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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S Lens

Nikon started out its mirrorless Z mount with mostly pragmatic lenses, but as time has gone on, the library has expanded to more extreme designs. One such example is the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S lens, and this excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of image quality and performance you can expect from it in practice.

This Film Camera Has a Feature Digital Cameras Should Have

The EOS 3 was one of the last film cameras from Canon, and it brought with it a range of advanced and unique features that make it a great choice even today. This excellent video review takes a look at the camera and how it holds up in 2021.

An Interesting Two-Light Setup for Professional Portraits

Portrait lighting does not always have to be expensive or overly complicated. This excellent video tutorial will show you a professional portrait lighting setup that only requires two speedlights, two shoot-through umbrellas, and a reflector.

How Film Photography Can Make You a Better Photographer

We have long been in the digital age, but film has remained as an indulgence, a creative tool, or even the medium of choice for a few photographers. If you have been considering dabbling in it, this excellent video will show you some of the reasons it can make you a better overall photographer.

A Review of the Irix 45mm f/1.4 Lens

A wide-aperture 50mm lens is often one of the most versatile options in a photographer's bag, suitable for a lot of work ranging from portraiture to low-light events. A lesser-known option is the Irix 45mm f/1.4, which offers some unique features along with an interesting focal length, all put together in a rugged package that can handle a variety of tough shooting scenarios. 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.

5 Tips for Taking Good Portraits in Ugly Locations

A lot of the time, you have complete control over a portrait, including where you take it and thus, the background that complements your subject(s). But in other situations (wedding photography, for example), you do not get much of a choice and may be stuck with a boring, distracting, or simply unpleasing background. If that is the case, this helpful video tutorial will give you five tips for still making professional portraits.

Canon's DSLR Lens Library Is Rapidly Disappearing

The Canon EF lens exodus is continuing, with over a dozen more being discontinued or slated for it at some point this year as the company rapidly pivots toward mirrorless and its RF mount.

How to More Effectively Use Shadows in Your Photography

We talk about how to add light and shape it in a scene quite a lot, but as important as that is, so too are the shadows in your photos. This great video tutorial discusses how you can use shadows to create better, more dynamic, and more compelling images.

The Incredible Journey From 9 To 5 To Astrophotographer

Taking the leap into photography as a career can be a terrifying prospect, but on the other hand, some of us are simply not happy stuck in the tedium and repetition of a more traditional 9 to 5. This inspiring video essay discusses one man's journey from a 9-to-5 job in IT to professional astrophotography.

The Sony a1 Is So Fast That You Can Make a Movie From Still Image Bursts

The Sony a1 is probably the most extreme camera we have seen so far, with one of its most notable features being that insane 30 fps continuous burst rate. While the camera also has some equally impressive video features to accompany its photo capabilities, it is more fun to see just how truly fast that aforementioned burst rate is by shooting video using it.

How to Use Perspective to Give Your Photos a Sense of Depth

One of the marks of a lot of good images is the ability to make a two-dimensional photo have the feel of a three-dimensional scene. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to take advantage of the way the human brain determines distance to give your images a deeper sense of depth.

Six Minutes of Tips to Improve Your Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a tricky genre that takes the combination of good technique, creativity, and the ability to work with people simultaneously. If you have been struggling with it a bit, this helpful video tutorial contains six minutes of rapid-fire tips and techniques to help you improve your work.

More Exciting Canon Lenses Are on the Way

We know that Canon is bringing a lot of new RF mirrorless lenses to market fairly soon, and it looks like we have more information coming in, with some exciting news on new designs.

7 Common Landscape Photography Editing Mistakes

Landscape photography is a genre that often requires editing to complete your image more heavily than most others, and as such, there are a lot of places where things can go a bit awry during post-processing. This informative video tutorial details seven common editing mistakes landscape photographers make so you can be aware of them and avoid them.

Comparing the Leica Q2 to the Fuji X100V

Both the Fujifilm X100V and Leica Q2 are advanced fixed prime lens cameras, and they each offer a range of great features and excellent image quality. Which one is right for your work? This great video review takes a look at both.

10 Helpful Tips for Taking Better Photos

Are you feeling a bit stuck lately and wondering how you can improve your images? Check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you 10 helpful tips for improving your work.

A Review of the Zeiss Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE Lens

Zeiss lenses are well known for their contrasty, sharp, and nearly flawless renderings with smooth bokeh, making them highly sought-after portrait instruments. This great video review takes a look at one of the company's more reasonably priced options, the Milvus 85mm f/1.4 ZE and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

How To Separate Your Subject Without Relying on Narrow Depth of Field

With the increased availability of high-quality lenses with wide apertures, we have become quite obsessed with images that use a narrow depth of field to isolate the subject and blow the background to smithereens. And certainly, that can be a valid way of doing things, but there are many other great ways to draw attention to your subject, and this informative video tutorial will show you some of the best methods.