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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

5 Tips for Better Portraits When Using Flash

Learning how to use artificial lighting for portraits can free you from the constraints of natural light and enable new creative opportunities that simply would not be possible otherwise. Nonetheless, it can feel very foreign when you are first starting and also trying to manage directing your subject. This great video tutorial will give you five helpful tips for better flash portraits.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S Lens

Nikon's original 14-24mm f/2.8 was a bit of a legend among DSLR lenses, and now, we have an updated version for the mirrorless Z mount. This fantastic video review takes a look at the new NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens and the kind of images you can make with it.

A Beginner's Guide to Lighting Modifiers

When it comes to artificial lighting, your choice of modifier is one of the most fundamental and crucial creative and technical decisions in the entire process. If you are new to working with artificial lights, this excellent video tutorial will give you the sort of practical knowledge you need to know which modifier is right for each photo you wish to make, along with a variety of illustrative examples.

Should You Use High Speed Sync or a Neutral Density Filter?

Using a very shallow depth of field is highly popular for portrait photography, but when you combine that with flash, you can run into a tricky situation when you bump into your flash sync speed. There are two ways around this: high speed sync and ND filters. Which is right for your work? This excellent video tutorial will explain the differences as well as the pros and cons of each.

Using Only an iPad for Photo and Video Work for Six Months

Could you do it? The iPad comes with a variety of absolutely fantastic features, it has a beautiful screen, and the tablet-editing experience can be very natural and enjoyable. However, there are still a lot of limitations as compared to a traditional computer. Could you use it exclusively for photo and video work for six months? This great video discusses a creative's experience in doing so.

A Look at the New Fujifilm X-E4 Mirrorless Camera

The X-E4 is the latest camera in Fujifilm's popular X Series line of mirrorless cameras, and it brings with it a variety of improvements and great features suitable for a wide range of applications. If you have been wondering how it holds up in real-world usage, check out this great first look video.

Is It Better to Bracket Your Photos or Use a Graduated ND Filter?

Landscape images frequently demand extreme dynamic range, often beyond the capabilities of even the most modern sensors. There are a few ways around this issue, with exposure bracketing and graduated ND filters being two of the most common solutions, and this great video tutorial discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each.

7 Common Food Photography Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Food photography is a tricky genre that requires a strong sense of composition, great lighting techniques, and a large working knowledge of various tricks of the trade. If you are struggling with your food photography, this excellent video tutorial will show you seven common mistakes and how to avoid or fix them.

A Review of the Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens

A good macro lens is one of the most versatile optics a photographer can own, suitable for anything from macro work to creating ultra-sharp portraits. If you are a Nikon shooter, check out this great video review of the AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens.

How Good Is Canon's Budget Mirrorless 50mm Lens?

Canon's RF 50mm f/1.2L is a spectacular lens that has garnered a lot of praise, but at over $2,000, it is extremely expensive and likely overkill for a lot of photographers. Canon also has the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, however, giving photographers a much more affordable option, and this great video review takes a look at the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.

How Do You Make Photos With Meaning?

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?

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

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

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?

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?

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

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.