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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

How to Use Rim Lighting for Portraits

Using rim lighting can be a great way to create a portrait with a very different look than the more standard shot. If you have not tried it before, this great video will show you how you can use rim lighting (even in a small space) for portraits and walk you through some problem-solving associated with the technique.

One of the Most Overlooked Ways to Improve Your Photography

The internet is inundated with advice on how to improve your photography, and while a lot of it is good and can certainly help you become better behind the camera, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to take it all in. This excellent video discusses something a lot of us do not do that much, but that will help improve anyone's photography.

Are You Your Own Worst Critic?

Spend any appreciable amount of time on the internet getting feedback on your work and you will likely have some harsh or unpleasant interactions. And yet, the harshest critic you encounter might actually be yourself. Is that the case for you? Check out this excellent video that discusses that issue.

Five Reasons You Might Not Be Improving as a Photographer

Photography can often be a solitary pursuit, and as such, it might be hard to know what to do when you feel like you are stuck in a rut and unable to improve. If you feel like you are currently in such a place with your work, this helpful video discusses five reasons why your photography might not be improving.

Photographer or Artist? Things to Think About Behind the Camera

Photography is a strange art form in that instead of creating from a blank canvas and only your own ideas and materials, you start with reality and take it from there. So, how do you approach the art of photography? Do you aim to represent or to interpret? This quick but thought-provoking video will give you some helpful things to think about the next time you are behind the camera.

Do You Need to Shoot Raw or Will JPEG Suffice?

Modern sensors are quite remarkable, and pretty much any newer camera can produce good-looking JPEGs so long as you properly expose. With that in mind, you might wonder if you really need to shoot raw files all the time, or if you can go with the ease and convenience of JPEG. This great video will answer that question for you.

Canon Patents Another Crazy Lens

Canon has been on quite the roll when it comes to lens design lately, and they seem to be showing no signs of slowing down, as a new patent has emerged that shows a truly ridiculous lens.

Father Punishes Daughter by Taking Over Her Instagram, Ends up Adding 10,000 Followers With Hilarious Results

When a teen was caught by her parents letting boys into a sleepover, they gave her a choice of punishment for the crime: she could either give up her phone for a month or give up the phone for two weeks, but also give them control of all her social media. Apparently, an extra two weeks was just too long, because dad had a blast on her Instagram, and the results are hilarious.

Why You Should Study Your Bad Photos

When you are culling your photos and come across a bad image, you probably just delete it and move on. But perhaps you should linger on it for just a bit, as you can learn just as much (if not more) from bad images than you can from good images. This excellent video discusses why that is.

The Usefulness of Lightroom's Secondary Display

Buried deep inside Lightroom's menu is a highly useful feature: the secondary display function. This can make your workflow both far easier and much more efficient. This great video dives into the secondary display feature to show you how it can be of use to your post-processing workflow.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (November 2019): Juhamatti Vahdersalo

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2019, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

How the Table Affects Your Image in Product Photography

Product photography is a highly intricate and precise genre in which you have to be able to control every last angle and reflection. This helpful video discusses how the table on which you are shooting can affect the results while demonstrating on a wine bottle.

A Review of the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

Sigma's modern design is based around building affordable lenses with high optical quality, with size taking a lower priority to the former two points. One of the lenses that most obviously embodies this is the 40mm f/1.4 Art. This great video review takes a look at this humongous but impressive lens.

A First Look at the Cheap and Portable Nikon Z 50

The Nikon Z 50 is the latest mirrorless camera from the company and the first to offer a DX format (crop) sensor. Along with that smaller size is a smaller price, making it an intriguing option for photographers and videographers looking for a portable camera or a good backup option. This great video takes a first look at the new Z 50.

Creating Hard and Soft Light With the Same Speedlight

You might not think speedlights are that flexible in terms of the quality of light they can output, but with a bit of ingenuity and an understanding of the basics of light, you can get both hard and soft light out of just a single speedlight. This helpful video will show you how it is done.

How to Choose the Right Camera for You

As the holiday deals start to roll in, you may be eyeing a new camera for your kit. But modern cameras are complex, intricate devices, and you might feel a bit overwhelmed in trying to choose the right one for you. This helpful video discusses some great tips and ideas for choosing a camera that you will be happy with.

Five Helpful Tips for Retouching Portraits in Photoshop

Retouching portraits in Photoshop is a complicated and nuanced task, and it is important to be proficient with every step in the process to produce a top-quality result. This great video shares five tips and tricks for retouching portraits in Photoshop.