customs

Smuggled Camera Gear Worth Over $60 Million Seized in China

This past Wednesday, customs officers in China announced the bust of a gigantic camera smuggling operation and the arrest of 14 suspects connected with the illegal transportation of $63.5 million worth of camera equipment. The smuggling ring has allegedly smuggled 60,204 cameras, 13,623 lenses, 483 flashes, 1,025 video cameras, and 348 projectors. Since camera equipment is much cheaper to buy in Hong Kong -- 20% to 30% less -- smugglers profit by sneaking the gear into mainland China (avoiding customs taxes in the process) and selling it through the gray market.

Photog without Work Visa Enlists 7-Year-Old Daughter’s Help for Exhibition

When American photographer Alex Soth arrived in the UK earlier this year to work on a commission for the city of Brighton's photo biennial, he was told by the customs officer at the airport that he couldn't do his photography work without a work visa, and that getting caught might result in two years of jail time.

Instead of going ahead with the project anyway or calling it off, Soth decided to hand his camera over to his 7-year-old daughter Carmen. The duo strolled around Brighton for a few hours each day, with Alex directing many of Carmen's photographs while Carmen looked to check off entries on the shooting list she made (shown above).