Something
took my mind back to a time during one of my travels when I had the burning urge to take photos in places you’re not
allowed. Not that I would ever be a huge prick and do it, but something about the "NO" word made me want a
picture of the museums contents for no other good reason than to have it. I’ve seen the determined ugly tourists that
couldn’t follow the rules break the ‘no photos allowed’ rule and the nasty looks they received afterwards. Sure your
own two-eyes can capture a photo by memory, yet nothing beats bringing a physical shot to show my family and friends
back home. All this made me think to find a possible list out there of things you can’t photograph and some basic
common knowledge that might not be so common.
Digital cameras and camera phones make taking pictures of
anything/anywhere very tempting and very easy. It doesn’t mean it’s right. Several museums have the no camera or no
flash photography rule so it doesn’t fade tapestries or ruin other centuries old artifacts. Similarly no photos are
allowed in the tombs at ancient
sites in Egypt and while Phil Douglis wasn’t allowed to take photos inside the temples in Vientiane, Laos he did take advantage of the
situation by capturing the one above. (An incredible shot of not shooting.) Though I didn’t find a guide built
specifically for travel photography I did discover this few weeks old guide in USA Today by Andrew Kantor. This very detailed article
should help anyone with questions about shooting and publishing material in general. My advice: Just obey the signs.