You can take handheld photos for personal use in many museums. Start with the museum’s visitor policy, then check the exhibition entrance and the sign beside the work. A museum may allow phone photos in most rooms and still ask you to put your camera away for one loan.
Find the policy for the kind of photo you want
Search the museum’s own site for visitor photography or photo and video policy. At the Met, non-flash photography and video for personal use are allowed in most galleries unless noted otherwise. MoMA also allows stills and video for personal, non-commercial use unless posted otherwise, and prohibits flash, tripods and camera extension poles.
Read the equipment rules even when you are bringing only a phone. A handheld photo and a phone set up on a small tripod can be treated differently. Check whether night mode or the camera app can trigger flash or an assist light. Turn those off before you enter the galleries.
Check the exhibition and the work
The National Gallery in London points visitors to labels beside works in exhibitions and signs beside some loan paintings in the main galleries. Look at the entrance first. At the artwork, read the label and any nearby sign. If they leave you unsure, ask a member of staff before taking the photo.
Suppose your museum allows personal photography, but the entrance to one exhibition has a crossed-out camera. Keep your camera away in that exhibition. In a gallery that allows photos, you may still encounter an individual loan with its own restriction. A wide photo that includes that work can run into the same rule.
Ask first if the photos are for a client or a shoot
A personal visitor policy answers what you can do during an ordinary visit. For a client, a sponsored shoot or a staged portrait, contact the museum before going. Describe the purpose, the room, the gear and whether you need to record video. If you want to publish a photograph of an artwork, check any separate terms that apply to that use.
When photography is allowed, step out of the main path and take the picture from where you can stand without blocking anyone. When it is restricted, write down the artist, title and date. The museum’s collection page may have an image you can return to after the visit.
