Forty years ago…

Forty years ago yesterday a Saturn 5 rocket topped by the Apollo Eleven mission lifted off from Cape Kennedy (now it’s back to its original name Cape Canaveral.) I was in the summer before my senior year of high school. I watched Walter Cronkite on a black and white Admiral set at home in Boise, Idaho. Three days later I would watch alone with practically the entire world, joined around radios and televisions to witness for themselves the historic first step by a man onto the moon. Mom’s copy of 2505-0974 copyTime magazine came to the house in the middle of the next week.The address sticker is still on it.Yep I still have it. As a matter of fact, I photographed it just a few minutes ago. Needless to say it’s a treasure.
It’s dated July 25th, 1969. The cover features a painting of the event. At the time the issue was published the film from the moon was still in quarantine against the possibility of an unknown lunar virus. We had to wait to see photographs. Interestingly about the only photograph of Neil Armstrong, first to stand on the moon, is his reflection in the mirrored helmet of Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin was apparently seriously miffed about being the second man on the moon so he didn’t photograph Armstrong. The iconic photograph that most relate to as Armstrong is actually his photograph made of his moon walking partner Buzz.

The monitor on a camera is to review work not to compose a shot unless the camera is on a tripod
Tips & techniques

Be solid! Hold your camera the right way

Sharp photos start with a stable camera. When the camera moves, the picture it takes has some movement blur. High shutter speeds minimize the effect of camera movement, but they do not eliminate it. Here’s how to hold your camera steady.

Read More »
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

Read More »
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

Read More »
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

Read More »
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

Read More »
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

Read More »
Scroll to Top