January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Mike Goodson (33) plows for yardage against Anthony Hargrove (69) while playing against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well, this was the last game for the Carolina Panthers.  Since they did not make the playoffs, their season ended right here at the Bank of America Stadium.  They did win the game, but New Orleans did not play Drew Brees. It was not a real exciting game other than the fact that the Carolina Panthers won………………..But they did win, and that closed out the Season on a positive not.  The big issue of the day was the cold.  It did not get past 28 degrees all day long.  Some people can operate well in that cold, but for me, it is a true pain in rump.  Let me say, “I HATE the cold.”  All of these images were shot with either my Nikon D300, or my Nikon D2x.  I love the D300, and I like the D2x in certain situations……but I think that this will be the D2x’s last assignment.  It is time for an upgrade which will occur this year.  Nikon is making some FANTASTIC equipment, I do love the company.

This game was truly a game of the “run offense.”  Since Drew Brees was not playing, the Saints kept the ball on the ground.  And on the Panthers side, since Steve Smith is injured, they tended to keep the ball on the ground also.  The above image of Mike Goodson (33) somewhat sums up the feel of the game.  It was just real “smash mouth” football.  This image was shot with my D300, and a 300mm f2.8 lens.  I wish that it had better light in it, but it is what it is.

These next images are of running back Jonathan Stewart (28).  He broke 1000 yards rushing for the season during this game.  It seemed as if the ball was in his hands more than anyone during the whole game.

This next Image was shot with my D2x and my 500mm f4 lens.  I LOVE me 500, but you have to be careful with it when the laght starts to fade.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image of Jonathan Stewart (28) was also shot with my 500mm f4 and D2x.  The ISO was 250 shutter speed 1250 @ f6.3.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

The next Image of Jonathan Stewart (28) was also shot with my 500mm lens.  This is guy is just so powerful, seemed as if it took the whole Saints defense to take him down.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) gets stopped by the Saints defense while playing against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I also used my 500mm lens in these next 2 images.  They are of the punters, which to me, are hard to get a good shot of.  I placed myself at the opposite end zone, and decided to try and catch them through the line of scrimage as the play developed.  The one of the Saints punter Thomas Morstead (6) did not thrill me as much as the one of the Panthers punter Jason Baker (7).  In the image of Jason Baker (7), you can see the ball.  In the one of Morstead, the ball is already gone………but I liked it anyway.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers punter Jason Baker (7) punts against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead (6) punts the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I really only caught 2 pass plays the whole game, and one was not even a catch…….but I thought that it was still a very cool shot.  I vowed at the beginning of the Season to really work on the Passing Game. Looking back on it, I think that I did OK, but still have a ways to go before I am really happy.  I this next shot, I caught Jeff King just as he reeled the ball in after the catch.  I shot this with my 500mm f4 lens.  For some reason, I had put my D300 body on the lens……..so this was shot with my D300 and my 500mm f4.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Jeff King (47) catches the ball during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In this next Image, Robert Meachem (17) of New Orleans stretches out, but he just misses the ball.  I thought that it was a really neat shot, but probably not all that worthy from an Editorial point of view.  I shot this with my 300mm 2.8 lens and my D300 camera body.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Robert Meachem (17) stretches out but misses a pass while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next 2 images are from the same sequence and play.  What I found interesting with them was the play on the light.  There is one part of Bank of America Stadium that was “pools” of light form in the late afternoon.  They are more towards the sides, and if you can catch someone in them, it makes a very good image.  I was fortunate to catch Devery Henderson (19) of the Saints in them.  Both of these were shot with my D300, my 300mm 2.8 lens, and the camera set at “Shutter Priority” for the operational mode.  I had the shutter speed set at 1000.  i think that they turned out nice.  The only thing that I wish could have been different is to catch Henderson catching the ball in the pool of light, but that was not to be.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson (19) runs against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson (19) runs against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image was also shot with my D300 and my 500mm f4 lens.  I shot it at shutter speed 1000, at f5.6.  The ISO was 250, and the exposure was straight up.  It is of Tracy Porter (22) chasing after a loose ball.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Tracy Porter (22) chases after a loose ball while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

As I stated in the beginning of this, it was all about the running game on this day.  Here are some images from the running game.  All of the following were taken with my D300, and my 500mm lens.  I used Shutter Priority for most of the day as far as my operating mode.  These were all shot with Shutter Priority, and the exposure was straight up.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Dante Rosario (88) breaks away from Troy Evans (54) in the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mike Bell (21) breaks through the line for yardage while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Lynell Hamilton makes yardage against Dante Wesley (21) while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

The following are some images of the quarterbacks in action.  Like I said, there wa not much passing, and when they did pass, it seemed if I was on the wrong side of the field……..just only able to get there backs.  Here is what I did get.

