Planning for travel abroad

[S. Wong]

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This is a bit off topic, but I'm planning to travel internationally for the first time, and need direction on both the practical and photographic side of life.

 

I have an SL and am planning to take my 28, 135, and a 60 macro if I can find one.

 

Should I also think about bringing a HD Camcorder? This will be a guided tour of the Holy Land by my pastor, and I want to record certain areas with both audio and video. If I could be directed to a forum similar to this, that would be perfect.

 

Also, I am looking at packing and passports, trying to determine the best way to travel comfortably without too much concern of pick pockets and thieves. It feels like I'm carrying around a big version of my US Social Security card, and showing it to anyone who asks, and I'm just not super-comfortable about that in this age of identity theft. Add to that the new RFID chipped passports that you don't even need to present for someone to read it, and I'm all warm and fuzzy.

 

Thanks for your patience and advice.

-Steven

[SJP]

tip 1 = enjoy your journey

 

tip 2 = use the stuff you are comfortable with - so if you want to use a video practice beforehand

 

tip 3 = keep passports etc. in a place you are comfortable with (in my case in my jacket pocket but you can also consider a neck pouch, that is what I used for a long time)

 

tip 4 = relax, it will be fun

 

Reality is that travelling in terms of risk usually is not much more exiting than staying at home & eating in your favorite fast-food restaurant, it is a state of mind.

[andybarton]

Don't spend all your time videoing and photographing stuff so that the only time you experience it is when you watch it on tv when you get home. You can do that much more cheaply by buying some NG DVDs.

 

Remember, millions of people travel the world every day and don't have their identities stolen. And 99.999% of people anywhere are friendly people who don't want to rob you.

[jaapv]

First: relax - have fun. As for the video camera - you need backup for your still camera - it will be a trip of a lifetime and even an SL can break down. Get a Dlux4 for the emergency - and it has video capability.

[stuny]

A neck pouch that is shielded could reduce your concern about having chips read.

[jaapv]

Israel is extremely security-concious You will be safer than at home.

[andybarton]

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"The Holy Land" covers more than Israel, doesn't it?

 

If the visit includes the West Bank and Gaza, then lots of security checks can be expected, especially when crossing borders. But, anywhere in the Middle East will most likely involve lots of security checks.

 

Doesn't mean it's unsafe though.

 

Absolutely not worth worrying about.

[bill]

If the first amoeba was as risk averse as some people, we would all still be primordial slime

 

Go. Enjoy. Stop worrying. Have a great time. As to the video, if you are not video-minded, don't bother.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Jeff S]

I use a money belt inside pants front to keep money, passport, etc.

 

I sometimes even use one locally if I plan to do street shooting in crowded areas.

 

Jeff

[tdtaylor]

Israel is extremely security-concious You will be safer than at home.

 

I'm with Jaap. Be ready for fairly invasive searches flying, but remember it makes it safer. As for valuables, in my international travels I use Rick Steve's silk Hidden Pocket, even when traveling in areas that are safe. It is very comfortable, easy to get to, and I just can forget about it and focus on the sites or photographing.

 

My wife and I have traveled many places, and if you just try to be an excellent guest in the country you are visiting and take up their customs, we have found you will enjoy your trip more, are almost always treated well, and don't stick out like a tourist (and it might even open up better photographic opportunities).

 

I have a family that is a bunch of "ugly americans," (that I never travel with) and I have to constantly hear their complaints about travel abroad- I personally have little or none. Funny how far respecting others can go.

 

Rick Steves' Travel Store : Hidden Pocket

[smb]

If you are going to use an HD recorder take long shots, do not zoom in and out quickly, and do not constantly move the camera. Video is not like photos where a person can linger short or long on an image depending upon their desire. They will look at each image only as long as it has been recorded. More often than not they will need to look at the image longer than you have recorded it. It is easier to cut or shorten an image but once the camera has stopped recording you can not add on additional footage. I do not wish to be insulting to anyone but more often than not travel videos end up looking like MTV music videos making the viewer dizzy.

[rleffingwell]

One big frustration of traveling with still cameras and video is that, inevitably, you have the wrong camera to your eye. Someone says something memorable - or does something dramatic - and you catch it as a still. You raise the video to your eye and people freeze and look - silently - right into the lens. I agree strongly with those that suggest you take a back-up still body and leave the video for someone else on the trip - and then you exchange works when you're back home. And as everyone has suggested, have a great journey! The chance to see those parts of the world through Leitz glass is enviable.

 

Best wishes for great experiences and beautiful light, randy

[stuny]

One more video suggestion. Pan slowly -- slower than you think necessary. Try it out at home and view the results. then trya gain. Interestingly, the home movies by Hollywood legend Mike Todd failed at that and were pretty miserable.

[peter_n]

If you don't already use video my advice is to only take a still camera with a backup body - a small digicam will do. In addition to that, only take equipment you're familiar and comfortable with. If you're planning on taking a 60mm macro that you don't have yet, get one as soon as possible and make sure it's working properly and familiarize yourself with its characteristics. A trip like this can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you'll want to drink in that experience while you're there and not be fretting about camera equipment. Only take gear that doesn't get in the way. Have a wonderful trip!

[roydonian]

This is a bit off topic, but I'm planning to travel internationally for the first time, and need direction on both the practical and photographic side of life.

 

I have an SL and am planning to take my 28, 135, and a 60 macro if I can find one.

 

Should I also think about bringing a HD Camcorder?

 

This sounds like a really exciting trip, which I am sure you will enjoy it.

 

You did not say when the trip will be, but if you have the spare cash and enough time to master another lens, I’d recommend that you consider getting the 28-70mm zoom for your SL.

