Long term travel advice

[lifevicarious]

Hey everyone,

As many of you may have read, I leave for a 448 day trip around the world at the end of this month. I will be taking a Leica M (as soon as I get one).

I am curious what this group does when it comes to developing, processing and storage of film and negs when on the road. Do you use local developers? Develop the negs in your hotel? Wait till you get home? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

- Christian

[Kyle]

If you can drag chemicals around, then I'd imagine that souping your own film in the hotel would be your best bet. Trying to find local developers could be a crapshoot as the good ones seem to be few and far between. Then I'd just keep the negatives in sleeves in some sort of binder. The other option would be to just wait till you get home, but that wouldn't be as much fun.

Good luck and have fun on your trip, that sounds amazing. What exactly is on the itinerary for the next year and a half?

[lifevicarious]

I am in Austin, TX for the weekend (A friend's 30th birthday) and then to Ecuador. I will be in South America from October 1st to January 18th when I fly to South Africa. From there, I don't have a set itinerary. Up Eastern Africa to the middle east, eastern Europe, probably across Russia, India, China, Japan, SE Asia, Australia, NZ (but not quite in that order).

If you have any can't miss places, let me know!

[mervynyan]

For a long trip like that, travel light is a must, if you like the place at all, you won't miss the checking up the photos. ship films home once you have few dozon rolls. wait until you go home, then spend another year to develop them, in effect you double your trip. Always recommend a digital camcorder, but you have to bring along battery charges, etc.

[dshfoto]

Try to find a local photo club. For example, Buenos Aires has a great photo club.
I spend a lot of time in Buenos Aires. The other day, when I got back some slides, they had scratches. So, you might want to shoot a couple of test rolls, and try to find a local pro lab, and see how the results come out.
I tried four local photo shops in the last week, and none of them had any Kodak transparency film in stock (35 or 120 mm's)
Have a great trip.

[kully]

Lucky beggar!

I travelled overland to India in 1999 and being ignorant at the time kept all my film in my backpack and processed when I got to India. I never knew any better until this year when I started scanning in the film - the stuff that was carried through 50C+ has noticebly more grain than the film I bought and processed in India within a few weeks.

I'd recommend posting the film back to yourself or getting it processed out there (but then you need to keep it safe and I cannot see that happening in a backpack).

Don't listen to people who disparage processing outside the your home country - I've been to small shops in the middle of tiny towns and found the blokes who own them know there stuff because that is there job - unlike the robots in Costco/Supa Snaps &c.

[FrankS]

Use the internet at hotels or libraries along the way. Search for photo clubs that may have members to help you out with processing. Great way to meet people, I'd think. You could just mail the exposed film hame, but you'd have no feedback, unless you had someone there to develop, scan, and email you pics.

[Andrew Sowerby]

If I was going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world with a camera that I'd owned for less than a month I certainly wouldn't wait until the end of the trip to develop all my film. You might get an unpleasant surprise.

If you're using a common film like Tri-X I'm sure you could find a capable lab in pretty much any major city.

[rvaubel]

If I was going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world with a camera that I'd owned for less than a month I certainly wouldn't wait until the end of the trip to develop all my film. You might get an unpleasant surprise.


Your dilema reminds me of how difficult the world of film is becoming. With all the restrictions of security, film is reaching a dead end faster than it deserves. Nothing that I can think of solves the problem particularly well.

For me, the best solution would be developing on the road. A bottle of one of the many concentrated on shot developers would do the job. That one bottle, a small 2 reel tank, and a changing bag, and you'd be set. Fixer would be nice but you can find that as you go.

Actually, I changed my mind. It could be kinda fun. Using locally available film, and chemicals could be an adventure in itself. The tank and changing bag should arouse no hostility. I would try to keep my hands on the developer however. Making or procuring your own while traveling might be a little much.

Good Luck,

Rex

[back alley]

i would mail it home but process one out of every 24 locally to ensure the camera is still working ok.

[mad_boy]

I have been on some long trips myself and faced the same dilemma.

I chose not to ship the unprocessed films out of fear of them getting lost.
Especially in the world's poorer countries quite some parcels disappear.
If you would ship use a reliable (expensive) one likd DHL, not the standard post office. But even then, if you see some of the local DHL offices.....

