Photographing Temples
I have a very long history of taking photos in various places of worship all over the planet, and this page is some hints on how I approach this.
First, let's cover the elephant in the room, the religion question. Well, I freely admit I am an atheist with zero interest in religion, but my outlook on this stuff is: "You have religion, good for you", whereas "I do not have religion, good for me", in other words, Live and let live.
In all cases when visiting these places, I treat them with respect, comply with any dress codes and always ask for permission to take photos even if there are no signs saying "No Photography".
When it comes to dress codes, the only one which has impacted me in the past has been the "No Uncovered Legs" which is no surprise as I usually live in shorts when traveling in asia. Not that this is a real problem, and something I have mainly experienced when visiting Mosques, where the staff have offered a sarong for me to wear.
Talking of dress codes and other restrictions, in some recent visits to temples in Asia, the most common dress ones have been:
- No Shoes.
- No Uncovered Legs.
- No Hats.
Then come the other restrictions, with some common ones being:
No Photography top
When it comes to "No Photography" I have recently seen more of these restrictions in smaller temples, and in some of the larger ones, it's only allowed in some areas. Something tells me this may not, in all cases, be purely religious in nature, but includes the annoyance factor with disrespectful idiots making TikToks, etc.
My rule of thumb when visiting any place with "No Photography" signs, never ask, just make sure you are seen not to be taking shots, put the lens cap on etc.
In a few rare cases, I have had conversations with staff about photography, who have allowed me to take shots with them; it's not the norm, but it's still most welcome.
As I said above, some of the larger temples, such as the impressive Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong, allow photography in most areas, just not all. During my recent visit, one of the staff members reminded me of the rule, so I put my camera away. They did not ask me to leave; they just reminded me of the rule and pointed out the signs that I had missed.
Another example of this is the stunning Thian Hock Keng Temple in Singapore, which allows photography in most of the temple, just not the central area.
No Flash Photography top
In my wanderings, I found that the "No Flash Photography" has become more common in some of the smaller temples in Hong Kong, although I have seen it in others in Europe and other parts of Asia. I think this restriction is a combination of dealing with the idiots and protecting the relics from harsh, intense light.
This has had zero impact on my travels, as I have never needed to use a flash; I just shoot bracketed raw with a higher ISO and sort out things in Photoshop.
When it comes to not allowing tripods, this one is nothing more than common sense, especially in smaller temples, where a tripod gets in the way of worshipers. As for me, sometimes when I need a tripod, I use a monopod and adjust the camera to compensate.
After visiting literally hundreds of places of worship, it's extremely rare for monopods to be a problem; in fact, it's only been mentioned a few times, usually in Europe, and that was more curiosity as to what it was, rather than a "put it away"
No Video top
The "No Video" restriction is a very new one to me, having only seen it once ever, and that was in a fairly small temple in China.
I did talk to the staff about this, and it seems some people try to fly drones indoors, yes, really, some genius wanted to fly a drone in a place of worship.
Now I will freely admit I would have liked to fly a drone at the Kek Lok Si Temple in George Town on Penang Island in Malaysia, to get a closer look at the mind-blowing ceiling in the large prayer hall.
Yes, I would have liked to fly, and there were no signs about video restrictions, but common sense says, Nope, no chance. In the case of that ceiling, a 360-degree camera on a pole would be a safer solution.
And now I actually have a 360-degree camera and can get a pole, so next visit to George Town I will be prepared.