Travel Advice: traveling with film; digital backup methods

[mrmeadows]

I'm preparing to set out on 6 weeks of travel during which I expect to make a few 1000 photographs, mostly documentation, street photography and cityscapes. I'll fly from the US to and from Budapest, via Germany, and I expect to wind my way through Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria (no fixed itinerary). I've made similar successful trips (last year to the Western Balkans), but I'd like to make a few changes to my modus operandi. The changes, however, raise new issues for me, and I'd appreciate any suggestions that arise from your experience with these same issues. A major constraint on acceptable practices is that I like to travel very light: a small backpack for four changes of clothes, a sweater, a rainsuit and toiletries and a very small camera bag containing two or three rangefinder bodies and four lenses. So the following describe my new issues.

In many instances I simply prefer B&W photos to their color versions (for lots of reasons). On past trips I've shot only digital color, and I've converted many of the images to digital B&W. The results are just acceptable, in my judgement, because B&W film yields quite different images from desaturated color digital, even when "grain" is added in post-processing. So I am considering to shoot B&W film on my forthcoming trip, and several issues arise.

I can't take film-developing equipment without traveling "heavy", and I'd prefer to be shooting rather than processing, anyway. I anticipate that I'll need 50-70 rolls of B&W, and I think that I can manage to squeeze them all into my backpack. Alternatively, I can buy film as I need it, but I worry that fresh B&W film, preferably Tri-X, might not be readily available. Do you know of reliable sources in my destination countries? For either source of film, I will then need to get it through the X-ray machines in airports, because I want to process it myself. Most info about airport X-ray machines that I've found is US-centric and suggests that ISO 800 film will tolerate 5 trips through the screening machines (but never in checked luggage). Hand inspection which avoids the machines altogether is also available in the US. But how about in Germany, where I'll change planes, and in the other countries I'll visit? A completely separate approach would be to buy the film at home and to have it shipped in both directions. But FedEx policy says "no film", and I haven't been able to find a UPS policy. So can one ship film at all, and can one ship it without still encountering problems with X-ray machines? How is film typically shipped by the manufacturers to the camera stores?

Issues with digital images. I believe that I must carry two M8s, because I have come to distrust the reliability of the Kodak CCD sensors they contain. Neither of my M8 sensors is any longer perfect after more than 20 000 exposures. I could have the sensors replaced, but why throw good money after bad when I can still fix the current imperfections in post-processing? (My M8s both have additional flakey behavior, but nothing that I can't live with.) My issue for digital involves backups. Last year I didn't bother with backups, reasoning that in the "old days" I couldn't back up unprocessed film, so what's the difference with not backing up the digital files? That approach worked for me then, but now seems rather foolish, so I'd like to change it. The most reliable backup method would seem to be to upload the files to the ample storage on my web site. I want email and web access during my trip over the free WiFi that now exists in at least some cities in nearly every country. That access means that I'll be obligated to pack one more electronic device (and charger), and a device that could also handle the backups would be ideal. Last year I carried my Android phone, but it doesn't seem able to do any uploading. This year I could carry i) a laptop (big and heavy), ii) a netbook (smaller and lighter), iii) an iPad (small and light), iv) a NOOK Color (small and light). These all have the additional advantage of conveniently storing guides and other information electronically, rather than as bulky paper copies. Have you successfully uploaded photos (files) from SD/SDHC cards over WiFi with either the iPad or the NOOK Color using either an ftp client, a browser or an app? How did it work? What would you change or suggest?

I'd greatly appreciate learning about your experience regarding these issues. Any related comments or suggestions would also be appreciated. Thank you.

--- Mike

 

[Bill Pierce]

Mike -

For years, like many news photographers, I spent a lot of time carrying film through airport security. At best, hand inspection took a lot of time. There were countries that would not hand inspect (and some of them had x-ray machines that could cook a hot meal, much less film). Among my associates, including some b&w film loyalists, no one carries film anymore. While much of that has to do with the speed of editing and transmitting digital images, no one is complaining about no longer being hassled at airports and borders. That even includes some fairly prominent advertising photographers who don’t have quite the deadline constraints.

