Alabama Tornadoes

Posted by Luke S at 11:00 PM 2 comments

Baltimore-ish

Here are some more frames from my Zeiss Ikon 6x6 rangefinder. there's nothing like shooting film and developing in the darkroom in a digital world. Enjoy.

Posted by Luke S at 11:46 PM 1 comments

More film.

Posted by Luke S at 5:45 PM 0 comments

H(old)ga

I found some old Holga negatives in a dusty shoebox under my bed. It doesn't make sense to shoot film.


Gloomy morning at Andrews AFB.

Posted by Luke S at 11:37 PM 0 comments

Wrastlin

Sometimes a good story just falls into your lap. The story of Neil Superior's Wrestling School was one of those stories. Last summer I was grabbing some dinner one Friday night after work in Washington, DC when one of the metro editors from The New York Times gave me a call. She asked if I would accept an assignment in Western Maryland on Saturday night. Details were sparse at the time, but I thought "why not?" It would be a nice change from shooting politics downtown, even if it was on a Saturday night. Sometimes not having much of a social life can have its benefits.

The story ended up being an early midterm election profile on Linda McMahon (Connecticut Republican Senate candidate and wife of WWE CEO Vince McMahon) I met NYT reporter Ray Hernandez in Hagerstown, Md. and we scoured Neil Superior's Professional Wrestling School for any possible ex-WWE pro wrestlers who might have insights on Mrs. McMahon. There were no leads to be found, just a bunch of wide-eyed young wrestlers who dreamt of making it to the big leagues one day. While the photos never ran in print or online, I made a few more visits over the summer and really had a blast shooting photos and making friends with the good folks of Hagerstown.


Aspiring professional wrestler D.J. "Tytan" Crim of Martinsburg, W.Va. gathers his gear before wrestling at Neil Superior's Professional Wrestling School in Hagerstown, Md. Luke Sharrett/The New York Times

Posted by Luke S at 8:31 PM 3 comments

100% Lynchburg

Winter break was the first time I had been home in Central Virginia for a long time. It was such a joy to see my family, my dog, and revisit spots around town where I fell in love with photography in high school.

Posted by Luke S at 9:26 PM 2 comments

Travel Pool Polaroids

Aged to perfection like a fine wine, these Polaroids sat in a dusty shoe box under my bed for nine months. I made these frames on May 26, 2010 on a trip to California with President Obama while I was interning for The New York Times. They were taken with an old Polaroid Land Camera #250 and Fuji FP-100C instant film. There's something strangely gratifying about not being able to see a photograph for more than half a year in this digital age where the constant deadline looms. I'm just happy they survived being stuffed into my Newswear chestvest for two days of constant crawling, running, and jumping into helicopters. Thanks for looking, friends!



Andrews AFB, Md.

Posted by Luke S at 5:35 PM 1 comments

The Old Guard

Posted by Luke S at 8:35 PM 2 comments

End of twenty ten

Posted by Luke S at 5:33 PM 1 comments

Election Day

On November 2 the much-awaited midterm Senate and House elections took place across the country. I was blessed to be a part of a team of New York Times freelancers and staffers stationed around the U.S.

I spent election day photographing polling places in Bowling Green, Ky. (the hometown of Republican Senate Candidate Rand Paul.)

My first East Coast deadline was 8am (7am in Bowling Green.) With polls opening at 6am, I had a little under an hour to make some early photos for the web. After making deadline I hit other polling places across town, transmitting periodically to "feed the beast." Later in the morning I covered Rand Paul voting at a local elementary school, as well as some of his supporters demonstrating along main roads in Bowling Green.

As the day progressed I covered more ground in Bowling Green and marked a spot on the press riser at Paul's election night party at the Bowling Green convention center. It was a joy to shoot alongside my good friend Daniel Houghton as well as other WKU PJ's who were freelancing for area newspapers. Kentucky's polls were some of the earliest to close in the nation, so we didn't have to wait long before Paul appeared on stage with his family to declare victory. It was a17-hour work day, and I enjoyed every minute of it. What a privilege it is to take photographs for a living.


Warren County schools were closed on election day as gymnasiums and cafeterias were transformed into polling places for Western Kentucky voters in Bowling Green, Ky., November 2, 2010. (Luke Sharrett for The New York Times) 

Posted by Luke S at 10:43 PM 1 comments