The following are some of suggestions when you travel abroad and plan to take some analogue photos to remind you of places visited and/or for a photo project.
Film - On a recent trip to Europe I took a total of 8 airline flights. At each one of the security screening I had film canisters in a plastic bag and asked if the film could be hand inspected. This was agreed to at 6 out of the 8. With modern screening technology (eg swabbing for explosives) it is possibly less problematic to get hand inspections. I would suggest this for 35mm or roll film. On a previous trip I asked for this to be done for sheet film, but the attendant wanted to look inside the box, so that one went thru the x-ray machine. It is a bit of luck of the draw but there’s no harm in asking. Depending on where you are travelling, buying film at your destination can be useful in reducing the number of inspections
Bodies - Take 2 bodies if you can. On a trip to Scotland I was taking a picture with a new full frame digital camera, and the viewfinder image went black, because the internal viewfinder mirror fell off! The second body I had was a life saver.
Lens - Travel light with one or 2 lens. My favourite lens for 35 mm is Canon 45 mm tilt/shift lens. For 4 x 5, my Fuji 150 mm lens (having a similar perspective to a 50 mm lens) is ideal.
Tripod - Essential. The wind in Iceland really blows!
See and feel the image - This is a key part of the creative process and driven by what you want your pictures to express. For me, photography is most powerful where it moves into ‘subject as a metaphor’ or ‘subject as a story’ , where a space for posing questions, reflection, communication, curiosity or drama is created for both photographer and viewer, and where mood and emotion are paramount.
The straightforward image below was a gentle local scene, in summer, in dappled light, combining natural and man-made elements. Initially meant as a record of the local environment, it took on a different significance when a week later all of the vegetation had been cut down. Admired one minute, gone the next.
