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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

How to Retouch and Color Grade a Portrait Using Photoshop

Taking a great portrait is only half of what is required for a fully finished image: you need to have strong post-processing skills as well. This fantastic video will show you how to retouch skin, remove hair, and color grade a studio portrait using Photoshop.

How to Deal With Reflections in Glasses in Portraits

Lighting people is a difficult but important skill to learn, and an additional complication is introduced when your subject wears glasses. This great video will show you how to eliminate distracting reflections in your subject's glasses while still creating flattering lighting.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-T4 for Landscape Photographers

Over the years, Fujifilm's X series has become a highly refined set of tools popular with a lot of photographers across a wide range of genres. This great video review takes a look at the X-T4 and what you can expect from a landscape photographer's perspective.

7 Great Photography Lessons Learned in One Day

The wonderful thing about photography is that no matter how long you practice it and how much experience you have, there is always something new to learn or different ideas you can try. This great video discusses seven lessons a photographer learned over the span of one day.

Can Luminar 4's AI Sky Replacement Beat Photoshop?

Replacing the sky in a photograph is traditionally a fairly tedious process, particularly if you are dealing with a complex structure consisting of things like tree branches and the like. However, Luminar 4 brought with it a new AI sky replacement tool that promised to drastically reduce the amount of time and effort that goes into the process. Can it hold its own with Photoshop? This great video pits them head to head to find out.

The Differences Between an Umbrella and a Beauty Dish

An umbrella is normally one of the first lighting modifiers photographers use, and while they are a great tool for lots of scenarios, eventually, you will likely want to explore other options. The beauty dish is a highly popular option, and this helpful video will show you the differences between the two.

Is This the End of Micro Four Thirds?

Olympus recently announced the sale of their camera division, bringing an end to the storied company's history, at least in the iteration that we know. Does that mean the end of micro four thirds along with it?

When Is It Ok to Blow Out Your Highlights?

We have it repeatedly drilled into us that we should avoid blowing out our highlights, but is it always a thing that should be avoided? This great video discusses when you should actually consider blowing out the highlights for the best possible image.

6 Tools for Properly Exposing Your Videos

While raw still image files can offer you a ton of latitude in post, but shooting raw with video is rarely an option. This is one of the reasons it is crucial to get your exposure as close to correct as possible in camera when shooting video, and this great video will show you six tools to help you get it just right.

Want to Be a Successful Photographer? Learn to Be Flexible

Photography, like many creative careers, rarely has a path to success that is straight and without unexpected twists. If you want to find success in the field, it is crucial that you stay flexible to the possibility of the shape of your career evolving or even changing shape drastically.

10 Tips for Better Photos With Horses

Horses make for fantastic additions to a photo, whether you are taking pictures of a beloved companion or using them for a fashion shoot. However, I often see photographers treat horses like an afterthought in a photo, when they could make them look so much better with a little knowledge and practice. Here are 10 tips to improve your work with horses.

Improve Your Photos by Doing More Work Beforehand

How often do you just go out and shoot, whether it is a hike in the woods with your camera or a portrait session? While there is something to be said for being in the moment and letting things happen organically, let us talk about why pre-planning your shoots can improve your images.

We Need More Affordable, Light f/1.8 Lenses

I get it. f/1.4, f/1.2, and even f/0.95 are way more exciting and drool-worthy than f/1.8, but in an era of forever-bloating lens designs, perhaps f/1.8 is exactly what we need more of. Here are some of the reasons why I would love to see more f/1.8 lenses from various manufacturers.

5 Things to Do if You Want to Be a Happier Photographer

Being a photographer can be a bit of a slog in between the tedium of day-to-day work and dealing with the various issues that often arise. Here are four things you should try doing to become a happier and more satisfied photographer.

5 Affordable Hidden Gems in the Canon Lens Lineup

Canon makes a wide variety of fantastic lenses, but they are rarely cheap, and you can quickly find yourself spending a lot of money trying to build out your lens library. Luckily, after decades of releasing lenses, there are a few hidden gems if you know where to look. Here are five lenses you should check out.