Paintings vs. Photos

[mtwelovett]

No: HPFGUIDX 76749


> serenamoonsilver writes:
> 
> > Why is it that painted portraits can talk but photos can't.  <snip>

Ray Wrote:

This has been discussed here and there, but perhaps we need it all in
one thread.  I'm not sure why paintings and photographs should work
differently, but perhaps it has something to do with a "machine"
capturing a photograph, while the talent (and thus the "magic") of a
portrait artist is also contained in a painting.

 <snip some wonderful thoughts>
We know from canon that portraits can move from one painting to
another, and in OotP, we find that they can move from one portrait of
themselves to another portrait in another place (this was hinted at in
PS/SS with the frog cards).  As in the muggle world, certain people of
stature have portraits of themselves in their home and/or office, and
can thus "spy" n a wide range of places through this "portrait network".
<snip>
Another question is what effect physical damage to the portrait has on
subject.  In PoA, we saw "the fat lady" suffer harm as though she were 
physically attacked, and that also brings up the possibility of
"portrait doctors" in the WW.


Now me: (mtwelovett)

I posed some similar questions in post #63180 regarding Photos,
portraits, choclate frog cards, and mirrors, but didn't get a lot of
response but that may have been due to possibly being burried in the
thread, and since it was June 24, there was a whole lot of activity
around here. I made some additional points in message # 72123. 

There certainly seems to be a difference in photos and paintings. We
haven't seen anyone talking to the Daily Prophet photos, or ones in
Witch Weekly, or the Quibbler... (or is that what Luna is doing???) 

My pet theory is that Dumbledore uses the Choclate frog cards as
information gathering devices or is the "more relyable method of
communication" for the order members. 

But some of these items, you probably have to know how to use them in
order to do so. Who would have thought that the portrait images could
"jump location"? Maybe there are other secrets to these items. I'd
like to think so. the moving portraits have had me hooked since SS. ;)

Mtwelovett