A new take on the treatment of photographers…
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Aug 18, 2010 at 6:44 pm by
.
-
Posts
-
;D ;D Both funny and half true…
A friend gave me a shirt that has ‘I’m a photographer, not a terrorist’ printed huge across the front.
Still haven’t worn it through the airport yet, but always tempted.. 😉
www.dsaphoto.com
A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.
Tongue-and-cheek aside…..Last week I did have a TSA agent politely explain…..”Sir….we want to run your case (Pelican with photo gear) through the scanner a second time”.
They never did search it. So yes…I agree, we probably come under extra scrutiny.
I know the feeling as traveling with a rock band has its problems. I hae 2 pelican style cases with a ton of equipment, and I have been checked numerous times by the TSA. although we do fly mostly private now, on occasion I fly alone to meet up and the last time I did that I got checked so hard I felt like a criminal. I will also say that they are very rough handling your gear and I have seen stuff dropped and the last time I got checked they pulled everything out of the cases and wiped it down with some type of a wet wipe looking thing and ran it through a machine :-[ and when they were finished all my gear was laying eveywhere and he said ok you are free to go. >:( 20 minutes worth of packing back up and I was on my way. I guess I looked like a criminal trying to move about rom state to state 😉
…last time I got checked they pulled everything out of the cases and wiped it down with some type of a wet wipe looking thing and ran it through a machine :-[
Jarrod,
The swabbing is done in an effort to detect explosive (or drug) residue. The swab will turn blue if explosive (or drug) residue is detected. Most likely the TSA uses a swab that detects explosives while Customs might utilize the swabs that detect drugs.
thanks for that info Steve K., I really wasn’t sure what they were checking for, and usually too mad to ask.
I also noticed that when I switched my suitcase out for a large Pelican case, just for clothing etc., it has a TSA paper in it everytime saying it was inspected. I would think that when it runs down the belt an Xray looks through it, it should be fine it only contains my clothing.; :-/I often photograph birds at a small manmade lake close to home, which is frequented by people taking a morning walk on the path around the lake.
About three years ago, a guy showed up with a 500mm on a bush-hawk shoulder support, and someone called the cops, thinking it was some sort of weapon, and dozens of LAPD patrol cars sealed off the area…lol…
No laughing matter
It has happened to a friend of mine.
One minute in a field, the next thing he knew he had cops all around him telling him not to move and put it down..I’ve had a close call.
Wanted to check a couple fields for bucks 2 falls ago. The fields are adjacent to a Nuke gen station. Since 9/11 they all have their own on site tactical ERUs.Even though I was in adjacent fields, it was dawn, I was in camo and I am carrying what can look like a weapon/rocket launcher. Adn those fields are covered by closed circuit.
I dont go back much and when I do I stop in at security to let them know I’ll be in the bush and let them check my gear/trunk.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.