Why can't you take pictures of sleeping people? Why it is impossible to photograph sleeping people and other prejudices of photographers Why it is impossible to photograph sleeping people

People remember the moments that warm their souls with the help of photographs. From the time a person has the opportunity to take a photo, he tries to capture every important detail of life for him - these are meetings with friends, and vacations, and walking with a dog, and the games of his beloved child. And when the baby is sleeping, how you want to take a picture of this cute creature, peacefully sniffing in the crib.

But then the superstition is recalled that a sleeping person cannot be photographed, it seems that he can get sick or even die soon. But what is the reason for this ban? Where did this superstition come from?

Perhaps one of the reasons is too “lifelike” posthumous photographs, popular in Europe in the 19th century. At that time, the services of a photographer and cameras were very expensive, few people had the opportunity to use them, therefore, to a greater extent, people did not have a photo during their lifetime. But when a person died, relatives wanted to forever leave the deceased in the memory of the living with the help of a photo, for this they dressed him up and seated him next to him. Since the deceased in such pictures was with his eyes closed, it seemed that he was just sleeping.

Or maybe the appearance of superstition is due to the fact that our ancestors believed that during sleep the soul leaves the body, it becomes vulnerable, and a quick awakening in this case can lead to death.

Esotericists agree with this point of view, a soul that is in another dimension during sleep may not have time to return to the body due to too quick awakening provoked by a camera flash. They also believe that a flash can blind the soul of a person, and she, lost, will never return to this world. It is also important that the photo robs the sleeping person of strength, deprives consciousness and emotions. With the help of a picture of a sleeping person, black magicians can damage him, because the biofield of the sleeping person is broken, the person is defenseless during sleep.

The place in which the photo was taken is also important, if in pitch darkness, this can affect his health and psyche, such a picture can eventually draw all the vitality out of him.

What if the photo has already been taken? In no case should you show it to anyone, especially as it is now fashionable to post it on social networks for viewing, and there are many reasons for this.

• Any careless comment can harm the aura of the person depicted in the photo.
• Magicians, indeed, with abilities, perform rituals and from a photo, there is a risk that the image is not used for good purposes.
• If the person in the photo is not baptized, he has no protection at all.

The bioenergy of a person will rapidly deteriorate from a large stream of people viewing the image on which he is sleeping, esotericists say. In addition, every negative opinion hits the energy field of a person.

It is believed that a photo of a sleeping person, put on public display, not only harms him, but also affects his fate.

To believe or not to these statements, everyone decides for himself. There are two options: either simply do not believe, or do not take such pictures.

It is considered bad luck to photograph a sleeping person. Since ancient times, people have been trembling about superstitions.

They were some kind of domestic laws. Our grandparents to this day believe that it is impossible to pass things over the threshold or spilled salt to a quarrel.

But time has changed, and modern people no longer focus their attention on this, now superstitions are perceived only as an echo of bygone times.

However, it is interesting that even in the modern era, new prejudices are emerging. Apparently, people cannot lose faith in something magical and otherworldly, and superstition, although it cannot be explained, plays the role of a warning.

Today we will tell you about one of the superstitions. You may have heard that photographing sleeping people is not allowed, but no one could explain why.

This superstition appeared relatively recently, because the camera was invented at the beginning of the 19th century, and it came into free sale only at the end of the century before last.

Interestingly, even some photographers do not recommend taking pictures of sleeping people. How do they explain this superstition?

As mentioned above, the camera appeared in the century before last, and since this invention was a novelty, only wealthy people could afford to take pictures. It cost a lot of money and was considered a luxury.

When someone died in a family of aristocrats, relatives often wanted to capture the deceased in the family circle.

The corpse was washed, solemnly dressed up, seated at the table, where the rest of the relatives were sitting. They could also put the body in different poses, depending on the fantasy, and take pictures.

Now, when looking at such photos, many feel uncomfortable, but at that time it was in the order of things. And so the superstition appeared that only the dead are photographed with their eyes closed.

The sleeper looks similar, and this suggests certain associations. Involuntary thoughts about death can materialize and harm a person.