 

You are going to be exposed to a huge variety of architecture and landscapes in a very short space of time. This will almost certainly be the most ‘different’ place you have ever visited, and it’s going to be drinking from a firehose. You won’t know whether the next street corner will reveal and old cobbled alley that needs a wide-range lens, or an worn antique door-knocker on a centuries-old door that calls for a longer focal length.

 

On any organised tour, the group has its own schedule as the guide takes you from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on at each stop the group makes. So the group won’t/can’t hang around while you keep changing lenses. With the zoom, you will need less time to react and take your pictures, while still having time to listen to the guide and simply to look around.

 

The only drawbacks are the modest speed, also the slight barrel distortion visible in verticals when you are at the 28mm setting.

 

The 28-70mm zoom has served me well on trips to Egypt, Turkey and Italy. It was rarely off the camera. If you don’t go this route, it would be worth getting a 50mm lens so that you have something between the 28 and 135.

 

I’d take either a good-quality ‘point & shoot’ or a spare SL body, so that you can cope with a failure of the main system. But I suspect that to add a videocam might result in you spending more time looking through a viewfinder than using your eyeballs.

 

The phrase ‘The Holy Land’ is a bit of a euphemism in today’s Middle East – largely as a result of the 1967 Six Day War. But I assume that you will be touring Israel, perhaps with side trips into the occupied West Bank and/or Jordan.

 

Most of the areas you will be visiting have been exposed to pilgrims and tourists for centuries, and are generally safe. Pickpockets and thieves will be no more common than they are in a US city of similar size.

 

But cameras have to be used with a little discretion when photographing in areas where there are orthodox Jews or observant Muslims (who object on religious grounds to being photographed).

 

One thing you might find surprising is the number of off-duty soldiers you will see on the streets in Israel. This is due to the fact that the country has large armed forces that include a high proportion of short-term conscripts as well as reservists. So at any time, a lot are off-duty, or travelling between home and their base.

 

Another is the occasional presence on the streets of armed Israeli civilians. These are settlers allowed to be armed because they live in ‘dangerous’ areas.

[S. Wong]

Thank you all for your kind advice.

I particularly appreciate the understanding about the passport security, the advice about how to not stick out like a tourist, minimizing target risk.

 

To respond to specific advice:

I do have a 50 lux to bring if I don't find the 60 macro in a price range I can afford. I don't have a mid-range zoom to use, and probably could not find on that I can afford before the trip.

 

The Holy Land trip in this case encompasses Israel and some of Paul's journeys. I will be visiting Israel, Greece & Aegean Islands, and Ephesus in Turkey. I had actually forgotten the Islamic prohibition on photographs or other methods of making images of people or things.

I was not aware of issues of Orthodox Jews and photography, and will investigate further.

 

As to the state security, I am not concerned about Israeli soldiers/citizens carrying firearms. I have lived in states of the USA where this is not common, but not unheard of.

 

For a backup, I think the point/shoot/hd camera will be the best option for price/redundancy/size/simplicity. Perhaps a Panasonic.

 

Another issues I've been thinking of is the issue of traveling with film.

How do you guys deal with traveling with a significant amount of film?

 

Thanks,

-Steven

[stunsworth]

If you go to Ephesus try to visit the museum in Selcuk which is about a mile and a half from the entrance. I reaslise if you are on an organised trip that may be difficult to do by yourself, but it's well worthwhile if you can make it. It's only a small museum, but one of my favourites.

 

If you're on a cruise boat you'll probably dock at Kusadasi, which is a tourist town without much charm.

 

From the type of trip you're on I'm guessing you may be visiting the Greek island of Patmos. If there's one island I would choose above all the others I've been to it would be Patmos. Small - and quiet once the cruise ships have left - I've been there many times over the years. If you do visit Patmos have a drink in the Arion cafe for me. You can't miss the Arion it's right on the waterfront near to where the small tenders that bring people from the cruise ships dock.

[roydonian]

Thank you all for your kind advice.

I particularly appreciate the understanding about the passport security, the advice about how to not stick out like a tourist, minimizing target risk.

 

I’ve been to Greece, Turkey and Israel, and can assure you that you are going to have quite a trip! However, there is no way that you are not going to look like a tourist, especially travelling with a group. Even if you were travelling independently, your facial colouring, hair style, and clothes style will all differ from those of the locals.

 

Assuming that your pastor has done similar trips before, he should be a good source of practical information on topics such as passports. For example, first-time travellers can sometimes be alarmed when a hotel asks for a passport and says they will return it later. This is normal – in many countries, the hotel has to register its visitors with the police and/or tourist authorities. So holding your passport for up to a day lets them get on with that paperwork at a time that suits them, and lets you get on with your holiday instead of hanging around waiting them to fill up the forms.

 

 

 

I had actually forgotten the Islamic prohibition on photographs or other methods of making images of people or things.

I was not aware of issues of Orthodox Jews and photography, and will investigate further.

 

A reasonable rule in both cases is that you are OK taking street scenes, but should not photograph an individual or group. But in some ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas such as Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, all photography is strictly forbidden.

 

 

As to the state security, I am not concerned about Israeli soldiers/citizens carrying firearms. I have lived in states of the USA where this is not common, but not unheard of.

 

You may see settlers toting loaded sub-machine guns in the street, which I suspect is not common in the US!

 

 

Another issues I've been thinking of is the issue of traveling with film.

How do you guys deal with traveling with a significant amount of film?

 

Depends how much of a ‘shutterbug’ you are. I used to budget for three 36-exposure cassettes per day. I’d buy the whole batch from a professional dealer, and pack that ‘brick’ of film in my hand luggage. The X-ray machines used to suitcases can harm film, but those used for hand luggage are safe.