Paintings vs. Photos

[o_caipora]

No: HPFGUIDX 76756

mtwelovett asked:

> 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???) 

Note also that presumably newspaper photos are regularly destroyed, 
unless all wizarding houses are filled with stacks of old paper. If 
they possessed the same degree of self-awareness and volition of 
portraits, then why would anyone pose for the camera?

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

I have a less interesting theory. P.G. Wodehouse on being knighted 
said that he had no ambitions left, now that he was knighted and 
there was a waxwork of him in Madame Tussard's. I think that 
Dumbledore's comment on not being taken off Chocolate Frog cards is 
merely Rowling's reuse of a bon mot, one with which she is certainly 
familiar, and which pithily expresses the value placed on honors by a 
man who is above pretension. 

In computer terms, I'd say that a wizard photo is something a little 
more sophistcated than an animated GIF in that it responds in a 
limited way to limited stimuli, while a portrait is like an AI 
program, but far beyond anything now existing. As to the nature 
of "portrait space", it confuses me but I assume it's been explained 
here before.

 - Caipora