The explosion in social media activity, coupled with the ubiquitous presence of smart phones and the rise of selfies is requiring museums to change how they think about visitor photography. This session focuses on some of the issues that need to be considered in creating visitor photography policies that recognize the benefits of photography by the general public and how they need to be balanced with legal and collections care concerns.
4. Open Content Images
Digital Publications
GRI Getty Scholars Workspace
Getty Vocabs - LOD
GCI Teaching & Learning
Resources
The Iris Blog
Collection Data as LOD*
IIIF Images*
15. Be Clear & Friendly
New Tech is New
IRL Laws & Etiquette Apply
Reiterate Guidelines
Encourage Interaction
Online & Onsite
16. Image Credits
Robert Jefferson Bingham (British, 1824 - 1870)
[Art Exhibition], 1869, Albumen silver print
22.3 x 28.5 cm (8 3/4 x 11 1/4 in.)
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open
Content Program.
G. H. (French, active Paris, France 1870s -
1880s), Léon & Lévy (French), J. Kuhn (French,
active Paris, France 1860s - 1870s), et al
[Amateur World Tour Album, taken with a Kodak
Bulls-Eye camera, plus purchased travel
photographs by various photographers], 1880s -
1890s, Albumen silver print
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open
Content Program.
Image from The Iris
(http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/getty-blog-creative-
commons/) CC-BY-NC
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc/4.0/)
Photography is permitted in this gallery,
Jepson Center for the Arts Savannah,, 2015.
Courtesy of the author.
Screenshot of @TheGetty Periscope
broadcast
Terminator with selfie stick via
http://gunsreplacedwithselfiesticks.tumblr.com
/post/138152959483
Please Take Photos, Seattle Art Museum,
2016. Courtesy of the author.
17. From The Iris: Audrey Chan and Kelly Williams
strike a #MusePose duet! Sculpture: Air,
designed 1938, cast 1962, Aristide Maillol. Lead,
94 in. long. The J. Paul Getty Museum,
2005.113.1 http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/strike-a-
musepose/
#gettyinspired floor signage
#gettyispired homepage
#GettyIspired Billboard artist
@Barnsdallpark Instagram post
By Antonio Zugaldia
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/azugaldia/745764
5618) [CC BY 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons
Samsung Gear VR Demo, 2016. Image
Courtesy of the author.
Richard Shelton with AR ipad, Temporary
Space LA, 2015. Image Courtesy of the author..
Chimpanzee Photographer Print, The Nash
Collection of Primates in Art and Illustration.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/SSRecIDS
earch?repl1=Primate&repl2=Primate.PCLA2164
.bib
Image Credits
Editor's Notes
Introduction - Background about me:
I work with metadata for digital images.
Which means that I help make images available to visitors online for Open Content.
I’ve managed Social Media for a FLW Hollyhock House & LAMAG.
In that role I was publishing images (visitor’s and my own) and also responsible for communicating visitor photography policy.
Visitor Photography policies are separate from Open Content policies but it’s important that both onsite photography and online image policies are clear and permissive when appropriate.
I think that photography policies and digital images can have a symbiotic relationship, or an alliance of sorts. (in the name of access)
Open Content
The Getty Museum has had an Open Content Policy since 2013. (https://www.getty.edu/about/opencontent.html)
That means that the Getty makes available, without charge, all available digital images to which the Getty holds the rights or that are in the public domain to be used for any purpose. No permission is required.
There is a clear “Download” link under the image where otherwise it would say “Order This Image”
Other Open projects: GRI Getty Scholars Workspace (opensource), Digital Publications (CC-BY), Getty Blog (CC-BY), GCI Resources (CC-BY-NC), Getty Vocabs (Open Data Commons Attribution License), working on making our collection data (Linked Open Data) and image data (IIIF) available.
We have visitors online and onsite, Visitors want access to art online and onsite.
aligns with our mission statement: “The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks to inspire curiosity about, and enjoyment and understanding of, the visual arts... engage our diverse local and international audiences.”
Visitor Photo Policy
Old photo policy was short & sweet. Allowed Handheld, no flash, no tripods, no commercial photography, don’t misuse of name/logo
New policy in May 2016: (by Cherie Chen) (http://www.getty.edu/photopolicy)
Longer, Clear, explicit, & permissive to the fullest amount possible
First sentence is inviting, “Handheld cameras, video cameras, and camera phones are welcome in all public outdoor spaces as well as in the permanent collection galleries, subject to the following:”
Mentions Selfie sticks, Drones, 3D scanning, Live streaming video apps
Mentions Appropriate distance (18”)
Mentions Privacy and safety of other visitors, Don’t distract Volunteers & staff
Plug for Open Content! (If you want hi-res image we give it to you, free)
Describes WHY there are restrictions
Because copyright and loan agreements are complex, it’s helpful to be transparent in the reasons why.
