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Made it to Madrid on Monday with relative ease… Well maybe a couple of small bumps.
We flew British Airways, which is SOOO much better than any US carrier. Less bag fees, better food, smiling flight attendants, free drinks, etc… I must say that we were quite piggish on the airplane. Both Rabbit and I indulged in three dinners – EACH! (Two lasagnas and a beef.) mmmmmm. I’m not sure what the nice BA ladies thought, but we were hungry, and the wine was delicious!
mmmmmm... Airline food!
Customs (as always) was a bitter sweet experience. Having a red passport (E.U. citizenship) really does make a difference when traveling in Europe. We got off the plane in London, walked by the huge que for foreign citizens and breezed thru the E.U. check point. This was the sweet part.
My Slovenian passport
The bitter was the transfer in London. You land in one terminal… leave the security zone…. take the Heathrow Express to another terminal, wait in the long que to reenter security, have all the camera carry-ons scrutinized (again,) wait wait wait in the duty free no-man’s-land for them to call your gate, get in the que for the gate, and finally, board the flight to Spain.
De-planing in London
On arrival into Spain, there was one last hurdle to overcome. The importation of our gear. The “correct” way to travel is to use a ATA carnet. This is basically an official document that lists all your equipment.
ATA Carnet
It also has the serial numbers, the weights, the value, and the country of manufacture. Before you leave your home country, you have it inspected and stamped by your home customs office.
Que for gate entry in London
On arrival, and again on departure from each country you visit, you must have it inspected and stamped once more. Why all this trouble you ask? In a nutshell, it is meant to stop the importation and exportation of goods without duties.
Waiting in London... Rich tries a self portrait on his new iPhone 4
Rabbit falls in love in the jet way...
The net net is that it has the potential to be a big pain in the ass. Some customs offices take a quick look, stamp the carnet, and you are off… Others want to go thru every single bit of kit on your person. (I mean EVERYTHING) Lens caps, sensor swabs, CF cards. You get a guy who happened to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and you can find yourself hanging around the airport for an hour or more.
The preverbial "wing shot" (every single photographer has taken this image)
Fortunately for this trip, Spain was fairly easy. They opened the bags, did a cursory look, and we were on our way. (We shall see if it is as easy to leave)
Loading our Pasat
From there, we were free… We grabbed the rental car, (a huge black diesel Passat) and then into the city to check into the hotel. We freshened up, and hit the town for some evening time lapse shots. Nuthin like hitting the ground running….
I think it’s because of my father that I love the airport so much… He used to take me to watch the planes from the airport lounge at Logan which was up in the old air traffic control tower. The tower was iconic on the Boston skyline with its cool, funky “attack robot” looking building from the 60’s and its curious golf ball on top. If I close my eyes, I can still see the blue lights on the night runway. Pretty cool memory for me.
I think these memories are the reason that I always feel so at ease when I am traveling by air. It’s a nice feeling. The problem is that everyone around you is rushing… Rushing to leave, rushing to arrive, rushing because they have no idea that they don’t have to rush.
Traveling by air is all about systems and protocols. Pay attention to how things run, and you can accommodate the gatekeepers whilst still having a good time. This is especially true as photographer/filmmakers. We almost always have more with us than just a clean pair of underpants.
If you’re smart, you avoid the pitfalls. Pitfalls are bad, and they lead to rushing. To rush, is to exclude fun, and we are all about the fun. If life sucks, then what the F is the point?
Rabbit jumps...
My 757 just arrived, and my mind is drifting. I think it’s day six on the road, and I probably have only logged a total of 21 hours of sleep in that time.
Just a couple more days of focusing, then I can unplug my head. Until that time, I will just concentrate on leaving the rush behind, and be thankful that I am still finding peace whilst others rush.
Adios España.
Finishing up at the Hospital
Finally finished up day 3 here on location in Madrid, and today was even harder than the first two. Like most days on the road, we were up and out of the hotel before the sunrise spending the first half of the day on the streets shooting time-lapse and city B-roll, and the second half 40 miles to the north in a Hospital shooting MRI and other scanning machines.
As they say here in Madrid, Vale… Yes its true, we are lucky to be doing what we are doing. I have said it before, and will say it again; “sure beats working for a living.” But that said, most of the time this job is just totally exhausting. No sleep on the airplane, bad travel food, super early calls, long days, and then even longer evenings that morph into evening time-lapse shots into night B-roll.
Rabbit Screams
When a client sends you out on the road, there is a big expectation that you will do what it takes in order to get the job done. We have always done this, and hope that we will always be able to continue to do so. Dependability is one of the things that we pride ourselves on the most.
Rabbit pulls “security duty,” diligently fending off pick pocket and equipt thieves
This said, it still doesn’t make things easy. Being french fried is still being french fried, and no matter who you are, being beyond tired is a tough row to hoe.
In all the miles that I have logged traveling around this pile of dirt, I have found that there is one secret to get you over the hump, and that secret is having a good assistant.
Rabbit has been working with me for a long time now, and there is really one reason above all others for which he always gets my gratitude. The fact is, he is one tough ass soldier.
No matter how long we push, how cold, how wet, how hungry, or how tired he gets… he can always be counted on to keep his chin up, stiffen his upper lip, and take the pain. He’s like a God damn post man.
Rabbit gets conscripted into the “Scanning Corps” or, taking one for the team
Right now, well past midnight, as I tippy-type on my laptop tooth-picking my eyelids open, he is on the other side of the wall charging batteries and prepping audio gear in order to be ready for tomorrow’s 6 am call.
Greg Hren Photography 