One of the nicest things about taking a trip abroad is reminiscing afterwards. And one of the best ways to reminisce is with pictures. It's easy to describe the Eiffel Tower to someone at home who can instantly form a mental image of the familiar landmark. But describing the view of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower may not be so easy. In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words.
That's one of the reasons you'll want to take pictures when you travel abroad. There's nothing like your own color pictures to show the exciting sights that you'll find in Europe, the Far East, South America, or wherever you travel. Your pictures will also reveal your impressions of the countries you visited. They'll tell what you learned about these lands and their people. You may be interested in the history, festivals, or fun spots--more likely a mixture of all of these. The pictures you take will stimulate your own memories and provide others with lifelike descriptions of your travels.
Since picture-taking is such an important part of most trips, we want to show you how enjoyable, easy, and worthwhile it is to plan and photograph your travels abroad. By following just a few simple tips, you'll be well prepared for your trip.
Take notes from travel guides about the countries you plan to visit. Think of things you want to do in a particular country, such as touring Venice by gondola or riding a camel in Egypt. Many of your most interesting picture situations will coincide with the highlights of your trip.
Take a camera you know how to use. If you have an adjustable camera, you can take properly exposed pictures in most daylight and flash situations. However, if you'd rather not calculate exposure and set the lens of an adjustable camera, a simple or automatic camera would probably be best for you. Simple automatic cameras such as the KODAK CAMEO Cameras, KODAK STAR Cameras, and KODAK ADVANTIX Cameras, free you from calculating exposures. They also have built-in flash for picture-taking anywhere. These cameras can be most convenient when you take pictures with a tour group and have limited time at a particularly good picture-taking spot.
Ideally, however, you should take an automatic SLR camera with a normal lens (50 mm) and a zoom lens. If the camera doesn't have a built-in flash, take along a small flash unit. Now you'll have the versatility to take pictures worthy of your trip. The normal lens will serve well for general picture taking, and its large maximum aperture will let you take photos in dim light with a fast film. Take a wide range zoom lens, such as a 35 to 135 mm lens. The 35 mm wide-angle setting will enable you to include complete interiors or expansive vistas. The 135 mm telephoto setting will let you magnify distant castles; all the settings in between the 35 and 135 mm will let you crop the scene as you like.
If another person will be traveling with you, or if your camera bag or luggage space permits, you might want to take more than one camera.
You may also want to consider single-use KODAK FUN SAVER Cameras. Already loaded with film, they're great for special picture situations, or conditions that might damage your regular equipment. Take a FUN SAVER Camera to the beach, for instance, and save your expensive cameras from the wear and tear of the sun and sand. You can use the KODAK FUN SAVER Panoramic 35 Camera for panoramic shots, or go underwater with the KODAK FUN SAVER WEEKEND 35 Camera.
Know how to operate your camera--and that it works properly. Also be sure to expose at least one trial roll of film; look at the results before you leave home. If you have questions, check with your photo dealer. Be sure to check the operation of your flash and other photo equipment, too.
Before you start your trip, brush up on your photographic techniques and learn some new ones. Ask your photo dealer to show you books on travel photography.
Since the popular sizes of Kodak film are generally available throughout the world, you won't have to overburden your luggage with a large supply of film. But you should take enough film with you to get started so that you don't have to buy more at your first destination. Just be sure you have enough film on hand to take all the pictures you want.
How much film will you use? This varies, depending on your picture-taking habits and the length of your trip. You'll certainly take a lot more pictures on a trip than you would at home. Perhaps ten 24-exposure rolls of 135 film (or the equivalent number of exposures on other film sizes) would be adequate.
Which film should you use? It depends on your camera and the kind of pictures you want. Use KODAK GOLD Films and KODAK ROYAL GOLD Films for color prints; use KODACHROME or KODAK EKTACHROME Films for color slides. If you want color prints, a medium-speed film, such as KODAK GOLD 200 Film, will give you superior results in the bright outdoors. Use faster speed film, such as KODAK GOLD 400, for action shots or interiors with existing light. You can also use GOLD 400 Film in bright sunlight. Only high-speed film such as ROYAL GOLD 1000 Film, will enable you to photograph inside cathedrals and castles without a tripod or flash unit.
When you take scenic shots with an SLR camera, a good choice is KODAK EKTACHROME ELITE II 100 or KODACHROME 64 Film for color slides. When you need a faster speed film, use EKTACHROME ELITE II 400 Film. Just be sure to take and use both medium-speed and high-speed film.
