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Alex Cooke
Cleveland, OH

Articles written by Alex Cooke

Six Bad Habits That Can Hurt Your Photography Career

All the talent in the world doesn't mean a thing if you undercut yourself with bad habits that can damage your career. This great video explores six bad habits that can cut a career short and how to turn them around to increase your chances of success.

One of the Funniest AI Photos Fails We've Ever Seen

Technology is getting really smart, so much so that it often intuits what we want before we even tell it. Such is the case with Google Photos, which will do things like create panoramas out of images it detects were taken near each other. Sometimes, the AI isn't as smart as it needs to be, however, and you end up with hilarious results.

The Story of the World's First Digital Camera as Told By Its Inventor

It's hard to believe that digital cameras have been in existence for over four decades, but thanks to one creative engineer, we have one of the most ubiquitous pieces of modern technology. Hear the story of the birth of our beloved cameras from the inventor himself.

The Best Computer for Creatives: A Real World Test of the iMac Pro Versus the MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and a Windows PC

The iMac Pro is undoubtedly a slick piece of hardware with some very impressive specs, but it also comes with an equally impressive price tag. And while we can drool over specs day in and out, what really matters for most working professionals are real world results. This great video pits the new iMac Pro against a Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and a Windows PC.

How to Select Hair From Complex Backgrounds Using Photoshop

Selecting and masking hair on a solid background isn't too terribly difficult, but doing it over a non-uniform, complex background can be very hard. This great tutorial will show you how to select and mask a subject's hair and convincingly composite it into another image.

Creating a Product Photography Shot Almost Entirely in Camera

Product photography is all about the details, where every ray of light, every angle, and every placement can make or break a shot. This great video will walk you through setting up and shooting a watch image while working to minimize the amount of time spent in post-processing.

Why the Menu System on Sony Cameras Is a Mess and How They Can Fix It

After a few months of dipping my toes in the water with the Sony a7R II, I finally sold both it and my Canon 5D Mark IV and consolidated with the a7R III recently. It's a top-notch camera that can excel in almost any genre, but it's still lacking in one area: the menu system. This video examines why a lot of pros aren't fond of Sony menus and how they can be improved.

The Joys and Benefits of Shooting Landscapes Near Home

If you look at enough landscape photography, it might be easy to become convinced that it's a genre centered around exotic locales and epic scenery. And while it certainly doesn't hurt to have access to beautiful places, there's a lot you can shoot right where you live. This great video shows you how much you can accomplish just shooting near your home.

Here's What the Experience With a Digital Camera From 1995 Was Like

The 90s were a time of lightning-fast technological development, when the beginnings of the digital camera experience we take for granted nowadays were just coming together for the first time. This fun video takes a look at the capabilities of a typical camera from the time and the experience of shooting with it.

Ten Situations When You Should Use a Tripod

Tripods are pretty useful, so much so that they're normally the first photography accessory I tell anyone to buy. And while there are some obvious times when you should bring yours along, there are lots of other situations where you might find it useful. This helpful video will show you all the times you should think about packing your tripod as well as some good tips for using them.

Five Tips for Using the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop

The Clone Stamp Tool is probably my favorite thing in Photoshop, as it's a simple, straightforward, versatile, and most importantly, powerful tool for editing a wide range of images. This helpful video will give you five tips for getting the best results out of the Clone Stamp Tool.

A Quick Tutorial on How to Use the Pen Tool in Photoshop

Of all the tools and features in Photoshop, perhaps none strike more fear into the heart of the unsuspecting photographer than the Pen Tool. If you're one of those people, this great tutorial will show you both how the Pen Tool behaves and how to put those rules to use in practice.

Watch a Drone Rescue Two Drowning Swimmers

Drones get a lot of criticism for both privacy and air safety concerns, but they also hold enormous potential beyond simply making aerial photography and videography available to the average shooter. This video shows some of that potential as a drone saves two swimmers caught in a rip current.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About How to Choose and Use Tripods

Tripods are sort of the humble buddy of most photographers: we rarely think about how much we need them in comparison to all the gee-whiz features on cameras and lenses, but they're essential in a lot of situations. This comprehensive video will show you everything you need to know about choosing the right tripod and using it to its full potential.