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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

5 Ways to Speed Up Your Photo Retouching

Retouching can be a very time-intensive process, and as such, it is well worth finding ways to streamline your workflow wherever you can. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced pro sharing five ways you can make your post-processing workflow more efficient.

5 Things You Should Do When You Buy a Large Telephoto Lens

Large telephoto lenses are some of the most powerful and exciting optical tools out there, able to capture faraway action like birds or sports and create dynamic images. Nonetheless, they take some special considerations in order to get the most out of them and to ensure you are not straining yourself physically when using one. This helpful video tutorial discusses five things you should do whenever you buy a large telephoto lens.

A Beginner's Guide to Portrait Photography With One Light

If you look at the work of professional portrait photographers, it can be easy to be fooled into thinking that it is not possible to create high-level images with just a single light. This could not be further from the truth, though. If you are new to working with artificial light, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to shoot compelling portraits using just one light and a portable modifier.

An Effective Technique for Fixing Blown Landscape Photo Highlights in Photoshop

Landscape photography often places tremendous dynamic range demands on your camera, and while there are ways for dealing with this, sometimes, you will come home with an image that has blown highlights, which can distract from an otherwise compelling photo. If you find yourself in that situation, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you how to make them look more natural using Photoshop.

A Review of the Nikon Z 7II Mirrorless Camera for Landscape Photography

With a 45.7-megapixel sensor and a lot of dynamic range, the Nikon Z 7II mirrorless camera looks like a strong candidate for a lot of landscape photographers. How does it hold up in practice? This great video review features an experienced landscape photographer discussing his thoughts months after switching from a medium format setup.

A Review of the Light and Portable Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN Contemporary Lens

The Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN Contemporary lens brings with it the promise of excellent sharpness at a useful focal length and in a very small and portable package, making it ideal for genres like landscape and architectural photography. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

Why Most Landscape Photographers Should Use Zoom Lenses

Many photographers regard prime lenses as superior to zooms, since they often offer better image quality and more creative versatility via their wider apertures. Nonetheless, when it comes to landscape photography, sometimes, the balance of requirements is a bit different. This excellent video features an experienced professional discussing why zoom lenses are the better choice for most landscape photographers.

Things Professional Photographers Should Invest In

Where you invest your money as a professional photographer is one of the most important decisions you can make, and as such, it is something worth of careful consideration to ensure you are not wasting your money on unneeded gimmicks. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced pro sharing what he invests in to ensure he can do his job easily and deliver the best possible images.

3 Easy and Creative One-light Portrait Photography Setups

When you look at the work of professional portrait photographers, you might think that you need complex multi-light setups in order to produce top-level images. And while it is true that two- or three- light setups are common, you might be surprised by what you can accomplish with just a single light. This great video tutorial will show you three easy and creative one-light portrait photography setups.

Are You Getting Everything You Can From Your Landscape Photography Locations?

Landscape photography often requires significant physical effort simply to get to a location, and as such, it is worth ensuring you are getting everything you can from one spot before you move on to the next place. This excellent video tutorial walks you through the process of taking multiple images in a single location to show you how to maximize the return on your effort.

A Review of the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera

The Canon EOS R5 showed the world that Canon was extremely serious about professional mirrorless cameras, and while it remains a highly impressive camera, features like a 45-megapixel sensor and 8K raw video are overkill for many photographers and filmmakers. For those who want most of the capabilities of the EOS R5 in a more pragmatic and affordable package, the EOS R6 Mark II is an excellent option, and this great video review takes a look at the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

Here's What Happens When You Post for Two Weeks Straight on Major Platforms

Social media is a necessary evil for a lot of photographers, as it is the place where many potential clients will see your work and first contact you. However, with so many platforms and the need for continued, consistent posting, you might wonder where your time and efforts are best spent. This great video features a filmmaker discussing the results from a two-week experiment of posting to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-H2 Mirrorless Camera

Fujifilm's X-H2 mirrorless camera brought a high-resolution sensor to the beloved X Series for the first time, along with a wide range of other new features and upgrades, making it an intriguing camera for many users. This great video review takes a look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

3 Fun and Easy Spring Photography Ideas for Beginners

Spring is here, and it brings with it a veritable plethora of fun and interesting photography opportunities. If you are ready to bust out your camera and shake off the rust from winter, check out this great video tutorial that will show three fun and easy spring photography ideas to get you rolling, along with some helpful advice for improving your images.

A Review of the Affordable 7Artisans 15mm f/4 Lens

7Artisans has gained a reputation for making extremely affordable lenses, and while that sometimes means you may have to take a hit in image quality, the 15mm f/4 produces surprisingly good results without breaking that trend of low cost. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and if its results are right for your needs.

DJI Announces the Triple-Camera Mavic 3 Pro Drone

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone is here, and it brings with some of the company's most impressive technology yet, including a new triple-camera system, long flight times, and Hasselblad optics. Here's what you can expect.

Top Bokeh: A Review of the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR Lens

The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR promises users some of the best and most extreme optical design and performance on the platform, including an especially wide aperture, pleasing bokeh, and sharp images. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Something to Think About as AI Infiltrates Photography

While the presence of AI in photography has caused anything from fear to excitement, one thing is for sure: it is here to stay and will have a significant impact on the industry in many ways. The interesting video essay discusses the issue and something important to keep in mind as the industry changes and the role of the photographer evolves.

What Would You Like to See From the Next Fujifilm X100 Series Camera?

Fujifilm's X100 series of cameras is now in its fifth generation, and it remains one of the most beloved cameras on the market, all but guaranteeing that we will see a sixth version at some point. What would photographers like to see in the next iteration? This interesting video features a photographer discussing his thoughts on the topic.

Don't Overlook This Affordable Gem of a Lens

Canon has some incredible lenses in their lineup, but with all that performance and image quality often come eye-wateringly high price tags. And yet, they also a lens for APS-C cameras that costs only $149, and it far outperforms its very affordable price tag. This great video review takes a look at the lens and if it can keep up with the demands of a modern, high-resolution sensor.