Knowing how to take film through airport security is something every film photographer needs to know.
I’ve flown with countless rolls of film and I’ve only ever had to scan my film once or twice. There are a few tips and tricks you can use to make sure your film isn’t fogged and ruined by those new CT scanners.
This guide is going to cover everything from the risk your film faces at the airport to how to get through the checkpoint without ruining your film!
Does Film Get Ruined at Airport Security?
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The x-ray scanners at the airport can do some serious damage to your film.
To be honest, a film with an ISO lower than 800 is likely going to be okay when traveling through a traditional X-ray scanner. I’ve had low ISO film scanned plenty of times with no noticeable effect.
However, airports have started introducing much more powerful CT scanners. These scanners expose your luggage to much higher doses of radiation than normal X-ray scanners. This poses a greater risk to film regardless of its ISO.
Here are a few of the big factors that come into play when it comes to just how your film can be damaged when traveling through airport security.
Speed Matters
Film with an ISO of 800 or higher can be damaged by X-ray scanners. Low ISO film is generally safe for traditional X-ray machines.
Newer CT scanners can damage film regardless of ISO. These new scanners cause considerable fogging and loss of detail, and can even impact color.
Checked Baggage vs Carry On
Your best bet is to always make sure that your film is going to be in your carry-on bag so that you can request a hand inspection.
Checked baggage goes through much more powerful X-ray scanners, which means that your film is going to be exposed to a considerably higher level of radiation. This means more damage to your film when it’s checked.
CT vs Traditional X-ray Machines
I’ve mentioned this point a few times already, but it’s just that important to discuss when it comes to flying with film.
CT scanners will fog and damage film of any ISO. No film is safe when it comes to traveling through these new, much more powerful, scanning machines.
The older X-ray scanners that you can still find in small airports don’t pack nearly as much of a punch when it comes to your film.
It’s still best to request a hand inspection, but I’ve sent film through those old X-ray scanners and not noticed much damage.
Spooled vs Unspooled
There’s also a difference when it comes to spooled and unspooled film.
Unspooled film that is loaded in a camera tends to take more damage when traveling through the X-ray scanner.
Film that is still wound in its spool has a way of protecting itself, which means that the outer layer of film will take more damage from the X-rays, but it will, in effect, protect the frames that are deeper inside the spool.
Multiple Trips Through the Scanner
The more your film has to get scanned, the more damage it’s going to take. One trip to the X-ray scanner might not cause any noticeable noise, but four or five trips will certainly start to wear down even low ISO film.
Multiple trips through a CT scanner can be even more damaging.
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If you plan on taking an international flight or have a lot of connections, it’s even more important to be ready to request hand inspections for your film.
Expired and Experimental Film
I love shooting with expired film and using experimental stocks from Kono or PsychBlues. However, these film stocks could be at a higher risk for fogging when they are exposed to airport scanners.
Experimental film stocks and expired films might be more easily damaged by scanners. It’s much harder to tell what effect the scanners will have on non-standard film.
Instant Film Stocks
Polaroid, Instax, and all other instant film stocks should receive a hand inspection rather than going through the scanner.
These film stocks are the most susceptible to damage from X-ray and CT scanners.
How to Get Film Safely Through Airport Security (6 Tips)
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Traveling with photographic film doesn’t have to be a hassle. Here’s my 6-point strategy for getting through the airport and putting my film at minimum risk.
This is going to be a start-to-finish guide covering everything I do before I fly, when I get to the airport, and when I’m done shooting a roll of film at my destination.
Tip 1: Avoid Flying with Film if Possible
The single best thing you can do is to skip the problem altogether. If you can buy film at your destination, that’s the best way of preventing your film from being scanned at the airport.
Let’s face it: it’s gotten a lot harder to buy film in person these days, with fewer and fewer shops carrying photographic film at a reasonable price. I often ship my film to my destination to a relative, a friend, or even the hotel I’ll be staying at.
This allows me to get the film I need without having to carry film on a flight.
Tip 2: Get Your Film Ready for Flight
You need to make your film easy for a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent to inspect it. Here’s my process for ensuring that my film is much more likely to get a yes when I ask for a hand inspection.
I first remove my film from all packaging and canisters leaving only the film and its roll. I then place my undeveloped film in a clear ziplock bag.
For my own use, I typically label the outside of the bag with something like “Fuji 35mm ISO 800” just so I can keep track of things and get ready to take pictures when I land.
Pack your film in an easy-to-access pocket of your luggage so you’re not digging around when you get to security. I also make sure that none of my cameras are loaded when I fly.
