Latest news with #TimShortt
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Sunrise, river, palm tree, spectator, launch: That's so Space Coast!
FLORIDA TODAY's Tim Shortt puts it bluntly: 5 a.m. is early, but when your assignment is to shoot a launch just after sunrise, well ... So, when the veteran photographer headed out on June 23 to shoot the 6:54 a.m. liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41, one carrying 27 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites, he hoped for, at the least, a good vantage point and spectators. But as launch time approached, only one or two people showed up at Nicol Park, located along the Indian River in Port St. John just south of the Fay Boulevard intersection. As luck would have it, though, a man walked up to the river's edge just in time for liftoff. It was Kevin Mahaffey, a teacher at Fairglen Elementary in Sharpes. Mahaffey had taken a break from a flooring project to see the launch, which came less than 30 minutes after the 6:26 a.m. sunrise. And in short order, FLORIDA TODAY's next Photo of the Week was in the works. "I quickly positioned myself so that he was directly blocking the sun and took several pics before he saw me. He at first seemed concerned that he was in my way," said Shortt. "But I was so glad he was there. To me, with the launch, the sunrise, the river and the palm trees — it sure says Brevard County, Florida! Getting up early is not easy, but it often pays off with sights like these." This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Launch at the crack of yawn? That's life in Brevard | Photo of the Week
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Confetti and caps fly as Class of 2025 soars into future
You can practically hear "Pomp and Circumstance" and feel the confetti raining down on the crowd as you flip the tassel on a decorated mortarboard. This joyful Photo of the Week by FLORIDA TODAY's TIm Shortt, of Titusville Terriers celebrating the "big walk," seems to express the overall spirit shared throughout Brevard County as more than 5,000 students graduated from more than two dozen high schools in May. FLORIDA TODAY was there for many of those celebrations, and also captured the action as diplomas were conferred at Eastern Florida State College and Florida Tech. Between veteran photographer Craig Bailey and Shortt, and with an assist from reporters Tyler Vazquez, J.D. Gallop, Finch Walker and Amber Oleson, a treasure trove of memorable moments was captured. "Anyone who has attended as many gradations as I have through the decades knows how many extraordinary young people we have here in Brevard," said Shortt. "We too often hear about the bad apples, but I can attest that the vast majority are bright, determined and are going to do just fine." This year, Shortt shot graduations at at least nine schools, including Eastern Florida State College, where he majored in photography back when it was Brevard Community College. This image was his overall favorite — and as a bonus, his niece, Maddie Jones, was among the grads there. "I graduated Astronaut in '78, and while a proud War Eagle from across town, I gotta give credit to our rivals over the years for a fantastic ceremony," he said. "On this night, I was full-on Go Terriers!' For more photos from graduations around the Space Coast, click here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Confetti, caps, Class of 2025: Oh, what a night! | Photo of the Week
