The Little Marauders Fan

I get distracted, easily at times, from my main purpose at assignments.

But that can be a good thing.

Like when I spotted this young Marauders fan noodling around on the handrails at McKechnie Field.

His mother and father were adept at multi-tasking; holding food, carrying on a brief conversation, and keeping their two children from getting in the path of passing fans.

Happily I didn't miss any important plays as I got this shot before he latched onto his father's hand for a trip to the young mens' room.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for Cute.

Who isn't?

--Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Flash of color

Photographers usually don't have high hopes for the opportunity to make a creative image at a luncheon assignment; but occasionally we can be surprised.

As I was scanning the area for something different, I spotted a woman dressed in a very unusual outfit with a brightly colored shawl. She was peeking at the crowd from behind a wall, waiting for her musical cue to make a dramatic entrance.

Suddenly, she was dashing into the courtyard and I barely had time to raise my camera and fire a couple of frames before she was in the sunlight, dancing for the crowd.

I had a nice image of her dancing for the paper, but I like this one much better.


--Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Getting a grip on golf

Michael Visacki of Sarasota loses his grip on his club after teeing off on the second hole during a U.S. Open local qualifier at the Waterlefe Golf and River Club.

Golf, the popular game of smacking a small ball into a little hole while walking numerous miles with heavy metal clubs strapped to your back, is I believe, one of the most difficult sports to photograph.

Just finding the assigned players to photograph can be a challenge. After begging, borrowing or stealing a golf cart, you head out on a vast frontier of greens, tees and holes. The golfers are already playing and now you’ve got to find, shoot and identify them. To add to the challenge, by U.S. Open rules, you are not allowed to talk to the players, whoops; here I plead the Fifth Amendment.

After locating your subject, you hope for something interesting to photograph. Sand flying, clubs wrapped around trees, players crying, are all good, but it always happens on other holes.

To all the golf photographers out there, your hard work, great photos and patience do not go unappreciated.

By the way, when they yell “Fore” what does that mean anyway?

-Grant Jefferies

Party planning: Journos prepare for the Tampa Republican National Convention

Speeches, speeches, and more speeches. 

The only thing that may outnumber the speeches could be the number of journalists covering the Republican National Convention in Tampa. 

15,000 of them, according to the GOP convention web site.

So, a little party planning took place yesterday to inform the working press of the technicalities of doing the job. 

Lighting, work space, security, vendors, lodging, telecommunications, transportation, parking; just to list a few of the subjects touched upon.

Just a walk through. 

But come August, it'll be the real thing.

We'll be ready.

--Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

The Frog Shower

There's nothing like a soothing bath to lift your spirits. But as I discovered this past Friday -- beware the bathroom interloper!

Out of the corner of my eye I spied a curious and apparently agile four-legged shadow creeping up the other side of the smooth fabric of the shower curtain. Enter the Cuban tree frog!

Not one to turn away interesting visitors, I decided to let him enjoy his surroundings, figuring the extra moisture was a welcome relief for this amiable invader compared to the bone-dry terra firma outside.

The would-be bather even struck a nice pose for the camera - perching at the top of the curtain and resting the pads of his hands on the curtain rod as if to say, "Ahhhh..."

-- Paul Videla

Lady Mustangs in Final Four

A hair bow rests on a bucket of softballs and not far away, between the sounds of bats cracking and softballs thumping into gloves, there was chatter among the players.

The ball buzz was not of Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle, but of makeup, hair color, necklaces, outfits and sunburns from a recent trip to the beach. One player hoped Nike would come out with a dress, with the replay, “That would be so awesome!”

The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs softball team is on their way to the Class 6A Final Four softball semifinals where they will play Pembroke Pines Charter High School on Wednesday at the National Training Center Softball Complex in Clermont.

Play well and do not forget your hair bow.

-Grant Jefferies

What's that in the water?

So, there were some reports of a sludge-like goo in the water at the beach. Oil? Pollution? No, it turns out that it's just a naturally-occurring algae.

When I went out to the beach to check it out, all I could find were folks taking in the amazing natural beauty that we are blessed with every day.

So what did I do?

I took my shoes and socks off and walked into the water.

Purely to better do my job, of course.

It was worth every single grain of sand I (or my adoring husband) will later need to vacuum from my car.

Aaahhhh.

Honk for Peace

Young Atticus Pratt, 6, holds up two fingers to form the legendary peace sign. His other hand grasps a faded poster-board sign that reads, “Honk for Peace.”

Older demonstrators surrounded the young protestor during an Occupy Bradenton rally at the corner of First Street and Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton.

Atticus’ skills are that of a veteran protestor from attending protests for several years, quickly responding to passing cars with some honking in approval.

It is good to know that the First Amendment has no age limits.

-Grant Jefferies