Articles written by Alex Cooke

We have gotten to the point where smartphones can create professional-quality photos in a wide array of situations. Google's Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones offer some of the best cameras available, and one of their most interesting features is "unblur," which promises to use advanced tech to literally remove the blur from things like faces in photos where the shutter speed was too slow or the subject was moving too much. How well does it actually work, though? This awesome video review takes a look at what you can expect.

Canon has caused a bit of controversy with its stance on third-party lenses, and that has left many users pondering their future relationships with the company. This interesting video features a seasoned Canon user discussing why he has decided to sell his gear.

Few photographic subjects are iconic than Marilyn Monroe, and even today, decades later, images of her capture viewers' eyes and photographers' imaginations. This awesome video tutorial will take you behind the scenes of a fine art nude portrait inspired by Marilyn Monroe and show you how it was lit, photographed, and edited.

When it comes to professional photography equipment, outfitting your camera bag can become expensive very quickly. Thankfully, though, we have been in the digital era long enough that there is a huge range of used gear available that is still plenty capable for a lot of applications. This great video will show you three great camera and lens combinations that can be had for about $1,000 and that will serve you well for plenty of needs.

There are a lot of popular locations out there, and while they can look enticing, you sometimes get there and realize you are just creating the same images that thousands of photographers before you made. So, is there any point in investing the time, effort, and money to photograph such places? This excellent video features an experienced landscape photographer discussing the topic.

The professional photography space is crowded, and if you are trying to carve out your spot in it, it can feel like a very competitive pursuit. And while it is true that establishing and maintaining your business can be a very competitive thing, it can actually be detrimental to think of it that way. This excellent video details why that is and what a better approach might be.

Lightroom's masking features have become quite advanced and powerful in recent iterations, and if you have not checked them out yet, you are really missing out on some impressive features that can make your workflow easier and more efficient and even improve your image quality. This great video tutorial will show you some great tips and techniques to ensure you get the most out of the panel and walk away with realistic but impressive photos.

We are often taught that when it comes to portraits, soft light is the most flattering, while hard light, which introduces stark shadows and emphasizes skin texture, is to be avoided. While it is true that softer light is considered more flattering, that does not mean you should never use hard light; in fact, it can be fantastic for the right look and scenario. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to shoot and edit a portrait shot in hard, direct sunlight.

Who doesn't love free stuff!? Video editing is a complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive task, so anything you can do to make the process easier and more streamlined is a major plus. This fantastic video will show you five plugins that do just that, and the best part is that they are all free!