Museum Photography

The next time you visit a museum don't forget your digital camera! I recently went to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and was delighted with the photos I took of some of the world's greatest art work.

First, when planning to visit a museum, make sure you are allowed to take photographs. I asked the security guard before entering, and he said there was no problem with using a digital camera. I didn't have a tripod, but as a general rule I don't carry one around in DC, security frowns upon people breaking out tripods to take photos around the Capital, Mall and White House. In any case, it is more fun to travel light when your visiting museums.

Second, I turned off my flash. Not only is the flash annoying to other museum guest, but the flash can cause unwanted glare.

Third, once you find a subject of interest, obtaining a good exposure may be difficult due to low room lighting. In my case, I opted to raise my ISO to 400 so my camera would be more sensitive to the low light condition. The downside of using a higher ISO is there will be increased noise in photos. Noise results in less photo detail and clarity. Because your shutter speed might be slow, keeping your camera still might be an issue. Use the viewfinder and not the live preview (if you have one) because you will gain stability when your camera is pressed against your face. Hold the camera with both hands, bend your arms downward and brace both of them against the sides of your body, take a deep breath and fire away. If you have the opportunity to support yourself by leaning against a wall or other support you will be better off. I found myself taking a lot of photos in the art museum and did not once fell like I was intruding on any one's experience. That would have been different if I used a tripod or a flash.

Finally, you want to avoid lens distortion. I typically stood about 6 feet from the subject, centered myself in the middle, and used a focal length of 50mm or more. Try to avoid those wide angle shots, as they will distort the subject. If possible, use a small aperture to get a larger depth of field.

One other tip is to take along a note pad so you can document the subject information. Because after you get home, you want to remember the subject's name, artist, date, etc.
There are many photo opportunities outside the museum, so look around for some shots.