Shooting Galleries

I’ve never been an art guy. Paintings and sculptures just don’t do it for me. I couldn’t tell you what ‘impressionism’ was if my life depended on it. However, yesterday morning, prior to meeting some friends downtown, I had the opportunity to walk through the National Gallery of Art. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would… Primarily because I had my camera with me. There are a suprising number of neat photo opportunities in an art gallery. If there is an art gallery in your town, I would highly recommend visiting it. A few things to keep in mind before you go…

Click on each photo for a larger version…

• Check the rules - If possible, visit the gallery’s website before you go and make sure they allow photography at all. The National Gallery of Art does allow photography, for the most part, but given the nature of what you’ll be viewing, many galleries may not allow cameras. Also, when you show up, be prepared for extra scrutiny if you’re carrying a DSLR with a nice lens. To many people not familiar with camera equipment, stuff like this can spell “professional”. They may wonder why a professional photographer would be coming to shoot the gallery and may assume he/she will be selling the photos. For obvious reasons, this can make many art galleries nervous.



• Follow the rules - Yesterday, the National Gallery was running a special exhibition called Bronze and Boxwood. As I entered the room, a security guard politely asked me not to take photos. I asked if it was flash photography that was prohibited and he said that one of the conditions of being able to display these particular pieces in the gallery was to not let them be photographed. Be prepared for these types of special rules within the gallery. If you’re not sure, ask one of the gallery staff. Don’t try to be slick and snap a photo when no one is looking. This will likely get you kicked out of the gallery. Even if it doesn’t, remember, you’re an artist and you expect people to respect your artwork so respect the artwork of others.
• Leave the flash at home - Some pieces of art, depending on age and material, may be damaged by harsh, bright light. As a result, even though the gallery may allow flash photography in general, many exhibits within the same gallery may strictly prohibit flash photography. You’re better off leaving the flash at home. I was able to take all of my photos yesterday with an ISO setting between 500 and 800 and aperture set to 2.8. You might also want to consider spot metering some of your shots given the large variances in light between a piece of art and the surrounding room. There’s another reason you’ll want to leave the flash at home, too. You’ll want to…



• Travel light! - Upon entering the gallery yesterday, I was told that I would have to carry my holster bag in my hand rather than slinging it over my shoulder. This is, of course, to make sure that you don’t accidentally knock things over. However, had my girlfriend not been with me, I would have had a really hard time shooting with my camera in one hand and my bag in the other. As for checking it in the coat room (if there is one), forget about it. First of all, you don’t want to do that because the gallery certainly isn’t going to be held responsible if your gear gets stolen or broken. Secondly, most coat rooms won’t even take a camera bag, given the perceived value of the equipment inside. So leave your bag in the car. You can also do what I did and bring your wonderful and beautiful girlfriend with you so she can put her purse in the empty bag and carry the bag with her. Yes, she reads this site, too. Thank you baby!

Now, go out and visit your local gallery! You’ll be glad you did!

You can see the rest of my gallery set here.

Tags: art, dc, Featured, gallery, national, tips, washington