Eclipse photography

The Diamond Ring with solar flares from eclipse 2017 by Kevin Ames

Yup. I know. Everyone has heard of it. A lot of people viewed it. Some of us gathered to photograph it. I joined other photographer friends on a just built deck of a not-yet-finished house in Marble, North Carolina to shoot the moon as it passed in front of the sun. This one was made just before the totality.

The “diamond ring” effect

The sun breaks through the jagged lunar mountains dispersing the light causing one side to resemble a diamond ring.

I photographed the moon in front of the sun with my Canon 1Dx Mark II camera with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 Sport with Sigma’s matching 2X teleconverter TC-2001 making the effective focal length 1200mm. The exposure was ISO: 400, 1/320th of a second at f/13.0

It was a wonderful experience that was well worth the long drive, the night spent on the floor of the house-in-progress and the humid southern heat.

Congressman John Lewis at the dedication of Al Farooq Mosque in Atlanta, GA August 17, 2008
Events

John Lewis, 1940-2020

Congressman John Lewis who died on Friday, July 17, 2020, at age 80 is what human beings aspire to be. He focused his life on ending racism and pursued it with purpose and humility. Dedication of Al-Farooq Mosque I had been hired to photograph the dedication ceremonies of Atlanta’s Al-Farooq Mosque on 14th Street on

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Making safe headshots during Covid-19
Client Stories

Making executive portraits during COVID-19

Like others in this time of the Coronavirus pandemic, I am concerned with taking care of those around me. When it comes to providing a safe environment for creating photographs of people, cleanliness, masks and as much physical distancing as possible are my main concerns. My client Susan and I spoke on Zoom to get

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Painting of astronaut on the moon with American flag on the cover of Time magazine
Events

Happy Anniversary Neil, Buzz & Mike!

Fifty years ago, today, July 20, 1969, the whole world paused to watch a really fuzzy video in black and white of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon. That week the July 25, 1969 issue of Time magazine arrived in my mom’s mailbox in Boise, Idaho. The cover said “Man on the

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The Diamond Ring with solar flares from eclipse 2017 by Kevin Ames
Events

Eclipse photography

Yup. I know. Everyone has heard of it. A lot of people viewed it. Some of us gathered to photograph it. I joined other photographer friends on a just built deck of a not-yet-finished house in Marble, North Carolina to shoot the moon as it passed in front of the sun. This one was made

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Makeup artist required
Client Stories

Makeup Artist? No question it’s a great idea!

“Do you want a make up artist for your portrait session?” When I used to ask a potential client this question, some women would answer “No, thanks. I can do my own.” The savvy ones said, “Absolutely!” Most men would give me a look that said having them wear make up was an idea from

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Kodak DCS-760 the 6.1 megapixel digital camera from 2001
Inspiration

A brief rant about professional photography

This is my first and as far as I am concerned, only rant. This rant began in 1888 when George Eastman invented a disruptive technology—black and white roll film. He made roll film holders for practically every plate camera in existence at the time. He also introduced the box camera ushering in the amateur photographer

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