Fearing to bring disaster and fear of death, people began to consider photographs of sleeping people a bad omen..

Also, the reason for the emergence of this superstition could be that before cameras, when they had just appeared, they were treated with caution, because it was a new and incomprehensible invention.

The principle of its action was not known to everyone, and therefore superstitions appeared around it, especially thanks to very impressionable and superstitious people.

Then it turned out that in a photograph you can capture not only people, but even otherworldly phenomena. There are many photographs in which fuzzy outlines are taken, reminiscent of human beings.

Some people believe that ghosts can be filmed with a camera.

Probably many have heard that photograph reflects the human aura. It is with photography that clairvoyants and psychics work, if it is necessary to obtain any information about a person.

Bioenergetics believe that during wakefulness, the aura protects a person for about a meter around him, and this fact is even officially confirmed. In a dream, the defense weakens.

A person who is in a state of sleep is absolutely unprotected and most vulnerable. People with supernatural powers claim that if a picture of a sleeping person falls into the wrong hands, this can lead to unpredictable consequences.

After all damage, evil eye, love spell or other magical actions can be performed by manipulating a photo.

The state of sleep has always caused prejudices in people, it is enough to trace the beliefs associated with it in the mythology of different peoples. Since ancient times, sleep has been called the "little death."

Thus, the Greeks believed that the gods of sleep and death were brothers. They also believed that it was by no means possible to draw a sleeping person, otherwise misfortunes and troubles could be called upon him. Most likely, this belief was transferred to the photograph.

The ancient Slavs believed that during sleep the soul leaves the human body. When he sleeps, the gates to another dimension open. It is believed that if you take a picture of him sleeping and wake him up suddenly, the soul will not be able to get back into the body.

If you look from a practical point of view, then the flash of the camera can simply frighten the sleeping person and cause him discomfort. There is also another interesting explanation.

Some people believe that a flash can frighten a guardian angel, and he will forever leave a person without protection and help.

They were especially reverent about the ban on photographing a sleepy child, and specifically a newborn..

It was believed that in the first 40 days of a baby's life, it should not be shown to anyone, even relatives and family friends, and photographing was generally prohibited.

A child at this age is still very helpless, and his weak aura will not be able to resist evil influences.

A newborn could be easily jinxed, even admiring him while sleeping. What could a careless photograph do in such a state?

All these were mystical explanations for this superstition. But there is also an ethical aspect.

First of all, a sleeping person often looks unattractive: he may sleep with his mouth open, in a strange position, or drool. Of course, your friend will not be happy if you take a picture of him in this form, he was not ready for a photo shoot.

Secondly, it’s not good to disturb a person’s sleep, maybe he had a hard day, he was tired and needs to rest.

Thirdly, this photo can get into social networks for everyone to see, and this will already be a violation of a person’s privacy rights. No one wants to look like a laughing stock in the eyes of others.

Everyone independently chooses whether to believe in old signs, or to look for a logical explanation for everything. As you can see from various photos on the Internet, not everyone trusts this superstition.

If you are sure that the photo of your sleeping friend or girlfriend will be really funny and he or she will appreciate the picture, then you can take it. After all, our photos retain pleasant memories, and sometimes it's so nice to review them and smile.

Probably the best advice is to listen to your intuition.

Today, the camera is available to everyone, not to mention the budget smartphone, which is also equipped with a camera. We cannot imagine life without photography, because it is everywhere: on the cover of a magazine, on a page on social networks, in PC archives and on a phone. We photograph everything we see: food, houses, nature, animals, ourselves, loved ones and children. However, few people know that there are signs according to which it is undesirable to photograph sleeping people.

Signs and superstitions

At the beginning of the 19th century, post-mortem photographs were popular in Europe. The dead were photographed as if they were sleeping. In those days, the services of a photographer were expensive, and only a few could afford this luxury. To perpetuate the memory of deceased loved ones, they were washed, dressed up and seated at the table among the gathered relatives. A distinctive feature of such photos - dead eyes closed. After some time, people thought that such photographs were not needed in the family archive, and this strange fashion has sunk into oblivion.

