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Take a look back at 2001 through the lenses and thoughts of St. Petersburg Times photographers.
By MIKE WILSON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 30, 2001
Our photographers' favorite pictures of 2001 show a universe of events -- a family gathering vegetables for the needy, a child luxuriating in an inflatable pool, a man painting a landscape.
But if we had to come up with a single word to describe what these pictures are really about, we think relationships would do pretty well.
See the young Sudanese immigrants united in wonder as they switch on a lamp. See the toddler apparently Velcro-ed to her mother's back, a physical bond serving as a metaphor for an emotional one. See the Jack Russell terrier lagging behind in a race, its ears flattened in defeat as two faster competitors spring like superdogs over a barrier.
See the landscape artist document his beautiful Florida, modestly leaving himself out; the photojournalist's lens puts him back in the picture.
Envy, love, encouragement, amazement, awe -- our photographers saw all of these things in their view finders in 2001. Read on, and they'll explain why these relationships moved them so.
-- MIKE WILSON, Floridian editor
LEARNING TO PLAY: Becky Barber, a teacher at the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind in Hernando County, encourages Alex Boudreau, 2, to pick up Legos on a light table. In this simple, low-tech program, she teaches kids the basics, such as eating, dressing and even playing. KEVIN WHITE: I was born wearing glasses and it pains me to see toddlers behind thick lenses. Teachers like Barber, whose sensitivity, compassion and common sense set them apart, are what makes this program work. She is a hero, and a godsend to the parents and children lucky enough to be part of this program.
LET THERE BE LIGHT: Peter Deng, 22, left, demonstrates how to turn on a light to Jacob But, 23, center, and Abraham Achiek, 25, new to Pasco County. BRENDAN FITTERER: Watching the Sudanese turn on an electric lamp for the first time was probably one of the most amazing moments I've ever witnessed, let alone captured in a photograph. I was with them for a world of "firsts" that included everything from appliances to ice cubes. Those moments were a poignant reminder of just how much we take for granted.
A HELPING HAND: With her 7-month-old daughter Glory in tow, Donna Tolbert heads up a row with an empty bucket to collect tomatoes picked by her daughters Grace, 6, left, Charity, 8, right, and her husband, Wade. During their first week of volunteering with the Gleaners, the Tolberts picked tomatoes twice and green beans once. "It's something my whole family can do," Donna said. STEFANIE BOYAR: This photo was taken as part of a story about the Gleaners of Hillsborough County, a service group that organizes the harvest of surplus produce and donates it to help feed the hungry. The Tolbert family was among the volunteers who arrived that sweltering May morning to pick the tomatoes that were too ripe to be harvested commercially. Donna Tolbert got a calling to help feed the hungry and brought along her husband and her four girls, Charity, Grace, Praise and Glory, to help. Not wanting to leave anyone out of the joy of helping others, Donna carted baby Glory on her back in a sling as she trudged through the muddy rows. It was a tender moment of an entire family working together to help others.
A REAL CATCH: Johnnie Lee of Tampa walks away from the Display & Prop Sale at Burdines with a mannequin for his business, Design Inc. interior decorating service. KEN HELLE: One of those lucky shots, I ran up to catch him as he was leaving the crowd of people shopping. It's simple and it's funny. I was happy to get it in a couple of frames.
WATER SPRITE: Briell McCoy, 4, plays in an inflatable pool with her grandmother, Sebrenda Mitchell, 39, in their Groveland back yard. Mitchell said her granddaughter never leaves the yard alone because she fears the drug traffic in her neighborhood. JAMES BORCHUCK: I liked the way the young girl's arms are up toward the sky, I was really trying to find a situation in Groveland where I could photograph people being natural. Here, I got to blend into the background and make this photo.
STILL LIFE: Peter Carolin, 38, says that painting in this field near McIntosh is like standing at the edge of the origin of life. JAMIE FRANCIS: Chance, that's what I love about this picture. It required no phone calls, no pleading, no cajoling, just a fortuitous encounter in a gorgeous field outside of McIntosh with Peter Carolin. He's a middle school art teacher who has painted this scene for years. He weaved wonderful stories about his art and raised vital questions about teaching children. I left him feeling richer for the meeting and reminded that great ideas -- and pictures -- can fall from the sky.
SUPERDOG: Jack Russell terriers leap over hurdles as they race toward the finish line during exhibition races at the Little Everglades Steeplechase in Dade City. A dog lands on its head as it falls in the background. DAN McDUFFIE: The middle jack Rusell Terrier looks just like "Superdog." It's just a really funny photo!
FACE-OFF: Warren Sapp, right, jokes with Derrick Brooks on the Bucs sideline. JAMES BORCHUCK: The picture of Sapp was taken at the Bucs preseason game in Cleveland. It was late in the second quarter, so all the starters were on the sidelines, done for the night. Warren and Derrick Brooks were talking on the sidelines when Sapp said something to Brooks and made this face. I only have one frame, it happened so fast. I love that you can see a little chewing tobacco on Sapp's teeth. I don't know what they were talking about but they were in a good mood. What a difference four months can make.
A NEW CITIZEN: Michee Homidas, 35, originally from Haiti, poses with his daughter, Farrah Homidas, and wife, Kettie Alexandre, after becoming a U.S. citizen. TONI L. SANDYS: I photographed this family after the father's Naturalization Ceremony on June 27, 2001. I was reminded how much we as Americans take for granted. People struggle for years and make sacrifices we can't even imagine in order to come here and become U.S. citizens. Now we face uncertain times. And still, every day hundreds of people make the decision that America -- not the land of their birth -- will be the country they call home. And that day will be the happiest day of their life.
SLAM: Mike Williams, 18, shows off his dunk during a Championship Day contest, where summer campers compete for bragging rights. JOHN PENDYGRAFT: I like this picture partly because it reminds me that, though we confront some harsh realities working at a newspaper, most every day has the potential to be a lot of fun and that has an important place. That day I got to be a kid (again?) It was literally an afternoon in the park. Park, love, photography. So why not climb up behind the backboard and see what kind of faces people make when they slam-dunk?
LAND OF CONTRAST: Along the shores of the Indian Ocean, a cow finds a feast. CARRIE PRATT: This photograph was taken during my vacation this year in Goa, India. In that sub-continent, cows have complete freedom of where they want to be and nobody can push them around. When I saw this, it struck me as funny that this cow wanted to be at the Indian Ocean eating fruit peelings out of a beer box.
YOU CAN'T CATCH ME: Flamingoes elude animal handlers attempting to herd them into nets at Hialeah Park near Miami to be taken to other locations. They are part of the largest non-captive flock in the United States. RON THOMPSON: The Hialeah Race Track flamingos are the unofficial symbol of South Florida. Growing up here I've known about the birds since long before Miami Vice became a staple of mid-eighties television, so when I was invited to join a group of animal handlers from Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park on a journey to capture and relocate forty birds from the racetrack, I jumped at the chance. The plan was to lure the birds during feeding time and then rush them with large nets. The birds had other ideas and refused to even go near the feeders. When a handler tried to urge them into the trap, they took to wing and just circled high above the track mocking the group of humans below. The handlers finally settled on gathering up the flightless chicks instead. In this photo I just like the clean, elegant lines the birds convey in contrast to their startling pink plumage.