No Photos! at the Louvre

Two weeks ago I was at the Louvre and may have lucked out as they
instituted a new no-picture-taking policy at the Louvre a couple days
after I went there and took a gazillion pics of the Mona Lisa,Raft of
the Medusa,Death of the Virgin,etc.I may have been one of the last
people to be able to do so.The second time I was there on my last
night,a Wednesday night 9/14,the guards were loudly shouting "No
photos!" at all the tourists and telling them to put away their
cameras.It was funny watching hundreds of tourists from around the
world just gazing at the Mona Lisa just dying to snap a photo when just
a few days before everyone was snapping away with oblivion taking turns
posing in front of the Mona Lisa,etc.
They still allowed picture-taking in the sculptures sections and the
Egyptian antiquities section,but it now appears the most popular areas
of the Italian and French paintings it is being strictly prohibited as
well as in the Louis XV crown jewels room.
I now truly appreciate my timing and picking that week to go.

I'm surprised there is any paint left on those canvases after being
photon blasted innumerable times despite the previous prohibition of
*flash* photography that was nearly ignored... Shall I even mention the
weird 'auto-focus beams' projected by many modern digitals too...

Yup; nothing like the spectacle of the throng trying to be photographed
next to the Mona Lisa... Nothing like the current view of the painting
either, through a forest of digital cameras held high over the heads of
those in closer...

Perhaps a moving walkway (like the Crown Jewels in London) is now in
order to give some semblance of a decent look without having to deal
with a mob scene in front of the painting.

Tim K

"luckym" <autographilem> wrote in message
news:1127926774.776462.22200@g47g2000cwa. ...
> Two weeks ago I was at the Louvre and may have lucked out as they
> instituted a new no-picture-taking policy at the Louvre a couple days
> after I went there and took a gazillion pics of the Mona Lisa,Raft of
> the Medusa,Death of the Virgin,etc.I may have been one of the last
> people to be able to do so.The second time I was there on my last
> night,a Wednesday night 9/14,the guards were loudly shouting "No
> photos!" at all the tourists and telling them to put away their
> cameras.It was funny watching hundreds of tourists from around the
> world just gazing at the Mona Lisa just dying to snap a photo when
just
> a few days before everyone was snapping away with oblivion taking
turns
> posing in front of the Mona Lisa,etc.
> They still allowed picture-taking in the sculptures sections and the
> Egyptian antiquities section,but it now appears the most popular areas
> of the Italian and French paintings it is being strictly prohibited as
> well as in the Louis XV crown jewels room.
> I now truly appreciate my timing and picking that week to go.
>

It has just been pointed out to you that a flash may the equivalent of
1/60th s of direct sunlight (or whatever fraction it must be); multiply
this by tens of thousands of flashes over many many years... there is no
doubt it can have *some* effect. TO state it has *no* effect is your
normal ridiculous statement... Why indeed was a flash ban maintained to
begin with; Zircon bulbs haven't been commonly used in Decades.

Tim K

"Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@> wrote in message
news:97qlj1dscivqtfdl8okgubn7tit3np34r7@...
> Timothy Kroesen writes:
>
> > I'm surprised there is any paint left on those canvases after being
> > photon blasted innumerable times despite the previous prohibition of
> > *flash* photography that was nearly ignored... Shall I even mention
the
> > weird 'auto-focus beams' projected by many modern digitals too...
>
> Flash photography and auto-focus beams have virtually no effect on
> paintings, compared to the damage done by ordinary daylight.
>
> --
> Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

I used to play with the Rolling Stones, snort lines with Mother
Theresa, then have a menage e twa with Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell;
photo's to prove it too!


Tim K

"Carole Allen" <carolea7@> wrote in message
news:433b35dc.4154183@news....
>
> Haven't they ever heard of Photoshop?
>

Carole Allen <carolea7@> wrote:

> Despite the [no flash] signs, throngs of people stood around
> taking flash photos...

For quite a few of them, I suspect it was because they had 'too much'
camera for their needs/abilities and simply didn't know how to disable
the auto-flash!

The whole concept of flash photography is pretty murky to the average
punter, anyway. I mean, I still have to laugh when I see these clowns
taking flash photos from the 93rd row of section 'Z' in the arena. They
obviously have never heard of the inverse square law, as it applies to
illumination.

cheers,

Henry

"Henry" <henry999@eircom.net> wrote in message
news:1h3n4q1.16fu26350n406N%henry999@eircom.net...
> Carole Allen <carolea7@> wrote:
>
>> Despite the [no flash] signs, throngs of people stood around
>> taking flash photos...
>
> For quite a few of them, I suspect it was because they had 'too much'
> camera for their needs/abilities and simply didn't know how to disable
> the auto-flash!
>
> The whole concept of flash photography is pretty murky to the average
> punter, anyway. I mean, I still have to laugh when I see these clowns
> taking flash photos from the 93rd row of section 'Z' in the arena. They
> obviously have never heard of the inverse square law, as it applies to
> illumination.
>
> cheers,
>
> Henry

Flash will slow down the picture. And have a friend who is a commercial
photog. Always uses the flash for portrait pictures outside. fills in the
shadows if within 10'.

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 00:30:13 GMT, carolea7@
(Carole Allen) wrote:

>On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 19:19:32 +0100, Jack Campin - bogus address
><bogus@purr.> wrote:
>
>>On the other hand the Louvre's concern about the effect of flash on
>>other viewers is bang on.
>>
>When I was there in 1995 flash photos were not allowed - signs were
>everywhere, showing the red slash through the flashbulb. Non flash
>were allowed. Despite the signs, throngs of people stood around
>taking flash photos and no one in authority ever stopped them.
>
>Easier perhaps to just ban photos altogether.

Sometimes the logic is hard to follow. I was the only person
wandering around the East Asian museum in Zbraslav (South
Prague); outnumbered overwhelmingly by attendants - who
watched me with an eagle eye to ensure I didn't take any
photos, flash or otherwise.

I would have liked some, because the exhibits are probably
unique outside China and Japan. All I got were some
under-exposed non-flash shots taken surreptitiously.

Similar in Vienna museum, although there were a few more
visitors there.

Cheers, Alan, Australia

>> Despite the [no flash] signs, throngs of people stood around
>> taking flash photos...
>
> For quite a few of them, I suspect it was because they had 'too much'
> camera for their needs/abilities and simply didn't know how to disable
> the auto-flash!
>
> The whole concept of flash photography is pretty murky to the average
> punter, anyway. I mean, I still have to laugh when I see these clowns
> taking flash photos from the 93rd row of section 'Z' in the arena. They
> obviously have never heard of the inverse square law, as it applies to
> illumination.

Very much like my aunt who shot 3 rolls of film of Heidelburg Castle at
night. Then was dissapointed when nothing came out.

Thomas a écrit :

> Very much like my aunt who shot 3 rolls of film of Heidelburg Castle at
> night. Then was dissapointed when nothing came out.

That's a big advantage of digital.

<strolls away, looking innocent>

G;

B Vaughan wrote:
> On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 05:53:00 +0200, Mxsmanic <mxsmanic@>
> wrote:
>
> >B Vaughan writes:
> >
> >> I just cannot understand why anyone would want a photo of the Mona
> >> Lisa.
> >
> >A lot of people want a photo of themselves _in front_ of the Mona
> >Lisa. It's a standard "proof photo," that proves that someone was
> >there. Tourists from the Far East are especially fond of such photos,
> >and often seem to have no other purpose for visiting anything.
>
> Most of the people I know would believe me if I told them I had been
> at the Louvre.

You don't seem to understand the purpose of the picture.