I choose to have the rolls developed and printed at one of the many one-hour shops. These are not highly recommended generally in this forum, but have the advantage that you can see what they are doing. Check the following:
- Do the machine operators wear gloves?
- Is the machine from a renowned make?
- Check some of the prints that just came from the machine.
- Are colours right (indication of quality of chemicals)
- negs not scratched?
- Use of good quality paper (Fuji or Kodak)?
(if you tell them you have 10 rolls they will let you do these things).
If all these points are OK you have a fair chance of them doing a good job.
This is much cheaper by the way than having them printed at home.

Then I mail the prints home and keep the negs at least till I have confirmation that the prints have arrived. That way you can always recover your images by scanning the prints.

Mad_boy (a.k.a. Experienced_boy).

[lifevicarious]

Kully - you waited years to process some of your film from your India trip? How can you wait that long? I can barely wait to open gifts on Christmas morning! :)

dshfoto - do you know of any other clubs anywhere else in SA? I wil lbe 2 or 2.5 months before I gt to Buenos Aires.

Andrew - yes, I will run a few rolls through first and don't think I want to wait that long to get any pictures back. I have used RF's before so I am not comletely in the dark on these but point well taken! :)

[lifevicarious]

Madboy - those are great ideas! I have to imagine there are competent developers across this globe. I can't imagine the only place to get good negs is in the US or Europe. I'm guessing many of them are probably better then they are here! :)

Has anyone ever developed the negs in their hotel room? Any ideas on availability of chemicals in other countries?

[egpj]

If you are shooting color then no worries. Process that C-41 stuff where ever you are. The black and white stuff can be shipped back via a reliable carrier. You can choose to break up the shipments as well so not everything from each shoot is in the same shipment.

[lifevicarious]

It will be mostly BW, with some occasional color thrown in.

[Socke]

My long trips, three to six month, where all while I was in the navy. We could develope B/W on board but I mostly shot C41 then. I found a 24h lab almost everywhere but I have to admit that most of my negs I had developed in the US in 1984 are gone now, they literally fell apart. Worst was the one at Disney World :-(

[dreamsandart]

What types of film are you planning on using?

Have you got a place you can mail the film back to with a dependable Lab?

Have you used a Leica M before? And what are you thinking about for equipment?

A few questions that can help with answers.

[Trius]

If you are going to take along developer for doing your own conventional B&W, then I recommend something you know how to use of course... but also a liquid concentrate such as HC-110, Rodinal, FG-7, etc. Depending on dilution, one or two bottles should suffice for most if not all of the trip. Due to current restricitons, it would normally have to be in checked luggage, of course. To insure against leakage, put the bottle in a ziplock bag, then that in a Lock-and-Lock container. Lock-and-Lock are well sealed unless they explode/implode from pressure variations, will insure against leakage all over clothing and other gear.

Obviously take along negative storage sleeves as well, and a sturdy archival box in which to protect the sleeved negatives.

[FrankS]

I really can't see travelling around the world schlepping a developing tank, chemicals, and sleeved negatives.

[Avotius]

carry a lot of film, and some ziplock bags, keep all your film in the bags, when you finish shooting it use a black permanant marker to mark the canister somehow to signify that its been shot or just throw it in your "used" bag and go on to the next roll. Travel light, you got to, there is no better trip killer then having to lug around extra weight

[Trius]

I really can't see travelling around the world schlepping a developing tank, chemicals, and sleeved negatives.
Frank: I thought of this also. My post was premised on what life posted about how to deal with film on such a long trip, especially given that he will be doing mostly b&w.

I think the prospect of finding good commercial processing for b&w, camera clubs not withstanding, is very optimistic. And we don know how many times film will be x-rayed in airports. Given the uncertainty of even first-line commercial couriers in some countries, I think process-as-you-go is the best (albeit not optimum) solution.

That said, such a long trip is a good recommendation for the virtues of digital. Alas, the M8 will not be available in time for life's departure, and it will be brand new and untested by actual paying consumers as well.

Photographers for years before digital have dealt with these issues, and we have some great, great photos as a result.

If I were fortunate enough to make such a journey, I'd certainly want to optimise my photo efforts along the way. The years of memories created will be beyond value.

[FrankS]

I suppose the developing tank could double as a coffee cup and wine glass! :)

[Trius]

Good point. A very good wash with extremely hot water first, of course!

Plus, the tank could be stuff with other items when travelling, perahs doing double duty to protect fragile items.

[lifevicarious]

I have used a Leica M before. Chances are, assuming I go with a Leica, I will take a MP, a 35 Cron and perhaps a less expensive 75. I will shoot mostly BW, Tri-x and Ilford.

I do have a place to send film back home, but not a great developer. If I were to send them home, I would be fine wiating till I returned to have things developed.

