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Studio Two Seven Nine 12/31/20 Studio Two Seven Nine 12/31/20

Gallery: 20 Faves from 2020

2020. What can you say? Worst year ever?

2020. What can you say. Worst year ever? No. Probably not. I mean, the last time there was a global pandemic (1918) we also had World War 1 and half the country still didn’t have running water. Worst year of my life? Probably not. I nearly died on an operating table a week after I turned 21 and then had almost 6 months of recovery while living alone.

So, with 2020 put into some amount of perspective I present to you 20 of my favorite images from 2020.

Olive in Hilton Park

Back in June Jill, Olive, and I hopped in the Honda and took a drive over to Hilton Park for a picnic. The lockdown was in full effect and we just needed to get out of the house. After lunch, we had an impromptu little shoot in the tall grass. Tall to little Olive that is.

October 13, 2020

Every year, on October 13, I photograph the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth for Moore Fight Moore Strong, a breast cancer awareness non-profit located here in New Hampshire. October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness day, and it is the one night of the year the bridge is lit in the official colors of MBC awareness: pink, green and, teal. In true 2020 fashion, it rained this year. It rained a lot and it rained hard. So, with my gear all wrapped up, I walked around Portsmouth in the rain, tripod thrown over my shoulder, looking for an interesting image that told the story. This was it.

The Fog of a Lime Rock Morning

Anyone who knows Lime Rock knows that its location, carved out of a valley between mountains in the Berkshires, is a favorite place for the fog to accumulate early in the morning. Getting that fog shot is a cherished chase for regular Lime Rock photographers. On this particular morning during Historic Festival 38, the fog was brilliant. This final image is made of 16 captures stitched together.

The Ultimate Driving Machine

The legendary BMW 850 CSI is one of my all-time dream cars. So, when I was offered the opportunity to photograph this car for an auction listing I was definitely excited. I immediately knew I wanted to do a light painted shot. Thankfully the owner agreed to stay a bit later and wait for the sun to go down. For the techies out there this image is made up of 10 captures and was lit with only an Ice Light.

Straight Up

The stunt flying display during the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival.

The Moment of Launch

In September I hosted a motorsport photography workshop at New England Dragway for Greater Rochester Camera Club. I had 5 “students” and I made arrangements for them to have media style access for the day. Helping someone realize what they are able to create with a camera and then watching them do it is one of my favorite things about the profession I chose. Personally, I didn’t shoot a ton that day, but I did get a few good ones.

Miata Swarm

My Dad and I always joked that a Miata race sounds like the buzzing of bees. This is a vantage point I had always wanted to get a race start from and I finally got to do it in 2020. This image is taken through the roof hatch of the spectator bridge overlooking the Sam Posey Straight. On the left is the starter stand with the green flag waving and down the middle a swarm of buzzing Miatas crossing the line.

Ryan - Class of 2021

From Ryan’s high school senior portrait session on the trails around Castle in the Clouds.

Studio Two Seven Nine 9/17/20 Studio Two Seven Nine 9/17/20

Gallery: 38th LRP Historic Festival and Sunday in the Park Concourse d'elegance

The winners of Sunday in the Park. Left: Best American, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray; Center: Best in Show 1930 Packard 745 Phaeton; Right: Best International 1967 Lancia Flaminia Convertible

Over the Labor Day weekend, I spent 5 days at Lime Rock Park as the lead photographer for the 38th Lime Rock Historic Festival. The fact that there were no spectators allowed on race days made those days feel a bit, well, strange. Adding to the strangeness was the lack of vendors on the midway and in the swap meet. Both of which would normally be bustling with activity during HIstoric Festival. While Sunday in the Park felt closer to normal; albeit on the small side with half as many cars in the concourse and a very limited number of spectators allowed through the gates.

That said, for those of us lucky enough to be there, the 38th Lime Rock Park Historic Festival did not disappoint.

I knew going in that my job was a little different than it was in years past. I wasn’t just there as part of LRP’s marketing team but as the eyes of those who weren’t there. I really took it upon myself to capture the event in the most vibrant and creative way I could in order to share it with the fans who couldn’t be there themselves.

What follows is a gallery of some of my favorite photos of the weekend. Some of these were posted to the Lime Rock Park Facebook page as part of my daily galleries while some of them hadn’t been posted until now. Enjoy!

The fog of a Lime Rock morning. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this shot.

Studio Two Seven Nine 8/31/20 Studio Two Seven Nine 8/31/20

Throwback Gallery: Lime Rock Historics 2012-2019

A major milestone on my journey to becoming a full-time professional motorsport photographer was the 2012 Lime Rock Park Historic Festival. This was the first time I was able to obtain media credentials and got to work inside the spectator fence.

