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Thread: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

  1. #1
    Brett Simison bsimison's Avatar
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    Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Howdy,

    I'm putting together a project where I'll need to fly commercially to Central and South America with large format gear and some portable strobe equipment. I'll have access to AC power only at night to recharge gear, so battery equipment is a must. When I work locally and travel via car, I carry a case of White Lightnings and a couple of Buff's Vagabond AC inverters that run on marine deep cycle batteries. I don't think they'll let those on a plane.

    Have any of you run into a similar situation? I'd love to hear some suggestions.

    Thanks!
    -Brett

  2. #2
    Daniel Stone's Avatar
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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Profoto's battery packs are terrific.

    most places internationally rent Profoto + modifiers. However, how they treat their equipment, that's up to your discretion. Most of the people I've assisted for who use their lighting equipment for every job fly with it, and fly regularly.

    however, if you can get away with a Lumedyne strobe system, or some Quantum Q-Flashes w/ Quantum Turbo batteries(3-4 I'd recommend, depending on power used, and amount of use, and having backups just in case).

    Quantum's save a good bit on weight and bulk, and can put out a good bit of light for something their size. Some can even be used with softboxes or other modifiers with adapters.

    -Dan

  3. #3
    Peter
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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Absorbed Glass Mat batteries may be allowed. They are allowed for wheelchairs. I've seen some references to people who were flying with them. I couldn't find any reference to them on the TSA website. They don't contain any liquids that are corrosive so they can't spill. You may want to call the TSA and ask them about it.

    Peter

  4. #4

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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Probably cheaper to rent from a big city than to hassle with flying battery-pro strobes these days. Heck you could even buy some and resell them for less.

    If you can't find a rental house, get online and find the larger pro studios in each country, even the poorest place has at least one guy who is shooting for the elites.

    Otherwise, go Strobist style with shoe mount flashes and be prepared to shoot at f/8-f/11 and not overpower the sun.

  5. #5
    Brett Simison bsimison's Avatar
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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Thanks for the responses, everyone.

    Been surfing around this morning and discovered that Paul Buff has released an updated Vagabond battery pack that runs on lightweight lithiums. According to the TSA website, these are fine as long as they're in carry-on baggage -- one in the device and up to two spares.

    http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html

    Of course, I'd still like to hear from people about their personal experiences, especially concerning commercial flights in Central and South America.

    Thanks!
    -Brett

  6. #6

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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Forgive me if this seems obvious, but be sure to check the customs allowances for whatever country you're flying into.

    For example on my last trip to Peru I was unaware that there were limits on how many rolls of film are allowed to come in without paying duty.

    It was a stupid oversight but I'd been traveling with digital for so long I didn't think about it ahead of time. I did declare my film at the airport instead of trying to sneak it through and it didn't cost all that much, but it's something you want to be aware of. The duty is based on the cost of the item(s) so it could be a lot for camera and lighting gear.

    Peru also had limits on how many cameras (I think it was one but I can't remember, I had two Mamiya 7's and a digital P&S), cell phones (also one I think, I had my iphone to use with wifi and a few unblocked phones so I could be sure one worked with a local sim card), etc. I think Brazil has similar rules and I know other countries outside of South America (Mexico, for instance) do as well.

    Also, you need to consider going as a tourist vs. a professional, which may have visa implications. It's easy enough to get away with saying you're a tourist on holiday with a 4x5 camera and some film. With all of that that plus pro lighting gear it may be harder so you may have to 'fess up to being a pro.

    As for the actual gear, I'd try to go as light as possible.

    One option would be to rent (or buy and resell) a small generator to provide power. This could work if you're traveling by car in more remote areas. In that case you could just bring some small monolights. The nice thing about generators is that they don't run out of juice. Ok, as long as you have enough gas.

    I've had bad luck with everything other than profoto when it comes to battery powered strobes. My old paper used the dyna lite uni 400s. They work ok but the battery life is very short and the recycling is slow.

    Have you considered just taking your current inverters and buying the actual batteries once you get there? I don't know how unusual they are but you may be able to find them. Especially if they're marine batteries and you're in a coastal city. Of course you need to research this ahead of time. Where are you going?

    Every time I go to South America I end up not wanting to come home...It's an amazing place. Sounds like quite a project, I can't wait to see the results!

    You might also want to post over at Lightstalkers, it's a good place for travel tips and you can likely find someone wherever you're going who could help let you know what resources will be available.

  7. #7
    Brett Simison bsimison's Avatar
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    Re: Traveling Internationally with LF and Strobes

    Noah: That's certainly a wealth of information -- thanks for posting. I'll check the customs allowances for the countries I'm considering -- currently just Guatemala and Mexico. I knew getting a load of gear through customs wasn't going to be cheap (which is why I'm trying to keep things simple) but I hadn't thought about film being a limited item. I'll also head over to Lightstalkers and see what information I can turn up.

    In the past, I have gone the Strobist route and just used a few hotshoe flashes and pocketwizards for the few times I've needed additional light. This works fine for digital, but I want to use 4x5 for this project, and I can't get f/16 out of hotshoes through umbrella or bounced off a reflector.

    I'll also check into rental options at my intended destinations. My gut tells me the pickings are going to be thin, but you never know.

    Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it.
    -Brett

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