The Longest Kick

  Buccaneers Field Goal kicker Matt Bryant had hit several field goals at 24-yards out during his NFL career but this one felt like he was standing back in Texas. That's because the day before his game against the Green Bay Packers he was in Texas burrying his three-month-old son Tryson.
  Tryson passed away in his sleep last Wednesday and for this father it was his world. On Sunday the kicker stepped up to the game-winning attempt and did what he was supposed to do. He kicked the field goal that would put his team up against the Packers and win the game.
  For Bryant to make that kick was monumental. I don't know how he was able to put on the uniform and run onto the field Sunday let alone kick the field goal to win the game but he did it. In my eyes Matt is a brave man.
  I couldn't help but get caught up in the story line during the game. I guess that's what I get for being a father. I hope I am never put in the place that Matt Bryant is in these days but if I do I hope I can find his strength.
  I had a lot of conflicting feelings at the game's conclusion. Here I was taking pictures of Matt at a very bad time. Yet I wanted to respect him and document what he was doing as a dad. He loved his son so much that he wanted to properly memorialize him with his performance. Matt's actions for Tryson were commendable.
  Following the game Matt talked about the day. "Today was his day," Bryant said. "It was all about him for me. I talked with him personally in my head throughout the game. I just want to remind him that he's my baby boy and he's with me all the time."
  I couldn't wait to see Benjamin when I got home. I just wanted to hold him in my arms and kiss him. In a way I felt guilty that I could hold my son and Matt was grieving for his little boy. It just makes you appreciate every minute that you have with your children and let them know how much you love them.

Yeah Tori and Me We're Friends

  Every morning after I wake up I walk to my office and check my email to see if I had any clients message me overnight. Usually it's a lot of SPAM and nothing major. This morning however was different. Under my Facebook folder I found a new message waiting to inform me that TV actress and 90210 alum Tori Spelling had accepted my Facebook Friends request. 

  Yes I know I have to turn over my Man Card now but I was truly surprised. I had sent her a request a month ago and thought she probably deleted it. I mean she probably gets a zillion of these every week and just hits the "Ignore" button. But I was friend #647 on her FaceBook page.

  Look I'm a realist and know that she probably has some assistant handle her Facebook page and Friends requests but I was excited. To put it in perspective, I was Friend #5,021 with USF QB Matt Grothe. So for me to be Tori's #647 is kind of up there.

  I also am Friends with Zane Lamprey (host of Three Sheets on the MOJO HD channel) as well as Greg Pitts (of ABC's "Sons and Daughters" but more infamously known as "O-Face" from the movie Office Space.) with whom I attended USF.

  So say what you will about my recent addition but I was grinnin' this morning. And yes I should be off Man probation sometime next month.

A New Association

  As I've alluded to in an earlier post, I am going through and redesigning my business. I'm still working on redesigning my websites. I am also rethinking my brand. 

  So a few weeks ago I applied to and was accepted to join the Wedding Photojournalist Association. WPJA is a professional organization made up of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. They are a resource for brides much like TheKnot.com but made for couples looking for a documentary approach to their wedding album. The other photographers listed on the site fall in line more with my style of wedding photography as well as price point.

  Before I joined WPJA I listed with The Knot as well as another site for wedding vendors. The second one I joined last year in the hopes that it would generate more leads. When my sales rep called me to renew I told him that I wouldn't as the site yielded no leads. 

  So I will have to see how this new direction goes. Now all I have left to do is finish the website and get some new promo albums produced. It never ends.

Hitting the Road with Joe

  Last week while I was transmitting my stuff from game 1 of the Red Sox v Rays series I got a call from my Sports Editor at USA Today. When I asked if I could call him back after I transmitted from the game he said, "Yeah I've got something right up your alley."

  Intrigued I phoned him back while sitting in traffic after the game. (I know go figure. When did you ever think traffic and Rays' game would go together.) I asked David what he had for me. He said they were working on a story about the Ray's Manager Joe Maddon. They wanted me to shoot some pictures of Joe as he headed out on his morning bike ride. 

  Apparently Joe likes to bike to help clear his mind which these days is probably filled with many things unlike last season when it was probably thinking about where he wanted to travel to once the season concluded. Now he's got to worry about wether the Rays get the Red or White Sox for the American League Divisional Series.

  I talked to the Rays PR person to make sure everyone was on the same page. I let them know that I wouldn't take away from Joe's personal time but would need him to ride back and forth a few times in order to give my editors a few different looking pictures from which to choose. Not a problem.

