Articles written by Alex Cooke

Leica cameras and lenses are rather polarizing, with some seeing them as overpriced niche items that do not do anything special and some absolutely swearing by both the experience and images they offer. So, are they worth the price? This great video essay discusses the topic and why one photographer thinks they are worth their premium cost.

Wildlife photography can be a tremendously fun and interesting genre, but it often requires very long focal lengths, and the lenses involved can be very expensive. Canon's RF 600mm f/11 IS STM offers the kind of focal length wildlife photographers need at a very affordable price, albeit with some compromises to get to that price level. Is it still worth it? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.

Photography is something we all choose to do willingly, and as such, it should be something that makes us happy. Nonetheless, a lot of photographers are not particularly happy, which is a shame. Why is that, though? This insightful video essay discusses some of the possible reasons.

We have seen plenty of examples of police challenging or violating citizens' First Amendment right to record their activities in public, but now, they are turning to a new trick to prevent the dissemination of recordings.

Most photographers are familiar with three types of cameras: the DSLR, mirrorless, and rangefinder. However, a fourth type, the TLR, offers a completely different and rather fun medium format film shooting experience. Though they have largely been overtaken by other designs, you can still find them on the used market, and this great video shows you the experience of shooting with one.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L was one of the company's most well-known and popular lenses, but it was a rather quirky model that was not without flaws in both autofocus performance and image quality. On the other hand, the new RF 50mm f/1.2L USM quickly established that the company had set a new standard for itself when it came to lens design and image quality. Just how much better is the new model? This great video review takes a look at both old and new to answer that question.

When you think of retouching skin, you likely think of using Photoshop over Lightroom, and for deep or intricate work, that is definitely where you should be working. However, Lightroom offers some built-in tools for this, and they can often be all you need to produce a finished photo. This great video tutorial will show you how to use them to produce naturally retouched portraits that still retain detail in the skin.

Most of us simply take our photographs, pop the memory card out of the camera, put it in our computer, and download the photos. But many professional studio photographers tether their cameras to their computers, and it can do a lot to improve both your workflow and the quality of your images. This excellent video tutorial discusses 10 reasons why tethering is worth trying in your own work.

70-300mm lenses offer an alternative to the more standard 70-200mm zoom for photographers who do not need the wider aperture and would prefer a bit more reach on the long end. Sony shooters have a few options, namely the company's own FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS and the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD, and this excellent video review compares the performance of both.