Re: Re: Photos / be safe not sorry

**Larry Maupin larrymaupin@sbcglobal.net>**

on 5/7/02 3:50 PM, Catriona Tudor Erler at cterler@cox.rr.com wrote:

Have it with your carry on, and ask for the film to be hand checked.  Not
every security control area will hand check film, but many will.

Kate -

I agree with Catriona's suggestions in general, but this scanning of film is
a moving target for international travelers. Here are some additional
comments:

A recent test done by one of the professional photography magazines
determined that high speed film, over EI 400, and Kodak's High Speed
Infrared B&W will be  damaged by US airport scanners. Most inspectors know
this, so if you have some 800 speed film in a baggie with your other rolls,
they will generally hand check. Slower film was OK, particularly EI 50 and
100. However, foreign scanners are stronger and may damage even the slower
types of film.

You can ask for hand checking, which is allowed by US Federal regulations,
but not all inspectors have been properly trained yet. If your inspector
refuses to hand inspect, ask for a supervisor and you'll get better results.
Call ahead to the airports you will fly through and check their policies.
Scanners and inspectors in foreign airports have their own regulations, so
it's uncertain when they will hand inspect.

You can also mail or FedEx your film ahead to your destination then mail or
FedEx the exposed film back to your lab. This avoids airport scanning
altogether.

The surest method was described by a traveling pro recently: call ahead to a
photo supply store in the town where you are going, order your film, give
them your credit card number to make the purchase then instruct them to hold
the film for pickup (so they don't sell out before you get there). Then have
the film processed locally or FedEx it back to your lab. One travelling pro
missed a flight while inspectors hand checked 200 rolls of film, so he now
buys film on location or shoots digitally. I have not heard of any problems
yet with memory cards in digital cameras.

This all seems like a lot of effort until your lab tells you that your
trip-of-a-lifetime photos are ruined. It gets worse when you tell your
client that you have no photos.

Maybe Graham Rice or other British photographer on this list can recommend
British film suppliers and processors for you to use.

I hope this helps. Let us know how it all turns out for you.
-- 
Larry Maupin
Maupin Photography
Freelance Garden Writer/Photographer
Member, Garden Writers Assoc. of Amer.
larrymaupin@sbcglobal.net
Dallas, TX   214/341-3933

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