Q7/08: 2014 Venice, Italy

**Mikesul** · 11-04-2014, 05:32 AM

These 08 shots, in difficult light, show what an excellent lens it is.

MarinatedHerring · 11-04-2014, 08:48 AM

I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too?

**Michaelina2** · 11-04-2014, 11:50 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by MarinatedHerring

I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too?

Not true... Like the vast majority of well-mannered and respectful Americans, I never contemplated breaking any "rules," or do anything sneaky, or underhanded. All I did was simply (and politely) ask if it was OK. Permission was granted on the spot so long as I did not use a flash and did not interfere with others wishing to enjoy the setting. I got no follow-up questions from other gatekeepers... no second guessing... no hassles. Also, I entered not expecting, or feeling entitled to any special privileges. My visit was that of your standard issue innocent and curious tourist... nothing more, or less. Perhaps it helps if your kit is not particularly intimidating, too. (Q7/08)

And no, I did not feed the flying rats (pigeons), either.

Cheers... M

mamethot · 11-04-2014, 12:14 PM

Not sure how americans diserve that kind of comments, but anyway...

My own personal experience is that I've seen italians do far worse than feeding pigeons while in Venice, Milan and Rome...and the worst were in Naples.

But there are italians that are very fine people too ;-)

Originally posted by MarinatedHerring

I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too?

**RobA_Oz** · 11-04-2014, 01:45 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by mamethot

Not sure how americans diserve that kind of comments, but anyway...

My own personal experience is that I've seen italians do far worse than feeding pigeons while in Venice, Milan and Rome...and the worst were in Naples.

But there are italians that are very fine people too ;-)

National stereotypes are hard to dispense with. My experience of Italian museum guards/guides has not been wonderful, but clearly there are exceptions. Then again, even the famously-rude French waiters seem to be letting their guards down lately – during my most recent visits, they were, almost without exception, polite and helpful, which is quite the reversal of how they had been.

Piotrek K · 11-04-2014, 04:11 PM

Cannot really comment on the stereotypes, but the photos are awesome!

mamethot · 11-04-2014, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Piotrek K

Cannot really comment on the stereotypes, but the photos are awesome!

Yes! Back to our current programming!

**Mikesul** · 11-04-2014, 05:40 PM

Not to be able to photograph such sites would really spoil the visits. Not using flash is just common courtesy as is asking the way the OP did. No need for any stereotypes in wither direction. St Marks is a gem and the OP deserves our gratitude for sharing his photos.

MarinatedHerring · 11-04-2014, 06:20 PM

I made that comment because I am an American who visited Venice many times. I have made mistakes. This is one of them. The church and curators prohibit photography for a multitude of reasons. A guard or worker that gave permission was likely not in the position to authorize photography. Typical museum worker in Italy though. Very friendly and willing to bend the rules a bit. Works in favor of the tourist for sure. Still, I never took photos in this place and other cathedrals out of respect. Please follow the rules put in place on pamphlets or other official documents in order to respect such places and other visitors.

Beautiful photos but honestly these photos evoke memories of the hundreds of tourists I've seen in Italy clicking away with their cameras in places where photography was prohibited. Cringe!

**RobA_Oz** · 11-04-2014, 08:17 PM

Originally posted by MarinatedHerring

I made that comment because I am an American who visited Venice many times. I have made mistakes. This is one of them. The church and curators prohibit photography for a multitude of reasons. A guard or worker that gave permission was likely not in the position to authorize photography. Typical museum worker in Italy though. Very friendly and willing to bend the rules a bit. Works in favor of the tourist for sure. Still, I never took photos in this place and other cathedrals out of respect. Please follow the rules put in place on pamphlets or other official documents in order to respect such places and other visitors.

Beautiful photos but honestly these photos evoke memories of the hundreds of tourists I've seen in Italy clicking away with their cameras in places where photography was prohibited. Cringe!

The reasons for prohibiting photography are varied, but are mostly either financial reasons (they want you to buy their souvenir guidebooks, which often contain much better photos than a casual visitor can take) or they want to avoid colour deterioration brought about by people using conventional flashguns, or they want to limit the congestion that occurs around some exhibits. In some places, you can buy a permit to photograph the exhibits. Some exhibitions are on loan to museums, and the terms of the loan prohibit photography, even though the rest of their exhibits are free to be photographed.

The worst example of blatant disregard for these rules that I've seen was in Cappadocia, Turkey where fragile ancient wall paintings were allowed to be photographed without flash, but tourists still blazed away with everything from point-and-shoot cameras to large DSLRs, in spite of the request being spelled out in many different languages.

The development of non-UV light sources in flashguns (ie LEDs, as most phone cameras now have) will remove the prohibition on the use of flash, eventually.

