How I Travel With Film as a Maximalist, Experimental Film Photographer by Sara Johansen

Written by Sara Johansen

Folks, I’m not a minimalist. No matter how hard I try, I’m just not the person who is going to have a minimalist house, wardrobe, or camera bag.

I’ve long admired my friend and fellow SIWF contributor, Jen Stamps, who routinely travels with only one or two cameras. It truly looks so freeing, but when it comes down to it, my maximalist gene takes over.

Each camera, roll of film, or other gear accessory has a purpose when I travel, but, of course, I can only pack so much in my camera bag. Today, I’m going to go through how I pack my gear for trips, whether it’s a weekend or two weeks, by car or by plane, and some tips and tricks I use to make my traveling go smoother (I’m looking at you, TSA).

Each item has a reason for being packed, and I’m going to show you how I do it.

Fit Everything in Your Camera Bag

As a maximalist, I try to adhere to one simple rule when I start my packing. Everything I want to bring needs to fit in my camera bag.

Sometimes I break this rule, especially if I’m using a car for my travel or if I’m traveling for one of my retreats I host, but for the most part, starting off with this rule helps keep myself in check. Because even though I want to bring it all, the truth is I cannot, both for my sanity and also for the health of my shoulders.

Currently my camera bag of choice is the Langly Sierra Backpack, but I used to use the Kamrette Lyra Backpack. Both of these I highly recommend, as you can really pack quite a bit in there, and it also functions great for non-camera gear if you want to use it for other travel outside of cameras.

Choosing Cameras and Lenses

Next up, I start going through my cameras, lenses, and what I want to bring. It’s good to think through your trip and map out what you plan to capture and how you want to capture it.

Do you want to do any film soup? Multiple exposures? Medium format or 35mm, or both? Landscapes, portraits, street photography, all of the above?

If I’m doing street photography or more inconspicuous shooting, I know I want to pack my Yashica Mat 124G. If I’m planning to do film soup, I know I will want a camera I can load up just for that and have another camera I can use at the same time for non-film soup.

Do I want to do a roll of blind doubles? Will I want to do multiple exposures? Shoot lots of experimental film? Polaroid? 35mm through my Holga? Will I need a flash or a camera without a removable lens?

Going through all of these questions helps me to choose how many medium format vs. 35mm cameras I’ll bring, along with narrowing down which cameras work best for the shooting scenarios I’m planning for.

I choose these cameras, and then get to work fitting them in my bag. If they don’t all fit, I start prioritizing the list to get to a group of cameras and lenses that fit.

Again, using the rule that it all needs to fit in my bag helps keep me in check to not completely overpack, while still allowing myself to bring an array of cameras. Each camera should have a purpose, and if two cameras overlap with the same purpose, it’s a good idea to leave one behind.

I also never take a brand new camera I have not yet tested on a trip. This helps me avoid the risk of blank rolls or a camera that breaks right away, rendering it useless for my trip and just adding to the weight of my bag. While I want to make sure I have lots of cameras to help me meet my shooting goals for a trip, I also never want to have a large paperweight in my bag for no good reason.

Choosing Film

Once I’ve got my cameras picked out, I use the same process of going through what I plan to shoot to help pick out my film.

I also ask, do I want to shoot one main film stock for the trip or use all different kinds? How much soup do I plan to shoot? How many experimental rolls?

I go through and plan out how much I can realistically shoot in a day. This again will depend on the trip I’m taking, how long I’ll be gone, etc.

I think it’s important to be realistic on how much film to bring, especially if you will be traveling by plane and have to deal with airport security. Typically, I allot for 2-3 rolls per day, and then I always throw in three extra for the trip.

Choosing Accessories

Let’s not forget about accessories for your camera that you may need!

Luckily, many of these are so small, they live in my camera bag, so I never even have to think about packing them up.

Regardless, this is what I tend to have packed: I always have a film picker (essential for blind double rolls), extra batteries as needed for cameras packed, Sharpie (for writing notes on my film after using i.e. film soup, blind doubles, etc.), a roll of washi tape (because you never know when your 120 roll isn’t going to stick very well after using).

