comfortably observing a work, just because you selfishly want to take a photograph? So avoid taking pictures if there are other people with you. And know that there is nothing more unbearable, while viewing a painting in a museum, than to hear someone asking if you can move, because that someone feels the overwhelming urge to take a picture of the very painting you are viewing.
3. The pictures don’t come out well. To begin with, you are neither Henri Cartier-Bresson, nor Man Ray, nor whoever you prefer. And if you enjoyed great fame in the world of photography, you would certainly get the call from the museum to take proper pictures: you would have plenty of time to think about the shots and all the proper equipment. In normal situations, you should know that many museum halls enjoy poor lighting, flash photography is almost always prohibited (often even where photos are allowed), and certainly your cell phone or tablet will not allow you to take memorable shots. So do you feel you should waste time taking pictures that will be dark, blurry, blurry (because maybe there will surely be someone pushing you)?
4. Spending the whole visit taking pictures is tremendously kitschy. Let’s face it: we have always made fun of tourists in tank tops and flip-flops with those big cameras always attached to their necks and who spend their entire vacation taking pictures of everything. And for as long as smartphones have existed, we find those who always have their eyes fixed on the screen and take frantic selfies one after another insufferable (andoften terribly stupid). You don’t want to be part of these unenviable categories too, do you?
5. Most of the time you don’t need it to preserve a memory. For so many tourists, the museum is an unfamiliar environment, because when they are at home it is very rare for them to visit a museum. It happens with us too, of course: we know people who have visited the most remote museums in the United States or South America, but have never visited, for example, the Diocesan Museum in Massa. And being an unfamiliar environment, photography is no longer a means of approaching the work of art, but becomes a means of passing the time (because taking photographs is a family activity). It happens very often to see people walk into a room, take a few quick looks at the paintings, often without even bothering to know what they represent and who made them, take a handful of shots, and move on to the next room. Proponents of the photo at all costs should explain how these visitors have a greater engagement with the works of art and what memory they will retain of the works.
   

By this, as stated above, we do not want to pass as those completely against photographs in museums. All it would take is to follow simple suggestions to make the experience (one’s own and others’) enjoyable. Thus:

1. Do not disturb others. If there are those who want to enjoy the painting without having the boredom of moving because you want to take a picture, it is only fair to respect them. If you really have to take a picture of that painting, wait until the room has emptied. If the room does not empty, it is evidently because that painting is very famous or very popular, and you will find very good reproductions on the net (certainly better than yours).
2. Avoid the ritual photos, which qualify you in a split second. You don’t need to take a photograph posing with the Mona Lisa to let your friends know you’ve been to the Louvre. You can just as well say it verbally. Or if you necessarily want to provide photographic evidence, you may as well take a picture of yourself in a less crowded room.
3. If you see that the first few photos don’t come out well, don’t insist. If the rooms have low light, if you have people walking past you all the time, if your partner has not combed her hair well, if your partner takes unphotogenic poses, don’t insist and store your gear in appropriate places (bags, purses, pockets, and whatnot).
4. Respect the museum’s rules. If the museum tells you that you can’t take pictures, don’t insist and stick to the rules. If the museum has made regulations, there are bound to be very good reasons.
5. Try to set a good example. Try to get carried away by the works, try to understand their meaning, try to feel the passion your guide conveys in explaining the masterpiece you are looking at. Others who are in the same room with you will be led to do the same thing as you.
   

Let’s try to make sure that the museum visit does not become an unbearable and untenable situation, and let’s try to make sure that we are left with something from this visit at the end. Art historian Michael Savage wrote it well in a recent article on the subject, “The democratic answer to these issues is to think that everyone can appreciate great art. And it is much easier to initiate this process by leaving one’s camera at home.”

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.