Articles written by Alex Cooke

The drone market has matured considerably in recent years, and photographers and filmmakers now have a variety of devices to choose from that fit just about every budget and set of needs. One of the more affordable options is the new DJI Mini 3, which packs a remarkable amount of tech is an extremely portable package. This great video review takes a look at the new drone and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

The new Fujifilm X-T5 is the latest entry in the company's highly popular X Series line of mirrorless cameras. It brings with it some major steps forward, most notable being a major bump in resolution over the X-T4, which makes it quite appealing for genres like portrait and wedding photography. This excellent video review takes a look at the new X-T5 for wedding work and how well its performance and image quality stand up in a demanding genre.

While Photoshop is where the most serious editing generally takes place, you can accomplish quite a lot in Lightroom, especially with the newer versions of the program. If you would like to improve your Lightroom skills, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three different ways to make your subject pop using the program.

A lot of photo editing focuses on adjusting the shadows and the highlights of an image, as they are the extremes of a photo and thus, what the eye is drawn to. That being said, a normal image consists mostly of midtones, so knowing how to select and edit them independently of the shadows and highlights is a crucial skill for any photographer. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to select and edit the midtones of an image in Photoshop.

With all the different aspects that go into creating a successful image, landscape photography can be a daunting genre to get started in. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you seven common mistakes new photographers make and how to fix them or avoid them in the first place.

Hop on Instagram or the like, and you will find plenty of nearly identical photos of famous locations, often to the point that it would be essentially impossible to create an image of such a place that would actually stand out from the crowd. So, is it even worth taking the time and putting in the effort and resources to make such images? This excellent video essay discusses the topic and offers some worthwhile advice.

While many pros working in studios will use complex multi-light setups for portraits, when you are shooting on location, it is often much better to employ a single light that allows you to be a bit more nimble. And with a bit of lighting savvy, you can still create fantastic professional-level portraits. This great video tutorial will show five easy one-light setups sure to help you make compelling images.

35mm lenses with wide apertures are some of the most important and popular options out there, equally at home in a huge range of scenarios, including portraits, weddings, events, astrophotography, and more. Premium 35mm lenses can easily run north of $1,500, which makes the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF a breath of fresh air. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if its performance and image quality allow it to compete with those much more expensive options.

When it comes to post-processing, one of the most useful tools at your disposal is the luminosity mask, which can help you create more precise and efficient edits. If you have not tried luminosity masks if your work before, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of creating and using them.