  So last Thursday morning I stood in the median along Bayshore Blvd. at a particular intersection and waited for the skipper. Around 11:40 am I looked over and there was Joe on his bike.

  Joe was great and very accommodating for me. He asked what I needed of him and directed him to a certain sport I had scouted earlier and just told him to ride his bike. I think I had Joe for about 3:30 minutes, thanked him for his time and off he went to work out his thoughts.

  This has been an exciting week for me. My baseball team is in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. I shot an interesting series between them and the Red Sox and got some personal time with their manager who I found to be a likable guy. Topped that all off with protective eye wear and a champagne-soaked locker room and you have a magical week.

  If you're curious to see the story it's the cover story of today USA Today's Sports section. More cowbell!!

A Blessed Day

  Yesterday was a very special day in the Livingston house. It was Benjamin's baptism as well as my own. Add on to that we had my Aunt Barbara fly in from Milwaukee to perform both baptisms.

  I really enjoy days like the one we had yesterday. For me to be baptized along with my son gave me a deeper bond with him. Attending St. Paul's Presbyterian over the last year and a half has been a good resource for both Cathy and I especially now as parents. Even when sitting in the crying room I am still able to take life lessons with me from the service.

  Benjamin was so good during the Sunday service. And when it was time for us to go on stag he knew what to do. He definitely loves to be the center of attention and now he was in the spotlight. He gave a smile and a look as if he knew exactly what was expected of him. First though Barbara had to baptize me. I joked with her after and told her if she needed they had pitchers available. It felt as if I had been baptized in the "Jordan" River. (For those who don't know my Aunt Barbara's last name is Jordan.)

  After the service, everyone was invited back to our house for a celebration. It was nice to have such close friends and family. Too bad Benjamin had to take a nap immediately after we got home.

  It's important for Benjamin to know that his family of relatives and friends is large and they are there for him. It's also important for him to know that his faith is also there when he needs help in this world. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and to those who kept Benjamin in their prayers.

9=8

  When the Tampa Bay Rays reported to Spring Training the motto that Manager Joe Maddon adopted for this season was 9=8. He wanted his players to know that if they played nine hard innings every game they could be one of the eight teams in baseball's post season.

  To say I've been shocked by my hometown Rays all this season would be an understatement. If we didn't have the history of the Cubs we'd be considered the lovable losers of baseball. I always described the Rays as every other teams Triple-A club. 

  I was here when the Rays throw out the teams first pitch in 1998 and tonight had a similar energy. By the seventh inning it was like a giant party inside the Trop. People were cheering as if the game on the field was a mere formality.

  After the final out the team erupted in celebration on the field and I ran after. Apparently I was a stand-in sideline reporter for Fox. My Dad informed me that it looked as if they were focusing on me and the team celebrating at the pitcher's mound. 

  Once the initial field celebration concluded I and the rest of the media pack headed into the clubhouse for the obligatory Champagne/beer spraying pictures. Players were spraying one another and innocent bystanders with the bubbly. I think I caught a secondhand buzz off all the fumes in the locker room. 

  Players went back out to the field to celebrate with the fans and get them wet. I ran around the field getting shots of players high-fiving fans before heading to my computer to transmit. 

  After transmitting my jubilation shots I decided to see what was happening in the locker room. I couldn't believe that the players were still spraying one another as well as family members. Even the players' kids were grabbing beers and shaking the cans before having it explode on one of their friends. 

  Ahh Victory.  And in all the melee I stayed dry as did my camera. But I did celebrate with the team and had a beer. Go Rays!!

Standing Tall

  So I go away for a few days only to come home and see my son now standing confidently on his own. Wow! I feel like if I leave him again I'll come back to him driving a car to his part-time job at Publix.

  OK so it's a little far fetched but that's kind of how I felt as we sat in the living room last night and watched Benjamin pull himself to a stand on the little stool my Aunt Barbara made him. He only stands for a few seconds but it feels like an eternity to a father.

  I have descried watching my son standing as miraculous. Again it's extreme sounding but to me it accurately describes the way I felt the first time Benjamin stood on his own. To see my own child stand under his own power and essentially creating his independence was exhilarating. Someone that only weeks ago couldn't even crawl could now stand under his own power and with such confidence is nothing short of a miracle.

  I know there are many milestones that Cathy and I will observe over the years but I cherish and enjoy watching every one that my son accomplishes. Who knows maybe one day I'll write a blog about the miracle of watching a child of mine become a doctor. I know how big of a miracle would that be?