Marc Benton dot Com

Little Known Fact on Air Travel and Camera Bags

During a trip to Columbus last year I was stopped by a TSA agent in Dulles Airport prior to entering the security line.  My bags consisted of my overnight roller bag (to check at the counter), a laptop in a slip case (to work on during the flight), and my camera bag (to store in the overhead or under the seat).  The agent informed me I could only bring two bags into the line.  I ended up putting the laptop into the overnight and proceeded through, somewhat annoyed but without being a jerk about it.

I now find out that the TSA rules allow for camera bags in addition to the standard two.  From their website:

“You may carry one (1) bag of photographic equipment in addition to one (1) carry-on and one (1) personal item through the screening checkpoint.  The additional bag must conform to your air carrier’s carry-on restrictions for size and weight.”

It is important to note that this rule applies to the TSA security checkpoints.  Individual airlines may or may not follow this policy on their aircraft.  Contact your airline to determine their policy.

I’ve included the customer service number of some of the major US airlines below:

American	1-800-433-7300
Continental	1-800-523-FARE (1-800-523-3273)
Delta	1-800-221-1212
JetBlue	1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583)
Southwest	1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792)
United	1-800-United-1 (1-800-864-8331)
US Airways	1-800-428-4322
Virgin America	1-877-FLY-VIRGIN (1-877-359-8474)

Photo credit: Ryan Linsdey on Flickr.

Tags: airlines, camera bags, policy, TSA

Wheeling Suspension Bridge

In 1816, with a strong interest in internal improvements, the legislatures of Virginia and Ohio authorized the formation of the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company (Belmont because the bridge company was to connect from Wheeling, West Virginia to Belmont County in Ohio). With the coming of the National Road to Wheeling, it was necessary to bridge the Ohio. Although the road reached Wheeling in 1818, it wasn’t until 1847 that the construction of a bridge was commissioned. In sharp competition with John Roebling, later noted for the famous Brooklyn Bridge, the company granted the contract to Charles Ellet Jr.

The span of the bridge is 1010 feet, measured from the center of the two supporting towers – the longest clear-span bridge in the world at the time. All materials for the bridge, including the drawn iron wire used to create the cables, were produced locally. The main cables rest upon iron rollers at the summits of each tower. The rollers relieve the strain on the cables caused by expansion and contraction with changes in temperature.

In 1854, high winds set up an oscillation in the deck structure that resulted in severe damage to the bridge. Under the supervision of Ellet, reconstruction work began almost immediately and the bridge was reopened in just three months. In 1867, the Citizen Railway Company was granted permission to lay tracks on the bridge to accommodate horse-drawn streetcars, a possibility indicated earlier by Ellet. In 1872, Washington Roebling, son of John Roebling, was commissioned to provide upgrades to the bridge which included the installation of the diagonal cable stays. The bridge remained essentially unchanged until 1956 when a new steel deck system was installed.

The most recent work on the bridge was completed in 1999 with repairs to the stiffening truss and wire rope stays, complete inspection and rewrapping of the cables, and the installation of new illumination. Today, the bridge stands as one of the finest examples of pre-Civil War engineering and is considered as one of the world’s most significant and historic bridges.

Background information courtesy of donnan.com.

Tags: bridge, suspension bridge, west virginia, wheeling

Pittsburgh Drive By

Last night while driving home from Columbus I decided to take a 30 mile detour and visit Pittsburgh for the first time.  I’m a sucker for city skylines so it was natural that I would seek out the Mt Washington overlooks.  A quick call to fellow photog and Pittsburgh native Shawn Duffy confirmed my plans  (BTW, Shawn has a great guide to  Pittsburgh photo spots on his site).

The extra 2 hours to the trip were well worth it.  The view was fantastic, the people extremely friendly and open to conversation, and I enjoyed one of the best pizzas ever eaten (Cestone’s Pizza on Virginia Avenue).  Not only that but last night was the opening game in the 2009 NFL season that continued the new rivalry between the Steelers and the Tennessee Titans.

Below are a few of my shots: 1) Two 5 shot panos of Pittsburgh at dusk and at night; 2) will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas on the Jumbotron during their performance at the NFL Kickoff Celebration; and 3) Pregame fireworks at Heinz Field.

Tags: heinz field, mount washington, NFL, pano, pennslyvania, pittsburgh, Shawn Duffy, skyline, Steelers, Tennessee Titans

Panoramic Scene from Hershey

Yesterday’s sun ray photo reminded me of some I took in Hershey, PA during our trip there in May.  This is a three shot stitch from my Tamron 17-35mm 2.8 wide angle lense.  It was taken from the grounds of the Milton Hershey School overlooking their sports fields.  Click the image to see it in a larger size.

Tags: hershey, milton hershey, milton hershey school, Pennsylvania, stitch

Downtown Columbus Outing

During my last weekly trip to Dublin, Ohio my camera and I spent an afternoon in downtown Columbus.  I ended up spending a couple of hours at Battelle Riverfront Park on Marconi Boulevard.  This park is on the banks of the Scioto River and is a popular location for strollers, family picnics, joggers and even photographers.

The park contains pathways that were designed that you could walk from one end to the other without retracing your path. It also displays a sculpture named Freedom by Robert Tibor depicting a man releasing a dove at one of the path’s entrances.

One of the highlights of the park is the Santa Maria replica. The Santa Maria was sailed by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and landed in the Caribbean.  This replica is touted to be the most authentic replica of the Santa Maria and was built in 1991, and dedicated in 1992 during the Quincentennial Celebrations held in Columbus.

I wrapped up the day by meeting a couple of OSU students holding a photo shoot.  Matt (photographer) and Olivia (model) were taking advantage of the sunset and working on a class project for Matt.  I offered to help out by holding the reflector that kept being blown over by the wind.  Matt took some awesome shots from what I saw on the camera.  We didn’t trade last names so hopefully he’ll read this and send me a link to some of them.

Tags: Battelle Riverfront Park, Columbus, Digital Photography, photowalk, replica, santa maria, Scioto River, Travel, travel photography