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Alex Cooke
Cleveland, OH

Articles written by Alex Cooke

It's Ok to Put the Camera Down Sometimes

We may not like to admit it in the day-to-day, but when major life events bring things into perspective, we see that as much as we may love photography, it is not the most important thing. And it is important to remember that sometimes, it is ok to put the camera down to practice self-care, be with family, and focus on the more important things.

7 Common Mistakes Beginner Landscape Photographers Make

Landscape photography is a popular genre, and it takes the confluence of technical skills behind the camera, creativity, and solid post-processing capabilities. As such, there are a lot of places where things can go awry. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing seven common mistakes beginner landscape photographers make and how to either fix or avoid them.

Every Focal Length in One Lens: A Review of the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD

Superzoom lenses are traditionally not known for their image quality, but in recent years, some serious strides have been made by manufacturers, and certain models can now produce good photos while providing remarkable levels of convenience, allowing you to cover every conceivable focal length with only one device. This great video review takes a look at such a lens, the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD.

Mistakes That Hurt Your Photography and Your Business

Being a photographer and running a photography business are both complex things with a lot of different parts and places where things can potentially go wrong. This fantastic video tutorial discusses a wide range of mistakes photographers commonly make and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.

5 Helpful Tips for Respectful Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography can be a tremendously rewarding genre that connects you with nature and allows you to capture stunning images of the world around us. However, it takes some special considerations to maintain safety and to treat the animals with respect. This fantastic video tutorial will give you five tips to create wildlife photography in a respectful way.

How to Use Foreground to Create Better Photos

A photograph is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional thing, and as such, part of your job as a photographer is to render the frame in a way that brings depth back to the scene. This requires considering how you layer different parts of the frame, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to work with one of those parts, the foreground.

Photoshop Power Tips to Take Better Control of Your Images

Photoshop is a deeply powerful and complex program, and it is easy to overlook certain capabilities or inadvertently do things less efficiently than you could. This awesome video tutorial features a seasoned Photoshop educator showing a variety of power tips that are sure to expand your capabilities, make your workflow more efficient, and improve the quality of your images.

New to Photography? Here's How the Exposure Triangle Works

Perhaps no concept is more important in photography than the exposure triangle, as it will have a hand in every photo you ever take, both from a technical and creative standpoint. If you are new to photography, this awesome video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of the exposure triangle to get you up and running in no time.

3 Easy Portrait Lighting Setups for Small Spaces

When you are first starting out, you are not likely to be shooting from a dedicated studio. Most of us start out in a spare room at our home or the like, meaning we are in a tight space. That does not mean you can't take great photos in that small space, though, and this excellent video tutorial will show you three easy portrait lighting setups that work well in close quarters.

A Common But Easily Fixed Landscape Photography Mistake

The challenge of composition in landscape photography is that you can't control the location of any of the elements in the frame, only your position relative to them. This leads to some common mistakes, and this great video tutorial highlights one of them and how you can easily fix it.

A Review of the New Nikon Z 9 Mirrorless Camera

Nikon's Z 9 is finally here, and it looks like the competition for most powerful full frame mirrorless camera is a three-horse race again. How does the new camera perform? This great video review takes a look.

5 Mistakes a Photographer and Filmmaker Has Made in His Career

Making a living as a photographer or filmmaker is hard enough even if you do it perfectly, but of course, none of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes along the way. This excellent video features a seasoned photographer and filmmaker discussing five mistakes he has made in his career and how to fix them or avoid them entirely in the first place.

How Two 'Bad' Photos Changed a Photographer's Life

When you think of the landmark photos in your career, those that changed its trajectory, they are probably some of your best work. But for one photographer, two "bad" photos significantly changed his life, and this important video essay tells the stories behind them.

What's New in the Latest Versions of Lightroom and Photoshop?

The latest versions of Lightroom and Photoshop are here, and they bring with them some highly impressive new features that will make your workflow easier and more efficient. If you want to make sure you do not miss any of the new features so you can get the most out of both programs, check out this great video overview that will show you everything you need to know.

Do You Need the MacBook Pro M1 Max or M1 Pro for Your Work?

Apple's latest MacBook Pros are here, and while they brought with them a bevy of new features and the return of some that many creatives have missed, the headline features are the newest iterations of Apple's in-house processors, the M1 Max and M1 Pro, which promise top-level performance and remarkably long battery life. Now that you have multiple options for a processor, which is right for your work? This helpful video will give you a first inkling.

Booked Your First Wedding? Here's What You Need to Know

Few photographic events put more pressure and stress on the photographer than their first wedding, but we all have to start sometime. If you just booked your first wedding and you want to make sure the big day goes as well as possible (and with as little stress for you as possible), check out this excellent video tutorial that will guide you through what you need to know.

How to Use Three Different Kinds of Hard Light for Portraits

Portrait photographers spend a lot of time working on creating flattering light, and in photography terms, that almost always equates to soft light. However, hard light can be just as effective, particularly if you want to add a bit of drama or want to accent certain elements of your image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use three different hard lighting setups, including a gridded reflector, Fresnel lens, and parabolic umbrella.

Which of These Remarkable Portrait Lenses Is the Best?

Fujifilm's GFX series of medium format cameras and lenses has brought some incredible image quality and capabilities to photographers at prices that significantly undercut traditional medium format costs. Both the GF 80mm f/1.7 R WR and GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR lenses offer extremely wide apertures for medium format lenses, making them intriguing choices for portrait photographers. So, which is right for you? This great video compares the two and the sort of performance and image quality they offer to help you choose.

How to Create Window Light Using Flash

The look of light coming through a window is one of the most recognizable out there, even to non-photographers, and it is something you will often want to replicate in the studio. Luckily, with a bit of know-how and some basic equipment, it is not particularly difficult to do, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how it is done.

How to Use the Sun to Backlight Portraits

One of the most classic and timeless portrait looks involves using the sun to backlight your subject and create a dramatic background. It is also an excellent way to develop your lighting skills and to learn how to balance ambient and artificial light, and this awesome video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to create them yourself.