The major news organizations utilized local courier services who knew how to get film past x-rays and onto planes. These were folks who spent a lot of time at airports and knew the security workers. Sometimes I went back and forth over a border so many times, the security folks got to know me and would at least speed up the inspection process. One group even fed me lunch and let me go onto the tarmac to load my gear into the plane (for security reasons, no baggage was allowed on the plane). Those courier organizations are pretty much defunct now, and you won’t be seeing old friends at the security check points.

The answer that you won’t like and probably don’t have time to deal with before you leave is to shoot digital. I agree that an M8 absolutely needs a back up. But so does any camera on a trip like this. You must pack more than one camera. And it would be nice if they were twins. Overshoot, using both bodies. Don’t put everything on 2 big cards. Spread your shoot onto a number of slightly smaller cards. I’ve transmitted using ftp, but it can be time consuming and slow. Protect those cards just as if they were film

As to digital black-and-white, everybody here has heard me say that the master of curves, levels and “clarity” can make a b&w print that looks like it came from film from a digital raw file. It’s not something you learn overnight. There are some programs that automate the process to some extent. Silver Efex Pro 2 and DxO Filmpack 3 (within DxO Optics Pro 6) are good and can speed up the learning process. (It’s more than grain; it’s the tonal range that really counts.)

Good luck on the trip, be it film or digital.

Bill

 

[Colin Corneau]

I've had good luck with portable hard drives...Epson makes one (p2000?) that is especially handy. Small enough to pack, a great backup and a terrific screen that allows you to have slideshows of your work on the road, and include movies and music to help you in downtime, too.

That said, I never had a hard time travelling with film. Trips to China, Cuba, the US...never had an issue either with inspections or X-rays.

It's a personal choice, but if you don't have a deadline it always struck me that the amount of space needed for either option is fairly similar...which brings it to your personal preference.

 

[nikongod]

In many instances I simply prefer B&W photos to their color versions (for lots of reasons). On past trips I've shot only digital color, and I've converted many of the images to digital B&W. The results are just acceptable, in my judgement, because B&W film yields quite different images from desaturated color digital, even when "grain" is added in post-processing. So I am considering to shoot B&W film on my forthcoming trip, and several issues arise.

I share your dislike of "desaturated" color pictures to get a B&W image, but there are other better methods.

I prefer using the "channel mixer" tool. It gives you much better control over the conversion, and nicer results in the end.

link to the first article I found.

 

[riceman]

Hi,

I work with a M8 too.
I was with this cam in Bosnia, Germany, Italy, Ethiopia, USA.... and now I'm in Central America with it. At the moment in Nicaragua.

Most of the time - except now in Nicaragua - I don't have a home base, where it's save to place a notbook. Here I use a MBP 13".

On my other trips I always had a netbook and a 2,5" external disk with me. So I had three places for my files. The most important shots I upload on my Wuala account (a job for boring nights with fast broadband internet)
This is a small, light and secure possibility for my pictures.

One more thing:
I would never (never never) go only with digital cameras. I don't know why, but all four batteries for the M8 broke down when I was out in the north eastern highlands of Ethiopia. Maybe the electrical power blackouts the days before in Addis Abeba confused them. I was very happy having my M2 and my Gossen Lunasix in my bag.

just my 2 cents for the black and white - digital or film - discussions:
I love both, film and digital. Ultimately, printed on paper, I don't see a big difference between my digital and my film shots. Look on my website, which are shot digital, which are shot on film? www.christianreisinger.com


have a save journey!

chris

 

[Vics]

I still fly with Tri-x, but never for many flights. I fly over the pond non-stop and back same way. Then it's all trains for me. I'm going in April to France and the UK for six weeks, but I won't take nearly as much film as you. I'll be shooting all Rollei TLR, maybe 20 rolls of Tri-X and five of color neg.

