New arms museulogic nucleus in Portugal

[fernando]

Hola Manolo

Originally Posted by celtan

Hola 'Nando,
Muito Obrigado for the museum's pictures, seems you have joined Michael's ranks of muito interesting posts! Kahnjar's were also very interesting.
Please enlighten me. What's the purpose behind forbidding picture-taking sans flash..? Do these Museums have books depicting their collections, and wish to sell them instead? A picture sans flash doesn't affect either paintings nor objects. The main reason for me visiting any museum would be precisely to take pictures of items I consider interesting, or to buy a photo-book of their collection.
I own a couple books from the Spanish Museo del Ejercito, so the prohibition to take pictures there would serve an actual purpose: stimulating the sale of their books. Otherwise, I don't see any logic behind such prohibition.
Any other reason that you guys may think of?
Best
Manolo

I think they go on with such prohibitions do by inertia; just because the others do it.
If i well understand, in the old days picture taking was forbidden because, as cameras in interior premises had to forcingly operate with a flash, they could damage delicate matters like oil paintings and so, due to their magnesium bulbs ... is this correct?
Then with the advent of sophisticated cameras that are able to 'shoot in the dark', some museums with common sense began allowing picture taking provising the flash was not used ... this still correct?
Therefore those 'prohibiters' that exhibit objects which are not subject to flash damaging are wrong since the very beginning, whereas those that do not contemplate picture taking without a flash are second in line ... ignorance line, that is .
The only chance they have not to stand in such line is, as you sugest, the compeling for the acquisition of their photo books; then they may go to the unethical line instead .
Now a little story: when i asked the (rather appealing) lady in the Association if i could take pictures she told me that, in the first day of the exhibition she was told by some of the staff to stick a paper at the entrance forbidding picture taking; then someone with a higher rank saw the paper and told her to immediatelly take it off. Actually the marks of the paper were still in the door, as she pointed them to me.
Fernando