Travel Advisory for Photographers: Frankfurt International Airport

I'm neck deep in my photos from Lisbon so I'll be writing about that experience next time.  For now, let me say that Lisbon really should be on your must see list.  We were absolutely blown away, and if given the chance I'd fly back in a heartbeat (and seriously consider starting the process to relocate permanently).  But, more on that later.  Today, I'm going to write about flying with cameras.  Specifically, I want to share with you what it is like flying with cameras out of Frankfurt Airport, because, well, it's a pain.

We fly quite a bit, and this year we've been flying more than usual.  I really don't care for air travel, not because I have anything against planes or flying itself, but because airports are really unpleasant places.  Of course, the worst part of the whole thing is security.  Most of the problems stem from inconsistency and ignorance, inconsistency and ignorance on the part of airport security and just plain ignorance on the part of fellow passengers.  It all starts going downhill in the line, before anyone gets to the bins and scanners.  You know there's going to be trouble when the person in front of you has three bags and is wearing enough accessories and jewelry to open a boutique right there on the spot.  Then, surprise, surprise, they (because they have been living under a rock for 15 years) didn't know you can't take that half liter of water through, or that you need to take your computer out of the bag, and, oh, "you mean I have to take ALL the coins out of my pockets?"  That happens everywhere, no matter the airport.  It's just part of the flying experience.  But, what really screws the whole thing up  is that airport security protocols are different at every single airport, there's even a difference from line to line sometimes.  For those of us who are prepared and do know the rules, it's even more frustrating when for no reason whatsoever that airport has decided to add extra protocols without informing you.  What has been happening in Europe the last couple of years and, of course, the recent attack in Brussels has led to heightened security everywhere.  Of course, Frankfurt being one of the biggest international hubs in the world should take some extra precautions.  That's all well and good, but they don't tell you what they want.  So, fellow photographers and other people who carry several electronics on the plane with them, I will tell you.

First, a little information on what I pack.  I never, ever check my photo equipment.  It's no secret that checked bags aren't handled very well, and, unfortunately, stuff does go missing.  So, I pack everything to fit in the cabin, under the seat.  I use ThinkTank's Airport Essentials bag.  If you use a full DSLR size system, it's a great bag.  If you are running light or using mirrorless, it's the perfect bag.  I've packed it with two bodies, four lenses, a tripod, plus all the miscellaneous items and still had room to breathe.  When we went to the UK, I took one body, two lenses, the tripod, and everything else I needed for a weekend away in that bag.  I didn't need to check any luggage or break Lufthansa's one carry-on bag rule (no personal items permitted with these guys).  Now, for a summation of my experiences flying out of Frankfurt airport with this setup.

Last year, when we flew back to the States for Thanksgiving, I came up to the security line, pulled out my iPad and little bag of liquids, put them in their own bin, removed my hat and jacket, put those in another bin, and then put my bag in a third bin.  I didn't have anything in my pockets, I wasn't wearing jewelry, I didn't even wear a belt to the airport.  For that trip, I had packed one body, three lenses, the tripod, and all the other little bits.  Nothing was stacked in the bag.  The lenses and cameras were oriented sideways.  I was under the impression that cameras come through security pretty regularly and that the folks working the x-ray machine should be able to recognize what they are.  I went through the scanner, then received the usual extra pat down (because I'm always "randomly" chosen for that pleasure).  Then, I exited to wait for my stuff.  I was informed that my bag had been flagged for inspection.  I was called aside and had to open up my bag in front of the inspector.  He swabbed everything for chemical residue.  He had me explain what everything was, right down to what the lens pen does. Then a police officer came up, complete with automatic rifle, to do it all again.  They took down my information, stood around for a few minutes doing nothing but chatting about the weekend, then sent me on my way.  It was weird, sure, but it was only a week after the attacks in Paris.  They needed to be more cautious after a major attack in a European capital, I get it and that's fine.