Film prices usually vary from country to country because of duty and local taxes and because the cost of processing is sometimes included in the price of the film.
If you don't have a built-in electronic flash unit, take along a small accessory flash unit for your 35 mm camera.
Most cameras need batteries to power built-in flash, exposure meters, and motors. So it's important to test your batteries and to replace them if they're weak. When you remove the batteries, replace them with the exact type recommended by your manual.
Invisible deposits can build up on battery contacts during shipment, storage, or use of equipment. When this happens, the batteries may not work consistently and the flash will fail to go off. For successful flash operation, clean the battery and equipment contacts with a clean cloth or a water-dampened cotton swab.
It's a good idea to start your trip with new batteries and to take a spare set with you. Refer to your camera manual for the size and type of batteries your camera needs. For Kodak cameras, we recommend KODAK PHOTOLIFE Batteries and KODAK SUPRALIFE Batteries.
To help you remember places and names, take a notebook and jot down facts about the pictures you take. If you use letters to identify the rolls of film you use--Roll A, B, C, etc.--and numbers for the individual exposures on each roll--Picture 1, 2, 3, etc.--you can associate your pictures with facts about the people and places you plan to photograph.
Here's a checklist of things to pack in your camera bag:
A tourist with an average supply of cameras, film, and other photographic equipment should have no trouble clearing the equipment through customs. One or two cameras and 20 to 30 rolls of film are a reasonable amount to take with you. Customs regulations usually limit the number of rolls, not the number of exposures. You can take more pictures with 36-exposure, 135-size film than with 24-exposure film, or more with 24-exposure, 110-size film than with 12-exposure film. A courteous attitude may help you get through customs smoothly. If you have what seems to be an unreasonable amount of film for amateur use, you may be asked to seal part of it while en route through a country.
If you take a foreign-made camera abroad, you may need some proof that you owned the camera before you left home. Without such proof you could be charged duty on the camera when you return. If you are a resident of the United States, you can register your foreign-made camera at any customs location before you leave the country. A bill of sale is usually considered acceptable proof, too.
For the protection of travelers, many airports, airlines, and law-enforcement agencies around the world use electronic devices and x-ray equipment to check passengers and their luggage for concealed bombs and weapons. Film can tolerate some x-ray exposure but excessive amounts may result in objectionable fog and shadow images on your film. This is particularly true for very high-speed film, such as KODAK ROYAL GOLD 1000 Film. You can probably avoid this danger to your unprocessed film by hand-carrying your film, including loaded cameras, and requesting a visual inspection rather than an x-ray one. Carry your film in a clear plastic bag so it can be easily identified.
Visual inspection of film is particularly important when you travel abroad and board from international air terminals. Luggage-inspection systems vary and some of these systems are known to operate at relatively high x-ray levels. If you cannot get a visual inspection, ask questions to determine whether film damage is possible.
In the United States, at the airport boarding gates for domestic flights, regulations require that x-ray inspection be conducted only with low-output devices. These devices subject luggage to less than 1 milliroentgen of x-ray exposure per inspection which should not perceptibly fog most camera-type films. However, the effects of x-rays on film are cumulative. It is therefore possible for films to be significantly fogged by repeated exposures of less than 1 milliroentgen each but totaling 5 milliroentgens or higher. If you carry any very high-speed films, request a visual inspection. So when you travel within the United States, requests for visual inspections should be unnecessary--unless more than five inspections are encountered with the same film or when you carry very high-speed films. In general, it is a good idea to avoid repeated exposure of your film to x-rays.
Sometimes packages you mail are also x-rayed or fluoroscoped; if there is unprocessed film in a package, put a label on it identifying undeveloped film inside.
When you travel, photograph what interests you. Don't limit yourself to only the beaten paths leading to L'Arc de Triomphe, the Colosseum, or the Matterhorn. If you bring back only a "picture-postcard" collection of photographs, you will have missed a lot of fun of being abroad, and you will have missed some good pictures, too. To get unusual pictures, allow some leisure time to visit fairs, fiestas, and various shops, and to take interesting side trips. Many local photo dealers will be glad to give you good picture-taking ideas. You can also consult city guides and maps to find places of interest.
When taking scenic pictures, try to include people in the foreground for color and interest in some of your pictures. If possible, photograph them wearing bright clothing and doing something natural so that they don't appear to be standing stiffly in front of the camera.
Titles help tell your audience where you went. Photograph natural titles such as signposts, historical markers, and familiar landmarks. Get pictures of your departure and your arrival back home. When you arrive in a country, take title pictures of well-known landmarks to introduce your pictures of that country.
