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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

Helpful Tips for Getting More Out of Lightroom's Spot Removal Tool

No doubt, Photoshop is the place to go if you want to do the most precise local edits, but a lot of the time, you will just want to finish a photo in Lightroom without going through the time and effort involved with working in Photoshop. One way to do that is to take advantage of Lightroom's Spot Removal tool, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to get more out of it.

A Review of the Nikon Z 6II Mirrorless Camera

The Z 6II, the second iteration of Nikon's original general full frame mirrorless camera is here, and it brings with it a number of improvements over the original model. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.

Four Great Single-Light Fashion Photography Setups

Fashion photography often makes use of complex setups with multiple lights, but that does not mean you can't create compelling images using just a single light. This excellent video tutorial will show you four different ways to use a single light for creating fashion imagery.

5 Tips for Organizing Your Photography Business

Running a successful photography business takes a ton of work, and it is important to keep things well organized to make your life easier. This helpful video discusses five tips for organizing your photo business to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

5 Mistakes That Will Keep You From Growing as a Photographer

Growing as a photographer is a tricky thing, as it takes continual development and mastery of numerous technical skills along with simultaneously growing as a creative and finding your voice. If that is something you are struggling with, this excellent video essay discusses five mistakes you might be making that could be holding you back.

A Review of the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Lens for Sony E Mount

A wide-aperture 35mm lens is quite versatile, suitable for numerous applications ranging from events coverage to portraiture. The Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE for Sony E mount cameras is one such lens, and it comes in a very small package at quite an affordable price. This great video review takes a look at what you can expect from it in practice.

You've Never Seen a Lens Like This f/0.75 Lens

Bokeh fanatics, you read that right! This lens opens to an insanely wide f/0.75. If you are a fan of backgrounds being blown to smithereens, this might be the ultimate lens. Check out the unique look this 65mm f/0.75 lens creates.

Canon Patents More Innovative Mirrorless Lenses

Canon has created some very innovative and impressive lenses for the RF mount, with optics like the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM pushing the boundaries of lens design and offering photographers new creative opportunities. It seems Canon is showing no signs of stopping, with several further patents for new mirrorless lenses emerging.

The Best Camera of 2020

2020 has seen some remarkably good cameras released and perhaps a dud or two. Which was the best? Here is my pick.

A Review of the Canon EOS R6 Camera

The Canon EOS R5 has received a ton of fanfare for its highly impressive features, but its companion, the EOS R6, is also a highly capable camera and costs significantly less than the EOS R5. This excellent video review takes a deep look at the camera and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

What Is Lens Breathing and How Does It Affect Your Work?

Lens breathing is a common problem (particularly in video work), and understanding it can help you to take better control of your work. This excellent video tutorial will show you what lens breathing is and why you should be aware of it, particularly if you shoot video.

6 Signs You May Have Overedited Your Landscape Photos

Most landscape images take a fair amount of editing to produce a finished result, and with all that post-processing, you often run the risk of going a bit too far. If that is something you sometimes struggle with, this excellent video tutorial discusses six signs that you have overedited a landscape image so you can fix them before you export your photo.

5 Lighting Setups Using a Single Light

Lighting can be a challenge to learn, and you might think you need complex multi-light setups to obtain professional results. And while there will always be a place for those, you might be surprised by what you can accomplish with just a single-light setup. This excellent video tutorial will show you five different lighting setups you can create with only a single light.

An Umbrella Might Be Closer to a Beauty Dish Than You Think

Traditionally, umbrellas are considered to be the lowest end of lighting modifiers, with beauty dishes being one of the more expensive and professional options. However, you might be surprised by how close you can get to the beauty dish look using a small shoot-through umbrella, and this excellent video will show you how.

How Good Is Canon's Affordable Mirrorless Nifty Fifty?

Canon's RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens is absolutely spectacular, but at $2,300, it is prohibitively expensive for a lot of photographers, and many may not need its insane levels of image quality. Luckily, Canon also has the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, which is just $200, representing the nifty fifty of its mirrorless lineup. How good is the lens? This great video review takes a look.

How to Create Realistic Water Reflections Using Photoshop

Replacing the sky can be a powerful and valuable tool for photographers in a wide range of genres ranging from real estate to landscapes or weddings. When there is water is the shot, this can significantly complicate the process, but this fantastic tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop to add realistic reflections for a more complete photo.

Vote: Who Is the Best Photographer?

Many of you know Mike Kelley is visiting Patrick and Lee down in Puerto Rico. This last weekend, they set up a rather unique challenge to see which one of them is the best photographer. We need you to vote on which photograph is best and who took each image to settle the debate once and for all!