I would argue that media literacy is a part of our visual arts educational mission.
so visitors know that restrictions are not arbitrary.
“Some works of art in the permanent collection galleries may be restricted; please do not photograph or videotape any work with this symbol: Photography and video of artworks on loan for changing exhibitions are sometimes prohibited by lenders. Please check at the entrances of changing exhibitions for any restrictions in those galleries. Where permitted, photography and video are subject to the same conditions described above. Outdoor sculptures and works of art displayed in the galleries may also be protected by copyright law.”
Encourage photography when appropriate!
Maillol’s (Pronounce: My-oil) L’Air
First artwork most people see when they step off the tram and look up the stairs at the Museum Entrance Hall, but... you technically can’t take photos. (I don’t know how this was enforced, tbh)
Well, until January 1, 2015 when the sculpture entered the public domain.
I got notice to update metadata for the image to go online,
(Annelisa Stephan) Communications team posted a sign next to it with #musepose hashtag and instructions. (http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/strike-a-musepose/)
Not just allowing, but encouraging visitors to take photos!
Here are some #Musepose photos (http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/musepose-february-edition/)
#GettyInspired
Launched as a social media campaign for people to share via Instagram using the hashtag #GettyInspired. (up to 26,480 Instagram posts!)
GOALS: engage people who love the Getty and provide a place to showcase their awesomeness, While also using it as a marketing campaign harnessing visitor testimonials, To show how the Getty serves as a "creative catalyst" in marketing-speak for artists, photographers, illustrators, and any kind of creative practice
Users can submit work to be featured on a website “Something you made that’s inspired by the Getty—sketch, painting, recipe, poem, collage, design, digital remix of Open Content Something you saw at the Getty Center or Villa that inspired you—artwork, view, architecture”
Feature profiles of selected creators on the blog, The Iris.
Staff follows regular guidelines on rights/permission/privacy for reposting content.
The woman whose art was featured on a billboard and she went to see her billboard and then posted it on Instagram.
Photography as a Special Perk
If there are no legal restrictions - you can permit photography as a special perk.
Managed social media for Barnsdall Art Park Foundation which included supporting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House
Like many other FLW’s homes, Photography not permitted inside, only outside.
Major restoration of Hollyhock House was completed in February 2015.
A week before the opening, we held an Instagram event with PR team Blink Creative Group & the LA Tourism Board and invited top Instagram accounts (100’s of thousands of followers) to have access inside for photography. I also invited a few select “Super Fans” through social media to attend as a thank you for their loyalty to the park.
The reopening event was free admission for 24 hours that drew crowds throughout the night. There were people waiting in 3-hr lines in the wee hours of the morning to see inside. The perks that drew people were seeing it after 5 years of being closed, the free admission, the novelty of seeing inside off hours, and indoor photography was allowed. ONE NIGHT ONLY FOLKS!
The #WrightAtNight generated 2000+ posts (TW/FB/IG) in 24 hours. The following months saw a steady stream of paid attendance during regular operating hours.
The Friday Night Wine Tastings Fundraiser over the summer sells a special ticket with a tour included. Wine is not allowed inside but photography is! Sells out every week.
Emerging Technologies
New things to think about in shaping new policies.
Google Glass
Glasses that let you take photos by winking (Blincam)
Pokemon Go - Guidelines for safety are posted online and onsite at The Getty, sent to all staff as a gentle reminder. It’s popular with staff, which helps when encouraging/cautioning visitors.
Other Augmented Reality
YONDR - phone locking case & IR Photography kill-switch @ concert venues/protests. When you enter a specific location, the camera & video features are turned off. Comedian Dave Chapelle is working on this, Apple applied for a patent. (Who decides? Might affect documenting protests, police brutality, and other citizen journalism.)
Conclusion
Yes, we absolutely need to protect the collections and adhere to legal requirements of loan agreements and copyright law. If we approach visitor photography policies as a way of empowering an inquisitive public, we may be pleasantly surprised by the response.
Be clear (& friendly!) about restrictions.
New technologies are new to everyone visitors included.
Normal IRL laws & etiquette still apply with new technology. Reiterating laws & etiquette will be necessary as people try new apps, games, etc.
In the name of access and fulfilling the mission -
Encourage the use of, and interaction with collections both online and onsite.
How might you encourage photography when and where possible?
THANK YOU!