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Articles written by Alex Cooke

What Sort of Camera Strap Is Right for You?
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Of all the accessories that come with photography, your camera strap is probably not one you think about very often (if at all). However, with several pounds hanging off your neck for often hours at a time, it is something you should give a bit of consideration, and there are more options than you might have realized. This great video will show you a variety of straps, what they are useful for, and how they can improve your comfort.

Should You Follow Trends or Photograph What You Love?
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With the rise of social media, photography trends are more prominent than ever. Should you follow them or just photograph what you want? This great video essay discusses the balance between the two.

How to Create a Dramatic Black and White Image in Photoshop
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Converting a photo to black and white is about more than simply pulling all the color out of it; it is a chance to make an entirely new image. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to convert a photo to black and white in Photoshop and turn it into a dramatic, eye-catching piece.

One Lens for Everything: A Review of the 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens
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While most of us own multiple lenses suited for different purposes, sometimes, whether for convenience or necessity, we want one lens that can handle all possible situations. For Sony shooters, there is the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD, and this excellent video review takes a look at what you can expect from it in practice.

Is This Premium 50mm Lens Worth the Price?
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A wide-aperture 50mm lens is one of the most commonly owned and versatile options, useful for a wide variety of situations. This great video review compares two options for Sony shooters, the Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA and the Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA.

How to Blur Out Backgrounds Using Photoshop
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It is always better to get a narrow depth of field in camera, but sometimes, you end up with a background you would prefer to be blurrier to bring more focus onto your subject. For those cases, you can blur the background using Photoshop, and this helpful video tutorial will show you how it is done.

A Review of the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Mirrorless Lens
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A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most versatile and popular options out there, but not everyone needs that f/2.8 aperture or wants to spend that kind of money. A 70-200mm f/4 lens offers the same versatility in a smaller and more affordable package, making it a great alternative for a lot of different photographers and filmmakers. This great video review takes a look at Canon's mirrorless option, the RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens.

Could You Shoot Astrophotography With a Kit Lens?
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There is probably no other genre where light is at more of a premium than astrophotography, where ultra-wide apertures, high ISOs, and specialized equipment are the name of the game. This fascinating video shows what two professional astrophotographers were able to accomplish when limited to a very slow kit lens for their work.

Can This Single Zoom Lens Replace an Entire Bag of Primes?
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Traditionally, professional zoom lenses have filled the role of convenience, while primes have taken on more specific needs and creative pursuits. However, in recent years, we have seen some more extreme zoom lens designs that have approached the capabilities and image quality levels of primes, and this great video review takes a look at one of the most impressive of the bunch.

How to Create Eye-Catching Portraits With a Single Light
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If you study the work of professional portrait photographers, you will probably notice a lot of them use rather complex multi-light setups, but you will also find plenty of fantastic images created with only a single light. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to create eye-catching portraits using no more than a single light.

Why V-Flats Are So Useful for Photography
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Lights and modifiers for them can quickly add up in cost, but one of the most useful lighting tools a studio can have is surprisingly cheap and low-tech. This excellent video tutorial will show you why v-flats are so useful and how to incorporate them into your own work.

10 Pros and Cons of the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera
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The Sony a1 is here, and it brings with it what is quite possibly the most impressive set of specs we have ever seen on a camera. Do those impressive numbers and features pan out in practice? This great video review takes a look at 10 good and not so great parts of the Sony a1.

Photography Is Good for You
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It can be easy to get caught up in the stresses that come with photography or life itself and to forget that photography is actually good for you. It is important to remind yourself every once in a while that photography is supposed to be an enjoyable thing that can do a lot of good for your overall happiness. This fantastic video does just that.

A Review of the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens
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Sigma recently announced the 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens, which is billed as the lightest and smallest f/2.8 standard zoom lens available for mirrorless systems. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Problems to Avoid When Using an Ultra-Wide Lens for Landscape Photography
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When it comes to landscape photography, the focal length of choice is normally a wide angle or even an ultra-wide angle. However, these lenses come with their own set of pitfalls that can adversely affect the quality of your images. This excellent video tutorial discusses some of the problems that come with ultra-wide angle lenses when shooting landscape photographs and how to avoid or fix them.

The Pros and Cons of the Sony a7C Mirrorless Camera
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The Sony a7C is sort of the odd duck out in the a7 line, with a significantly different design than other cameras such as the a7R IV. That means some good things and some drawbacks, and this great video review takes a look at 10 pros and cons of the camera.

A Review of the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens
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A wide-aperture 35mm lens is a great choice for a wide range of genres and scenarios, and Sony's FE 35mm f/1.4 GM offers the company's G Master standard of excellence for photographers and filmmakers looking for high levels of quality and performance. This great video takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it.

How to Use Lightroom Brushes to Sculpt Your Images
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Often, the process of shooting is only half of what it takes to create a good landscape photograph. The edit is where you bring the image to life and add your personal touch. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to use the adjustment brushes in Lightroom to sculpt the light in your photos and create dynamic, eye-catching images.

What's the Right Focal Length for Portraits?
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When it comes to portraits, by far one of the most important decisions you will make is the choice of focal length. This fantastic video explores three different focal lengths for portraits, how they render the subject, and the pros and cons of using them.