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Articles written by Alex Cooke

Learn How to Retouch Portraits in Photoshop With This Excellent Tutorial
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Knowing how to light, pose, and compose a portrait is only half the battle. To create a successful final image, you also need to have strong editing technique. If you would like to learn how to properly edit a portrait, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will guide you through the entire process, including frequency separation, dodging and burning, and color grading.

Helpful Tips for Better Dance Photography
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Dancers are incredibly athletic artists, and as such, they can make for wonderful portrait subjects. There are some specific techniques and considerations you should be aware of if you want to get the best possible photos, however. This excellent video tutorial will show you a range of helpful tips for working with dancers to get the most creative and compelling results possible.

What We Can Learn From Street Photography?
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Street photography is a genre that requires both a lot of savvy and technique but also a fair dose of patience. Even if you do not do street work, there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the genre that can be applied across pretty much all photographic pursuits. This excellent video essay discusses those lessons and how to use them to improve your own images.

This "Dogist" Has Photographed Over 50,000 Dogs
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Elias Weiss Friedman, better known as The Dogist, has photographed over 50,000 dogs in his career, and as such, he has learned a thing or two along the way. If you are a lover of dogs and photography, check out this fantastic video interview with The Dogist, in which he reveals why he prefers photographing dogs over people and offers a lot of fun insight into his work.

How to Create Eye-Catching Window Light With Only One Speedlight
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Even to the non-photographer, the look of light through a window is quite recognizable, and as such, it is an excellent way to give your portraits an elegant and timeless look. Of course, we do not always have the ability to just use a window with natural sunlight streaming through, and as such, knowing how to create it in studio is a useful skill. Thankfully, it is not that difficult, nor does it require a lot of equipment. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to do it with just a single speedlight.

Can This $69 Lens Produce Worthwhile Images?
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Most of the time, a worthwhile lens is going to cost you at least several hundred dollars, if not somewhere in the thousands. So, the prospect of a $69 lens is certainly intriguing. Can it produce worthwhile images, though? This excellent video review takes a look at the TTArtisan 50mm f/2 and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in real-world usage.

Learn How These Pin-up Portraits Were Lit and Shot
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Shooting portraits on location is a fantastic way to add some drama to your shots or to use the surrounding environment to complement your subject and to tell a story. If you would like to improve your lighting and portraiture, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how one photographer lit, posed, and shot a series of pin-up portraits using four different lighting setups.

A Review of the Impressive Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera
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The Sony a1 mirrorless camera is, by far, one of the most capable and versatile cameras ever released, with just about every feature you could ever want for any photo or video need you might have. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Review of the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens
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Usually, if you want to use a supertelephoto prime lens for things like wildlife or sports photography, you have to use first-party options. However, Sigma offers a rare exception to that rule, the 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports, and it offers that combination of extra-long focal length and wide aperture sought after by many professionals at a significantly more affordable price. Can it match pace with the likes of Canon and Nikon? This great video review takes a look at the lens to answer that question.

Check Out This Amazing DIY Pond for Filming Wildlife
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One of the most difficult aspects of wildlife and bird photography is finding your subjects and having the patience to wait for them to come into position in frame. So, what if you could make your own spot that you knew would attract wildlife? This photographer and filmmaker designed and built his own pond for bird and wildlife photography, and this awesome video shows the location and the beautiful footage he gets there.

How You Should Edit Your Landscape Photos
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Rarely is a compelling landscape photo made entirely in camera; the majority of such images require at least some degree of editing to be complete, and this is your chance to show off both your technique and your creative vision. So, how do you actually approach the edit? This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing how to edit your images properly.

How to Take Good Photos in Bad Light
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One of the most challenging and often frustrating parts of landscape photography is that you do not get any control over the light. While you can do your best to predict the conditions, nature will not always cooperate. So, can you create good photos in boring light? Absolutely, and this great video will show you some of what you can accomplish and how to go about it.

A Review of the Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition Camera
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Consumer 360 cameras have come quite a long way in the last few years, and you can now get professional-level video and photos from many models. Well-known manufacturer Insta360 recently released the ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition in collaboration with Leica, and this excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-H2S Mirrorless Camera
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The Fujifilm X-H2S is the company's newest mirrorless camera in the renowned X Series, and it comes with a variety of new features and improvements over its predecessor. If you are interested in the camera, check out this great video review that takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

How to Import and Export Images in Lightroom More Efficiently
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Two of the most fundamental tasks you will perform in Lightroom are importing and exporting images. When you are working with large batches, both processes can take a significant amount of time, and as such, it is well worth taking the time to establish a consistent and efficient system. This excellent video tutorial will show you an effective system to ensure that you are not wasting any time when importing and exporting photos in Lightroom.

Is the 50mm Lens the Test of a Good Photographer?
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The 50mm lens is one of the most common lenses out there, and yet, it can be a weirdly challenging one to use. Why is it so difficult to master, and how can you create better photos with one? This excellent video takes a look at the 50mm lens, why it is tough to work with, and what you can do to improve your shots.

A Review of the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 SE Lens
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35mm lenses with wide maximum apertures are some of the most popular and versatile out there, suitable for a huge range of applications, from events coverage to portraits, astrophotography, and more. The Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 SE is quite an interesting alternative to many mainstream options, and this excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

How to Get More Gigs as a Wedding Second Shooter
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If you are looking to break into the wedding industry, one of the best things you can do is become a second shooter. If you are ready to start picking up more second shooter gigs, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced wedding photographer offering seven tips to help land more bookings.

Portable Connectivity: We Review the Anker 555 USB-C Hub (8-in-1)
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While the ports on modern laptops are enough for most users, photographers and filmmakers have much higher connectivity demands than the average person. A portable hub can be a lifesaver for a creative on the go. In this review, we take a look at the Anker 555 USB-C 8-in-1 Hub and if it can provide both the ports and performance a demanding workflow requires.