These last couple are dependent on what cameras I’m taking, but an extra 120 spool, MiNT flash for my Polaroid SX-70, shutter release cords (I always have one for my Polaroid SX-70 for self portraits and slow shutter images), and my Holga 35mm converter kit.

I also always take a couple of my business cards with a QR code to my website. Yes, business cards can seem antiquated, but in a moment they are SO easy to hand out if someone I meet along the way is curious about my work.

It’s also a great way for me to connect with people I take pictures of on my travels. I prefer to tell subjects when I’ve taken their image and give them the opportunity to have that image once it’s developed. Handing them my business card is such a quick and simple way to make that connection.

Staying Organized

I’ve got my gear and film chosen, but there are still some challenges to traveling with so many cameras and so much film.

To help keep me organized, I have a bag to keep all my film in. There are some nice bags you can purchase that have “no x-ray” warnings on them, but before those bags ever existed I used a good ol’ Ziploc bag, and, I have to say, it still works like a charm.

I have one baggie with all my unexposed film, and, then, I pack an extra one to put all my exposed film in. This helps me to keep it all fairly organized and easier to pick out my next roll of film when I’m on the go.

Knowing TSA Rules

Knowing the TSA rules for film ahead of traveling will save you a lot of time and headaches, plus there are a couple of tips I swear by for getting through the TSA queue more efficiently.

And with the newer CT scanners at many airports, there’s so much more risk with film going through the scanners.

With this, getting your film hand checked is the way to go. This isn’t always possible, some countries absolutely do not allow handcheck anymore, but just remember, the less your film gets scanned, the better.

So here’s what I do to help get through TSA the best I can.

First, I take all of my 35mm out of their boxes and plastic canisters, and my 120 out of their boxes and remove the plastic wrapper. This helps save space by removing the boxes and also helps speed up my time going through TSA by removing the plastic canisters.

Anything factory sealed will not need to be opened through TSA, but the plastic canisters do not fall into that category, meaning you can often get stuck going through TSA with an agent opening and taking out every single roll of film you have. It takes a long time and is a pain (and, yes, I almost missed a flight one time because of this slow down), so by getting rid of the plastic containers, it takes one step out and greatly speeds up the hand check process.

Removing the wrappers is a personal preference so I don’t have to deal with the extra trash while I’m out on my travels, but you could also leave the wrappers on if you’re worried about moisture. And since they are considered factory sealed, it won’t slow down your time through TSA.

Polaroid film in the box is considered factory sealed and does not need to be opened by TSA. Since the box doesn’t take up any extra room for those cartridges, I leave them in the box, and same if I’m traveling with Instax film.

Having all your cameras empty with no film is the ideal way to go through security, but let’s be honest, if you’re traveling with five or more cameras, you’re probably going to have some loaded. Even though I will have all my cameras securely packed in my bag, to go through TSA, I will take them out and put them in a separate reusable bag (I always travel with a BAGGU bag), along with my Ziploc baggie of film. This way, when it’s my turn in the TSA queue, all I have to do is hand over my bag of film and cameras and ask for a hand check.

Having it all ready to hand over in one easy transfer relieves so much stress and anxiety when I’m going through security. I don’t have to worry if I got all my film or waste time digging around my bag. Then, once I get through TSA and the handcheck, I can pack everything securely back in my camera bag, stash away my BAGGU bag and be on my way.

I hope this list and the tips help alleviate some stress the next time you pack your camera bag, especially if you’re like me and tend to want to pack everything for every trip. It’s just not feasible, so by having some simple rules to follow, it can make packing that much easier for your next trip.

Thank you so much, Sara! Sara is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out her other articles here, such as 6 Tips For Starting Your Own Film Photography Personal Project and 5 Tips For Shooting Film In A Studio Space.

You can also find more of Sara’s work on her website, Instagram, and print store.

Leave your questions about traveling with film below in the comments!

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Sara Johansen

Sara Johansen is a lifestyle and family portraits and experimental film photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as Five Tips for Shooting Film at Night and How to Edit Film Soup Images.

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