The Sharpe Image

Sept 20, 2009; Concord, NC, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Brandon Bernstein during the Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I really like Drag Racing, problem is, I just do not get to shoot enough of it.  It is always either too far away, or it conflicts with something that I already have a commitment too.  So when the NHRA comes to zMax Dragway here in Charlotte, I am ALL over it!  Some of you may know that I shot Drag Racing on a pretty regular basis back in the early 90′s.  I got my motorsports start with a small racing paper called Inside Motorsports.  Inside Motorsports was a great little newspaper, but made the mistake of trying to cover too much “grass roots” racing with ignoring the big Series such as Sprint Cup, NHRA, IRL and some others.  They skimmed over these Series, but never made any real attempt to cover them in the way that they should have been covered in order to generate cash flow.  When they did cover them, they sent me.  That is really how I got my start in all this crazy stuff.  Anyway, least I digress.  This is about the Carolina Nationals.  I LOVE this event.  I am so glad that NHRA has put it on the schedule twice next year.  What a great move!  But enough of that for now, lets look and see what I came up with………. (continue reading…)

Sept. 13, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs (31) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Final Score Philadelphia 38 and Carolina 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This was the opening game for the Carolina Panthers.  The day was beautiful for Photography, but that is about all you could say.  The Panthers got beat 38 to 10……they seem to need a lot of work to get themselves to where they really need to be in order to be competitive.  But this is not about the Panthers playing skills, it is about the photography of the day.  I really did not feel too much on top of my game today.  Maybe it was because of the Panthers poor playing, I do not know.  But I did get some decent stuff from the day.  Please take a look.  Thanks!

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Sep 5, 2009; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons line up against the Baylor Bears at Groves Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This was the very first College Football Game that I have ever photographed.  I really did enjoy myself.  The game was much more “dynamic” than a normal NFL Game, and the atmosphere was just really enjoyable.  Wake Forest has one of the BEST Facilities that I have ever seen in Sports, PERIOD.  They really know what it takes, and they do it.  Way to go Demon Deacons!

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August 29, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers mascot outside the stadium against the Baltimore Ravens at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well, as far as I am concerned…….fall is here.  Even though it is just a Pre-Season game, it is the first real game of the Season for me.  The Panthers did not look so well, but here again, they really did not play too many of their Top Play Makers.  The suffered a loss of 17 to 13, but hey, there is always next week.  It is only Pre-Season!  The above image of the stone Panther was taken with my D300 and my 70mm~200mm lens.  I shot at shutter speed 250 @ f20, this under exposed it by 2 stops.  I thought it looked pretty cool. (continue reading…)