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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

A Beginner's Guide to One-light Portraits

When you are new to working with artificial light, it is important to start out with a single source at first to build your confidence and knowledge. And just because you are only shooting with one light, it does not mean you can't produce professional-level images. This fantastic video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to get started with one-light portraits.

Important Advice for Professional Photographers

Being a professional photographer is quite a challenge, as you need to wear many hats and wear them all well. Of course, you need strong technical skills behind the camera and at your computer, but those are not enough. In fact, creativity is arguably more important. This excellent video features an experienced professional discussing why skills in lighting, composition, and creativity should be a top priority for professionals.

A 10-Minute Beginner's Guide to Photography

You have bought your camera and lens, the memory card is installed, and the battery is charged. Now what? There are some fundamentals every new photographer should learn before they head out shooting, as having these down will help you take greater control of your images and gain more confidence with your camera. This great video tutorial will show you the basics of photography in just 10 minutes.

How Good Is This Affordable 900mm Lens?

Generally, as you move into supertelephoto focal lengths, lens prices start to increase simply because of the sheer amount of glass it takes to produce such extreme images. That's why, at $699, the Tokina SZ 900mm f/11 Pro Reflex MF CF is an intriguing option. Can it offer good performance and image quality despite that modest price? This excellent video review takes a look.

The Versatility of a 150-600mm Lens

About a decade ago, 150-600mm lenses exploded in popularity, as offerings from companies like Tamron and Sigma gave photographers the opportunity to access decent image quality at focal lengths that were traditionally prohibitively expensive for most users. They have only grown in popularity in recent years, and their versatility and affordable prices make them an excellent tool for many applications. This helpful video discusses some of their best and lesser-known uses.

A Beginner's Guide to Aperture

Aperture, together with shutter speed and ISO, is one of the three foundational parameters for achieving well-balanced exposures and significant creative control over your photographs. If you're new to photography and want to improve your images, don't miss this fantastic video tutorial that demonstrates the intricacies of aperture and how to use it to take better photos.

A Review of the Google Pixel 7A Smartphone

The Google Pixel 7A smartphone strikes a nice balance between price and performance, making it an intriguing option for many Android users. This excellent video review takes a look at the phone and the sort of performance you can expect from it in usage.

Is This the Best Drone for Landscape Photography?

In the last few years, the increasing image quality and decreasing size of drones has made them a fantastic addition to landscape photographers' toolkits. The DJI Mavic 3 Classic strikes a nice balance of price and capabilities, making it an intriguing option. This excellent video review takes a look at the drone and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Review of the Fujifilm X-T5 Mirrorless Camera

The Fujifilm X-T5 mirrorless camera takes the company's beloved X Series design and form factor and adds a huge range of new features and upgrades, most notable being a new sensor with the highest level of resolution ever seen in the line. This excellent video review takes a deep look at the camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

How to Find Your Creativity in Landscape Photography

One of the trickiest aspects of landscape photography is that, unlike many other genres, you have no control over the elements in the frame, and as such, it can be tricky to find your individual voice and sense of creativity. It is not impossible, though. This great video tutorial discusses the topic and offers a range of helpful advice on how to find your creative voice in the genre.

5 Helpful Portrait Photography Tips for Beginners

Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres, but it can be a particularly tricky one, as you have to have not only solid camera technique, but the ability to work with people well. If you are new to portrait photography and looking to improve your images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features a seasoned shooter sharing five useful tips.

3 Helpful Beginner Landscape Photography Tips

Creating a successful landscape image takes a combination of several factors, including good technique, knowledgeable planning, lots of patience, and more. And as such, it can be a lot to try to master when you are first starting out. If you are new to landscape photography and looking to improve, check out this great video tutorial that features an experienced landscape photographer sharing three tips that will put you on the right track.

Several Different Ways to Make Money as a Photographer

There are several different ways to make money as a photographer, and the more you can diversify your income streams, the more you can ensure financial security. If you are working on improving your photography business, check out this helpful video tutorial that shows you several different ways you can use your photography business to make money.

The Joys of Large Format Landscape Photography

In the era of digital photography, it can be easy to click away without a second thought, but what if every time you pressed the shutter, it cost you $5? That might sound like an insane proposition, but the beauty of large format photography is that you get images that are simply not possible with a full frame camera or even with the most expensive modern medium format camera. This neat video takes you behind the scenes to show you large format landscape photography's process and some of the images you can create.

How to Take Great Wildlife Photos With Budget Gear

Wildlife photography can be a tremendously enjoyable genre, but it can also often need a heavy dose of rather expensive specialized equipment. Nonetheless, you can still create fantastic images with affordable cameras and lenses. This useful video tutorial will give you a range of useful tips to help you get the most out of budget equipment and still come home with excellent photos.

A Guide to Editing an Image in Lightroom From Start to Finish

If you are new to editing your images, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the dozens of sliders and adjustments available to you in Lightroom. They are not too difficult once you get the hang of them, though. This great video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing his Lightroom editing work to get you on your way.

Should You Spend Money on a Camera or Lens?

You have some money saved up and you are ready to start building your gear collection. Should you spend your money on a good camera or a nice lens? It is an important decision that can have a significant impact on the quality of your images, and this excellent video will show you why.

The Fun of Shooting Portraits With a Supertelephoto Lens

When it comes to portrait photography, most people will reach for a lens with a focal length between about 85mm and 135mm, maybe a little longer or wider for certain applications or creative exploration. But there is no rule that says portrait photography has to be shot at those focal lengths; you can easily push into more extreme options for a bit of fun and creative invigoration. This short video will show you some of what you can create when shooting portraits with a supertelephoto zoom lens.

5 Bad Habits New Photographers Often Fall Into

Like any other craft, there are some common bad habits that new photographers often fall into, and these can both cause you to miss creative opportunities and to spend a lot of money you did not need to. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced photographer sharing five common bad habits and how to avoid them to put yourself on the right track.

The Joy of Infrared Landscape Photography

If you have never photographed in infrared before, that is not your fault; modern cameras are designed to reject infrared light. However, with a special modification, you can open up an entirely new world that is invisible to the naked eye. This great video will show you some of unique and fascinating images that can be made with an infrared-converted camera.