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Shooting in a hotel room even when it’s a suite can be a bit of a challenge. This portrait of Sheree from Bravo’s cable show The Real Housewives of Atlanta is a good example. For all of the W’s elegance, the backgrounds threatened to overpower Sheree visually at least. She was wearing a dark dress with a ruffled top that almost perfectly matched the dark tones of the wall covering so I chose to photograph her with the Mayfair condominiums forming a pattern behind her through the window. My assistant, Theresa Sicurezza, and I placed a Chimera light panel at a 45º angle to the glass to eliminate reflection from the electronic flash. The shutter set at 1/125th of a second controlls the background brightness, while the aperture of f/8.0 handled the flash. The ISO was set at 400.

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Sheree gets a touchup in the last outfit of the day. Notice the bright fuchsia and green accents in the rug. This hints at the bold decor in the room and why I chose the windowed background.

The shoot wrapped about ten minutes later. We packed up the bell cart, then headed downstairs. The bellman and the valet both received generous tips. Tipping well is an often overlooked key to a successful shoot especially if you are planning to return.

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.

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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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