Cheryl Clanton works as a photographer for the Hernando Sun. When we’re in a pinch, she’ll also write articles and has delivered newspapers. She puts together our weekly recipe and high school sports schedule as well. As a small paper our staff has to be jacks of all trades and Cheryl certainly fits the bill.
Cheryl has done anything she set her mind to do. She has a very interesting background. She comes from a family of ‘tree climbers.’ She was born and raised in Tampa. Her dad was general foreman for Asplundh and several of the men in her family followed in his footsteps. Cheryl did too. “The men in my family worked for Asplundh for years and one day my dad said I couldn’t do it cause I’m a girl. Well, I proved him wrong,” Cheryl explained.
She began working for Asplundh Tree Company in the 1980’s. They had a contract with Teco in Tampa to clear the trees from power lines. She started as a groundman and went to Trimmer 2. “I hooked my first tree with my safety line and then pulled up the chainsaw to trim it,” she said proudly.
Prior to working for Asplundh she was a silk screen printer & Assistant Foreman for Groff Graphic in Tampa.
After a couple of years as a “tree climber,” she went on to work for the cigar factory in Tampa, Villazon/Garcia & Vega, in the early 90’s. Her grandfather, Paul Vasquez Jr., worked at the cigar factory as the maintenance manager. “He also said I could not do it. Had to prove him wrong and did, with machine I rolled 3000 cigars. I beat the women that had worked there for years. My grandfather called me Jack of all trades- Master of none. Needless to say he walked around the factory a proud grandfather.”
For a while Cheryl worked for a Uhaul repair shop in Tampa- starting as an office clerk and then moving up to office manager.
What started as a hobby in photography eventually became a calling. In 2007, Cheryl began taking photos of her children and their teammates playing sports. “I fell in love catching them in action,” she said. “My camera equipment got better & better. I ended up on the sidelines for Hernando High School taking pictures of the football team and posted them on facebook for free for the kids to enjoy and it went off from there,” explained Cheryl.
She moved onto semi-pro football photography for the Brooksville Ballers and Tampa Bay Storm. Now Cheryl is the staff sports photographer for The Hernando Sun. She has captured some amazing moments in high school sports that bring the game to life from the pages of the newspaper. She also donates her time taking pictures for Let’s Battle TV.
When she isn’t behind the lens, she is spending time with her “girls,” Papiatha, a Sorrell, and Percy, a rescue horse. She’s been around horses all of her life and has owned them for the last 17 years. Papiatha she explains is, “named after my dad & aunt, which is Spanish for french fry spelled correctly- Papa frita.” She trains horses as well.
Cheryl resides in Brooksville with her family and horses. Cheryl enjoys Brooksville because it’s a “family oriented town” and “loves the old time look and history.”