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Alex Cooke
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Articles written by Alex Cooke

Seven Ways to Improve Your Seascape Photos

Incorporating a body of water into a landscape photo is one of the best ways to add visual interest, create a flow that leads the viewer's eye across the image, and drastically alter the mood you're trying to create. This excellent video will give you seven tips to improve your seascape images.

A First Look at the New Profoto A1X

The Profoto A1 was met with mixed reactions when it was released, with many shying away from the price, but also generally quite good reviews from those who used it. Profoto recently released an updated version, the A1X, which improves on the original in several ways. This great video takes a look at the changes in the new model and what it's like to shoot with.

How to Create More Depth in Your Landscape Images

One of the more subtle but powerful ways to create impact in your images is to give them the feeling of greater depth. This excellent video discusses six methods you can use to create more dimensionality in your landscape images for a greater impact on the viewer.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Photoshop Blending Modes

Blending modes are one of the most foundational features in Photoshop and something that almost anyone working with the program should understand well. This in-depth video will show you the ins and outs of every single blending mode, allowing you to better understand when to use each one and how they can help you achieve your desired results.

Five Lightroom Tricks That Will Help You Work Faster and Improve Your Photos

Lightroom is an intricate program full of hidden features and tricks that can both improve your images and make your workflow far more efficient if you know how to use them properly. This great video will show you five hidden features and tricks you might not have known about before.

Why Is the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens So Expensive?

The Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM is one of the company's best lenses, but of course, with that quality comes a hefty price tag. This fun video takes a look at the wide angle zoom lens and answers just what makes it so expensive.

What's It Like Working on a 49-Inch Ultrawide Display?

Many photographers and videographers like to work on dual-monitor setups with the two screens side by side, but that can cause some complicated logistics with connections and the like, and of course, it can be quite annoying to have bezels right in the middle of your vision. Can you solve that problem with an ultrawide monitor? This great video takes a look at LG's 49-inch monster to help answer that question.

Olympus Shows Massive $157 Million Loss in Imaging Division Last Fiscal Year

It's no secret that the market for cameras has been shrinking for a few years now, and with that, camera companies are certainly feeling the squeeze and looking for ways to gain more market share or even reinvent themselves. Among those facing the pressure is Olympus, who fiscal report for last year indicated a $157 million loss.

How to Remove Almost Anything Using the Clone Stamp Tool

Photoshop has numerous tools at its disposal that can perform a multitude of advanced functions, many of which are highly automated. But those automatic functions don't always perform perfectly, and sometimes, you'll need to fall back on a tried and true method: the Clone Stamp tool. This great video will show you exactly what you need to know about the powerful tool.

Samyang Announces AF 45mm f/1.8 FE Lens for Sony Full Frame Cameras

If there's one lens almost every photographer or videographer can get some use from, it's a wide aperture, normal length lens. Samyang has thrown their hat into the ring with the announcement of the AF 45mm f/1.8 FE lens, which offers Sony shooters a cheap and light option appropriate for a multitude of shooting scenarios.

Four Tips to Improve Your Photo Compositions

Composition is one of the most nebulous and difficult concepts to discuss and work on in photography, but it's also one of the most important to master. This great video will give you four tips to help improve your compositions.

Insane Closeups: A Review of the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro Lens

Venus Optics makes some unique and impressive lenses, and the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro lens is another entry into that line. With its highly affordable price tag and crazy magnification capabilities, it's a very interesting option for macro photographers or anyone who's interested in the genre. This great video takes a look at the lens and its capabilities.

Five Mistakes Photographers Make When Switching to Video

More and more photographers are either switching to or beginning to add video to their services, and while there are lots of similarities between shooting photos and shooting photos, there are enough differences that it's important to take the time to learn to do it properly. This helpful video will show you five common mistakes photographers make when switching to video and how to avoid them yourself.

Thinking of Buying a New Camera? Ask Yourself These Questions First

Most photographers enjoy playing with new gear; after all, a lot of us are gadget nerds, and modern cameras can be rather nifty little technological boxes. Before you get ready to drop a bunch of money on a brand new camera, though, be sure to ask yourself these questions to make sure you're making the right decision.

Why Was the Canon 200mm f/1.8 So Expensive?

Canon has quite a storied history of extreme lenses, and one of the most famous of those was definitely the EF 200mm f/1.8. This great video examines what made that lens so special and why it was (and remains) so expensive.

Canon Announces the RF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens

Canon's EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens is one of the most popular portrait lenses of all time, and it was surely a given that it would be coming for the RF mirrorless line. Today, Canon has announced the RF version, which features an entirely new optical design that should give it increased performance over its predecessor.

Why Are Cinema Lenses So Expensive?

If you look at normal lenses, then look at cinema lenses of comparable aperture and focal length, you might be shocked by their prices over their counterparts. This fun video examines just why cinema lenses are so expensive.

Save $400 on a Sigma Art Lens Today Only

The Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens is another star is Sigma's widely lauded Art line, known for its top-notch image quality at an affordable price. That price is even more affordable now, as you can take $400 off the lens today only.

Using a Speedlight for Outdoor Portraits

Dedicated monolights are certainly highly useful for portrait work, but they're also relatively expensive and rather bulky. However, almost every photographer owns a speedlight, and you might wonder if you can use it in place of a monolight for on-location portrait work. This great video shows you the benefits and drawbacks of shooting with a speedlight outside.