It was because of the above that the superstition was born: the person depicted in the photo with his eyes closed is dead to this world. At the present time, few people believe in these signs. A more common version is that such images can invite misfortune, evil eye, fear, or suck life out of a person. According to magicians and sorcerers, the very photograph of a person depicts not only the body, but also his aura, soul.

Reasons not to photograph sleeping people

Mystical explanations:

• According to the statements of magicians, bioenergy therapists and psychics, photographs of people contain information about their energy. Since the energy field weakens when a person is sleeping, it is easier for a sorcerer to damage or jinx it from such a photograph. In order not to accidentally cause damage to a person, it is better not to show such pictures to anyone.
• During sleep, the human soul leaves the body, and after waking up, it returns back. So it turns out that if a person wakes up due to a sharp click of the camera, the soul will not have time to return, and a person after such an awakening can quickly weaken or even die.
• If people look at such a picture, they can “pump out” energy from a person, because the bioenergy that a portrait contains tends to flow to another.
• A photograph of a sleeping person is similar to a photograph of a dead person. Therefore, photographing sleeping people, you can prophesy them a heavy death, or even death.
• As for babies, energy therapists not only forbid taking pictures of sleeping children, but also admiring such photos for a long time, as mothers like to take. They also prohibit adults from showing the child until 40 days after birth. The explanation is simple: up to 40 days, namely during this period, baptism takes place, the child does not have a guardian angel, and almost anyone can feast on the unprotected energy power of the baby.
• You can not photograph a sleeping pregnant woman, as the child may not be born. Scientists have not yet figured out the origin of this superstition, and there is no evidence of its veracity.

scientific point of view

Biologists say that an outbreak can harm the body, since melanin is produced in it during sleep, which requires darkness. Melanin is known to be responsible for sound sleep, helps to restore the body and protects against stress. A flash from a camera can frighten a sleeping person, which will cause, for example, stuttering. Logically. Is not it?

Religious reasons:

• Islam categorically forbids the reproduction of the image of a person and even animals. According to the beliefs of the adherents of this religion, photographing a sleeping person is also a portrait of a person, and this is prohibited by Sharia.
• Christian teachings are also opposed, but they have different arguments. They believe that photography can frighten the guardian angel who protects a person during sleep. And he will leave the body, leaving him without protection.

Psychologists on the ban on photographing people in a dream

Ask several psychologists the question of whether it is possible to photograph sleeping people. Don't expect a definitive answer. They do not categorically prohibit, but they warn that it is dangerous to be photographed in a dream. Their arguments are as follows:

• A person woken up by a flash or a click of the shutter may be frightened.
• The presence of a stranger, the sound of his steps or the shutter of the camera definitely interfere with sound sleep.
• A picture of a sleeping person is rarely successful. More often it is done by friends to capture a comical situation. This is contrary to aesthetic norms and puts a person in an awkward situation.
• Every person has the right to personal space. Therefore, it is impossible to take such a photo without the knowledge of a person.

Sleeping children and photography

Photography websites provide information on how to photograph babies and children. Often, the authors advise to wait for the moment when the baby is sleeping. But what about the arguments of psychologists, believers, scientists? Is an innocent, as many people think, photo not harmful?

The opinions of ophthalmologists on this issue are divided. Some say that the flash does not affect the formation of vision in the child. The second argue that there is a risk of damage to the retina. It is worth remembering that in infants, vision is not fully formed: large pupils, no protection from bright light, poor accommodation. So who do you believe? Perhaps you should listen to both.

The fact is that almost from the first second of birth, the camera, like a true friend, is next to us. On the one hand, when discharged from the hospital, they often invite a professional photographer who uses a built-in flash - bright and powerful. And he does this, being close to the baby, sometimes near the baby's eyes, without worrying that it can harm the health of the crumbs. On the other hand, if it were harmful, then doctors would not let photographers on the threshold of the maternity hospital.

