Last-minute break, great shot - and Fate steps in yet again

Viewfinder

By Lloyd Fox | Sun Photographer

December 9, 2007

At a crucial moment, a videographer momentarily moves in front of a triumphant Daniel Wilcox, then moves out of the frame just in time for The Sun's photographer to snap his picture. (Sun photo by Lloyd Fox / December 3, 2007)

My goal during the Ravens-Patriots Monday Night Football game was to capture key moments and to shoot the peak action as it happened during the contest.

What looked like a perfect moment for a game-defining photo occured in the third quarter, when the Ravens' Daniel Wilcox caught a touchdown pass. He took the ball and spun it on its end and then went down on one knee and raised his hands to celebrate the score.

Just as I prepared to shoot, one of the Monday Night Football videographers covering the touchdown pass moved onto the field to get a frontal shot of Wilcox, blocking my view.

I knew this shot was important, but I could not get a clear picture. The videographer moved slowly through my line of sight and then, suddenly, there was Wilcox, in the clear, arms in the air and the ball still spinning on its end. I had the picture.

The image was transmitted to the paper at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and I would later learn that it had been laid out as the sports front lead photo, when it looked as though the Ravens were going to win.

But in the end, the Wilcox picture was stripped from the front page and replaced by a shot of the late touchdown pass that gave the Patriots another win. The Wilcox picture would end up being an also-ran - one of many on the Web site gallery.