bennison@golly.DEC (03/04/85)
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Some words of warning about cathedral photography. Some cathedrals in England
do not allow photography. Some allow it by permission only. (How do you get
permission? I never bothered trying, so don't know.) Some allow photography
only on certain days (Tuesday afternoons for example). Some do not allow
tripods, period. Some do not allow flash photography. All have concessions
that sell slides, which explains some of the prohibitions. Some have a small
fee for a photography permit. Lighting conditions are very difficult in most
cathedrals. I highly recommend that you write ahead to the cathedrals you
plan to visit to find out the restrictions, so that you can plan accordingly
and get all the permits or whatever ahead of time.
I also recommend that you have a smaller bag in which you can stash what you
need for a given cathedral. Many of them have towers you can climb up in, but
the passageways or spiral staircases are very narrow and frequently used for
two-way traffic. A big bag will really get in the way.
All the things I've said above apply doubly for many government run tourist
locations, e.g., Windsor Castle, the crown jewels, etc. Outside the entrance
to the crown jewel exhibit they have a plastic bag hanging from the ceiling
filled with confiscated rolls of film. A not too subtle warning that they
mean business.
Good luck and have fun. Sounds like a great trip.
Vick Bennison
...decvax!decwrl!rhea!tools!bennison
(603) 881-2156jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (03/05/85)
>Some words of warning about cathedral photography. Some cathedrals in England > do not allow photography. Some allow it by permission only. (How do you get > permission? I never bothered trying, so don't know.) I have different experiences from Vick Bennison. I've taken pictures in several English cathedrals and churches, and they don't normally restrict just plain photos, but they do tend to prohibit flashes and tripods. Those old places tend to be gloomy enough that a hand-held picture without flash is next to impossible, but if you enquire at the gift shop (was there once a guy who objected violently to commercial activities in places of worship?) they will generally let you use your equipment on payment of a fee of a pound or two. Actually, I don't grudge them any money they ask; most cathedrals are desperately poor and have heavy expenses. Incidentally, some cathedrals operate a discreetly placed "refectory" which is a good place for lunch. Try the one at Gloucester! John Purbrick decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA
bennison@hare.DEC (03/07/85)
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I did not mean to imply, in my response to the person planning to do
cathedral photography in England, that you couldn't take photos in
cathedrals. Most cathedrals allow non-flash, non-tripod photography
at any time. Notable exceptions are Westminster Abbey and the Chapel
(St. Georges?) at Windsor Castle. Without flash or tripod there is
little for you to do inside a cathedral except take pictures of the
stained glass windows. Westminister Abbey, I believe, was the place
that had photography sessions on Tuesday afternoon, or something, like
that. I wasn't there on the right day. One place I asked about a permit
and was told the person in charge of permits wouldn't be in until that
afternoon. I didn't have time on my itinerary to wait around.
So I stand by my warning. If you are planning SERIOUS cathedral photography,
you had better plan ahead or you will be frustrated frequently in your
efforts.
Vick Bennison
...decvax!decwrl!rhea!tools!bennison
(603) 881-2156