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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

How to Easily Turn Your Signature Into a Classy Watermark

Did you have to take cursive in elementary school? Is that ability to write in beautiful, curvy letter lying dormant somewhere in the recesses of your mind after all these years? Why not awaken those skills and use them to create a beautiful custom watermark for your images? This great video tutorial will show you how to do just that quickly and easily using Photoshop.

Would You Pay $5,600 for a Zoom Lens?

Would you pay $5,600 for a zoom lens? And a variable aperture one at that? It sounds crazy, but with the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH., you get that beloved Leica look with the convenience of a zoom lens. How good is this premium offering? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect.

9 Things You Should Check Before Purchasing a Used Lens

The used market is always full of lenses, and given how well many photographers take care of their gear, you can often save a fair bit of money and still get a quality lens by purchasing preowned. There are a few things you should check before you agree to buy that lens you are eyeing, though, and this quick and helpful video tutorial will take you through them all to make sure you are not wasting your money.

Which Standard Lens Is the Best Option for Nikon Shooters?

One thing is for sure: Nikon mirrorless shooters are not at a loss for choice when it comes to standard zoom lenses. With four native options from Nikon, plus the option to pretty seamlessly adapt F mount options, you might be wondering which lens in the crowded field is right for your needs and budget. This excellent video comparison takes a look at five options and all their pros and cons to help you make the right choice.

A Battle Between the Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 Mirrorless Cameras

Camera manufacturers have really found another gear the last few years, obliterating the old maxim that you could have things like resolution or shooting speed, but not both, by releasing cameras that can tackle literally any situation you can throw at them. So, who holds the current crown? This excellent video compares the Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 mirrorless cameras to find out.

Can You Shoot Landscapes at f/1.4?

When it comes to landscape photography, a narrow aperture and large depth of field is the norm, as we generally want to get everything from the foreground to infinity sharp. Of course, that is a creative decision, and just like any other such decision, you can do something else. So, is it worth trying landscape photographs with a narrow depth of field? This great video makes a good case for it.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 Lens

In the past few years, in addition to a lot of ultra-premium lenses, there has been a second movement toward more affordable lenses that make certain compromises to provide good performance and image quality without breaking the bank. For Nikon mirrorless users, one such option is the NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

A Message Every Photographer Needs to Hear

Creatives are inundated from all directions by messages meant to undermine their confidence in their work and to get them to focus on things other than the act of creating an image. If you find yourself a bit lost in the midst of all that right now, take a few minutes to watch this great video essay that contains an important message every photographer and filmmaker should hear.

How to Handle Boring Light in Landscape Photography

One of the biggest challenges of landscape photography is that unlike most other genres, you do not get control over the light on a scene. And while you can follow the weather forecast and plan in advance, nature does not always cooperate. That does not mean you should just pack in your bag and head home, though. This excellent video tutorial discusses what you can do to still come home with great images when the sky is boring.

A Simple Two-Light Setup for Dramatic Portraits of Couples

The beauty of artificial lighting is that you can create whatever look you want, wherever and whenever you want. That does not mean things need to be overly complex, however. In fact, just two lights can offer a ton of versatility, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to use them to create some dramatic and compelling couples portraits.

A Helpful Wedding Timeline to Ensure You Get the Best Shots

Being a wedding photographer takes a lot of skills, one of them being the ability to effectively manage time while corralling a large group of people. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to properly plan and schedule your timeline to ensure you get all the shots you need.

8 Months With the Fujifilm GFX 100S: How Does This Medium Format Mirrorless Camera Perform?

Perhaps no camera series has created a larger paradigm shift in the industry in the last decade than the Fujifilm's GFX series, which brought medium format prices into direct competition with the upper levels of full frame and modernized many of its capabilities at the same time. The GFX 100S is one of the most impressive options in the line, and this great video review discusses one photographer's thoughts after eight months with the camera.

How to Give Your Photos 3D Pop Using Color Grading

Three-dimensional "pop" is a sort of nebulous thing that portrait photographers often chase in certain lenses, as it can take an inherently two-dimensional representation of a person and make it feel more lifelike. You can also contribute to the effect through your editing, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do it through some clever though not difficult use of Photoshop.

Here Come More Exciting Canon Lenses

Once Canon brought the EOS R5 and RF 28-70mm f/2L USM to the market, they showed they were extremely serious about mirrorless innovation, and they have not looked back since. And it looks like they plan on keeping their foot on the gas, as more patents have emerged for interesting lens designs sure to please a lot of photographers.

7 Ways to Be Way More Productive in Your Landscape Photography

Some genres of photography allow you to produce a large number of images in a given span of time, while others tend to be more methodical and require a fair amount of patience. Landscape photography tends to fall into the latter camp, but that does not mean there are not things you can do to make yourself more productive on location. This helpful video will detail seven ways you can make yourself a bit more efficient and productive the next time you head out.

How to Take Sharp Landscape Photos

When it comes to landscape photography, sharpness is often one of the top priorities. If that is something you want to improve in your images, check out this excellent video tutorial that details a straightforward process for coming home with sharp photos every time you head out with your camera.

Creating a Powerful Print From a Unique Camera

Before the digital era, you could still shoot panoramic photographs, but you generally had to resort to using a special kind of camera to do so, especially if you wanted the best possible image quality. This neat video follows a landscape photographer as he uses an absolute behemoth of a camera to create a special panoramic print.

Is the Fujifilm X100V Mirrorless Camera One of the Best Out There?

I have rarely been a big fan of fixed prime lens cameras, but the exception has always been the Fujifilm X100 series. What started out as a quirky and fun camera has evolved into a highly capable professional tool in its fifth generation — all without losing any of the unique personality that first endeared it to photographers. This excellent video review takes a look at the new model and the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

This Photographer Is Having a Very Bad Day

The Winter Olympics are underway, and just like the summer version, the games have drawn a ton of photographers from all around the planet to capture some of the world's best athletes in action. One photographer is not having the best day, though, as they lost their grip on their camera, causing it to take a very, very, very long tumble down the ski hill, as NBC cameras captured its escape.

These Are the Best Film Cameras to Buy in 2022

Film has seen quite a resurgence in the last few years, and after over a century of production, the number of used cameras available can be a bit overwhelming. If you are interested in getting into film but are not sure which camera is right for you, this helpful video will show you a variety of different styles at various price points to help you choose the right one for you.