Rome Travel Forum

Hi all,
I have couple of questions about the taking of pictures in the Vatican Museum. How is the lighting in the majority of the area and would one need to be a professional to capture a decent picture. I just purchased a Sony A350x but am just learning to use it. I also bought a monopod to steady the camera without taking up any space. Any thoughts on being able to use that to help with the pictures or would it be best to leave it at home? Thanks for any advice.

You'll be fine in the parts where the sculptures are. The largest ones are in open courtyards which have full daylight, and even the halls are well lit by daylight. There you'd be ok even with the plainest of cameras.
The architecture of the courtyards and the view of the gardens is worth bringing a camera, too.

The paintings galleries are darker, this may prove more difficulty (better buy postcards or a book with professional photos).

The beautiful frescoed galleries should be doable with a monopod.

The Stanze are dimmed because of the frescoes, and they will be so horribly crowded that there is no chance for photos anyway (again, better get professional photos).

The rooms with the tapestries are obviously dimmed, as these are extremely sensitive to light.

great!! Thanks for your input.

Good luck with that. I tried it and got kicked out twice. All the guards have to see is a camera and they're all over you. No matter how sly you are make sure your flash is OFF. The lighting is very subdued.
JG

jgraff, I think you are talking about the Sistina?

In the Sistina taking photos is an absolute No-No.

It's definitely a no-no to take photos in the Sistene Chapel, but it's so busy that it's actually quite easy to get a good photo of the ceiling. Propping the camera on a monopod might tip off the guards that you were planning on taking a photo, so you're probably better off just taking a photo while standing behind someone so they can block the guards' view of you.

If by the "beautiful frescoed galleries" you mean the Raphael Stanzas, then unless you are either 7 foot tall or you are extremely fortunate, it will be pretty impossible to take a reasonable photo as the place is usually absolutely jammed with people.

I'm talking about, for example, the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche and also those you reach after the Sistina, those with the fascinating pictures of the construction sites in 16th and 17th century Rome (which most visitors won't even notice).

Thanks again for all the helpful information.

If you haven't used a digital camera before, you will be amazed at the quality of your photos in low-light situations. If the light is very dim or even quite dark, stablize your camera on a chair back, table or even your spouse's shoulder. This works quite well for me. I've gotten good pictures in places I couldn't even see what I was shooting. LOL

Most places don't allow tripods but if you have a monopod, they may think it's a walking cane and not even notice. You can take photos all over the Vatican Museum except the Sistine Chapel. That's because picture rights belong to the company who paid for the restoration. You can buy very nice photos in the gift shop.