July 30, 1998 I recently did something I’ve never done before. I went to a press conference without my cameras. I went with my kids. We stood in line and we got autographs. I was part of the crowd and not in the media pool. The occasion was the announcement of the line-ups for the Major League Soccer All-Star game being held in Orlando. Franki Hejduk and Cobi Jones were called in to represent the players. Both were all-star selections and had been stand-outs on the otherwise disappointing USA team at the World Cup in France. All three of my kids play soccer and when they heard they could meet Cobi Jones, we were off in the car to KMart (a corporate sponsor of the game) where the press conference was being held. In the course of my career I have been to scores of press conferences. They have ranged from the unknown spokesperson for a local activist group to Planet Hollywood openings with Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold (The Terminator). I’m always getting there early, looking for an angle and remaining a bit above the fray. It’s the only way to remain objective and it makes the job easier if you’re not overly impressed with the event. There’s nothing more embarrassing than a journalist who asks for an autograph.

But it was my day off and the kids wanted to meet the players. My daughter Elise, 10, was spending the day with a friend so she couldn’t go but Adam, 12, and Dustin, 8 were ready. We were delayed by a sudden thunderstorm so we got to the store at 11:10 a.m., ten minutes after the start of the event.

The boys were impressed that all five of the local TV crews were there plus a video crew from Univision, the Spanish language cable network. My coworker Gary Bogdon came waltzing by, loaded with his cameras to cover the event. The boys and I stood behind a velvet rope and listened to a long, somewhat dull speech by the commissioner. Then the soccer players posed for a group photo and started interviews.

The boys had brought their own team jerseys for the players to sign. They will be getting new uniforms this year so they knew that they could stash away their Orlando United Soccer Club jerseys after the signing. After about 20 minutes of interviews, we were able to work our way over to Cobi Jones, the midfielder from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

My youngest son Dustin was so excited he couldn’t speak. His hands were shaking a bit when he handed his jersey to Cobi. Adam tried to act cool but I could tell he thought it was pretty neat to stand right next to this all-star. Gary was good friend and took a photo of the boys with Jones. We then found Franki and he signed the boy’s jerseys as well as Elise’s which we had brought along. One of the TV crews taped Dustin getting Franki’s autograph and it ended up on the 5:30 p.m. news.

My wife Susan was out of town at a conference when this happened and it was the big news the boys had to share when she called that night. It helped remind me how much this events mean to the people who attend them. It’s nice to step out of the role of the jaded working journalist once in a while. It was fun.

Tom Burton

July 30, 1998

 

Tom Burton

< twburton@aol.com > Senior Staff Photographer The Orlando (FL.) Sentinel Other journals by Tom Burton 347 February 18, 2000 Love 341 January 6, 2000 Baby, Baby Baby 333 Is Photojournalism Dead? Tom Burton My comments today will reflect both my love for photojournalism and my respect for its basic tenets. 327 November 8, 1999 Roller Coaster 319 September 19, 1999 The headline on Tuesday’s newspaper was direct. PREPARE YOURSELF 301 July 15, 1999 Burton Rosevear 280 May 10, 1999 I am a certified platypus. It's time to confess. 262 April 16, 1999 "Thank Mr. Burton" 258 March 30, 1999 A "Typical" Day?   238 February 27, 1999 Time 227 February 14, 1999 And by the way; the subject - Zora Neal Hurston - has been dead for almost 40 years. 209 January 29, 1999 Ok, I’ll answer the most-asked questions first: 200 January 9, 1999 Could there be a photo-columnist? 186 December 12, 1998 The Nutcracker 167 October 29, 1998 The launch of Discovery and STS-95 166 October 28, 1998 Huber is one of a handful of photographers who has been setting remotes since the very first shuttle launch in 1981. 156 October 9, 1998 The waiting is the hardest part 147 September 15, 1998 When we edited the film, this last photo kept jumping up at us. It was far less planned than any cover we’ve done - in fact, it was probably the least calculated photo of the entire shoot - but it had that certain "ooomph" we wanted. 139 August 28, 1998 A firefighter returns 128 August 4, 1998 How to be a Model - or Just Look Like One! 124 July 30, 1998 I recently did something I’ve never done before. I went to a press conference without my cameras. 123 July 29, 1998 Some of the newest members of our staff were surprised at the persistence of the British press. They just won’t stop and they want everything. It is quite the clash in cultures when this kind of story goes global. 108 July 6, 1998 For more than a month, it hasn't rained much more than a spit in Central Florida 106 June 30, 1998 Yesterday I was part of the pack, looking for the celebrity of the moment and facing Armageddon. 105 June 27, 1998 At my newspaper, we run photography-based illustrations to illustrate stories that don't lend themselves to documentary styled photojournalism. 94 June 14, 1998 "I'm on vacation..." 81 May 29, 1998 When I decided to shoot a figure drawing class, I knew that I’d be up against some newspaper taboos. 75 May 22, 1998 An open letter to Joe Jaszewski 69 April 30, 1998 The Last Word 61 April 16, 1998 Femme Fatale 55 April 5, 1998 Finding "life" in photojournalism 38 March 15, 1998 Spring Fashion - The Printed Page March 6 , 1998 Spring Fashion - a final editWhich photo do you think would make the best cover? February 27, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fifth day As a photographer, I try to anticipate anything that can go wrong. February 26, 1998 Spring Fashion - the fourth day The shoot went very well and there may be one or two more contenders for the cover February 25, 1998Spring Fashion - the third day...the most debated, discussed and sometimes over-thought decision is which photo will be on the cover. February 24, 1998Spring Fashion - the second dayBut during a fashion shoot like today, I shoot Polaroids proofs on everything February 23, 1998Spring Fashion - the first dayThe phone rang at 6:30 a.m...The obvious question was, "what's going on?" 20 February 19, 1998 While photojournalists seek to document the reality of their world, fashion photographers conspire with beautiful models and clever stylists to create a fantasy. 10 February 1, 1998 Last night, I had a dream 8 January 28, 1998 I’ve found that my best work happens when I surprise myself

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