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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

How Do You Make Photos With Meaning?
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You can learn a lot about the objective nature of photography — settings, editing techniques, and more — and you can learn to create well-polished images. But knowing how to create images with meaning is something a bit more nebulous, particularly when your photos are devoid of people. Nonetheless, it is certainly possible to learn how to do so, and this great video tutorial discusses how to go about it.

What Does the Future Hold for Nikon?
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There has been a lot said about Nikon's financial situation and its future in the industry, with a lot of speculation flying back and forth. This great video essay takes a deep dive into the numbers behind Nikon's current state of affairs, what they mean for the future of the company, and what they will mean for the industry.

A Review of One of the Most Legendary Lenses Ever Made
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There are a few lenses that are so extreme in their designs and capabilities that they stay legendary long after they have been replaced by newer models. One such lens is the Canon 200mm f/1.8L, and this fantastic video review takes a look at what it is like shooting with this awesome lens.

Why You Might Not Be Finding Success as a Photographer
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Part of the difficulty of finding success as a photographer is that the pathway there is a bit more nebulous and less codified than more traditional careers. If you are struggling a bit right now, this excellent video essay discusses an array of things that might be holding you back and what you can do to correct them and increase your chances of finding success.

How Big Can You Actually Print Your Photos?
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It might seem like there is a pretty straightforward correlation between sensor size, resolution, and maximum reasonable print size, but the relationship is a bit more complicated than just those specific variables. This great video examines the sort of print sizes you can reasonably create using photos from an iPhone, an APS-C camera, and a medium format body.

Is This the Ultimate Portrait Lens for Sony Photographers?
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An 85mm lens with a wide aperture is one of the most popular lenses out there, and the best of them can offer sharp images with smooth, background-melting bokeh. For Sony shooters, one of the top options is the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, and this fantastic video review will show you the type of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

5 Pricing Mistakes Fashion and Commercial Photographers Make
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Having talent and refined skills as a commercial or fashion photographer is only half the equation; knowing how to properly price your services and market yourself is just as crucial to getting paid what you are worth. This excellent video discusses five pricing mistakes fashion and commercial photographers make and how to fix them.

5 Ways to Improve Your Photography Business
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After the year that was 2020, a lot of us need to reevaluate our photography businesses and find ways to make them more efficient and more effective in the future to come. This helpful video tutorial discusses five ways to improve your business in 2021.

Compositional Techniques for Better Photos
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When we learn about portrait photography, we generally focus on things involving the subject: posing, retouching, etc. However, your subject also needs to be surrounded by a compelling composition to complete the image, and this fantastic video tutorial will give you some great tips for improving yours.

The Difference Between Vibrance and Saturation
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The difference between the saturation and vibrance sliders might seem small or even imperceptible at times, but the two have distinct purposes and functions that make them useful for separate applications. This fantastic video tutorial will show you the differences between vibrance and saturation as well as how to use them to improve your photos.

How to Edit a Portrait in Photoshop
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Knowing how to pose your subject, light them properly, and take a good photo is only half of what it takes to create a good portrait. Knowing how to retouch your subject effectively while still maintaining a natural look is the other half of creating a successful portrait, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do it.

Next Week Will Be Huge for Fujifilm Cameras and Lenses
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Fujifilm revolutionized the world of medium format a few years ago by introducing a line of cameras and lenses that offered all the benefits of the larger sensor size at prices that significantly undercut traditional medium format prices and even competed with upper-level full frame prices. The company is showing no sign of stopping, with more cameras and lenses to come next week, along with new X Series gear as well.

Sony Teases New Alpha Camera Announcement Next Week
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The full frame mirrorless camera world has been majorly heating up in the last year or so, with Canon in particular challenging Sony's place at the top of the technological development race with the EOS R5. Now, Sony is preparing to strike back, teasing a new Alpha camera that will be announced next week.

Everything You Need to Know About Lens Filters
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Lens filters are some of the most common and often misunderstood photo accessories out there, but they can be tremendously useful for a wide variety of applications. This excellent video tutorial will introduce you to the various types of lens filters, their purposes, and how to use them to take greater control over your images.

How to Start a Successful YouTube Channel in 2021
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Running a successful YouTube channel is the dream of a lot of creatives, but with the platform more inundated than ever before, it takes a lot of careful planning and skill to stand out from everyone else. If you are ready to start your channel this year, this excellent video tutorial offers lots of helpful advice and guidance to put you on the right path.

A Review of the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens for Portraiture
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The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is the latest lens from the company, and it brings with it a variety of useful features for a lot of applications. This great video review takes a look at the lens and how it performs for portraiture work.

How to Balance Ambient Light and Flash for Better Photos
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When you are working with artificial light, you often have to think about not only controlling the flash, but the ambient light as well. That can be a bit of a mystery for a lot of us when we first start working with artificial light, but this excellent video tutorial will demystify the relationship between ambient and artificial light and show you how to take control of both for better images.

Is the Canon EOS R5 the Best Camera for Wedding Photographers?
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For a long time, Canon's 5D DSLR series bodies were the cameras of choice for quite a lot of wedding photographers. The EOS R5 is the company's mirrorless analog to the beloved 5D, but it brings with it a variety of major improvements and new features. Is it the next bread and butter camera for wedding photographers? This excellent video review takes a look at the camera from a wedding photographer's perspective and how it holds up in demanding environments.

Is Social Media Ruining Our Photography?
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The ways we present our photographs to the world have significantly changed over the last decade, with social media platforms like Instagram becoming the primary destinations for a ton of photographers. They bring pitfalls with them, however, and they could be seriously damaging our creative work. This excellent video essay discusses the issues we should be aware of.

Is This Canon's Best Value 85mm Lens?
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An 85mm lens is by far one of the most useful and popular options out there, but premium versions can reach well over $2,000. Canon's RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is far more affordable and offers some useful features more expensive options do not. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.