I have noticed there is not a thread for film and travel, not its use to make photos, but rather the experience of taking film on the road. Especially air with the varying security and varying scanners. There are web sites about film travel but most are dated in something that evolves all the time. Also there is the strategy of developing on travel to avoid security and experiences with good outifts to do that.
I will start by noting domesic US travel is quite film friendly these days. TSA knows and they hand check. No major problems.
Japan in my experience matches this, quite film friendly. In the US there are seveal great labs if one wants to process, I use The Darkroom, I have not done this in Japan but I have been informed Tokyo and other cities there is a 24 h process available sometimes less if one wants to process before travel.
Think of this as a blog to share experience that others might useful of experiences taking film around the globe. Hopefully all of us can create a community resource of experiences that others will value as it evolves with time.
I flew from Montréal to Nantes (France) and back last year and had no problems at all; I put my 35mm film in one clear plastic bag and my 120 film in another; got handchecks with a smile both ways. We're planning a trip to Norway next year and based on everything I've read I'll probably just shoot digital; apparently the airport we're flying into (Tromsø) always refuses hand-checks. Won't be a problem flying in, but flying back home is another story. Or I could shoot film and mail the rolls back to my home address. I've never had problem with film (unexposed or exposed) sent by mail from various countries, and on Huss's "one film camera, 36 photographers" project a few years back we sent a camera with film in it all over the world by mail and the photos came out great.
Most people advise to avoid the lead-lined bags for film, they just encourage the agents to increase the strength of the x-ray or will hold up the line; it's better to put them in clear plastic bags and request a hand-check.
The older x-ray machines are safe for most films under ISO 800 or possibly even film that's been pushed to 1600; the newer CT scanners are unsafe for all film, even ultra-low ISO 3 film. But I've also seen reports from people whose film was scanned multiple times by CT scanners and the images looked fine.
Best is to use an older lead bag to put film cartridges into the carry-on luggage. I read reports that people were stopped by TSA when these bags showed up as unpenetrating black bag on their scanners. I travelled about 10 years ago with such bag in my carry-on camera bag going through airports without having an issue, but I just might have been lucky.
Since several years I no longer travel when flying with film. Too cumbersome and risky these days not only with more severe scanners installed but also trying to avoid to talk or interact with TSA. I replaced my B&W film photography on travel with a my monochrome digital Leica M 246 camera.
I was mostly thinking we could share current experience as things do evolve and change such as the new ct appearing everywhere. So I'll contribute a current on Inchon S Korea they will separate the 400 out for hand but zap the others even if one pass is ok cumulative multiple would not Rads are cumulative those if you who have done cancer know this because this is why they use multiple treatments film is no different cumulative will destroy when one pass does not. I am coming to the conclusion that unless someplace is film friendly it is too stressful to use my old Ms. but the question is and what I want to put out for others to identify where are those film friendly places currently and only an ongoing discussion can relate those experiences as dated web site do not capture the near real time experience
I've also had no issues with getting hand checks in the US.
It's been years since I went abroad, but given the proliferation of CT scanners I would probably try to avoid carrying film through international airports these days.
There are other options if you want to shoot film on an international trip:
Send film to your destination (hotel, etc.)
Buy film at your destination
Send exposed film back to yourself
Get film processed at your destination
OregonSun wrote:
Send film to your destination (hotel, etc.)
Not always practical when doing a 1-2 week trip internationally with change of hotels etc in between stops.
Buy film at your destination
Tried this twice when heading to Germany - it has gone worse and worse there to get film stocks. Lots of brick and mortar stores have vanished where I was able to buy film > 10 years ago. The few photo stores left mostly don't have any film available - no B&W films and only Kodak Gold if anything at all. Remark on the side: most photo stores there have also stopped selling any photo gear. They nearly all focus on taking photos for passports or reunions, wedding/event photography.
Send exposed film back to yourself
At the end of an intl trip it will take almost 14 days to arrive back in the US for example when sent via mail. It is a possibility though. I never practically done this.
Get film processed at your destination
Often takes too long when moving around in a foreign country, and when an external lab processes films - at least in Germany - you never get the negatives back which I definitely need.
retrofocus wrote:
Not always practical when doing a 1-2 week trip internationally with change of hotels etc in between stops.
Tried this twice when heading to Germany - it has gone worse and worse there to get film stocks. Lots of brick and mortar stores have vanished where I was able to buy film > 10 years ago. The few photo stores left mostly don't have any film available - no B&W films and only Kodak Gold if anything at all. Remark on the side: most photo stores there have also stopped selling any photo gear. They nearly all focus on taking photos for passports or reunions, wedding/event photography.
At the end of an intl trip it will take almost 14 days to arrive back in the US for example when sent via mail. It is a possibility though. I never practically done this.
