Humbled and honored to have four photographs recognized in the 2026 North Carolina Press Association Editorial Contest. Congratulations to everyone at @thepilotnews on another outstanding year, earning 30 editorial awards and 7 advertising awards. I'm grateful to the publisher and editors for the trust and freedom they've given me to document stories throughout our community. These four photographs were recognized in this year's contest: • 1st Place Sports — The Scream • 1st Place Sports Feature — Three-Run Homer • 2nd Place Sports — Freeze Frame • 3rd Place Sports Feature — Me and My Shadow Thank you to the entire staff of The Pilot, athletes, coaches, schools, and readers who make these stories possible. Every assignment is an opportunity to preserve a moment that might otherwise be forgotten. Making images that matter. ©2026 Timothy L. Hale #MakingImagesThatMatter #KeepGrinding

I am truly honored to have received an Honorable Mention in the Professional Editorial / Press Sports category of the 2026 International Photography Awards for my image, “Tennis shadow play.” The image features Union Pines’ Lynn Yoxtheimer returning a serve during the 2025 NCHSAA 6A Women’s Dual Team Championship quarterfinals against East Chapel Hill. Sports photography is about far more than documenting what happened. It’s about finding the light, the moment, and the composition that tell the story differently. I’m grateful to the International Photography Awards jury for recognizing this image among the work of photographers from around the world. And, as always, thank you to the athletes and programs who allow me the opportunity to tell their stories. 📷 Timothy Hale Making images that matter.

Recent work-part 2.

Recent work-part 1.

Pre-season scrimmage men's lacrosse action between @PinecrestLax and #unionpineslax last night. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

That's a wrap for 2024! Here are some of my favorite images from last year in just under a minute. Thanks for your support! poplme.co/tlhphoto @ThePilotNews @UnionPinesHs @NCHSAA @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @Zenfolio @WestcottCo @TetherTools @USGA @PinehurstResort @MooreSchools

My one-minute look back at 2024 debuts tomorrow at noon here, FB, and IG. #2024YearEnd

Celebration and heartbreak. @UPHSWB and @UPHSBball split with the #leecountyyellowjackets last night. The ladies are now 6-0/1-0 in conference, Ashanti Fox scored her 2,000th point while the men came up short. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

Clean sweep 🧹🧹@UPHSWB and @UPHSBball won last night in their final non-conference warm-up before conference play against #leecountyyellowjackets Friday. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

Splitsville! @UPHSWB won, and @UPHSBball lost in OT last night at Bob Ward Gym in non-conference action. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

What a season! @UPHS_Football ended their season with a 28-14 loss to @Scots_Football last night. The Vikings finish 6-5/3-3. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA @CoachBryanTill

Hit the mat! Selected images from @UPHS_Wrestling Senior "Blackout" session. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @captureone @Zenfolio @NCHSAA

Making waves! Selected images from @UnionPinesHs swimming senior "blackout" session. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @captureone @Zenfolio @NCHSAA

The @UnionPinesHs men's soccer team rallied from an 0-2 first half for a 2-all final tonight in non-conference action against #terrysanfordbulldogs. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

The @PincrestPats extended their head-to-head matchup to 11-1 over @UPHS_Football tonight with a 58-7 win. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA

Despite a 3-2 loss in the season finale tonight to #southernlee, @pcsoccernc claims the regular season title heading into the conference championship tournament. See more images at linktr.ee/tlhphoto. @NikonUSA @thinkTANKphoto @CameraBits @Zenfolio @MooreSchools @NCHSAA