Fast forward to last month when we flew to the UK.  Once again, I was prepared for all the published protocols.  I already pulled out the liquids and iPad before we got to the bins.  I did everything I was supposed to do.  No signs were posted anywhere that they needed people to do anything besides remove iPads or computers and liquids from their bags.  Then...The fellow overseeing my line, who seemed about 17, asked if I had removed all my electronics from the bag. "All my electronics?" I asked.
"Yes, if you have a camera remove that."
"Ok, I have a camera and a couple of lenses."
"Take those out."
I did so. "What about batteries, chargers, and stuff like that?"
"Those things too."
"Tripod?"
"Yes."
"So, basically remove everything from my bag?"
"Yes, I guess so.  It makes it easier to identify."
I followed his instructions, even the one about removing my deodorant from the bag (which isn't a liquid or a gel, btw) while refraining from making a crack about pulling out the packed underwear too.  I also didn't ask why they couldn't recognize what cameras look like in an x-ray.  But, on the positive side, I wasn't pulled aside after passing through the body scanner.  My bag was a mess and it took extra time to reorganize when it was all over, but I didn't have to talk to a cop about what a lens pen was.  It was a pain, but I chalked it up to an overzealous kid new to the job.  My husband, meanwhile, was in a different line and didn't have to remove anything from his bag, despite carrying phone chargers, solid deodorant, and a few other things similar to what I was carrying.

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice...

So, last week we were back at good old chaotic FRA to fly to Lisbon.  Once again, I was prepared.  Once again, nothing new was posted.  In preparation for a little persecution from the staff, I asked the woman running my line if it was ok that I had several items of camera gear in my bag.  She said it was fine.  I asked if I need to remove them.  She responded that I didn't.  Here's my bag:

This was the first time I stored my lenses like this. In the past they've been
stored sideways.  Lens orientation doesn't seem to make a difference.

I can't say I was totally surprised to see my bag whisked down the other belt that went to the inspection area.  This time the inspector kept my bag by him for a while, before finally allowing me access so I could give him my passport and Euro ID and then began the process of swabbing everything for chemical residue.  He copied my passport information onto a form (Germans prefer paper over computers) and then told me that a police officer needed to speak with me.  The cop took her time showing up, so the inspector, myself, and my husband got to stand awkwardly together for a while watching a bag being inspected in another line that clearly contained a rather large pocketknife according to the image on the x-ray screen.  Sigh. Apparently there are still people in the world that think bringing a knife in the cabin with them is totally ok.

The cop finally showed up and I went through the most intense grilling so far.  Where do I live? Why do I live here? Where does my husband work? What city is The Company located in? How long have we been here?  Where are we going?  What will we be doing there? Where in the States are we from?  I had to explain, yet again, what everything was.  I had to turn both cameras on.  I had to explain what a rain cover was.  The lens pen came up again. There is a guy who tried to bring a knife on board and I'm getting the third degree over camera equipment.  I don't know, maybe someone somewhere tried to hide something dangerous in a camera once, but I'm pretty sure that would have been publicized like the shoe bomb incident was and the protocols would have been changed and the public would have been informed.  For now, cameras are just cameras.  Furthermore, a quick scan of my passport would have pulled up all my information and would have answered the majority of her questions.  They also would have been able to see that I'm just a woman who travels with cameras for the obvious reason- to take photographs.  But, since they'd rather fill out paper forms than use computers, they didn't have access to the information they got from me last November.  They couldn't see that I fly in and out of FRA pretty regularly.  Folks, this is ridiculous.

Frankfurt International Airport is one of the most important travel hubs in the world.  Thousands of people pass through on a daily basis.  I find it very hard to believe I'm the only one who carries camera gear through security.  TSA in the USA states that people are selected at random for more thorough inspection, they are also clear that they can inspect whatever bags they want.  That's understood and is fine.  At Frankfurt, however, there is nothing random about these inspections.  If you are packing a lot of photo gear, you get flagged.  There is no reason why camera equipment should be given this level of scrutinization.  If it is packed properly and the staff was told and shown what it was, the x-ray should be enough.  It shouldn't matter whether someone is carrying one or three cameras in their carry-on, they're not regulated.  They are not a threat.  The only bit of photo equipment that is regulated (in the States, at least) are the batteries.  Strangely, never once has someone checked to see that I store mine properly.  For the record, I do.

