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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

The Importance of Light in Landscape Photography

In landscape photography, just like any other, light can make or break a photo, and as such, one of the most important things a new photographer should do is learn how to read light. This awesome video tutorial features an experienced professional discussing how to read light and how urban environments can help you become a better landscape photographer.

Dodging and Burning Isn't Just for Portraits

When most photographers think of dodging and burning, they think of it being used to sculpt a subject's face and as a high-end retouching technique. But dodging and burning is nothing more than the skillful shaping of light in a frame, and as such, it is an appropriate and useful technique for just about any genre of photography. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to use it to create a dramatic landscape image.

The 400mm Landscape Photography Challenge

When you think of landscape photography, you likely think of using a wide angle lens to capture a wide swath of a scene in order to encapsulate its grandeur. And while that is an excellent way to use a wide angle lens and one of the primary reasons they are so popular, longer focal lengths have a place in landscape photography as well. This fun video follows some of YouTube's most well-known landscape photographers as they grab their 400mm lenses to see what they can create.

One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Photography Business

Photographers generally like to focus on objective things: camera settings, lighting ratios, finances, etc. It is only natural to want to put your attention toward easily quantifiable things. However, that is not all it takes to find success as a professional. This fantastic video essay features an experienced pro discussing a subtler but crucially important skill all aspiring professionals need to develop.

How to Edit a Landscape Photo Using an iPad, Lightroom, and Photoshop

In the beginning, the iPad was mostly an entertainment device meant for content consumption, but it quickly evolved into an incredibly powerful device for content creators, and when combined with Adobe's apps, it is an intriguing option for photographers on the go. This awesome video tutorial will show you how to use the iPad to edit landscape images using both Lightroom and Photoshop.

A Review of the New Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens

Sigma's new 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens offers APS-C shooters a very nice combination of ultra-wide focal lengths in tandem with a wide maximum aperture, making it a nice option for a variety of shooters, including landscape photographers, events shooters, and much more. How does it hold up in practice? This awesome video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

What's New in Lightroom?

Lightroom version 13 is here, and continuing the trend of recent releases, it brings with it some major changes and new features that you will want to be aware of so you can get the most from the program and your image edits. If you have not checked out the latest version yet, check out this excellent video that will show you all the new features and how to use them to work on your images.

Is Stock Photography Worth the Effort in 2023?

It used to be that if you were good at it and could invest the time, you could make a decent living from stock photography, but in recent years, the industry has evolved in what has very much been a race to the bottom in many ways, and it is a far less reliable income source than it used to be. Is it still worth the time and effort in 2023? This great video essay features an experienced commercial photographer discussing his experience with stock work in the past year.

Helpful Advice for Improving Your Photos

No matter what genre you shoot, there are some fundamental pieces of advice that will make you a better photographer. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing some important bits of advice that will improve your images and help you focus on what really matters so you can find more enjoyment from your craft.

A Review of the Nikon Zf Mirrorless Camera

Retro cameras have exploded in popularity in recent years, with many photographers embracing not just the attractiveness of their designs, but the functionality provided by having all of the major photographic functions readily available in intuitive tactile controls. One such option is the new Nikon ZF mirrorless camera, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from the camera in usage.

Can You Take Great Landscape Photos at Any Location?

If you look at a lot of the most popular landscape photography on something like Instagram, you will probably notice that many of the images that come up tend to be from a few popular locations. Does that mean you can only create worthwhile photos only at those well-known images? This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing the issue and showing you some of the potential even ordinary places have.

A Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography

Astrophotography can be one of the neatest and most interesting genres, but it is also one of the most challenging, requiring a lot of very specific knowledge and techniques, as well as some very specialized gear. If you would like to get started with astrophotography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of the genre.

A Beginner's Guide to Editing Portrait Photos in Lightroom

When it comes to learning portrait photography, it is, of course, crucial to learn how to work with your camera, light your subject, pose them, etc. However, your work is not over once you press the shutter button. Almost every portrait will take some degree of editing to be finished, and as such, you need to be equally comfortable with working on your images in editing software. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer walking you through a full image edit using both Lightroom and Photoshop.

Is This One of the Best Lenses Nikon Has Ever Made?

Nikon has made some awfully impressive lenses in their long history, but the new NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena has been turning heads as possibly one of the best lenses the company has ever put out. Can it match that hype in practice? This excellent video review takes a look at the new lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Review of the New Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 Lens

Viltrox has developed a reputation for creating lenses that are often far more capable than their prices might suggest, and they are continuing to grow in popularity among photographers who want pragmatic professional options for a range of applications. One such lens is the PRO Series AF 27mm f/1.2 Pro, which offers users a 40mm equivalent focal length in tandem with an extremely wide maximum aperture, and this awesome video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

Some of the Best Landscape Photography Lenses You Can Buy

Christopher Frost is one of the most prolific, thorough, and consistent lens reviewers on the internet, and so, when he offers his opinion, it is well worth taking the time to listen. In this great video, he discusses three of his favorite landscape photography lenses and why they are so well suited to the job.

The Challenges of Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is a challenging genre that requires a lot of strong technique, understanding of environmental conditions, good post-processing skills, and often, just a bit of luck. And as if the photographic aspects are not tricky enough, landscape photography also comes with some serious mental and physical demands. This great video talks about some of those lesser-discussed issues and persevering through them.

10 Fantastic Photoshop Features You Might Not Know About

Photoshop is a tremendously complex and multilayered program, and as such, there are some useful features that even seasoned users might not be aware of. If you would like to expand your photo-editing toolkit, check out this fantastic video tutorial that discusses 10 lesser-known Photoshop features and shows you how to use them to your advantage.

6 Important Landscape Photography Skills

Landscape photography is a challenging genre that takes a variety of skills to produce successful images, and as such, it is important to be a well-rounded photographer when you undertake the genre. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing six skills he feels are important to finding success in the process.

How Good Is the Ultra-Cheap Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera?

Costing just $479, modern mirrorless cameras generally don't get much cheaper than the Canon EOS R100, making it an intriguing option for many photographers ranging from beginners to those who need an affordable backup body. What does it provide at that super-low price? This great video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.