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Author Topic: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.  (Read 4145 times)

David Watson

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The TSA have expanded there ridiculous so-called anti-terrorism initiative to all USA airports.  Read this:

https://www.pdnonline.com/gear/tsa-rules-photographers-electronics-carryon/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PDN%20Newswire%20Newsletter%20Template%2008032017%20(1)&utm_content=

What does this mean for anyone travelling to the USA from - well anywhere else?  You can either check your camera equipment and potentially say goodbye to it or you can try and take it on board as a carry on like we are used to.  That is not going to work so well anymore.  As the article says every single item will have to be taken out, unpacked and screened through an x-ray machine. I don't know about you but that would be around 15-20 items for me plus all the other stuff, shoes, belt, phone, money, liquids in a bag, etc. etc.

We all want to be safe but these regulations are ridiculous and your averagely intelligent terrorist will not doubt already have a solution.

From my own perspective it means that I will not be visiting the USA  - sorry but my pounds and euros will not be converted into dollars anytime soon.

If however you are a US citizen you can pop into a number of regional centres, be interviewed by someone, be finger printed, photographed and so on and you get a "get on the plane free of hassle card".

Sorry if this a bit of a rantatorial but really it is just too much.
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David Watson ARPS

BJL

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2017, 11:13:48 am »

The new rules sound like a hassle, but let me ofer two small bits of good news.

Firstly, for a more accurate discussion than at PDN with some useful tips, I suggest Ned Levi's blog post
    http://www.nslphotographyblog.com/2017/07/enhanced-security-tips-for.html
which includes evidence for the fact that lenses are _not_ covered. (The original TSA statement was a bit ambiguous and got interpreted pessimistically). That still leaves cameras, bodies, flash units, battery chargers, and iPads etc. needing to be un-bagged.

Secondly, Global Entry does sound more attractive (I plan to upgrade to it from TSA-Pre) so it might help to know that citizens of some other countries can get that too: Gloabl Entry or a close equivalent are available for  citizens of the nine countries listed at
    https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility
plus Canadians and Argentines.

No dangerous Australians or New Zealanders allowed though!
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Farmer

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2017, 06:21:53 pm »

No dangerous Australians or New Zealanders allowed though!

Colombia is fine, though!  I wonder if I could enrol under my British passport (I'm an Aussie but with dual citizenship), or whether your permanent address impacts on it.
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Phil Brown

luong

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2017, 03:38:48 pm »

While the idea is quite offensive, in practice it hardly matters. For an international flight, you are going to spend maybe 2 hours at the airport, and then half a day to a day in flight. Assuming the extra inspection takes 15 minutes, what difference does it make in your trip?
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QT Luong - author of http://TreasuredLandsBook.com, winner of 6 national book awards

NancyP

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2017, 05:49:54 pm »

I think the issue may be more the general impression of inhospitality to non-citizens who have the temerity to visit while brown/melanized, or who don't have a recognizably American accent to their English.

At this point, if I were to go abroad, I would wipe my regional accent as best as possible (revert to Standard Midwestern), start brushing up my hockey knowledge, and say "eh" a lot. Either that, or wear a pin, "Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him" once out of the US side of customs.
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DeanChriss

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2017, 06:35:58 pm »

I think the issue may be more the general impression of inhospitality to non-citizens who have the temerity to visit while brown/melanized, or who don't have a recognizably American accent to their English.

At this point, if I were to go abroad, I would wipe my regional accent as best as possible (revert to Standard Midwestern), start brushing up my hockey knowledge, and say "eh" a lot. Either that, or wear a pin, "Don't blame me, I didn't vote for him" once out of the US side of customs.

Exactly. In S.E. Asia, if people ask where I'm from I always say "Canada". Since I'm from Ohio the accent isn't an issue.
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NancyP

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2017, 01:01:10 pm »

You know it's bad when the Canadian Scouting organizations cancel trips to the US.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2017, 02:25:52 pm »

It's not immediately obvious from the TSA announcement that the measure applies to people travelling to the US. It refers to implementing the plan at US airports, with TSA officers supervising it.

Jeremy
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2017, 03:24:30 pm »

I understand that Jeremy has volunteered to do a test trip to the U.S.A. this month.
If and when he gets back, perhaps he will write up his experiences for LuLa.   ;)

Eric
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SrMi

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2017, 03:47:36 pm »

I have traveled to Lofoten in February 2017. In every airport in Norway, I had to remove all my lenses and camera bodies from the backpack. When traveling in Europe in July 2017, I had to remove all camera bodies from the backpack.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2017, 03:17:41 pm »

I understand that Jeremy has volunteered to do a test trip to the U.S.A. this month.
If and when he gets back, perhaps he will write up his experiences for LuLa.   ;)

OK: my experience. I travelled with a 5Ds in a ThinkTank roller case with three lenses and assorted cables, card reader and so on. Out on 20/8, back on 26/8. Boston's Logan is listed as one of the places at which the enhanced measures have already been implemented. I'm not in the TSA-Pre programme (although the global entry programme does look very interesting, given the length of the queues: it was only some answers to the guard tinged with suppressio veri that got us through Logan in 40 minutes).

Outbound from Heathrow to Logan: standard search. Laptop and iPad in separate trays, camera bag passed through unopened. Shoes on feet, belt off. No difficulty and no different from any other trip from the UK to anywhere.

Inbound from Logan to Heathrow: pretty much the same. This time the Kindle had to be in a separate tray, as had my shoes but not my belt (so my trousers didn't fall down again, which was a relief). I was asked if the camera case contained any liquids (no) or "electronic devices larger than an iPhone"; I said it had a camera, the guard said fine and it went through unopened. Again, no different from usual.

From this extensive and carefully-controlled study, it would appear to be a storm in a teacup.

Jeremy
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jeremyrh

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Re: Photography trip to the USA from any non-US country? Forget it.
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2017, 03:32:34 am »

I have traveled to Lofoten in February 2017. In every airport in Norway, I had to remove all my lenses and camera bodies from the backpack. When traveling in Europe in July 2017, I had to remove all camera bodies from the backpack.
You must look suspicious :-)  I have never ever had to remove camera bodies from my backpack anywhere in Europe, including on a trip to Lofoten!
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