Kevin Ames

Atlanta

Freelance Technical Editor at Photofocus

Photographer at Freelance

Photographer, writer, teacher interested in theatre & visual arts. Native of the Northwest.

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Articles

Neewer AS600B: A very bright LED

3 weeks ago | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

The Neewer AS600B is a well-built, high-output lighting instrument. Its controls are easy to understand and use. It is a professional quality light that weighs accordingly. It is not for use with flimsy, amateur light stands. It comes in a well thought out trolley with a stowaway handle and wheels. At 42 pounds (almost 20kg), the AS600B is professional grade. It is priced accordingly and competes nicely with similar units from Nanlite and Aperture. I have used this light on jobs.
On location: Headshot in a gym

3 weeks ago | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

Headshots on location are often taken with only the light in the room. Adding a couple of extra lights can make all the difference or a subtle one. Miranda is a personal trainer at The Rack in Atlanta. She wants her headshot to be more than a face on the wall of coaches. She told me she wanted it to show her confidence, power and femininity. “No makeup! I wear mascara and some lip gloss,” she said.
Hohem iSteady M7: Pro gimbal for smartphones

1 month ago | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

More videos than ever are being made with smartphones. The need for professional motion tools has never been greater. The Hohem iSteady M7 is perfect for wider and heavier phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Handheld video is great for recording quick authentic shots where the bounciness of the camera adds to the story. The other side of that is the smooth-flowing captures that only a gimbal can deliver. So, short scenes work well with a handheld phone.
Review: Genaray LF-RGB-65 LED Fresnel

2 months ago | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

The new Genaray LF-RGB-65 LED Fresnel brings long-lasting LED versatility to an historic fixture of stage and screen lighting. This is an affordable, feature-filled light for photographers and videographers. A fresnel light (pronounced frəˈnel) has a stairsteped lens that varies the spread of the beam. Frenel is named after Augustin-Jean Fresnel, who invented it for use in lighthouses.
Adobe MAX 2024: 100+ new features for creatives

Oct 14, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

Adobe announces new AI tools and workflows for Firefly, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator and more at the Max keynote this morning, October 14, 2024 in Miami, Florida. Adobe Max, the conference for creatives in-person and streaming online, reveals what the teams in all product categories have been working on to make our digital work faster, easier and better.
Review: DJI Ronin RS-4 Pro Gimbal

Sep 18, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

The key to making successful camera moves is a gimbal like the DJI Ronin RS-4 Pro. A camera that seems to float through a scene engages an audience by adding visual interest. Note: DJI loaned me a Ronin RS-4 Pro gimbal combo for this review. I was a video news photographer many years ago. I was taught that anything was better than handholding a video camera. As such, I lugged a video tripod everywhere and used it.
The High Line: Garden above NYC streets

Aug 31, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

New York City’s High Line is a garden in the sky above the hustle and noise of the streets below. A 20-block stretch of serenity, the Highline is a place for art and reflection. The High Line is a public park and walkway from 14th and Gansevoort Streets to 34th Street and Hudson Yards. Originally, it was an elevated railroad called the West Side Elevated Line. The first trains rolled on it in 1933. By 1983, the tracks were abandoned. Nature took over. The High Line opened six blocks in 2009.
Paul McCartney, the documentary photographer

Aug 11, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

Paul McCarney documented the rise to stardom of his band The Beatles in 1963-64. His behind-the-scenes photographs in Paris, London, New York City, Washington DC and Miami are in a traveling exhibition that began in London’s National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition has 250 prints, contact sheets and videos on at the Brooklyn Museum through August 18, 2024. It moves to the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Oregon, on September 14, 2024, through January 19, 2025.
Photoshop AI tools banned in club competitions

Aug 6, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

Recently, I presented at an Atlanta area camera club. I was shocked to learn that the members were banned from using artificial intelligence (AI) in the club’s photo competitions. During my presentation, I talked about the generative AI tools in Photoshop because I use them. I love Guided Upright to straighten vertical lines on buildings. Sometimes, the tool leaves transparent areas that need to be filled in. I happily use Generative Fill to fix the problem.
Adobe AI tools don't scare me

Jul 1, 2024 | photofocus.com | Kevin Ames

And they shouldn’t scare you either. Adobe’s new AI-powered tools in Photoshop, Premiere Pro and other applications get things done faster. Imagine using the Clone Stamp tool to take the person out of the scene in the photo above. It took about 30 seconds using Adobe AI Generative Remove in Lightroom. Photoshop came on the scene in February of 1990. Photographers were shooting film. Digital cameras were a few years in the future.