Trius - as you said, digital does have it's virtues, especially with long term travel. I will be bringing a 5D and a Mac for that exact reason. But I love street photography, and while not very good at it, it is what I would like to spend most of my time on. There are obvious advantages to RF photography over SLR when it comes to street.

[Owen W.]

There are a lot of wild-card variables here. The nature and type of your travel, perhaps more accurately called the “class” of your travel, is quite important. If you’re backpacking as a WT (world traveler), the experience and access to services is decidedly different than if you’re are a credit-card tourist staying at 3-star and above hotels.

Basically, the variations in quality of processing are huge, and the time and logistics required to hunt down photo clubs, etc., can be prohibitive. If photography and the exploration of local photo-club-culture are the central goals of your journey, then doing so might add some very interesting experiences. But, if that is the case, you should be doing MAJOR homework on the Net and exchanging e-mails with said clubs in preparation long before you depart.

Otherwise, I second the suggestion that you carry good film in solid, double ziplocks. Mark exposed canisters. Take good notes. Ship only occasionally from major cities, sending the film home for later processing under better conditions. As you don’t have to ship each film as it comes out of your camera, you can wait until you are confident in the postal service or shipping method you choose. Plus, it’s more economical to ship in batches.

Shoot a little C-41 from time to time and develop in the larger cities of the countries that clearly have decent mini-labs. Here, too, quality varies enormously. My experiences include some countries that have processing far superior to anything but the top custom labs in the US, and at 1/3 the cost. Others will butcher your film and charge you Western prices. B&W processing is becoming very difficult to find and, again, the quality varies widely. Better to batch ship your exposed film back home for you to do later. Do not be impatient to develop the film. As a traveler, tho, I find that it is pretty easy to put the exposed film in a bag and move on to the next site, sights and adventures. As was also suggested, the delayed gratification from doing the darkroom work later is a major pleasure unto itself.

I also found that a backup P&S -- I like the Olympus Muj fixed lens, as it’s water resistant and the sliding cover makes it pretty durable -- is the camera for C-41 party shots. You can also hand that camera more readily to others for shots that include you. Feed it with film you pick up (and process) along the way. This provides a good balance in the need for occasional gratification and silly tourist/traveler gang shots -- and your desire to do a bit more considered photography along the way.

Finally, do homework on the regional distribution networks of your favorite film(s). Find where their major offices are located. This will also help you restock on film along the way, as you may be unpleasantly surprised with the lack of decent film stock in many, many places. Again, B&W film can be particularly hard to find. Alternatively, figure out how and where family or friends can get parcels (Care packages) to you along the way. The local cyber cafes make communications so much easier than in days of yore, but you still may be surprised by your specific needs and desires for “stuff” you’ll want sent out.

It could be, however, that my views are “old fashioned”. I’ve just noticed your last response that you’ll be carrying laptop and a 5D. Hmm. I suppose that rules you out as a backpacking adventure traveler and suggests you will be one restricting yourself to hotel-based “outings”. The further down the feeding chain of services you go, the higher your security risks for things you are not keeping with you. I’d be far more worried about having that laptop stolen than I would be about losing film in a courier service shipment!

Anyway, just food for thought.

Have fun.

Owen

[Terence T]

Some of the countries you might visit will have a couple of reputable labs you can send your rolls to. Pays to do a bit of research ahead of time so you'll know where you can safely develop negs, pickup film etc... Best to send off your negs back home once you've accumulated enough. If you're ever in Singapore, here are a couple of reputable labs with good turnaround times and decent pricing on film, the variety available might differ from time to time...

www.fotohub.com
103 Beach Rd, #01-01 Premier Center Singapore 189704
Tel : 6334 6146

Ruby Photo
3 Coleman Street, #01-01 / 01-02, Peninsula Hotel Shopping Complex, Singapore 179804
Ph : 6338 0236

[Harry Lime]

Periodically ship batches of exposed film home with FedEx.

Mark 'Exposed Film - Do NOT X-Ray - Please Hand Inspect only'
on the outside.

It's not a guarantee that the warning will be heeded, but it's better than nothing.

HL

[Andrew Sowerby]

I really can't see travelling around the world schlepping a developing tank, chemicals, and sleeved negatives.

I agree. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

[lifevicarious]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I will probably end up shooting a lot of digital, shoot with a RF when the digital is packed away or not appropriate. That way I will have the best of both worlds. I will have instant gratification, but then will have the opportuntiy to live the rip over as I will wait to develop most rolls when I get home after 15 months!!