Flying With Film: My Experiences & How to Navigate the TSA

So, What’s all the Hubbub?

The big news in the film world lately is the TSA in the United States have initiated a project to install high powered CT-type scanners for carry-on bags in security checkpoints around the US. What’s so scary about these scanners for film photographers is that these new scanners will fog, damage, and destroy ALL film speeds and emulsions. Previously, scanners for carry-on luggage were low-powered X-Ray machines that would not damage film. For film speeds lower than ISO 800, you could just leave the film in the camera and in your bag to be x-rayed.

Here is what Kodak Alaris recently shared on their social media accounts regarding the new scanners:

CT Scanning X-Ray Technology and Film

As many of you know, the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has recently been installing Computed Tomography (CT) scanners for carry-on luggage in US airports. In the coming months these scanners will be operational at 145 airports in the US. CT scanning technology has been used for checked luggage for many years, and Kodak Alaris and Eastman Kodak have warned photographers not to check their film, but rather to carry it on and request it be hand-checked by TSA agents at Security.

To better assess the risk to film from the new carry on scanners we brought a small quantity of Portra 400/135 to John F Kennedy Airport in NYC. With the help of TSA representatives the film was put through the new carry on CT scanners from 1-10 times. The film was then evaluated at Eastman Kodak Research facilities. The initial results are not good. Just 1 scan shows significant film fogging, leading to smoky blacks and loss of shadow detail. This will be more significant for higher speed films. Although it’s possible that a roll of 100 speed film would show less degradation, we strongly recommend against putting any unexposed or exposed but unprocessed film through a CT Scanner.

We reached out to the TSA to ask what options there might be to warn passengers. We originally asked if it would be possible to add signage at airports that utilize CT scanning technology. We are developing warning stickers that can be placed on your film. These will be available in a label format so they can be printed on your in-home or in-office printer. Just attach the label to the plastic bag as described in the TSA description below.

The TSA did tell us that all TSA screeners are trained to hand check roll and movie film as well as single-use cameras. Sheet film in boxes may require more diligence on the part of the photographer.

From the TSA:

Most x-ray machines used to screen carry-on bags should not damage undeveloped film under ASA\ISO 800. There are a limited number of screening checkpoints that use x-ray equipment that may damage undeveloped film. These airports will have signage in front of the x-ray stating that the x-ray may damage undeveloped film.

If you are traveling with the following types of film, please pack it in a clear plastic bag, remove it from your carry-on bag at the checkpoint, and ask for a hand inspection:

• Film with an ASA\ISO 800 or higher
• Highly sensitive x-ray or scientific films
• Film that is or will be underexposed
• Film that you intend to “push process”
• Sheet film
• Large format film
• Medical film
• Scientific film
• Motion picture film
• Professional grade film
• Film of any speed that is subjected to x-ray screening more than five times

In most cases, the x-ray equipment used for screening checked baggage will damage undeveloped film; therefore, please place undeveloped film in carry-on bags.

For more information please download the film Storage and Care Information sheet from our website: https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/…/f…/wysiwyg/pro/CIS_E30.pdf

For more information on TSA use of CT technology, please:
https://www.tsa.gov/computed-tomography

For more information on TSA screening procedures, please visit https://urldefense.com/…/www.tsa.gov__;!!NtZYYMejrjoc!zT1yW… .

These US airports currently use CT scanning technology:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Houston Hobby Airport (HOU)
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Logan International Airport (BOS)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Miami International Airport (MIA)
Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD)

My Experiences

I travel with film extensively worldwide and I have rarely had any problems, nor do I see many problems in the future, especially if you can easily communicate with the security personnel. Until a few months ago on my way back from Antarctica, I was making my way through customs in DFW, which is my usual hub. I noticed the x-ray machines looked different at the checkpoint, and asked one of the agents if they were the new CT scanners and whether or not it would damage film. He looked at me with glazed-over look in his eye and said, “I don’t know, but they installed these in the last couple of weeks.” So, I figured it would be better safe than sorry and removed all of my film from my bag to be hand inspected. I was completely unprepared for doing this, and had film scattered everywhere, but I got it all out for hand inspection (or so I thought.)

