Kate and I took an extended weekend trip to Paris last Thursday. We hopped on a plane in JFK late Thursday night, fell asleep, and woke up the next day at 11am Paris time. We spent three and a half amazing days wandering around the streets of our second favorite city and I have this bag of exposed film to show for it. I took my Nikon FM2n and Hasselblad 501cm with me and Kate handled the digital duties flawlessly with the Nikon D90. I shot seven rolls (six color and one B&W) of 120 film in the Hasselblad and would have happily shot more if I had brought more. I shot eight and a half rolls of 35mm film and had two rolls of B&W film left at the end of the trip.
Exposed film from Paris Trip
I had the most pleasant experience at JFK with my bag of film. Everything was either 100, 160, or 400 ISO speed, so I didn’t plan on asking for a hand check of my film. I tossed the ziploc bag of film into a bin with my wallet and watch, prepared to see it work its way through the X-ray machine. I wasn’t worried too much since anything under 800 ISO is generally considered safe to pass through carry on X-ray machines (NOT checked luggage X-ray machines). But then a TSA screener walked over and asked me, “Would you like me to hand check your film?” After all the horror stories I’ve heard about screeners refusing to hand check film, this was a nice surprise. So my film only went through the X-ray in Paris at Charles De Gaulle. The screeners there were not amused by my request for a hand check.
Last night I developed my one roll of 120 film (Kodak Tri-X 400) from Paris in Kodak Xtol developer for 6.5 minutes. This is all twelve shots from the roll taken in the beautiful Montparnasse Cemetery.
Gravestone and Sign in Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris, France
Carved Child Mourning on Gravestone
Angel on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Baudelaire Cenotaph in Montparnasse
Bearded Head on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Books and Man on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Hands on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Jesus on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Serge Gainsbourg Grave in Montparnasse
Standing Woman on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Woman Resting on Gravestone in Montparnasse
Angel Holding Woman on Gravestone in Montparnasse
7 Comments
Does it make a difference having it hand checked then? I have previously also heard that ISO 800 and below fact too.
Shawn,
Where are you planning to develop your color film now that the Duane Reade doesn’t do it anymore? I need a new place that does it somewhat reasonably priced.
…actually, that reminds me. I need to finish up my roll of disposable camera film for that Photomobile project…
I dropped it off today at Luster in the East Village (Avenue A btwn 7th and 8th). They are pretty reasonable, $6 for develop only. Scans are pricey though.
I need to get on that Photomobile roll myself. Totally forgot!
Jayna, hand checked is nice, b/c they take it and inspect each roll with a swab thing and it doesn’t go through X-ray at all. They are supposed to do it if you ask. I don’t think it makes a difference below 800 ISO though. I’ve never had a problem.
Have not tried anything above 800 yet though.
Have you developed your NYC rolls yet?
Actually the photo here is Baudelaire’s cenotaph next to division 27 — he is in fact buried in division 6 on the other side of Motnparnasse Grande, along with his mother and stepfather. having said that the cenotaph is, of course, the much more interesting sculpture.
Thank you, Steve. Man, I could have used your knowledge when I was trying to find Brassai’s grave at Montparnasse. I went back and forth where it should have been but missed it.
I actually flew yesterday from London and as there were no people behind me and the screener looked alright I asked for a hand check. They also told me that up to 800 should be safe, but as on the 3 pack box of my 200 superia there was written clearly in red not to expose to X ray and heat, I insisted. Basically on the principle that if they did the effort to write 200 on the box they would have also took off that warning if it was the case. Also, that once the film gets damaged the screener doesn’t go back and take for instance a 7 hour long star trail session for me…
I really don’t understand their behaviour, it’s not that if they pass a film roll in the xray machine they see something different than what they would see with naked eye…
He also told me that to hand check it he would have had to unroll out the film at which I was about to say “you are iper idiot, aren’t you?” Then fortunately he called a supervisor who used a swab stick thing and in literally 5 seconds gave me back the rolls.
Oh, and in the end they didn’t even see my Gillette Mach 3 razor that I left in the wrong bag. Buffoons.