Tip 3: Take Film in Carry-on Luggage Only
Your film should always go in your carry-on luggage. Checked bags go through much more powerful scanners which can do some serious damage to film.
There’s no getting out of requesting a hand inspection when you’re flying with your film.
Tip 4: Request a Hand Inspection for Film
Always request a hand inspection when you reach the security checkpoint. The TSA even recommends asking for a hand inspection for camera film.
There’s no harm in asking. Even though a TSA agent can require you to scan your film, asking is free and they are likely to say yes.
Tip 5: Get Your Film Developed Before Your Return Flight
I like to get my film developed before I board my return flight.
This means I’ll finish shooting my film and send it off to the lab without having to take it home. You can also get your film developed locally.
Developed film is not damaged by X-ray or CT scanners.
Tip 6: Ship Your Film Home
If you don’t want to develop your film yet, you can always mail the exposed rolls back to your home.
I’ve done this a few times when flying internationally, where I had to make extra layovers and changes. This definitely saved my film from a bunch of unnecessary scanning.
Plus, this lets me develop my film on my own!
What If Security Won’t Hand-Check My Film?
At the end of the day, whether or not the TSA agent will perform a hand inspection on your film is at the discretion of that particular agent. If they decide that it has to go through the scanner, unfortunately there’s not much you can do.
However, you know I’m not going to leave you without some tips to increase the odds of your film getting a hand inspection that will save it from the X-ray scanner.
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Make sure that your film is easily accessible. I take my film out of all packaging and place the film in a clear plastic ziplock bag.
If you travel with a lot of film, break it up into two or three ziplock bags just to make sure it’s easy to inspect everything
Ask the TSA agent for a hand inspection for photographic film right when you get to the checkpoint – don’t wait until the last minute.
Throw a roll of film with an ISO 800 or higher in your bag. TSA agents tend to be more willing to do hand inspections if they know the X-ray scanner could damage your film
Try not to have film loaded in your cameras. Those are harder to inspect and involve someone handling your expensive gear who might not know their way around an old-school film camera.
Buy your film when you land rather than risk getting it scanned. This isn’t always practical, but it does eliminate the problem entirely.
What About Lead-Lined Film Bags?
Lead-lined film bags are a double-edged sword when it comes to protecting your film while traveling through airport security. Here’s why.
TSA agents who operate the controls of the scanning machines can simply increase the power of the scanner to get through those lead-lined bags. This winds up exposing your films to more damaging radiation than if they just went through in your camera bag.
It’s also possible that the lead-lined bag will trigger an alert since it’s an item that the scanner can’t easily see through. This could mean more tedious pat-downs and searches that might not be worth the hassle.
Photographers I know have had hit-and-miss results with lead-lined bags. Personally, I’ll be sticking to just requesting a hand inspection for my film.
FAQs About Film and Airport Security
Is my film ruined if it went through TSA?
Your film is not necessarily ruined when it gets scanned by the TSA. You’ll likely see some minor fogging, but it is possible that your film will experience much more noticeable damage depending on the intensity of the scan, the ISO, and other unique factors like the age of the film.
How does the new TSA scanner technology affect film?
The new TSA scanners use a CT scanner instead of an X-ray machine. This exposes your film to more beams of X-ray radiation. This means that even film of lower ISO values can still be significantly fogged or damaged by the scanner.
Does 35mm film get ruined in airport security?
35 mm film might be damaged when you’re traveling through the airport. Any film stock with an ISO of 800 or greater can be fogged if sent through an X-ray machine. The new CT scanners can do even more damage to 35mm film of any ISO.
Does Instax film get ruined in airport security?
Instax film can be easily ruined by airport X-ray scanners. The basic X-ray scanners can cause some significant fogging on these film stocks, which means that the more powerful CT scanners can do even more damage. You should request a hand inspection for all Instax film when traveling through an airport.
Can Polaroid film go through airport security?
Polaroid film should always be hand-checked by TSA and airport security agents. Polaroid film, and other instant film, can be severely fogged even by basic X-ray machines.
Can a disposable film camera go through airport security?
Your best bet is to ask for a hand inspection for your disposable film camera. A disposable film camera with an ISO lower than 800 can safely take a trip through a traditional x-ray scanner, but could be fogged by a CT scanner or in your checked luggage.
Airport Security Screenings and Photographic Film: The Takeaway
Here’s the big takeaway for taking your photographic film through airport security. Always request a hand inspection for your film.
Better yet, buy film on location when you land or ship it via your local post office to avoid having your film exposed to damaging radiation.
Got any other questions about traveling with film? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll make sure to answer your questions or write a new article based on your suggestions.
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