With the advent of the baby, you can often hear that he cannot be photographed during sleep. Looking at the sleeping miracle, it is difficult to resist, because the newborn sleeps almost constantly. But while sleeping, it's easier to take a good photo. But what about the advice of magicians and psychics who recommend refraining from photographing sleeping people? Consider the following:

• First, from a medical point of view, children are afraid of flashes and shutter clicks, which is more pronounced when they sleep or when their eyes are closed. Frightened by a harsh light or noise, the child may wake up and cry. This kind of fear can leave severe consequences for life. Therefore, it is not recommended to photograph sleeping children.

• Secondly, from the point of view of magic, children have a weak soul and an unprotected biofield. The smaller the child, the weaker his energy, which means that he is more susceptible to the evil eye, damage and other negative influences.

Can I take pictures of sleeping people?

Thus, it is possible to photograph sleeping people, but without the need it is better not to do this. Approach the process responsibly. If you decide to photograph a sleeping child, make sure that the flash is off and there is no click so as not to injure the child. It is better if the photographer is a person familiar to the child, so that he is not afraid of someone else's uncle.

If you think about it, you can also find pluses in photographing babies in a dream:

• You can get a lot of beautiful photos that are nice to look at together with a grown up pupil.
• Photos of babies in the first months of life are tender and beautiful.
• If you get creative, you can capture original scenes with your little one.

And how to relate to beliefs, everyone decides for himself. Superstitions say that pictures of a sleeping person bring the evil eye, damage and illness, although in fact photographs give joy. But just in case: take care of yourself and try not to show anyone pictures of a sleeping person.

The creative impulses of a photographer can be limited not only by his own imagination, but also by social and legislative norms.

There are many prohibitions on photography in museums, subways, theaters, cinemas, shops, restaurants and other public places. But most of them are imaginary. and other countries of the world, read our material about government bans on photography.

However, many of the prohibitions are not dictated by law, but by human customs and prejudices. Every photographer should take into account that people who get into his lens can have their own cockroaches about taking pictures in different situations. Here we list the main signs, superstitions and prejudices that directly affect the activities of the photographer.

Why can't you take pictures of sleeping people?

It is believed that you can not photograph people in a dream, because:

1. There is a superstition that photographs retain the energy of a person.It is believed that if a photo of a sleeping person falls into the hands of a psychic or a person with black magic, this can lead to the evil eye, illness, or even death.
2. According to some religious beliefs, the soul leaves the body during sleep.At this time, a person becomes defenseless and vulnerable to otherworldly forces. These beliefs have a medical explanation. As you know, human sleep consists of phases of deep and superficial sleep. And if you wake him up with a sudden flash or the click of a camera in the wrong phase of sleep, this can greatly frighten him or even cause a heart attack.
   
3. There is a historical explanation for this prejudice.In the 19th century, when the first photographs first appeared, they were very expensive and took a long time to produce. Among the rich and famous, there was a tradition of photographing a deceased person as a keepsake - the so-called post mortem photographs. The deceased was seated among the living, seated in an armchair with a newspaper, or photographed lying in bed - that is, “sleeping”. The tradition of photographing the dead continued until the 1960s. On the basis of this, a sign was formed: to photograph a sleeping person - to an imminent death.
4. There is also an ethical aspect to this prejudice.The fact is that in a dream a person does not control his facial expressions, gestures and postures. It just doesn't look good in a photo. That is why you should not photograph sleeping people if they did not give permission.

Rejecting superstition or being dominated by prejudice is everyone's business. But the photographer must respect the beliefs of his models.

Of course, most of the photos of supposedly sleeping people were not taken in a dream. If you want to shoot a scene with a sleeping person in the frame, just recreate it with your model: ask him or her to take the necessary pose and close your eyes - in this case, you are guaranteed to get successful shots in which the model will look photogenic. Of course, if your tasks do not include putting a person in a bad light for the sake of laughter or likes on social networks.

Why can't you take pictures of newborns?

Why not? Can! We even teach you how to do it in our newborn photography workshop as part of our baby and family photography course. These are very valuable photos for memory, because children grow up so fast!

But the older generation often has its own opinion on this matter. The fact is that many parents and grandparents oppose shooting newborn babies up to 40 days old.