Often takes too long when moving around in a foreign country, and when an external lab processes films - at least in Germany - you never get the negatives back which I definitely need.
If you have those problems in Europe…try South East Asia or Central America.
Last thing I want to do on a trip is:
1. Locate a post office
2: Locate a store where I can purchase film
3: Locate a shop that can develop my film…then go back later to pick up the developed film
Many threads with this same topic, but there is a value to keeping the information current. The only country where I would be willing to purchase locally and develop locally is in Japan. I think this can be done without issue, other than time and expense. The expense is the cost of film. Developing costs can be reasonable with fast turnaround, except for E6.. not sure about B&W. I haven’t been for a year, but will return in next six months and once again will be all digital.
Basically, these threads have convinced me to use digital when flying and film when on a road trip.
retrofocus wrote:
At the end of an intl trip it will take almost 14 days to arrive back in the US for example when sent via mail. It is a possibility though. I never practically done this.
It takes little time to locate a post office, in Europe anyway, and in my experience parcels from France or the UK get to me in Canada by mail in less than a week. On my trip to France last year I debated about sending my film back but decided to risk it and was lucky. Next year if we go to Norway, I would definitely send my film back as I've heard the airport we'd be flying out of consistently denies hand-checks. If I have to wait a week or two for my film to arrive, that's fine; if nothing else, shooting film teaches you patience.
bwcolor wrote:
What makes everyone sure that items sent by post are not x-rayed?
They might be, but I order film by mail frequently (from international sources) and have never had problems, plus as I mentioned up above for Huss's "one film camera 36 photographers" project two or three years ago, that film camera (with HP5 in it) got sent by mail over the world and back to Huss in California and the photos came out great. And what about all the people who send their film to labs by mail to be developed and scanned?
bjhurley wrote:
They might be, but I order film by mail frequently (from international sources) and have never had problems, plus as I mentioned up above for Huss's "one film camera 36 photographers" project two or three years ago, that film camera (with HP5 in it) got sent by mail over the world and back to Huss in California and the photos came out great. And what about all the people who send their film to labs by mail to be developed and scanned?
Understood.. Kodak use to supply stickers for mailing film that stated that the box contained film “Do Not X-Ray”. I always found that odd when it never occurred to me that the postal service might X-Ray. Also, it seemed like someone shipping illegal substances and marking the box, “Nothing to See Here”. So, I once asked a postal clerk, who might have known the answer, but was certainly willing to provide one. She said that the postal service doesn’t usually X-Ray small/light packages.
I flew with film a bunch of times and got hand checks everywhere so far.
Sometimes the person working the queue gets seemingly surprised or annoyed about the request and simply says outright that they don't do it. Had that happen twice within last year (Marrakesh and a small airport in France). Both times after my extremely polite repeated requests they escalated to their manager, who in turn told them to do the hand check or did it themselves with a smile. I thanked them plenty and smiled back.
I've flown with film plenty. It's not hard. Be polite, ask for a handcheck. Thank them afterwards.
Why have all these expensive cameras, sit on internet forums all week, then leave the film at home when you actually go somewhere new and interesting?! Take a chance on life!
All my economy air travel carry-on luggage is just film, film cameras and sedatives! Bon voyage!
There is a very good thread on photrio with up to date information on scanners, airports etc. I'd refer there for current details on specific destinations.
Good resource for anyone who's traveling internationally. I've found it to be quite reliable. In my own experience all of the following are very reasonable about hand checks:
- Every US airport
- Rome
- Dublin
- Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui
- Tokyo Narita and Haneda
- Singapore
- Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City
- Seoul/Incheon
And the one reliably terrible one is London Heathrow. If they could, they'd probably run your film through the CT scanner 5 times just to spite you. It's like the world's most miserable people run their security lines.
I fly regularly with film. I rarely have any issues to the point that I don't even bother anymore to unload the camera if I still have unfinished business. I just have it hand checked along with the film.
I sent film through a CT scanner recently. I forgot to remove it from my luggage. One roll is with the lab right now to see what may be affected. I'll keep you updated.
Fun thing to note is the CT scanner was the square one from Smith Detection, and it looks like the older x-ray machines. It isn't the infamous blue croissant, but it works the same way.
I just went to Switzerland and France and shot a buttload of film. In an effort to avoid airport stress, I bought most of the film there and had it developed at l'atelier Publimod in Paris. It was expensive but they did great work. Generally, I got the scans within a day or two.
Alright folks, my local lab got back to me. You're welcome to comment on whatever. I'm giving you the whole roll minus one frame. It's Gold 200, and it went through a CT scanner built by Smith Detection.
I'm not giving you my thoughts right now. I have my suspicions, but I want to hear what you have to say. And if you want to see my Adox HR-50 sample, you're welcome to it too. It was shared to another thread a while back.