11-04-2014, 11:50 AM - 1 Like	#18
Michaelina2 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SE Michigan USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,300 Original Poster	Originally posted by MarinatedHerring I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too? Not true... Like the vast majority of well-mannered and respectful Americans, I never contemplated breaking any "rules," or do anything sneaky, or underhanded. All I did was simply (and politely) ask if it was OK. Permission was granted on the spot so long as I did not use a flash and did not interfere with others wishing to enjoy the setting. I got no follow-up questions from other gatekeepers... no second guessing... no hassles. Also, I entered not expecting, or feeling entitled to any special privileges. My visit was that of your standard issue innocent and curious tourist... nothing more, or less. Perhaps it helps if your kit is not particularly intimidating, too. (Q7/08) And no, I did not feed the flying rats (pigeons), either. Cheers... M Last edited by Michaelina2; 11-04-2014 at 12:06 PM.

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11-04-2014, 05:32 AM	#16
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	These 08 shots, in difficult light, show what an excellent lens it is.

11-04-2014, 08:48 AM	#17
MarinatedHerring Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 118	I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too?

11-04-2014, 12:14 PM	#19
mamethot Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Greater Montreal Area Posts: 736	Not sure how americans diserve that kind of comments, but anyway... My own personal experience is that I've seen italians do far worse than feeding pigeons while in Venice, Milan and Rome...and the worst were in Naples. But there are italians that are very fine people too ;-) Originally posted by MarinatedHerring I don't think you are allowed to take photos inside the church... But that is okay, you're not the first American to break rules in Venice. Did you feed the pigeons too?

11-04-2014, 01:45 PM - 1 Like	#20
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,197	Originally posted by mamethot Not sure how americans diserve that kind of comments, but anyway... My own personal experience is that I've seen italians do far worse than feeding pigeons while in Venice, Milan and Rome...and the worst were in Naples. But there are italians that are very fine people too ;-) National stereotypes are hard to dispense with. My experience of Italian museum guards/guides has not been wonderful, but clearly there are exceptions. Then again, even the famously-rude French waiters seem to be letting their guards down lately – during my most recent visits, they were, almost without exception, polite and helpful, which is quite the reversal of how they had been.

11-04-2014, 04:11 PM	#21
Piotrek K Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,384	Cannot really comment on the stereotypes, but the photos are awesome!

11-04-2014, 05:36 PM	#22
mamethot Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Greater Montreal Area Posts: 736	Originally posted by Piotrek K Cannot really comment on the stereotypes, but the photos are awesome! Yes! Back to our current programming!

11-04-2014, 05:40 PM	#23
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	Not to be able to photograph such sites would really spoil the visits. Not using flash is just common courtesy as is asking the way the OP did. No need for any stereotypes in wither direction. St Marks is a gem and the OP deserves our gratitude for sharing his photos.

11-04-2014, 06:20 PM	#24
MarinatedHerring Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 118	I made that comment because I am an American who visited Venice many times. I have made mistakes. This is one of them. The church and curators prohibit photography for a multitude of reasons. A guard or worker that gave permission was likely not in the position to authorize photography. Typical museum worker in Italy though. Very friendly and willing to bend the rules a bit. Works in favor of the tourist for sure. Still, I never took photos in this place and other cathedrals out of respect. Please follow the rules put in place on pamphlets or other official documents in order to respect such places and other visitors. Beautiful photos but honestly these photos evoke memories of the hundreds of tourists I've seen in Italy clicking away with their cameras in places where photography was prohibited. Cringe!

11-04-2014, 08:17 PM	#25
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,197	Originally posted by MarinatedHerring I made that comment because I am an American who visited Venice many times. I have made mistakes. This is one of them. The church and curators prohibit photography for a multitude of reasons. A guard or worker that gave permission was likely not in the position to authorize photography. Typical museum worker in Italy though. Very friendly and willing to bend the rules a bit. Works in favor of the tourist for sure. Still, I never took photos in this place and other cathedrals out of respect. Please follow the rules put in place on pamphlets or other official documents in order to respect such places and other visitors. Beautiful photos but honestly these photos evoke memories of the hundreds of tourists I've seen in Italy clicking away with their cameras in places where photography was prohibited. Cringe! The reasons for prohibiting photography are varied, but are mostly either financial reasons (they want you to buy their souvenir guidebooks, which often contain much better photos than a casual visitor can take) or they want to avoid colour deterioration brought about by people using conventional flashguns, or they want to limit the congestion that occurs around some exhibits. In some places, you can buy a permit to photograph the exhibits. Some exhibitions are on loan to museums, and the terms of the loan prohibit photography, even though the rest of their exhibits are free to be photographed. The worst example of blatant disregard for these rules that I've seen was in Cappadocia, Turkey where fragile ancient wall paintings were allowed to be photographed without flash, but tourists still blazed away with everything from point-and-shoot cameras to large DSLRs, in spite of the request being spelled out in many different languages. The development of non-UV light sources in flashguns (ie LEDs, as most phone cameras now have) will remove the prohibition on the use of flash, eventually.