What is the reason for the traditional ban on photographing newborns? Of course, with religious beliefs. In Christianity, this is associated with the rite of baptism. The fact is that a young mother cannot visit the temple for 40 days after giving birth, so it is recommended to baptize the baby immediately after the expiration of this period. It is believed that before baptism, the baby is defenseless and vulnerable to evil forces, and after the rite of baptism, he finds his guardian angel. But in our time, this is not so relevant, since children are not always baptized at birth: often this ceremony is postponed until 3 months, a year old, 7 years old, or even the age of majority of the child.

Photographers of newborns believe that it is better to shoot babies in the first 10-14 days of life, when they are fast asleep and easily fit into various poses. You can shoot both with natural light at home and with pulsed light in the studio. It all depends on the professionalism of the photographer, the wishes of the parents and the individual characteristics of the child. If the baby shudders during sleep from sudden sounds or changes in lighting, then it is better to take pictures without a flash so as not to injure the baby. But if the child with neurology is all right, then the baby can be photographed in a dream without any restrictions.

Posting photos in the public domain or saving them for family use is up to the parents. But for posting in the portfolio and selling photos of babies on photo stocks, the photographer must have written permission from their parents.

Why can't photograph children under one year old?

Professional children's photographers, of course, do not comply with this ban, since it is rooted in the deep past. But there are several versions of the explanation why it is impossible to photograph sleeping babies and older children awake:

1. Mysticism:It is believed that the child has not yet formed a biofield that protects the baby from the influence of foreign energy. Some people think that by photographing a child, you can steal his fortune or health. Superstitious fears are gradually receding before modern photo trends, so it is worth weighing all the risks: the mystical risk of depriving a child of his fate or the real risk of depriving a child of his childhood photos.

2. Medicine:Doctors do not recommend shooting small children with a flash, as this can damage the retina and scare the baby. If you care about the health and vision of a child, master the technique of shooting without a flash:

• Film children's stories on the street: for this, there is enough light on the street both in sunny and cloudy weather.
• Disable flash when shooting indoorsby increasing shutter speed and ISO. True, in this case, because of the long flash, moving children can turn out to be blurry, and when the photosensitivity is increased, the photo can spoil the digital noise. But if you do not have high-quality photographic equipment, but you really want to capture a memorable moment, do not miss this opportunity.
• Use a fast lens for indoor photography. The 50 mm f/1.8 portrait lens is ideal for indoor photography of children and their parents.
  

True, the well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky in his publications unequivocally says: "A child of any age can be photographed using a flash without any restrictions." According to him, there is not a single scientific study that a camera flash causes at least some harm to children's health.

3. Ethics: Some sites and social networks prohibit the publication of photographs of naked children, as there are people with mental disabilities who can use these photos for inhumane purposes or pour negative comments under the photo. The ban on bare buttocks on the Internet spawned a flash mob in which parents posted online photos of their babies with a peach instead of a butt.

Many mothers on maternity leave implement entire photo projects. For example, Adele Enerson photographed her daughter Mila during her nap, creating fabulous pictures using ordinary blankets, towels and tights. These photos were then issued in the form of calendars in different countries of the world.

When Mila grew up, Adele gave birth to her son Vincent and, based on his photo, published the children's book Vincent and the Night:

If you decide to deprive your baby of childhood photos, remember that you already took the first photo on an ultrasound.

Why can't you take pictures of pregnant women?

Photography is the capture of the moment. There used to be a superstition that one should not photograph or draw pregnant women, as this could stop the development of the child and lead to miscarriage. The sign was caused by the fact that they used to draw or, moreover, photograph only rich women who were not in good health. Since medicine was poorly developed, pregnancy was often interrupted by miscarriage or even death of women. Now, however, obstetric care in European countries is well established, so there is no reason for such a prejudice.

On the contrary, photography of pregnant women is now a separate area of ​​children's and family photography. Many women tend to capture themselves in anticipation of the baby, so that later it would be easier to explain to the child where he came from. And to keep the magical moments of pregnancy as a keepsake is also worth a lot!

Why can't you take pictures in front of a mirror?

