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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

5 Mistakes Landscape Photographers Make on Location

Creating a successful landscape image takes a combination of many factors ranging from solid technique to creative vision and careful planning in advance. When you are trying to bring everything together in the field, it can be easy for something to go wrong. This excellent video tutorial will show you five common mistakes landscape photographers make on location and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.

A Simple and Straightforward Product Photography Walkthrough

Product photography is a tough genre that will really challenge your lighting skills and attention to detail. The great part about it, though, is that you can practice it at home, even if you do not have much space, and the techniques you pick up are applicable to a wide range of other genres. To help you get started, this great video tutorial will show you a simple and straightforward product shoot walkthrough.

Which Is Better for You: 85mm or 135mm Lenses?

When it comes to shorter telephoto primes, 85mm is probably the most common choice, but 135mm is often a popular second option. So, which is the right choice for your work? This fantastic video takes a look at the two focal lengths and shows you some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

How to Create Light Rays Using Photoshop

A few light rays in something like a backlit portrait can be a nice finishing touch that adds a bit extra to the image. Of course, we can't always be so lucky as to capture them in camera. However, it is not overly difficult to add them in post, and this great video tutorial will show you how to do it easily in Photoshop.

Are Modern Zoom Lenses a Better Choice Than Primes?

A decade ago, the differences between zoom and prime lenses were stark: zooms offered convenience and versatility, while primes offered better image quality and more extreme apertures. However, the gap has closed in recent years, with zooms showing marked jumps in image quality and pushing their designs to new extremes, blurring the line between the two. So, can you get by with just zooms now? This insightful video takes a deep look at the question.

Fstoppers Photographer of the Month (November 2021): Melody Mellinger

The Fstoppers community is brimming with creative vision and talent. Every day, we comb through your work, looking for images to feature as the Photo of the Day or simply to admire your creativity and technical prowess. In 2021, we're featuring a new photographer every month, whose portfolio represents both stellar photographic achievement and a high level of involvement within the Fstoppers community.

10 Steps for Creating a Black and White Image in Lightroom

Sometimes, a black and white edit can be what really breathes life into a photo. However, a good black and white edit is about a lot more than simply pulling all of the color out of an image. This excellent video tutorial will show you 10 steps to creating a compelling black and white image using Lightroom.

What's the Future of Photography?

No doubt, photography is in a time of change. As the abilities of cameras skyrocket, ironically, the demand for photographers decreases, as all that technology makes it easier for normal consumers to get photos that are good enough for their needs. So, what is the future of photography? Is the industry going to look completely different in a decade or two? What will cameras be like? This interesting video tackles some of those questions.

How to Be Original With Your Photography

In some sense, it is harder than ever to be a photographer producing truly original work. The world is absolutely inundated with images, and creating something that stands apart from the pack is quite the challenge. So, how can we be original with our images? This excellent video essay discusses the topic and offers some good insight.

Helpful Tips for Getting the Most From Lightroom's New Masking Features

Lightroom's masking features recently got a huge upgrade, and they have enabled some new capabilities that truly make working on your images far easier and more efficient. If you still have not taken a deep dive into the new masking panel yet, check out this great video tutorial that will give you some useful tips for getting the most out of it.

Pentax Continues to March to Their Own Beat

Two years ago, Ricoh executives claimed that most users would return to DSLRs in one or two years. Two years later, that has not happened, but it has not stopped the company from continuing to march to their own unique beat, as this interview reveals.

The 3 P's of Landscape Photography

Creating a successful landscape image takes a variety of skills, some that don't even involve a camera. If you want to get on the road to success, check out this great video tutorial that will help you frame your approach to landscape photography through three major aspects.

Things Nobody Teaches You About Photography

Becoming a successful photographer is a remarkably complex thing that takes the confluence of a range of skills, creativity, and often, a bit of luck. If you are new to photography and wondering how to bring it all together, check out this great video that features an experienced photographer discussing things no one really teaches beginners.

A Review of the Quirky and Capable Fujifilm X100V Mirrorless Camera

I have never loved a fixed prime lens camera, except for the Fujifilm X100 series. Quirky, fun, and impressively capable, these small cameras have become quite respected across the industry. Now in the fifth generation, the newest version is highly refined and versatile, and this excellent video review takes a look at the sort of image quality and performance you can expect from it.

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 Lens

It might not be the most exciting lens out there, but Nikon's NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 is highly portable, affordable, and surprisingly sharp given its size and price. If you are looking for such a lens, check out this excellent video that takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

How to Choose the Right Camera Gear

Camera gear is not only meant for professional work, it is a ton of fun as well. However, it is quite expensive, and as such, every purchase you make should be carefully considered beforehand. This helpful video tutorial features some good advice on how to choose the right gear for you.

Ways to Improve Your Photography Without a Camera

Photography is the sort of thing you can always find new ways in which to improve, whether it is your technique, creativity, business, or something else. If you are looking for ways to improve your photography, be sure to check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you several ways to become a better photographer that will not require a camera.

A Review of the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens

The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens was highly respected for being relatively affordable compared to other premium lenses while still offering tack-sharp images, fantastic image stabilization, and of course, 1:1 macro capability, all making for one of the most versatile lenses out there. The RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM follows up on the EF version's legacy by introducing a range of new features and improvements, and this great video review takes a look at how it performs.

Helpful Tips to Improve Your Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a challenging genre that requires you to not only be deft and confident with your camera and post-processing, but also able to make the subject comfortable in front of your lens. If you would like to improve your portrait photography, check out this awesome video tutorial that will give you a wide variety of helpful tips to get you on the right track.

How to Photograph a Translucent Product on a White Background

A product shot on a clean, white background with no distractions is a look that will always be in demand, though it presents some challenges to the photographer creating the image. Those challenges increase when the product is translucent and lets light through it, but this excellent video tutorial will show you how to deal with such a situation to produce a professional final image.