Here are 2 images of Mark Brunell (11).  Both were shot with my 500mm lens on Shutter Priority.  The shutter speed was 1000.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell (11) hands off to running back Lynell Hamilton (30) while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell (11) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Here are 2 images of Matt Moore (3) in action.  These were both shot with my D300 and my 300mm lens.  Both on Shutter Priority with the exposure straight up.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) hands of to Brad Hoover (45) while playing against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore (3) against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

I posted these next 2 Images with my take.  I just consider these “gritty” football images.  The one below was shot with my 500mm lens……the thing that I liked about it was the Reggie Busch (25) from the Saints is just “stonewalled” by the Panthers secondary.  I thought that it was just a good football shot.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Busch (25) is stopped by Panthers safety Chris Harris (43) linebacker Na'il Diggs (53) and linebacker Jon Beason (52) while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

This next image was shot with my 80mm~200mm lens and my D300.  The reason that I included it was that it was a goal line stand.  The Panthers stopped the Saints right in their tracks at the goal line.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Lynell Hamilton (30) is stopped at the goal line while playing against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next images are of some of the emotions that I caught after a play.  I have vowed to work on catching these moments more.  I have gotten better, but still have a ways to go.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back wide Dwayne Jarrett (80) celebrates with Jeff King (47) after scoring a touchdown during then first half against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs (53) celebrates after making a tackle against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Everette Brown (91) gets a congratulations from Charles Johnson (95) during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Being that it was the last game of the Season for Carolina, I wanted to get some of the guys coming off of the field.  The light was very nice on one part of the field, so I tried to catch as many players as I could walking through it.  I shot these with my 17mm~35mm lens.  I used my D300 camera body.

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Na'il Diggs (53) walks off the field after winning against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

January 3, 2010; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason (52) walks off the field after winning against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 23 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Well, that is a wrap for the 2009 Panthers NFL Season.  I really wish that they had made the play-offs, but there is always next year.  I have worked very hard at Football this year, and I think that I have made some strides in it.  I plan on shooting more college as well as the NFL next season.  I am really looking forward to it.

Well, for now, it is on to the NBA……and Motorsports is just around the corner.

Thaks for reading!

Sam

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Richard Marshall (31) makes an interception against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Final score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

The Panthers played really well this game.  I was happy to see them win.  It was a great day to shoot, the light was just about perfect.  I really did not feel as if I was hitting on all that I could have, I feel that I could have done better than what I did.  I did get some cool stuff, I just don’t think that I could have done as well as I maybe should have………………I shot the above image after an interception.  I did get the actual catch, but the run back was very interesting.  Richard Marshall was doing just about anything that he could to gain yardage.  I love this shot.  I caught him jumping to get past some defenders.  I shot this with my 300mm f2.8.  I shot it at a shutter speed of 1250, at f3.2.  The ISO was 800, and the exposure was straight up.

This next image is of Jason Snelling attempting to catch a pass.  I really don’t know how I got this other than just hitting it right. I just thought that it was a great image when you look at the concentration in his eyes.  I had to work with it in Photoshop.  I shot it on Shutter Priority, and caught it in the shadow part of the field.  The exposure was short of a real Fuck-up, but I was able to bring it back in PhotoShop.  This image was shot with my 70mm~200mm lens.  Shutter Speed was 1000, and it was shot at f4.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling (44) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Final Score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

As I have said many times before, the passing game (at least to me) is the hardest thing to shoot in Football.  I really wanted to try something different, so I went up top for part of the second quarter.  Here is a shot I got of Steve Smith catching a pass for a touchdown.  I shot this with my 500mm lens, shutter speed 1600, and at f4.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) scores a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In this next shot, I was walking from one part of the field to another.  I was walking behind the Falcons bench when I was this bag of equipment sitting on the ground.  I just really liked the way the light was hitting it.  I shot this with  my 17mm~35mm lens.  I shot it at shutter speed 500, at f3.2.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons equipment against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Final score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In these following images, I tried to get some of the Key players of the Panthers coming out through the smoke during the pre game show.  These guys all have something going on with them.  Delhomme has been the subject of much controversy lately here in Charlotte, DeAngilo Williams has suffered some injuries this season, and Steve Smith is always the topic of conversation.  All of these images were shot at f5 with a shutter speed of 1000.  the ISO was 200.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

In this next shot, I really do not know what Matt Ryan is doing, I just thought that it looked cool.  I shot this with my 300mm lens, my 1.4 converter, shutter speed 1000, f6.3, and the ISO @ 200.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These next 2 images are of the same run.  Late in the afternoon, the Bank of America Stadium has “pools” of light that gather towards the northern end zone. If the time of day is right, and the sun is shining, it can make for some interesting images.  Both of these were shot at shutter speed 1250, f5, ISO 400, and I was over eposed by 1/3 of a stop.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling (44) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Final score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling (44) against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Final Score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Sometimes you just need a good Tackle Image.  I thought that this one might do it.  It was shot with my 300mm lens, shutter speed 1250 at f6.3.  I thought that it rally said “football” when I saw it.

I thought that this next image of Jason Baker was somewhat unique.  I never seem to get good shots of Punters or Kickers.  To me, it is somewhat of a “let down” play.  you either did not get a chance to get the 1st down, or you are settling for 3 points instead of 6.  When I saw this shot, I liked it.  It is just a different angle of the kick that you do not see often.  Seeing the ball in the play is what makes it for me.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers punter Jason Baker (7) against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Final score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

These final 2 images are just images from my take that I liked.  Both were posted to US Presswire.  I do not know if they were used are not, but I personally just liked them.  The one of Delhomme and Deangelo Williams was shot with my 70mm~200mm lens.  The other of the Teams praying was shot with my 10mm~17mm Fisheye.

November 15, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) hands off to running back DeAngelo Williams (34) against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Final score Carolina 28 Atlanta 19. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe/www.TheSharpeImage.com

Thanks for taking time to read.  I will soon be shooting the NBA…..I look forward to that.  I hope that you check back and let me know how I doing at that.

Thanks,

Sam