Travelling heavy..........!

Travelling with a large format camera, especially at the upper end of the scale, i.e. 10" x 8", can cause logistical problems. I actually find it a bit of a challenge but I enjoy that and managing to work the system. A car presents no problem for within the UK or on my travels to Ireland or on ferry crossings to Europe. Airplane flights are another matter of course. 

When I say a car presents no problems, I was forgetting the days before Ireland joined the E.U. and you had to have a customs 'carnet' listing every item of equipment and a separate page for every time you were going to cross a border that could be stamped at customs and retained by them. You were supposed to present this at the red channel when crossing borders in or out so they may, if they wished, check the list against your equipment. This was to prevent the illegal import of valuable goods into a country without paying the appropriate taxes and / or import duties. 

The Irish 'troubles' were at their height and security on ferries in and out was very strict. Queues through the regular 'green' channels at the customs sheds at the ports were consequently very long and passing through took much time. Of course I was obliged, by having a carnet which needed stamping, to pass through the usually empty red channel. Mostly they were so busy stopping and searching the many cars passing through the other channel that I was quickly waved through, no search, a quick stamp of my carnet and I was through. Effectively jumping very long queues. 

As I was also crossing borders between the Republic and the North when in Ireland, in principle the same rules applied. I came to a remote border crossing one quiet Sunday and dutifully stopped at the customs on the republic side where I disturbed a snoozing customs officer and was waved through. I enquired as to whether I should check in at the UK customs across the road to be told that "they don't open on a Sunday"! So I didn't bother!

After one trip however, I was in my studio one day when I had a surprise visit from UK Customs and Excise just wanting to check that the items on my carnet were still in my possession and not sold or exported illegally to Ireland. The system seemed to work then.

Turning up at airports with huge cases of 10" x 8" equipment can be stressful but I try to plan in advance. I always read the 'small print' and contact the airline in advance to forewarn them that I'm bringing large stuff and what is their procedure. Checking stuff into 'outsize baggage' can take time so I allow for it.  

On the other hand it can be fun watching a scanner and x-ray operator stare at the screen looking at the - to them - 'invisible' wooden 10" x 8" camera in the case and having to ask, "what's in there?" The one time I managed to fit everything into a normal size case that could be handled on the regular baggage check, I watched it come tumbling out end over end at Heathrow and a ground glass was smashed. I always carry spares so no big deal. It was also the only time in all my extensive travels that I have had anything broken. Luck maybe, but also good packing, good cases and good planning. Of course you have to pay extra for heavy stuff, that's fine, we accept that. My gallery, client, dealer or funding body are paying, not me. On a Ryanair flight to Portugal when I was doing some teaching at the Polytechnic in Porto, my flight was £25 or something silly and my camera case three times that. 

Porto, Portugal.

Watching cases containing precious equipment disappear into the bowels of baggage handling is stressful until they reappear, hopefully undamaged, some hours later the other end. I once had to change planes in New York JFK for an internal connecting flight to Vermont. I was sitting on the plane looking out of the window when I spotted my case being hauled off the motor trolley by two burly handlers. They grabbed an end each and then swung it, "one, two, three, heave" on to the moving belt that pulls it up into the hold. It flew through the air with the greatest of ease. Luckily, my good packing did the job and all was undamaged.