With the holidays coming up, many of us will be flying around the country with our digital cameras. Here are some tips and tricks for traveling with your beloved digital camera.
Digital Cameras & Airport X-Ray Machines
One of the most frequently asked questions I get in my classes this time of year is, “Is it safe to send my camera through the x ray machines at the airports?”
What these folks may be concerned about is the fact that, back in the days of film, sending a camera through the x-ray scanner could result in fogged film or streaks because of the high settings many of these machines had. This concern was amplified when traveling overseas, since each country’s airport had their own x-ray machine settings and some scanners were not well maintained.
In today’s digital world, x-rays are not a problem with cameras or memory cards – but we should still be careful around magnetic sources, just like with any electronic devices. And if you are traveling overseas, be sure to have transformers that you can plug in for any of your devices, like a camera battery or your laptop. Voltage varies per country, so a trip to RadioShack for a World Wide Power Converter is a good investment.
Protecting Your Gear
Flying around the U.S. is becoming more and more like a second date or a police pat down. I do suggest that if you have a nice digital camera with extra lenses that this be one of your carry-ons. Having a nice camera inside of an unlocked suitcase is the stuff of nightmares. Many times when I fly I don’t even take it out of the camera bag. I know of some photographers who have special travel bags for their camera gear that doesn’t shout “CAMERA BAG, EXPENSIVE STUFF INSIDE.” These bags look like regular bags or even purses for women.
A Note About (Not) Traveling with Tripods
So let’s say you get to a major vacation spot or city and want to take some photos for fun or profit. Well, first off, I might suggest that you leave your tripod at home. Many cities and even national parks do not allow tripods for one main reason: That a camera tripod is the weapon of choice for terrorists. While I may be kidding about terrorists, many a photographer has been stopped by police saying that tripod is a public hazard or that as a professional photographer you will need to have a city permit (or a national park permit) to take any photos.
If you do want to get a shot of Time Square or the Golden Gate Bridge, you should do it handheld, using a higher ISO setting so you can employ a faster shutter speed. There is a more clandestine way, and that is a small tripod called the Gorilla Pod. This is a strange-looking, small twelve-inch high tripod with legs that can wrap around light or signposts. It is easy to carry, and will fit inside most camera bags. It will allow you to fix your camera to some solid object for that rock solid platform. Now using lower shutter speeds for low light or night shooting is possible again.
Dealing with Law Enforcement
If you do feel a tap on your shoulder from a police officer or park ranger, do not panic. Yes, as a citizen you are within your rights to photograph anything visible from a public area. If you want to sell these photos then you may have to check if it is copyrighted, but being in the right is not the same as just saying so. You don’t want one of the memories of your vacation to be the five hours spent at the police station and then to find that your memory card with all your travel memories has been “accidently erased.”
Do not let your ego speak about how great your photography is and how your art cannot be contained. Remember the police office is probably tired and could care less. I suggest you act like a tourist and maybe even have a couple of really poor shots in camera that you can show him so he will feel it is better to chase you off than do the paperwork on you. Say you didn’t know you couldn’t do that and walk away. Sooner or later, you can return and take the shot again. When all else fails, remember the age-old photographer’s mantra “It is better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
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