Best Business Practices for Photographers [203]
Taking these precautions will mean you are minimizing the likelihood that your shoot will be scrubbed because of lighting equipment failure.
It Only Takes One Flight: Carry On Your Cameras
I am often amazed at the lack of thinking that goes on in the minds of the flying public. There was a recent reality television show that documented the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations of an airline as they dealt with difficult passengers, delayed flights, and lost luggage. Time and time again, passengers depicted on the show reported that they had packed their medication in the luggage that was checked and now missing, routed to a distant location, or didn't make it onto the plane. And this wasn't medication for a headache; it was medication for heart ailments, allergies, and other life-threatening ailments. Medicines like this are so small that they can easily fit in a purse, pocket, or even the smallest carry-on bag. Also, you are often told not to pack jewelry, cash, or other valuables that could be missing upon your arrival at your destination—this includes cameras.
And don't pack your cameras in bags that scream, "I am a camera bag; steal me!" Some current models of camera bags are nondescript. Some look like generic satchels, some like school backpacks, and some like your basic carry-on bag, which brings me to my point. It used to be that when I would travel with cameras and film, the cameras and lenses were the absolute "must have," and the hundred-plus rolls of film could be replaced if necessary. However, on my return flight, I would never let the exposed film leave my sight or proximity. You are allotted one carry-on and one personal item—a purse or laptop case. Thanks to the hard work of the American Society of Media Photographers, the Transportation Security Administration now allows you to have a second piece of carry-on luggage, provided it contains photographic equipment. However, the baggage must still conform to size and weight restrictions, and there are times when the overhead bins may be full. But you should carry on the things you can't live without—medication, your laptop, money, client contact and trip information, and your cameras and lenses.
If you have a significant amount of equipment, carry on the primary body and lenses. If the flight attendants tell you that the overhead bins are full, on most airlines you can carry on a camera that is not considered your allotted personal item or carry-on bag. Although this rule is meant more for a point-and-shoot or a small SLR, a professional-grade body with a 300mm lens attached to it falls into that category. So carry that on the plane on your shoulder and put several of your lenses into pants and jacket pockets if you have to. Somehow, you should get the most critical pieces of equipment on board and fit them under the seat in front of you. Aside from theft, there are baggage loaders who seem to have a constant disregard for luggage marked "fragile"; it'll get tossed around just like all the other bags.
One final solution is to ask that your bag be "gate checked." This is what happens to strollers and children's car seats. At the bottom of the jetway, an attendant takes your bag and gives you a claim check. When you get off the plane—even if you're in a connecting city—you wait in the same place after you deplane, and a baggage handler will bring up your bag when he or she brings strollers and other gate-checked items, thus minimizing the risk to the bag. Although attendants accept gate checks without a moment's thought for strollers, it might take a courteous request or two before they take your camera bag. Make sure when they do take your camera bag that it will come back up to the arrival city jetway, rather than being sent to baggage claim.
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