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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

Learn How to Properly Light a Green Screen

The green screen effect (also known as "chroma keying") is highly useful and pretty cool. Lighting a green screen is a royal pain in the neck, however. Luckily, B&H has released a video to help you navigate the process and pull off convincing shots.

How Drones Are Being Used to Help Stop Poaching

Tsavo, a region in Kenya, contains the world's largest elephant population, and thus, it is a prime target both for poachers and conservationists. Nonetheless, policing the 8,150-square-mile area is a daunting task. With some clever math and the help of drones, though, Penn State University researchers are helping to make that task much easier.

Using Drones to Make Lighting Fires Safer

Controlled burns are crucial to conservation efforts, but setting them can be dangerous to firefighters. In fact, five have lost their lives in the past eleven years during such efforts. A team from the Nebraska Intelligent Mobile Unmanned Systems (NIMBUS) Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is seeking to make the job safer by removing humans from the equation.

FAA Begins Testing Drone Detection System

One of the biggest concerns about drones is their usage around airports. Several recent close calls have left the government scrambling to continue to catch up to the quickly evolving capabilities and usages of the flying cameras. The FAA is now testing a new system for detecting unauthorized drones near airports.

European Space Agency Releases Stunning Photographic Mosaic of Africa

Last year, the European Space Agency launched the Sentinel-2A, a terrestrial observation satellite that specialized in operations such as natural disaster management, forest monitoring, pollution management, and agricultural practices. They've just released an incredible cloud-free photographic mosaic of the Africa, offering a striking view of the continent.

Michael Reichmann, Founder of The Luminous Landscape, Passes Away at 71

Seventeen years ago, when digital photography and the Internet were still very much in their infancy, Michael Reichmann and Chris Sanderson started The Luminous Landscape. With his no-nonsense approach, vast experience and technical knowledge, and objective, even-handed approach, Reichmann shaped how we write and think about photography in the modern age.

Photographers Bring New Meaning to the Term 'Power Pose'

I've always been very slow and methodical when it comes to posing. Each angle is adjusted; every minutiae is considered. Sure, it may take a little longer, but it's worth it for the shot. After watching these videos, though, I've begun to think I've been doing it all wrong.

'Hong Kong Strong' Is a Mesmerizing Video Tour of the City

Hong Kong is one of the largest cities in the world, so capturing it in a way that does it justice is no small task. Filmmaker Brandon Li has accomplished that, however, by creating a fast-paced feast for the eyes that keeps the viewer on their toes and illuminates many of the unique facets of the City of Life.

How to Use a Video Game Controller to Edit in Adobe Premiere

I have a love/hate relationship with post work. It's where all the magic of the final product comes together, but it can be oh so mundane and tedious. One editor is making it both more fun and more efficient by trading in his mouse and keyboard for something a bit more interesting: a video game controller.

Turning Drones Into Spiderman

One of the biggest drawbacks of drones is their relatively short battery life. It's a difficult problem: bigger batteries provide power for longer, but they also weigh more. A team at Stanford is seeking to completely bypass that problem with a novel approach.

Cinema Palettes Helps You Recreate the Colors of Your Favorite Films

The choice of colors in a scene can be one of the most influential factors in giving a film its signature identity. Whether you're looking to recreate an iconic look or simply seeking new inspiration, Cinema Palettes is making it incredibly easy to replicate your favorite films.

Hilarious Craigslist Ad Captures the Sting of Buyer's Remorse in Photography

We've all been there. Our creativity is stagnant, our work has ground to a halt. We begin to convince ourselves that if only we had that new lens or body, we'd be creating world-class images again. Of course, the moment we actually buy that new piece of gear, the reality that our photos are not suddenly transformed sets in. One man had just such a realization, and the result is hilarious.

Canon Announces New Flagship Speedlite and Macro Lens With Built-In Flash

Canon has announced the Speedlite 600EX II-RT flash and EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM lens. The 600EX II-RT improves upon Canon's flagship Speedlite with faster recycling times and other features, while the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 offers a unique new feature and gives us some very interesting insight into the future of the Canon brand.

Video Shows Man Taking Down Drone With a Well-Aimed Medieval Spear

The relationship between those who fly drones and those who don't has sometimes been a rocky road to equilibration, as these flying cameras often find new ways to annoy, confound, and anger the general public. On the same token, the general public continues to find new ways to express said disdain when confronted with a perceived intrusion. Apparently, medieval spears are now a method of that.

Photographer Accidentally Burns Down Historic Landmark

In a decision that defies common sense, a photographer climbed a nearly century-old wooden building in the Big Cypress National Preserve and proceeded to shower it with sparks from lit steel wool. The building burned to the ground.

A Shutter Speed of 1/100,000,000 s: Capturing Photos of the Atomic Bomb

If you own a top-notch DSLR, your shutter might be as fast as 1/8,000 s. Some mirrorless cameras top out at 1/32,000 s. So, what do you do when you need to photograph action using a shutter speed 3,000 times faster than even those blazing mirrorless cameras? You use an entirely different kind of shutter.