 

[ndnik]

It depends what and who you are shooting for. If for yourself, and you happen to perfer the look that b&w film gives you, then you have your answer. If you shoot for a client and depend on editing deadlines on the road, digital for sure will be a much better option, given how hard it is these days to get b&w film comercially processed anywhere but in some major citites.

I happen to very much prefer film for my personal stuff. I do not bother with hand inspections at airports and never had issues with fogged film. I understand the Kodak measurements very well that say 5 passes give you a detectable effect on 800 ISO film. But there's a long way between detectable and visible or even notable. I never noticed anything on a negative of mine, and the maximum number of flights for a single trip I took was a lot more than 10.

Also, what many people forget is that the dose of radiation that the film is exposed to at 30000 ft during the flight is comparable if not more than what it gets during the x-ray inspection.

- N.

 

[twopointeight]

For work, I've been travelling with all digital for the past several years. All Canon, lots of cables and batteries and external drive and Mac Book Pro. It's too much gear, in fact I am presently resting a bad back from it all. And, the routine sucks. I don't like downloading, backing up, and editing in a hotel room every day. I'm looking for smaller digital cameras for work, maybe micro four thirds. I've done some personal and editorial work with GF 1's and so far so good up to 400 asa. Two bodies, 20mm and 14mm, both with optical viewfinders, (40 and 28). If it was purely personal work I would shoot film M's. Process whenever possible at local labs with the help of local photographers/assistants I contact. I've had great results with color neg and b&w in most small cities, even in the "Third World".

 

[ath]

Personally I never had problems with films and X-ray in carry on luggage. The last test was TMY-2 xrayed up to 8 times in Europe and Asia on my way to Myanmar and back. Carrying 50 rolls was quite standard for me when I shot a 3-4 weeks vacation on slide film.

I don't know the situation in the more eastern countries but in Germany you can get Tri-X quite easy in several shops. You might check the big chains like calumet for shops in places where yo will be.

 

[mrmeadows]

I am very grateful for all the responses, answers, comments and links that have been offered to my questions. All have been very much to the point and very helpful, as I had hoped, and I thank you for taking the time to write them up. I am also thankful that the conversation has not devolved into a BW vs color or film vs digital duel of shrill, prejudiced voices. (Trying to avoid that outcome was one reason that I wrote such a long, discursive posting which tried to solicit advice based on experience rather than opinions.)

I'll make my film, digital and backup decisions for my upcoming trip after I further digest the info that I have received. At this stage, it seems that different approaches continue to succeed under different circumstances. I am especially intrigued, however, by Bill's point that one can convert color digital images to B&Ws that are perceptually indistinguishable from film images. I won't have time to master the requisite techniques before my departure, but I intend to attempt learning them for the long run.

My own continuing research regarding the backup options that I listed has yielded some results that I can now share for anyone who may be interested. The iPad has the capability to ftp files. It requires an SD/SDHC memory adapter (sold separately), and an app is available to accomplish the transfer. The Nook Color is another story, however. I have found no adapter that will enable the NC to read SD/SDHC cards through its microSD slot, and its software does not facilitate reading any memory through its microUSB connector. Moreover, while based on Android, it does not natively support all of the Android functionality. People who want the full Android have succeeded to get it by hacking the NC and installing Android Honeycomb which will then function in a dual boot capability with the native version (http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hi...50-nook-color-into-a-full-android-tablet/7630).

Among Android tablets, the relatively new Toshiba Thrive and the Sony S are built with a full SD/SDHC slot explicitly so that they can read media cards. Together with a ftp app (PaderSyncFTP from pader-sync.com), which is available through the Android Market, either tablet would be an alternative to the walled garden of the Apple ecosystem.

Thank you all again for the advice and information that you've generously supplied.

--- Mike

 

[emraphoto]

I am currently on the road and like you, 1 backpack. No checked luggage.

I have pretty much settled on courier home when I am able.

I have been through many airports in the past few years and never had problems with hand inspection. I also carry a few hama xray containers that pretty much forces a hand inspection for the fast stuff.