You know, if German law enforcement has decided that there is a reason why photo equipment should be flagged, then the simple solution is to inform the public.  They need to post a protocol.  If you tell me you want it all out of the bag for security, fine.  I still think it's a little silly, but I'd much rather have the hassle of emptying my bag than the hassle of 1,000 questions, swabbing, and automatic guns.  Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it.  So far, at least, all the staff I've interacted with at Frankfurt Airport have been friendly and respectful, even downright apologetic at times.  I don't have any complaints with them personally, but their inconsistency, poor procedures, lack of communication to passengers, and over the top policies need to change.  This level of ridiculous scrutinization has occurred before too, long before the attacks in Paris and Brussels and when I haven't been carrying photo equipment.  We still laugh about the Neck Pillow Incident of 2011.  Frankfurt Airport Security clearly has had a bug up their bum for a long time. It is the only airport that I've experienced this in.  I've never been pulled aside at any other airport nor have I had to empty my bag of my photo gear, not in the United States, Iceland, the UK, Norway, Spain, or Portugal.  I think this problem is a German thing, maybe just a Frankfurt thing.

So, I've gone through the pain, but you don't have to.  If you're taking more than one camera into Frankfurt Airport Security (and possibly other airports in Germany), here's what I suggest.  First of all, arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare just in case you do get held up in security. At the very least, open the bag and show the person monitoring the line what is in your bag.  If you can leave your bag open during the scan, that's even better.  Make sure nothing is stacked on top of each other so that everything is on the same plane visual in the image.  But, it seems the best solution is to remove bodies, lenses, tripods, batteries, and chargers, and put them in their own plastic bin.  If the people behind you get irritable, too bad.  If the security staff says you don't have to do that, ignore them.  Clearly, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.  Airport security should not hassle you about properly packed photo equipment.  Unfortunately, we're at their mercy.  So, be cheerful and respectful, and bite your tongue.  Everyone will speak English if you ask them to, and to prevent confusion this is not the time to practice your German if you aren't basically fluent.

Most of us who fly want to follow the rules and get where we're going with as little confusion and delay as possible.  Frankfurt clearly has a policy regarding photo equipment, but you're left to figure out what it is as you go through the process.  It's hard to follow the rules if you aren't informed about what they are.  I hope this post helps those of you who may be traveling through Frankfurt with photo gear in the future.  If anyone has consistently experienced something similar at FRA or another airport, I'd be interested to hear about it.

Shooting the Soulless City

Last weekend we prepared for the inevitable frustrating experience that is going to Frankfurt.  We don't go to Europe's financial capital very often.  To be very frank, we don't like it.  But, occasionally we have to go, to catch a train (the station is very nice), eat at Chipotle, see a movie in English, go to a social gathering, or to visit a museum.  We've visited the museums we want to see.  Social gatherings in the city are just a few times a year.  Very few movies are worth going to the theater (any theater) for anymore.  We've gotten to the point we can go through life without Chipotle.  So, really we only go into Frankfurt to get a train.

There are a number of reasons why we don't like Frankfurt.  The biggest reason is that it is a pain to navigate.  We don't have a local train in our town so we either have to take the bus to Aschaffenburg then a train from there, ride our bikes across the river and catch a train in the opposite town, or drive.  A train journey can take anywhere from 1-2hrs.  It takes 20 minutes to get to Frankfurt by car.  So, we always drive.  But, the nightmare begins after one has arrived in Frankfurt.  There is no parking.  Anywhere.  Between the enormous construction projects near the financial and historic districts the majority of the central parking decks are closed.  We spent an hour and a half last Saturday trying to find a place to park.  It was either risk the deck near the red light district where crime is at its worst or park outside the center and hoof it several blocks.  We opted for the second option, vowing we wouldn't bother with the center again unless there was a really valid reason to come back.  Thankfully, Chipotle is outside the center.

Another reason we don't care for Frankfurt is that it really doesn't have any attraction.  It was bombed to smithereens during the war.  The "historic" district is only about one square and is completely reconstructed.  It is filled with poor quality tourist restaurants and junk shops.  The cathedral and area around it are one giant construction mess.  Outside of this area, it's just a city composed of ugly cement buildings hastily thrown up in the postwar years.  The one attraction is the skyline, but it looks best at night from the opposite bank of the Main or from one of the bridges.