When I was with the TSA agent who was doing the hand check, I was pressing her for info on the process for hand checking film, especially boxes of sheet film. In my mind, the most suspicious person in the checkpoint line would be the guy saying, “Hey, please hand check all of these boxes of film. They can’t be x-rayed. Oh, and…you can’t open the boxes to inspect the contents of the box. Yes, I know the factory seal has been broken, but don’t worry about that, it’s just exposed film. Have a nice day!”

The TSA agent informed me that they would not have to open the contents of any of the film boxes UNLESS the swab test they perform comes back unclear. For rolls, it’s easy. They just swab the rolls or the outside of the box, and you go on your merry way.

So, last week, I put it to the test. I took my 4x5 up to Whitehorse, Yukon up in Canada, and hand checked my film along the entire way. I put my film in a Shimoda Designs Medium Accessory Case and wrote “FILM: DO NOT X-RAY” on the outside of the bag with a sharpie - just to be safe. I put all my film inside of it, and made it easily accessible when I was in the security line. I simply asked the agent assisting passengers pre-x-ray to hand check some film, he grabbed a bin and another agent, and they walked the case around the outside of the x-ray machine.

When I got through the metal detector, an agent was waiting on me with my film. I simply explained that it was large format sheet film, both exposed and unexposed, and the boxes could not be opened otherwise the film would be ruined. I did this 6 times over the course of a week of travel, and all times but one did I not even get a second question. One time in Vancouver, an agent was a bit uncertain when I told him he couldn’t open the box, but I had him grab a manager and explained it to both of them, and then all was well. Just smile, be kind, and say please and thank you.

I also want to note a few things:

• I have global entry and TSA Precheck, so I generally go through a special, expedited line. I don’t know if this helps my case or not.

• I flew with UNLOADED 4x5 holders so I could just simply x-ray the entire camera case. I feel that loaded holders would be much more difficult to explain to an agent than a box of film.

• I suggest discussing your hand-check request IMMEDIATELY before you go through security screening. This will minimize the time you’re away from your precious film. They’ll take it around back, and generally wait for you to be present for inspection, but I had one guy start without me before I was able to explain to him that the film boxes couldn’t be opened. Fortunately, I had taped the boxes shut, so he wasn’t able to open them. Got lucky on that one, but lesson learned.

So I mentioned earlier that I thought I had unpacked all of my film from my carry-on bag before it went through the x-ray. Well…

Fortunately, there’s one frame on that roll that I think is salvageable. A hard lesson to learn, but I’m glad it wasn’t my whole batch.

I hope this helps those of you jetsetters who are wanting to fly with film! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, just be sure to leave them in the comment box below. Thanks, and good luck!

New Release "Stillness of Life" - Yosemite National Park, California

This past December marked my first trip to Yosemite National Park in the winter. I had been watching the weather for months, waiting for the right weekend to drop everything and head out. My friend Mark Gvazdinskas (if you haven't done so already, check out his work) and I took off on a Friday afternoon, hoping for the best - the forecast showed up to a few inches of snow in Yosemite Valley. Mark had never been to Yosemite and I'd never spent much time in the valley itself, so it was a bit of a learning experience for the both of us. Temperatures on Friday night dropped well below freezing, and we woke up to a beautiful, clear winter morning - not ideal, but what can you do? A day spent outside is a day well spent. We continued to poke around the valley, photographing a bit, but otherwise just soaking in the beauty of the valley. When it finally started to snow on Sunday, we had to head back home, but not without stopping a few times along the drive home. In the high country of Yosemite, we found a pull-off that looked promising and decided to get out and look around in the forest. There had been a fire a few years before and the undergrowth was thick with young ponderosa pine trees. Ponderosas are one of my favorite trees to photograph, especially in snow. Their naturally red appearance contrasts the white and blue tones of the snow that can create absolutely wonderful scenes, so when I found this grove of ponderosas, I became quite excited. This composition originally sparked my interest due to the range of life present. The two old growth trees stood in a bed of young trees, while the dead looked on in the distance. Immediately, I grabbed my gear and set up the shot on my 8x10 camera. By the time I had found the composition, set up the shot, composed, focused, and exposed a sheet of film, an inch of snow had fallen on my vehicle. Keeping the camera dry and free of ice on the ground glass was incredibly difficult, but the scene turned out exactly as I had imagined. 

