Images of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appear on the podium Monday, August 27, at the gavel opening of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Photographer Zoran Milich will be wandering Tampa during the convention this week. Check back often for his view of the action. 
Actor and active Republican Jon Voight arrives at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Monday. 
An electrician at the Tampa Bay Times Forum fixes a light as a limo driver awaits Republican delegates. 
Republicans attend the gavel opening Monday. The full proceedings of the first day were canceled because of Tropical Storm Isaac. 
Republican Allen Johnson of Texas watches the gavel opening. The seven-minute session went into recess until Tuesday. 
A billboard opposing Mitt Romney stands among palm trees Monday. 
Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, left, with support from his assistant, signs a photograph of himself for political fan Kieth Klickna. 
Hand puppets of Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are for sale in Tampa. 
Christine Gill from Alaska poses for a picture at a party Sunday, August 26, at Tampa's Tropicana Field. 
Convention-goers gather at Tropicana Field for a convention opening party Sunday night. 
Larry Mazza of the local carpenters union cleans up wood chips at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
Mark Anthoney sells buttons for Mitt Romney supporters on Sunday, August 26. 
A T-shirt bashing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party mimics the logo of "The Sopranos," a television series revolving around a fictional Mafia family. 
The teleprompter is tested Sunday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
Storm clouds brew Saturday over the Lightning statue in Tampa. As Tropical Storm Isaac drew closer, officials decided to push back Monday's scheduled start of the RNC by one day. 
Mounted police horses from across Florida gear up for the convention. 
A Ron Paul Corvette cruises the streets of Tampa. 
A Great Dane, Dora, is held back as she jumps for the table during a Dogs Against Romney protest on Sunday. 
Young men visiting the convention center run in the rain. 
A chalk message is left by protesters a few blocks from the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
House band leader G.E. Smith arrives at the convention center Saturday with a pair of guitars. 
Conversion tech Kevin Losier carries a recycling bin shaped like a bottle of Coke. 
As Tropical Storm Isaac looms on Saturday, laborers await the decision whether to tear down tents or continue building them. 
Motorcyclists roll into Tampa on Saturday. 
Brett Burge removes the vision block on a fence Saturday because of the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac. 
Democratic Party advertisements move through Tampa ahead of the Republican National Convention. 
The Original Hooters restaurant welcomes the RNC. 
- Republican insider Ari Fleischer offers tips to navigate the convention
- Fleischer was press secretary to President George W. Bush
- He also runs a sports communications company in New York
Editor's note: With the 2012 Republican National Convention about to begin in Tampa, CNN asked veteran insiders Ari Fleischer, Republican communications expert and former press secretary for President George W. Bush, and Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and former campaign chairwoman for Vice President Al Gore's presidential bid, for their tips on how to navigate a political convention. Fleischer's list is below. Brazile's tips can be found here.
Tampa, Florida (CNN) -- 1. If you're a delegate, whoop and holler and live it up! Conventions are a thrill, and they are meant to bring out your yelling side.
2. If you're an attendee or watching at home, find the next candidate with whom you'll fall in love. Someone other than the major speakers is going to light a fire or be exciting. They could be the next "who knows what." Find that person while they are young.
3. If you're on-site, keep your eye on the Secret Service. Watch what they do, how they do it and why they do it. It's a thrill!
4. If you're at home watching Obama's or Romney's speeches on TV, be judgmental. Take your measure of each man. Figure out what you like and what you trust, what you believe and don't believe. Candidates can't fake it. You really do get to see what they are like.
The Tampa Bay Times Forum, where the Republican National Convention kicked off Monday, August 27. 
A woman captures the goings-on with her phone before the start of the shortened first day of the Republican National Convention. 
The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, convenes the convention with a bang of a gavel. 
The arena floor of the Tampa Bay Times Forum at the start of the convention. 
Priebus raises the gavel as he convenes the Republican National Convention. 
Lynne David walks behind a group of law enforcement officers as they patrol the streets before the convention. 
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks through the convention center before the start of the abbreviated first day. 
Last-minute adjustments are made to the main stage at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the abbreviated first day of the GOP convention. 
An elephant logo is featured on the side of a tent outside of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
Two convention-goers wear plastic bags as shelter from the rain caused by Tropical Storm Isaac. 
A man reads a newspaper in the empty seats of the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, left, stands at the podium with stage manager Howard Kolins before events begin Monday. 
Men wearing cowboy hats stand on the arena floor before the start of the abbreviated first day. 
Convention staff hang a Romney-Ryan sign at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Sunday, August 26, in preparation for the Republican National Convention. 
A tribute to NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong, who died Saturday, August 25, is displayed at the GOP convention as preparations continue. 
Donald Trump, who accepted the Statesman of the Year Award from the Sarasota County Republican Party, answers questions in Sarasota, Florida. 
A microphone is in place at the front of the convention hall in Tampa. 
Former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks in the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Sunday. 
Activists hold signs mocking President Barack Obama at the Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church. 
Police officers question protesters carrying an effigy of Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney during a demonstration in downtown Tampa. 
Rachel Bolch Thach tries to shelter herself from the rain in Tampa. Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to bring rain and wind to the area and has caused convention officials to delay the start of the convention until Tuesday. 
Strong winds blow through a covered walkway connecting the convention center and Tampa Bay Times Forum. 
Republican convention: The best photos 5. If you're a local, get out of town. Your sidewalks are taken away, and the traffic is terrible. So just rent your house out and make a lot of money.
6. If you're in the media, pay attention to the big things. That's what the country is depending on you to do: tell it to them straight. But, because it's a convention, there are a million little things to watch, too. Find those that are interesting and novel and tell those stories. They can be just as revealing.
7. If you're inside "the bubble," stop and smell the roses. It's a rare thrill and a privilege very few people have. And it's tremendously exciting. You're next to the candidate. You hear and see things no one else can hear or see. The Secret Service has their backs to you, watching others. Being on the inside is a rush.
8. For everyone, enjoy September! Try not to watch too many commercials. Instead, tune in for the debates in October; they're important, too!
Donna Brazile's 10 ways to navigate the convention
Share sights and sounds from the RNC on CNN iReport
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