Lastly, the center on a good day is, well, edgy.  On a bad day like today, it gets downright unstable.  As I write this post, this is going on.

www.rt.com

I wish I could say that this protest is a rare occurrence, but sadly this sort of thing is becoming more and more common, as it is around the world.  Every time we've been in Frankfurt center there has been some sort of demonstration.  Thankfully, nothing ever escalated to this level.  But, there was always the feeling that it could at any moment.  The center gives off a vibe that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

So, why the heck did we go last weekend?  Fotographie Forum Frankfurt is currently hosting an exhibition on the history of Leica Cameras called "Eyes Wide Open!  100 Years of Leica Photography."  I don't shoot with a Leica, obviously, but I'm fascinated by early photo journalism, documentary, and street photography.  The shot above from RT's website is made possible by the development of compact cameras like Leica.  I've become even more interested in these styles since learning that they are coming under threat and possible extinction in Europe thanks to over reaching privacy laws.  Candid shots of modern everyday life cannot be legally exhibited or even taken in some countries.  While future generations will have shots from newsworthy events like the one above, there's more than a strong chance that a normal scene on this same street may not be allowed to be taken let alone viewed by the public.  We will lose a sense of real life in the world of the early 21st century if these laws aren't reigned in.  The only visual heritage will be selfies and news photos.  That's a pretty sobering thought.  The exhibit at FFF not only talked about the history and development of the Leica Camera, but also how it revolutionized photography and gave us the images that defined the last century.  Seeing this excellent exhibit seemed worth the hassle of Frankfurt center.  It definitely was.  If you are anywhere near Frankfurt before the end of May and have an interest in photography in general, I recommend popping in.

Of course, if we were going to go through all the hassle of driving and parking, dodging the occasional antagonistic protestor (I think they were upset about something else on Saturday), and navigating through the Saturday shopping chaos all for a couple hours at a photo exhibit, we might as well stay longer and do some photography of our own.  I'd shot the skyline and Main bridges last year.  I wanted to get into the center this time and see what we could come up with when night fell and those big glass buildings were lit.  During the afternoon while we were trying to locate some good scenic shots, I snapped some street scenes, well aware of the ever present police and private security guards.  Frankfurt, like any city, is great for street photography, but keep an eye out for the guards and cops who may not permit you to photograph certain areas, let alone them.  But, when the sun went down, just like everything else in Frankfurt, shooting scenic photography turned out to be a frustrating task.  Part of it was the weather, drizzle and low clouds.  Blue hour never really happened, it just went from grey to black.  Another problem was the construction, which made composing a shot without a garish crane or glaring spotlight almost impossible.  Sometimes I could see where I wanted to be, but I couldn't get there because the sidewalk or the road was closed.  It was like one of those dreams when you're trying to get somewhere but just can't.  Anyway, it wasn't the most successful excursion.  But, I was pleased with this shot.

It was raining (and I forgot the umbrella) so I was having trouble getting the long exposure before raindrops covered the lens.  The street lamps are incredibly bright, which is good for pedestrians, but not so great for photographers.  It took a lot of finagling in a rather precarious location.  But, I was satisfied with the light trails in contrast with the stationary people on the opposite corner.  I spent a little more in post than usual editing out the water drops.  I also changed the color temperature quite a bit from the harsh yellow caused by the street lights to a cooler tone.  Most cities are yellow at night, but to me some, like Frankfurt, have a cold, soulless feel that call for a cooler palette.

We also had some fun creating our own light trails when counting on others didn't work out.  We spent most of the time near the Alte Oper building for that and the result is now up on the website.  I decided to shoot this one in mono because of the intense, sickly yellow look of the light on the building.  It was probably my most satisfactory result of the evening and shout out to my husband for creating those wonderful trails for me.

Would I shoot in Frankfurt again?  Perhaps, but right now I'm not feeling positive about the place.  While we spent hours trying to maneuver through closed off streets or avoiding the seedy night crowds, there were only a couple shots I felt good about.  Combine that with the hassle of getting there and the tension, not to mention the frustration of finding a decent place to spontaneously grab dinner, and I won't be rushing back anytime soon.  While we've had some pleasant evenings in the Sachsenhausen and University neighborhoods, I can't say the center has a lot going for it.  It is a frustration for scenic photography.  For going out, it's not worth the trouble.

But, if you are stuck there on a long lay over, do check out the Leica exhibit.