Flash photography

Re the flash photography issue, my recollection from the
Metropolitan Museum and my days at the information desk is that
flash photography was prohibited not because of the light exposure
but because of the possible danger from exploding flash bulbs and
the nuisance to other visitors.  My personal impression is that
many people don't understand the function of the flash in the first
place (as in those wonderful pictures on TV of a zillion flashbulbs
going off at Olympic Stadium).  On the other hand, modern
self-contained units in automatic cameras seem a lot less hazardous
than the old types of bulbs.  It is a shame when unpopular policies
are blamed entirely on conservators, but I entirely agree that it is
the conservator's job to protect the objects.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:24
                 Distributed: Friday, September 6, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-24-009
                                  ***