Travel 101

Well, it's two weeks away! Having had the chance to sit in on both pre-trip courses, I have to say that I think you are a terrific group of students who have great goals and inspirations. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to finally see this project come to fruition, with such capable individuals taking on the task of learning editorial or essay photography while thinking about engaged documentary practice and the ethics of disaster photography. I hope that the most important lesson we all learn from this, is that our art form can be as important in helping New Orleans recover as gutting a house.

Words have a power all their own, but images can resonate across generations. I encourage all of you to push past the imagery we have all come to know of post-Katrina New Orleans--that of a typical southern shotgun house, with a fading waterline and a big spray painted X on the front, to a deeper understanding of what it's like to live in that house, how your viewers can wash those marks away, and perhaps most importantly, make images that because they are new and different, refocus the spotlight on the United States' worst disaster in our lifetimes.

And now for business:
I know we all went over some of the travel tips last week, but here are some from the airline itself. To read the latest regulations with regard to security on American Airlines, click here.

As you start to think about what to bring, and what to leave home, you might want to check the American Airlines site for the latest baggage regulations. Click here to read about that.

And of course the important question: What am I going to carry on the plane, vs. checking. Click here to find out the latest on quantities of liquids, lithium battery restrictions, and dimension limits.

The new lithium battery regulations are among the most important to us, especially if traveling with spares! Where normally it seems that everything the airlines and TSA are worried about gets checked in bags. The batteries, if not inserted into a device, must be carried on, and packaged in a very specific way. Click here to read the government regulations on lithium batteries and air travel.

Excellent pre-trip planning won't guarantee that everything will be perfect on your trip, but it will sure help you have a smoother go of it, particularly on those stressful travel days. Don't forget: Everyone must be at the American Airlines Check-In counter at 4am on Monday, March 24th. Everyone has to check in together on our group reservation. So if anything, plan to be there a few minutes early, and if there are any difficulties, call your instructor on their mobile phone.