Apply for Permits to Shoot with Your Tripod

Many indoor locations (including museums, aquariums, public buildings, etc.) don’t allow you to shoot on a tripod, even though these locations generally have very low “museum-like” lighting. However, in some cases you can apply for a free permit to shoot on a tripod—such as the one shown above from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—you just have to ask in advance. I’ve had a number of instances where, by asking in advance, they would let me come in before or after hours to shoot when nobody’s there (alleviating their fear that someone might trip on my tripod and sue them). Sometimes government buildings or museums will let you apply for a permit so you can shoot during their regular open hours, but often they’ll have you come before or after hours, which I actually prefer. So, usually it’s just me and a security guard shooting at five o’clock in the morning or nine o’clock at night, but at least I’ve got a stable shooting platform, I’m getting sharp shots because I’m on a tripod, and I don’t have to worry about anyone tripping over my tripod, shooting their flash while I’m trying to shoot, or rushing me to get out of the way.