I've heard about this before, but I don't understand how a normal flash would damage something other than an exposed film.

Is there a layman's explanation? Thanks.

Museum pieces and really old items, as well as artwork, deteriorate more rapidly with extra heat. That's why those places are kept cool, too. Even the flash of a camera (times as many people who'd be doing it) would tend to ruin the artifacts even faster than time is doing that. It's something to do with chemical composition, and the *kind* of heat that flash produces is even worse than normal everyday heat and light.

Thanks for explaining about the flash. I knew that it could cause damage but never really knew why. I would also have to agree with the above poster when he stated that he never understood taking pictures at a funeral. I never really understood that either but I know here in the state some people do it. Myself I just don't think I would really want the pictures.

I live in Guatemala and it is true that many of the locals believe a camera will steal your soul, but that doesn´t really make sense in a museum. I suspect that originally cameras with flash were forbidden because of the possible damage to the artifacts, but later the museums and sites probably realized that they sell more postcards when people can´t take photos and decided to ban them completely. With cel phone cameras these days, though, you could technically take some shots without anyone noticing!

The thought of that has creeped me out ever since I've been a little girl.
I never understood why anyone would want to remember a loved one that
way either... and I still don't understand it.

I spoke to someone who said he avoided cells with cameras because some facilities would require him to check them in on arrival.

Also, during the shooting of the film Cinderella Man, a cell phone photo found its way onto a tabloid, which resulted in some people loosing their jobs on the set.

So I believe museums would be aware of the possibility of cell phone photos now, too.

Short of a strip search, how do you think would be the best way for a place like this to find out if someone has a picture phone? (I don't
know how they work... I assume they don't use any kind of flash,
though, so maybe not a problem in museums at all?)

I've never seen a flash used on a cell phone. And they can be quite small too, so you'd pretty much have to ask people to empty their pockets to be sure that they didn't have a cell on their person.

I have worked on film sets where bags were searched to avoid having unauthorized pictures taken.

I assume that museum staff keeps a careful watch for cameras of all kinds.

I guess people just have to respectful of the rules set forth by the places they visit. Even if someone DOES have a camera on their cell phone, that doesn't mean it has to be used.

However, that being said, I'm still the kind of person who likes to know the reason behind a rule, rather than just being told to follow it.