Travel and the Photographer: Changing Times

As many of you may now be aware, travel has become just a bit more complicated.

Last week, it was announced that any electronics larger than a cell phone must now be taken out of your luggage and put in a separate bin. At first glance you may think, "Well whats the problem? You already do that with your laptop!" But what does this really mean for the traveling photographer? The issue with this new regulation is that, not only will it make airport security lines longer, but it also exposes photo gear to higher risks of damage, and possibly theft.

Longer Lines

Airport security lines were already long enough to begin with, requiring travelers to arrive at least 2 hours ahead of their scheduled flight. With this new policy, be prepared to arrive a minimum of 3 hours ahead of your flight. Many photographers travel with a large amount of gear, which now is required to come out of their bag, which will inevitably lead to massive slowdowns, and rising blood pressures.

Risk of Damage

Every moment your gear is out of your direct control there is a risk of damage. While damage during a security check is unlikely, it is still a real risk. Though they are not the majority, there have been instances of gear being damaged by TSA agents roughly handling gear. For photographers that make their entire income from their camera, this is an unacceptable risk that cannot be taken lightly.

Theft

Theft is also a possible risk factor in the new policy. Exposing to other people what is in your bag allows them to decide if it is valuable or not. Not to say that everyone in the airport is out to steal your stuff. Most are just average people trying to get to where they need to go. However there are always those who have less than ideal character traits who will seize the opportunity to make a profit off of your expensive gear. If someone is randomly selected to be checked in the line while their stuff is going through the x-ray, there is a opportunity for someone to take something as the owner is unable to be there to immediately retrieve their stuff.

Solutions?

So in light of all this is there anything photographers can do to avoid this?

There are a couple ways for photographers to deal with this new situation. For starters, they can sign up for TSA Pre-Check. Pre-Check allows the photographer to bypass the standard line with the added benefit of not having to remove any gear from their bags. The cost is around $85 for 5 years, which is an incredible value considering what you are getting with it. Any photographer looking to travel often and with a lot of gear should strongly consider signing up.

The other solution is to simply find a camera that is smaller than a cell phone. With the increasing popularity of mirrorless cameras, there are now several models which are the same size or even smaller than today's smartphones. The added benefits of investing in a mirrorless camera is reduced size and weight to carry around, less conspicuous in tourist areas, and smaller lenses depending on the brand.

Travel for photographers is definitely getting more complicated. The more security is vamped up, the less convenient it is for us. However there are ways to get around this new policy. It is up to each photographer to find out which option will best support his style in order to be able to obtain the shots they desire. At least fro now, photographers are still allowed to bring their cameras with them.