This image is available as a limited edition fine art photographic print. If you're interested in purchasing this image, click the button below. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me for more information. 

Fall Color Wrap-Up - The Sierra Nevadas and Rocky Mountains

Autumn is one of my favorite times of year, especially when it comes to photography. Aside from football starting up, the MLB postseason (go Royals!), and the weather finally cooling off after a brutal 75 degree California Central Coast summer, the aspens begin their annual transition. I chase the color every year, usually in the Colorado Rockies and Arkansas hardwood forests. This year, I had a chance to explore a completely new area - the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.

I took off the weekend before my wedding to have a little bachelor getaway with my good friend Tyler Brigham and my dog, Charlie. We made a loop down past the southern region of the Sierras, through the Mojave and up to Bishop for the first night. The color around Bishop Creek and Aspendell was fantastic, but different compared to what I’ve been used to.

The groves in Colorado are something out of this world. Gigantic and mature, these organisms span entire mountain valleys and up into the alpine region of the Rockies. The groves near Bishop were small, young, and quite patchy. While still beautiful, many of the intimate scenes looking through the trees were snuffed out due to the forests being so thick and the trees being so immature.

The three panoramic photos you see above are all from the Crested Butte area near Kebler Pass. From these three photos, you can really tell the difference between the forests around the Bishop, CA area and the giant forests of Colorado. The spacious, mature trees make for incredibly unique and textural images. 

Charlie had a blast on the trip. He had the chance to approve a couple exposures, meet some tourists, romp around in the wilderness, and even got to drive a little bit - his four favorite activities. The 8x10 got some good use on this past trip, and not including my evening through Yosemite on the way home (post to come later) I ended up shooting 3 sheets of film. Two of these were the aspen scene from above and the the third was from the scene below. 

The aspen scene above, I've entitled "Autumn's Grasp." I spotted the scene earlier in the afternoon on the day we arrived to the area and knew I needed the perfect low contrast light to photograph it. I set up well before sunset and waited for the calm twilight to come. As the sun sank well below the mountains behind me, the warmth of the sky above reflected a gorgeous light onto the grasses and aspens. I have been forcing myself to see more "intimate landscapes." These scenes are quite difficult to compose and photograph, but I find that as an artist, I strive to search for these compositions. They can be incredibly unique and have so much to say if you let yourself into the image. I composed this photograph intentionally symmetrical. I loved how the textures and colors stacked into perfect thirds, the brown grasses, the almost purple brush, and the pine trees, with that pop of fall color directly in the center. Something new from me, that's for sure.

The white granite in the Sierra Nevadas is an absolute dream to photograph. Because of its silvery / white color, the stone reflects nearly every quality of light, especially during the twilight hours. In the photograph below, the calm twilight of sunrise sometimes known as "the blue hour" was reflected by the bright white granite foreground. Typically, I don't photograph many scenes with clear skies. Clouds add texture and interest to usually otherwise dull photograph, but this particular scene worked quite well with clear skies. With the small pops of fall color in the distance, you can almost feel the peaceful, crisp autumn morning when looking at this photograph. 

Because these photographs are so new and need drum scans and go through rigorous dust and spot removal, these are all still in their early stages of proofing for print. If you'd like to get your hands on one of these early proofs, fill out the form below to shoot me an email for a chance to own one of the first prints!