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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

Is the XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR the Must-Have Portrait Lens for Fuji Photographers?

The XF 56mm f/1.2 R has long been known as the superlative portrait lens for Fujifilm shooters, but the company recently released the XF 50mm f/1.0 R WR, which pushes the boundaries of lens design all the more. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if its performance holds up to its impressive design.

How to Dodge and Burn Dark Skin Tones

Dodging and burning is both a fantastic way to shape the light in an image and to retouch blemishes; in fact, it is the technique preferred by a lot of high-end retouchers over other more common methods. When working with subjects with dark skin tones, you will want to take note of a few differences in technique compared to working with subjects with lighter skin tones, and this excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.

The Importance of Patience and Split-Second Timing in Landscape Photography

You might not think of landscape photography as a genre that relies on split-second timing, but when you are dealing with dynamic scenes, just a moment's difference can create separate images and tell entirely different stories. This fantastic video discusses why you should consider the timing of your shots and how you can get multiple images from the same scene simply by varying it.

The Difference Between Vibrance and Saturation

At first glance, the vibrance and saturation sliders might seem like they do the same thing, and while they do operate in similar manners, they are fundamentally different in their functions. This excellent video tutorial will show you the difference between the two so you can take better control of the color in your images.

5 Helpful Tips for Using a Gimbal

One of the greatest advancements in consumer video products in the last decade or so has been the appearance of affordable and portable stabilization devices. Handheld gimbals allow you to get smooth, professional footage in almost any situation, and this fantastic video tutorial will give you five tips to get more out of yours.

Feeling Frustrated as a Photographer? This Will Help

Photography, like any artistic pursuit, will see the flow of your creative juices wax and wane, and it can be a real struggle when things are not going well. However, that might actually be the best time to consider your process and how you approach things, and from that, new ideas might grow. This great video discusses the issue and what you can do to overcome it.

Stop Overcomplicating Your Photo Edits

Photo edits can often become very complicated, time-intensive things, but they don't always have to be. This great video discusses the common trap of being overly complicated in your image editing.

A Complete Course on Photography for Beginners

When you are new to photography, it can feel a bit overwhelming trying to understand the wide variety of camera settings and equipment and how to combine them all with your creative side to make compelling and technically sound images. This fantastically comprehensive video tutorial will take you through all the basics with lots of explanations and examples so you can get up and running as soon as possible.

The Best Canon EOS R5 Settings for Bird Photography

The Canon EOS R5 has proven itself to be one of the most powerful cameras ever released, and that means it is also a rather complex device, with a variety of settings and features that take some tweaking to get the best performance from the camera. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to best set up your EOS R5 for bird photography and similar work.

Improve Your Black and White Edits in Lightroom With These Tips

Creating a good black and white image is about a lot more than simply pulling all the saturation out of a color photo. This fantastic video tutorial will give you a number of tips and techniques for improving the quality of your black and white images when working in Lightroom.

How Good Is Canon's Mirrorless Nifty Fifty Lens?

Canon's RF 50mm f/1.2L lens is absolutely fantastic, but at $2,299, it is anything but cheap. On the other hand, the RF 50mm f/1.8 costs less than a tenth that of its f/1.2 cousin. Does it offer usable performance despite its budget price? This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.

Can the Sony a7S III Keep Up With This Camcorder From 1998?

I promise this is not actually a serious comparison. It is hilarious, however. Sony's new a7S III is the pinnacle of its latest video technology, and it brings with it a plethora of advanced features and capabilities. But let's not forget Sony's once-popular line of Handycam camcorders. This great video takes a look at the two and why the Handycam just might be better.

Which of These Three Beauty Dishes Produces the Best Photos?

Beauty dishes are one of the most popular lighting modifiers out there, but they are not all created the same. Mola makes some of the most revered beauty dishes on the market, but with seven different models, you might wonder which is right for you. This excellent video comparison takes a look at three of the most popular versions to help you pick the best for your work.

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

The original Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 was a bit of a legend in the DSLR world, and now, Nikon shooters have the NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, the mirrorless version of the beloved optic. It brings with it a variety of new features and improvements, and this fantastic video review takes a look at what you can expect from the lens in practice.

A Beginner's Guide to Shooting and Editing Composite Photos

Compositing is one of the most powerful techniques for creating images that would otherwise be dangerous or impossible to get in one shot. And with the proper technique, creating effective composites is not that difficult. This fantastic video tutorial will show you both how to shoot and edit a convincing composite using Photoshop.

Creating Professional Portraits Using Just a Speedlight and Umbrella

Lighting equipment can quickly add up in cost, but you do not always need top-level equipment and multi-light setups with esoteric modifiers to get great results. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to get professional portraits using nothing more than a simple speedlight and an umbrella.

5 Helpful Tips for Photographing People With Glasses

Glasses can be the bane of a photographer's existence, ruining what would otherwise be a great shot with weird splashes of green patterns where your subject's eyes should be. But once you know how to work with them, it is not too hard to make great images that include them, and this helpful video will give you five tips to help you on your way.

How to Get More From the Graduated Filter in Lightroom

The graduated filter is one of the most versatile and powerful editing tools in Lightroom, and its usefulness goes far beyond simply making adjustments to exposure. This excellent video tutorial will show you a variety of tips and tricks for getting the most out of the graduated filter.

Don't Overlook the Wealth of Images You Could Be Creating at Home

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking the only way you can get worthwhile, compelling images is to travel to photography hotspots with epic features, but that simply is not the case. Worse, you could be missing out on a wealth of unique images that stand out from the crowd. This excellent video essay discusses why you should consider shooting around your own neighborhood more often.