"How?! – you will be surprised. “How is it impossible if half of the selfie was taken with the help of a mirror?”

Exactly, in the modern world, only the lazy did not take pictures of themselves in the mirror. All these lift and toilet bows, it turns out, are contrary to superstition.

Photographs taken in the mirror are second only to the cemetery in terms of the number of silhouettes, ghosts, plasmoids and other unexplained phenomena taken. Mirrors have a reflective surface where light is refracted to produce the unexpected effects that photographers love. This is a real source of inspiration for many masters of photography.

In the middle of the last century, photography became noticeably cheaper, which became the reason for its popularity. In the Victorian era, photographing the dead (especially children, newborns) was commonplace. Due to the imperfection of the then photographic equipment, this method of capturing was more in demand than photographing living people.

In order to obtain a posthumous photograph, the deceased person was artificially “revived” - dressed in festive clothes, combed his hair, and around they created an everyday atmosphere and photographed. Sometimes they took pictures of the deceased in the circle of relatives, while imitating a family meal, rest.

Nowadays, photographing dead people is something monstrous and abnormal - a person with closed eyes in a photo can be associated with a dead person. However, there are many more reasons not to do so.

Photo takes years of life from a sleeping person

At one time, Plato said that "a sleeping person is no better than a dead one." As noted earlier, sleeping people and people captured in the pictures are associated with the dead. Hence the belief that photographing a sleeping person shortens his life. This "perspective" is more likely with a blurry image.

The point is not that the sleeping people in the pictures are perceived as dead, but that the energy of the sleeping and the dead is similar. A photograph captures the dream world of a sleeping person and can transfer such a state to real life. There is only one outcome - the photographed falls ill and dies.

There is also a religious aspect to this - photographing a sleeping person scares away his guardian angel. Representatives of Orthodoxy say that a photo of a sleeping pregnant woman can cause the death of an unborn child.

Photo as a tool for inducing damage, the evil eye

Photographing a sleeping person is one way detractors work. According to psychics, this harms the human aura. During sleep, the energy is weakened, and such a photograph is even more easily influenced by evil forces.

Through a photo during sleep, you can unintentionally violate a person’s energy field and even take away part of his vitality. During wakefulness, the sphere of feelings to one degree or another partially obeys a person, while in a dream he is completely relaxed and cannot control himself, and therefore becomes weaker and more vulnerable.

What does science say

Omitting the ethics of such a decision, it should be noted that a rare individual awake feels the strength to love his neighbor. At the same time, the reactions of the awakened person are somewhat inhibited. Rather, he will be frightened before he realizes what is happening. Hiccups, damage to the central nervous system, the development of phobias - such a shooting can lead to such consequences. It is especially dangerous to photograph sleeping children, as they are more susceptible and less mentally stable.

Such a development of events is possible, but by no means necessary. At the same time, a person photographed while sleeping is guaranteed a hard day. We all know that the body repairs itself during sleep. At this time, melatonin is produced - a hormone that regulates daily biorhythms and slows down aging. Darkness is necessary for the best production of the hormone. A sudden flash of a camera disrupts the functioning of the body during sleep and interferes with its recovery.

The negative effect of a night flash is provided in any case, even if the sleeping person has not woken up. Bright, albeit short-lived, light will interrupt the recovery of the body. In the morning, the photographed person will feel tired, nervous and sleepy.

findings

Believe in superstition or not? It's up to you. It is possible that some beliefs really work. In any case, do not be afraid and engage in self-hypnosis. By winding yourself up, you yourself, without suspecting it, can attract big troubles into your life.

If you have such a photo, you do not really believe in all of the above, then still hide them away from prying eyes and do not show them to anyone. So you protect the one who is depicted in these pictures, and extra protection is always appropriate.

After all, there is little point in photographing sleeping people. Their faces are almost devoid of emotion, closed eyes make the photo somewhat impersonal. In addition, it is rather unaesthetic: a picture of a person frozen in a strange pose, with his mouth open and his hair tousled, will not decorate a photo album.

Please note that from the point of view of ethics and normal human relations, photographing a sleeping person is possible only with his consent.