If you have a camera with a fast lens, such as an f/2.8, and a high-speed color-negative film, such as GOLD 400 Film, try to take existing-light pictures of well-lighted interiors and of brightly illuminated outdoor subjects at dusk or after dark. These pictures will enrich and vary your picture collection. If you prefer slides, EKTACHROME ELITE II 400 Film is a good choice for this type of picture-taking.
Postponing picture-taking because of bad weather or because your camera is in your suitcase is picture procrastination. Always keep your camera handy. Take pictures even if it's cloudy. If you are on a tour bus or a train, you probably won't have a second chance because your travel schedule won't permit it. Your film instructions will tell you how to photograph under cloudy conditions. If your camera has a fixed lens opening, use a high-speed film such as KODAK GOLD 400 Film.
What about picture-taking from a moving plane, train, or bus when you can't stop to take pictures? Pictures that you take from moving vehicles with a simple camera are likely to be blurred, because the camera doesn't have a shutter speed fast enough to stop movement. But it's not impossible to get acceptable results if you keep a few techniques in mind. Here are some hints that should help you to get the best possible pictures under the circumstances.
If you have an adjustable still camera, use a shutter speed of 1/250 second or faster to stop movement. On a camera that accepts interchangeable lenses, a wide-angle lens will minimize blur in pictures taken from a moving vehicle.
It's best to have your films processed as soon as possible after exposure. On brief trips of 2 or 3 weeks, simply carry the exposed film with you and have it processed when you return home. Letter your film containers as you travel (Roll A, B, C, etc.) and keep a written record of the contents of each film. (See Notebook section.) Most photo dealers will be happy to note your identification codes on the finished film envelopes. U.S. residents shouldn't have to pay duty when forwarding film of U.S. manufacture to a commercial processing lab in the United States for processing. Plainly print the following notice on the outside of the package near the mailing address: Undeveloped photographic film of U.S. manufacture. Not for any commercial purposes.
Send your films by airmail or air parcel post, not by surface mail. This minimizes the possibility of loss in picture quality due to delay between exposure and processing, and eliminates broker fees that you would have to pay if you sent film by air freight or air express.
You can also send your film to a laboratory in the country you are visiting. How long does it take to have film processed abroad? It varies. If you drop off your film at a photo dealer, turn-around time may be a couple of hours to two or three days, depending upon the film type and level of service offered locally. In general, allow at least a week for film when you mail the film to a lab within the country. When time is important, check with the processing lab by telephone or in person. Don't mail your processed film to an address where you expect to stay for only a few days; you may miss it.
To protect your camera, keep it covered when you're not using it. Your camera will probably swing freely on the end of a carrying strap during most of the trip. Jolts to your camera and scratches on the lens could spoil your travel photos.
Always protect your camera from extreme heat and cold and from sand and water. Don't store your camera and film in sunlight or in a hot place, such as the glove compartment, dashboard, or rear-window shelf of a car. Heat can harm the camera and film. When storing your equipment in a car, put it on the floor behind the front seat on the side opposite the exhaust pipe. In cold weather, keep your camera warm under outer clothing.
To help get sharp pictures, keep the camera lens clean. Blow away any dust, or brush it away with a camel-hair brush; then breathe on the lens and gently wipe it with a clean, soft lintless cloth or KODAK Lens Cleaning Paper moistened with KODAK Lens Cleaner. Do not use treated tissues which are intended for eyeglasses--they can damage the lens coating.
On a short visit to a tropical region, you should take a few precautions to protect your film from the heat and humidity. Each evening, place the exposed magazines of 35 mm film on a table in your air-conditioned hotel room. Reseal them in their plastic containers in the morning. This will return the film rolls to a more desirable humidity level before they are resealed in the air-tight protective containers. When you are ready to return home, you can remove the magazines from the plastic containers to assist in visual inspections at the airport. For other film sizes, you may wish to carry along a plastic bag and seal the bag with a twist-tie or rubber band to keep out excessive moisture. When it's impossible to protect the film from the prolonged high heat and humidity, try to have it processed right away.
Kodak has many publications to assist you with information on Kodak products, equipment, and materials. They are available from dealers who sell Kodak products, or you can order them directly from Kodak through the order form in KODAK Publication No. L-1, KODAK Index to Photographic Information. To obtain a copy of L-1, send your request with $1 to Eastman Kodak Company, Department 412-L, Rochester, New York 14650-0532.
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