Since 2012 I haven’t missed a single Historic Festival. The first 6 (2012 - 2017) for Nobraking.com as a correspondent and the last 2 as a photographer working in Lime Rock Park’s marketing team.

With the 38th Lime Rock Park Historic Festival right around the corner, where I will once again be working for Lime Rock, I present to you a gallery of 100 of my favorite photos from the Historic Festivals I’ve covered.

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Studio Two Seven Nine 12/31/19 Studio Two Seven Nine 12/31/19

Gallery: 19 Faves from 2019

19 Favorites to celebrate and look back at 2019.

1. Chevron through the shadows during the Lime Rock Historic Festival.

Thank you to everyone who made 2019 such a successful year. With clients like Lime Rock Park, Sports Car Driving Association and Hooked on Driving, and partners like the Rochester Opera House, Moore Fight Moore Strong and the Greater Rochester Camera Club I couldn’t ask for much more. I couldn’t be more proud of what Shawn Pierce Photography has become over the last couple of years and the future is even brighter! Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the Roaring 20’s!

2. The chaotic start of the 2019 Northeast Grand Prix was almost as hot as the ambient temp… which was 107F.

3. Special Green Flag. During the LRP HIstoric Festival, Special Olympian Brett Glaser got the opportunity to start a race. It was an honor to meet such an inspirational young man and to capture this moment for him.

4. Not the average track day toys. Hooked on Driving at Lime Rock Park.

5. The Ghost of Christmas Past. My very talented friend Danica Carlson performing in the Rochester Opera House production of A Christmas Carol. She also directed the show.

6. Organized Chaos. Pit stops during the Northeast Grand Prix.

7. Lime Rock’s Hillside. One of the most charming things about Lime Rock Park is it’s lack of grandstands. Instead, there are grassy hillsides where spectators can set up camping chairs or lay out a blanket to watch world-class racing in a park-like atmosphere.

8. Blue Smoke. Taken during an early SCDA car control clinic.

9. Dyson Wins on Memorial Day. I was a wee lad sitting on the outfield hillside when Rob Dyson won his first professional race at LRP in 1985. This year I was also at Lime Rock, this time as an employee, when his son, Chris Dyson, took an impressive flag to flag win during the Memorial Day Trans Am Classic.

10. Power Source. Taken at New England Dragway during the first Motorsport Photography Workshop I’ve ever run.

11. Team BMW on No Name Straight during the Northeast Grand Prix.

12. Rain Dance. One of the wettest shooting days of the year was for this October SCDA track day at LRP. Shooting in the rain is not my favorite, but it usually yields some cool results.

13. ZERO. In October I did the photos for the review of the new, all electric, ZERO SR/F motorcycle. At the time of the shoot we didn’t know where it would be published. A few weeks later Jalopnik picked it up.

14. A Porsche GT3 at one of the SCDA events at Palmer Motorsports Park.

15. #LightUpMBC. For the third consecutive year I documented the lighting of the Memorial Bridge in the colors of Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness, pink, green and teal. All told sales of prints from these events has generated donations to METAvivor totalling around $3600.

16. Exhaust Flames are Cool. I am not sure this needs more explanation. Taken during the Memorial Day Trans Am Classic.

17. In the Arms of the Michelin Man. After winning the Northeast Grand Prix Richard Westbrook jumped out of his Ford GT and into the arms of Bibendum, otherwise known as the Michelin Man.

18. The Mustang at 55. A promotional image taken for LIme Rock Park to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.

19. Sunset on 2019. Because it happens so late in the year and after daylight savings ends, the November SCDA event is the only time of the year where a sunset shot is even possible at LRP.

BONUS: I didn’t take this photo. It was taken by my very good friend Tanya Hervey of Tanya Hervey Photography. The subject matter, however, makes this maybe my favorite photo of the year. In June my wife and I welcomed our beautiful daughter, Olive, to the world. As great as all my photography travels were, none of it even comes close to her.

Studio Two Seven Nine 5/12/18 Studio Two Seven Nine 5/12/18

Gallery: Merrill Peiffer at Rochester Performance and Arts Center

A gallery of images from my coverage of the fabulous Merrill Peiffer at Rochester Performance & Arts Center.

I recently started working with the Rochester Opera House and it's affiliate, the Rochester Performance & Arts Center (RPAC). A couple weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to photograph the fantastically talented Merrill Peiffer during her third and final performance of her solo show, "Merrill Sings," at RPAC. It was a really cool and challenging change of pace to what I usually shoot.

Rochester Performance and Arts Center is located at 32 North Main St, Rochester, New Hampshire. For event calendar and booking information visit their website.