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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

A Review of the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Lens for Sony E Mount

A wide-aperture 35mm lens is quite versatile, suitable for numerous applications ranging from events coverage to portraiture. The Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE for Sony E mount cameras is one such lens, and it comes in a very small package at quite an affordable price. This great video review takes a look at what you can expect from it in practice.

You've Never Seen a Lens Like This f/0.75 Lens

Bokeh fanatics, you read that right! This lens opens to an insanely wide f/0.75. If you are a fan of backgrounds being blown to smithereens, this might be the ultimate lens. Check out the unique look this 65mm f/0.75 lens creates.

Canon Patents More Innovative Mirrorless Lenses

Canon has created some very innovative and impressive lenses for the RF mount, with optics like the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM pushing the boundaries of lens design and offering photographers new creative opportunities. It seems Canon is showing no signs of stopping, with several further patents for new mirrorless lenses emerging.

The Best Camera of 2020

2020 has seen some remarkably good cameras released and perhaps a dud or two. Which was the best? Here is my pick.

A Review of the Canon EOS R6 Camera

The Canon EOS R5 has received a ton of fanfare for its highly impressive features, but its companion, the EOS R6, is also a highly capable camera and costs significantly less than the EOS R5. This excellent video review takes a deep look at the camera and the kind of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

What Is Lens Breathing and How Does It Affect Your Work?

Lens breathing is a common problem (particularly in video work), and understanding it can help you to take better control of your work. This excellent video tutorial will show you what lens breathing is and why you should be aware of it, particularly if you shoot video.

6 Signs You May Have Overedited Your Landscape Photos

Most landscape images take a fair amount of editing to produce a finished result, and with all that post-processing, you often run the risk of going a bit too far. If that is something you sometimes struggle with, this excellent video tutorial discusses six signs that you have overedited a landscape image so you can fix them before you export your photo.

5 Lighting Setups Using a Single Light

Lighting can be a challenge to learn, and you might think you need complex multi-light setups to obtain professional results. And while there will always be a place for those, you might be surprised by what you can accomplish with just a single-light setup. This excellent video tutorial will show you five different lighting setups you can create with only a single light.

An Umbrella Might Be Closer to a Beauty Dish Than You Think

Traditionally, umbrellas are considered to be the lowest end of lighting modifiers, with beauty dishes being one of the more expensive and professional options. However, you might be surprised by how close you can get to the beauty dish look using a small shoot-through umbrella, and this excellent video will show you how.

How Good Is Canon's Affordable Mirrorless Nifty Fifty?

Canon's RF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens is absolutely spectacular, but at $2,300, it is prohibitively expensive for a lot of photographers, and many may not need its insane levels of image quality. Luckily, Canon also has the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, which is just $200, representing the nifty fifty of its mirrorless lineup. How good is the lens? This great video review takes a look.

How to Create Realistic Water Reflections Using Photoshop

Replacing the sky can be a powerful and valuable tool for photographers in a wide range of genres ranging from real estate to landscapes or weddings. When there is water is the shot, this can significantly complicate the process, but this fantastic tutorial will show you how to use Photoshop to add realistic reflections for a more complete photo.

Vote: Who Is the Best Photographer?

Many of you know Mike Kelley is visiting Patrick and Lee down in Puerto Rico. This last weekend, they set up a rather unique challenge to see which one of them is the best photographer. We need you to vote on which photograph is best and who took each image to settle the debate once and for all!

7 Tips for Becoming a Better Landscape Photographer

It takes the mastery of a lot of different skills and techniques to produce a proficient landscape photograph, and it can take a long time to get them all down. This excellent video will help you get there faster, however, with seven great tips to improve your landscape photography.

Sigma Likely to Start Making Lenses for Nikon Z and Canon RF Mirrorless Cameras Next Year

No doubt, the huge influx of quality third-party lenses from companies like Tamron and Sigma in the last few years has been a huge boon to photographers, as we have been given quite affordable alternatives that still offer professional performance and results. Now that Canon and Nikon have moved to the world of mirrorless, many are eagerly waiting for Tamron and Sigma to start making lenses for the RF and Z mounts, and the good news is that Sigma will likely start doing that next year.

Save up To $400 on a Sigma Art Lens and Get a Lexar Memory Card for Half off Today Only

Sigma's Art lenses have been wildly popular for the company, especially since they offer professional-level performance and image quality for significantly more affordable prices than first-party manufacturers. Today only, you can get a great deal on the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens for a variety of lens mounts, as well as 50% off a Lexar memory card.

We May Soon See Serious Shortages of Sony, Canon, and Nikon Cameras

With many popular cameras currently in high demand but short supply, a lot of photographers and videographers are anxiously waiting for stocks to be resupplied and their cameras to arrive. Those delays may be significantly lengthened for multiple manufacturers due to a fire at a Japanese integrated components factory.

How to Photograph Wedding Rings

Weddings are just as much about the detail shots as they are about capturing the people involved in the day. And perhaps no detail shot is more important than the rings, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to capture them in an elegant way that will create a fantastic memory for the couple.

3 Ways to Make Your Photos Pop in Lightroom

Making images "pop" is something most photographers strive for, but there is a fine line between eye-catching and gaudy. This great video tutorial will show you three ways to make your photos pop using tools in Lightroom.

How to Fix Posing Mistakes in Seated Portraits

Posing can be quite difficult for a lot of photographers to master, especially because it is a bit more nebulous than other more objective concepts like the correct exposure settings. This excellent video tutorial demonstrates a range of common posing mistakes in seated portraits and what you can do to fix them.