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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

A Review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Laptop

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 laptop is a beautiful device that offers Windows users a lot of versatility in a relatively small package in tandem with long battery life. This great video review takes a look at the 2023 version of the device and the sort of performance you can expect from it in usage.

A Helpful Photoshop Portrait Retouching Tutorial

The majority of portrait photographs are only half finished once the shutter button is pressed; almost every image will require some degree of post-processing to be complete. This helpful video tutorial will show you an effective, professional-level retouching workflow using frequency separation and dodging and burning that will help you create compelling, polished results.

Is This the Ultimate Bokeh Lens for Medium Format Cameras?

Generally, when it comes to medium format, lenses do not have the same extremely wide apertures many full frame or APS-C options do. Nonetheless, there are a few such options out there for medium format users, and they can offer some extreme and unique results. One such option is the Mitakon Speedmaster 65mm f/1.4 XCD for Hasselblad mirrorless cameras, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of images you can create with the lens.

7 Tips for Taking Sharp Landscape Photographs

In landscape photography, sharpness is often one of the top priorities, and photographers will go to great lengths to ensure that their photos are crisp. If you are new to landscape photography and ready to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced shooter sharing seven useful tips sure to improve the sharpness of your images.

A Review of the M2 Pro Mac mini

The Mac mini line has long been popular for offering the Mac experience in a desktop at a very reasonable price and in a small, easy package. The line took a major step forward when Apple started offering their own silicon in the computers, and in the latest iteration, users can now even opt for a Pro chip. So, how good is the new M2 Pro Mac mini? This excellent video review takes a look at the computer and everything you can expect from it.

A Simple and Effective One-light Portrait Photography Setup

A lot of portrait photographers are scared of working with artificial lighting, but it is a skill that is well worth learning, as it will make you a more capable and versatile photographer and better enable you to realize all your creative visions (and those of your clients). If you are new to working with flash, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a simple and highly effective one-light portrait photography setup.

How You Can Take a Break From Photography and Still Build Your Business

Being a professional photographer can be extremely demanding and can easily lead to burnout and/or a loss of passion for the craft. And yet, many professionals persevere into that dangerous territory out of the need to constantly churn out fresh material. It does not always have to be that way, though. This interesting video features a seasoned professional discussing how he stepped away from his camera for a couple of months but still moved his business forward.

Three Useful Lightroom Tips You Might Not Have Seen Before

While it used to be that Photoshop was the place for any sort of advanced photo editing, in recent iterations, Lightroom has become impressively intricate and capable. In fact, you can now do a lot of things in the program you used to have to switch to Photoshop for, and often, you can perform them more efficiently in Lightroom. This great video tutorial will show you three functions and techniques you might not be aware of and how to use them in your editing.

Can This Popular Lens Keep Up With the Demands of a Modern Camera?

In the DSLR days, Canon made a few surprising good wide angle lenses for their APS-C cameras, one of which was the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, which offered a versatile focal length range in a portable and affordable package. Can it keep up with the demands of a modern high-resolution sensor, though? This excellent video review takes a new look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it.

Helpful Advice for Taking Sharp Landscape Photos

While different genres place different levels of emphasis on getting sharp images, landscape photography generally demands a higher-than-average priority be placed on consistent sharpness. If you are working on becoming a better landscape photographer, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced creative sharing some helpful advice for getting sharp shots on a consistent basis.

Five Fantastic Micro Four Thirds Lenses

One of the best parts about the Micro Four Thirds system is the availability of a lot of small lenses that pack a lot of image quality into those tiny footprints. If you are looking to expand your lens arsenal, check out this fantastic video that features a seasoned Micro Four Thirds user sharing five of his favorite lenses for the system.

3 Easy Posing Techniques for People Sitting on the Ground

Of all the things that go into making a compelling image, posing is perhaps the thing that photographers struggle with the most. If that is something you have trouble with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three easy posing techniques for when your subject is sitting on the ground or floor.

7 Hidden Features and Tips for Editing Landscape Photos in Lightroom

Though we normally think of Photoshop as the place for complex edits, in recent iterations, Lightroom has become a tremendously capable and surprisingly intricate program. As such, there are some features and capabilities you might not be aware of. This excellent video tutorial will show you seven such features and tips and how to use them to make your landscape photo edits more efficient and improve your overall image quality.

Things You Should Be Doing When Booking Photography Clients

You can be proficient with a camera and lighting and have a strong creative voice, but to find success as a professional photographer takes strong business skills as well. If that is something you are new to and you would like to improve, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some helpful advice for the process of booking new clients to help you increase your chances of landing the job.

How Do You Find an Original Creative Voice in Landscape Photography?

Gaining technical competence is hard enough, but developing an original creative voice is an entirely separate challenge. This can be particularly tough in a genre in which you do not get control over the presence or placements of elements in the scene, such as landscape photography. If that is something you find yourself struggling with, check out this fantastic video essay that discusses the process of finding originality in landscape photography.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens

70-200mm f/2.8 lenses are the workhorses of choice for a huge number of photographers, as they can comfortably tackle many genres and needs and often offer some of a company's best features and capabilities. For Nikon mirrorless shooters, there is the NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

A Review of the Fujifilm GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR Lens

Fujifilm's GFX line of medium format mirrorless cameras helped to rewrite the paradigm of the format with a combination of aggressive prices and modern features traditionally reserved for smaller sensor sizes. The GF 20-35mm f/4 R WR offers GFX users an enticing wide angle focal length range suitable for genres like landscape photography, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

5 Hacks to Make You a More Productive Photographer

One of the challenging things about running a photography business is that, unlike a regular job, we have to give ourselves all the structure to stay on track and to be productive. If that is something you struggle with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five useful hacks to make you a more productive photographer.

Are Samyang Lenses Good Alternatives to More Expensive Options?

A decade ago, Samyang lenses were known for being sharp, affordable, and manual focus only, but in recent years, the company has expanded their offerings to start including autofocus in many options while still maintaining reasonable prices and impressive image quality. So, how do they compete with current options? This great video overview takes you through four options: the 35mm f/1.4 AF II, the AF 50mm f/1.4 FE II, AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II, and AF 135mm f/1.8 FE.