Eastman Museum's $400 photo fee stands a month after listening pledge

The George Eastman Museum has not announced dates for the listening sessions promised to photographers a month ago, and the $400 hourly photography fee that sparked criticism remains in place.

The museum, the oldest photography museum in the world, posted an updated photography policy June 1. It requires a pre-approved paid reservation for professional and commercial photography of individuals, couples or groups on museum property.

The policy extends a previous reservation requirement for photoshoots on its grounds, expanding it to include photography for proms, balls and special events of individuals, couples or groups outside museum hours, regardless of whether the photographer is paid.

Fees are $400 per hour outdoors and $600 per hour inside the historic mansion, the policy states. Reservations are accepted only by telephone.

Visitors may still take personal photographs during museum hours at no charge, provided the photography is not set up in a way that disrupts other visitors, according to the policy.

"The grounds of the George Eastman Museum, extending from East Avenue to University Avenue, are the museum's property and not a public park," the policy states.

The museum said the changes are necessary because hundreds come some days to photograph senior pictures, proms, graduations and engagements, and because professional photographers without prior arrangements disrupt visitors.

The changes drew criticism from Rochester photographers and coverage in national photography trade press. Portrait photographer Erin Cummings told 13WHAM she had not paid a fee for outdoor sessions before and felt the new rules were "a big overreaction."

Photographers told WHEC that the policy followed an altercation involving a prom party on the grounds. The museum told the station that it had been considering changes for some time but that a recent situation "highlighted the need to move forward."

“All this happened after a large group of people, for prom pictures, overran a privately owned non-profit facility is going through a $2 million restoration,” photographer Bill Manning said in a comment on a post to Instagram by the museum.

“Apparently, it has been an ongoing issue where photographers have created a problem, using the grounds as a scenic backdrop, that required GEM to put in rules for paid photographic events. Yet does not impact the regular museum-goer from taking pictures of the place. I don't see an issue here.”

Other commenters were not thrilled with the fee. Lindsay Stephany Lau—a family, newborn and wedding photographer—wrote it "will keep the George Eastman gardens as a photo option for the wealthy, while restricting everyone else" and called $400 an hour "a wild number." Her comment drew 294 likes.

The museum announced June 8 that it would host listening sessions with photographers and community stakeholders. It did not set dates.

"The George Eastman Museum has heard the concerns, questions, and suggestions shared by photographers, artists, families, and community members regarding the implementation of its photography policies," the museum said in the announcement.

Feedback from the sessions will inform future communication, implementation and evaluation of photography access policies, and the museum intends to share key themes from the conversations afterward, the announcement said.

As of Friday, the museum had not published dates for the sessions. Its photography page remained dated June 1 with fees unchanged.

The museum said the fees are not new. Reserved photography sessions have been subject to fees for many years, and the updates expanded reservation requirements to more photography categories in response to increased demand, operational needs, visitor experience and preservation efforts, the June 8 announcement said.

The policy page states that fees for a reserved time block "remain unchanged."

"The review process that informed these updates began prior to recent public discussion and reflects the museum's ongoing responsibility to balance community access, preservation, safety, and visitor experience," the museum said in the announcement.

The museum is a private nonprofit founded in 1947 on George Eastman's estate, a National Historic Landmark. Its three historic gardens are undergoing a restoration and accessibility project the museum values at more than $2 million. The gardens are open May 1 through November 1.

The museum receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Office of the Governor and the state Legislature.

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