Articles written by Alex Cooke

Pets are some of our closest companions, and even if you do not want to photograph them professionally, knowing how to capture them well can help you create wonderful memories that you will treasure for years to come. If you want to improve your pet photography, check out this helpful video tutorial that will give you a wide range of useful advice sure to improve your images.

Though the words only differ by a single letter, the difference between making and taking an image could not be more immense. One is a passive approach meant to capture what occurs in front of the camera should something interesting cross its view, while the other is an active engagement in the creative process that draws on the technique, imagination, and foresight of the photographer. This great video takes you behind the scenes of a stunning wildlife image to show you the difference and why it matters.

The Canon EOS R50 is here, and it brings with it a lot of Canon's advanced mirrorless camera features at a very affordable price. This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.

Though it fell out of use for a while, the Fresnel lens has regained popularity for portraiture work, where it can provide a sharp and impactful light quality that is still flattering on the subject's facial features. If you have not used a Fresnel before and want to learn how to employ one to create compelling portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.

Film is enjoying a resurgence right now, and yet, in an age of ever-burgeoning megapixel counts and clinically sharp lenses, it can seem a bit strange to some to purchase an old film camera whose technical image quality could not dream of competing with modern equipment. And yet, that is exactly what you should do, as one photographer argues in this interesting video essay.

In the past couple of years, Viltrox has established themselves as a manufacturer capable of creating lenses at some of the most competitive prices on the market that often outperform their affordable costs. One of their newest offerings, the AF 75mm f/1.2 XF, offers Fujifilm X series users the enticing combination of an ultra-wide aperture, a portrait focal length, and an affordable price. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

While many professionals employ the use of complex setups consisting of multiple lights, even just a single source can create vivid and compelling images when in the right hands. This excellent video tutorial will take you behind the scenes to show you how a photographer shot a striking series of full-body portraits using just one light.

Zeiss lenses are loved for their uncompromising image quality, with sharp rendering, deep and contrasty colors, and beautiful bokeh. The Batis 40mm f/2 CF offers the respected Batis design in tandem with a wide aperture and unique focal length. 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.

As advanced as editing tools have become in recent years, dodging and burning remains as one of the most fundamental and powerful techniques for shaping the light in your images, de-emphasizing blemishes, and drawing attention to your subject in a natural but compelling fashion. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use dodging and burning for editing portraits in Photoshop.