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Alex Cooke
Cleveland, OH

Articles written by Alex Cooke

How to Improve as a Photographer

Everyone wants to be a better photographer, but with as complex as the craft is, it can be difficult to know how to create a focused plan to really bring you to the next level. If you would like to improve your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing a wealth of valuable advice.

The Difficulty of Wide Angle Lenses

Wide angle lenses are the tool of choice for a lot of landscape photography, but they come with a large set of challenges that can make it difficult to produce worthwhile images with them. This interesting video essay discusses the difficulties of wide angle lenses, why telephoto options can often be a better choice, and what it takes to make a compelling landscape shot with a wide focal length.

Helpful Advice for Finding More Success on Instagram

Like it or not, Instagram is still one of the most powerful platforms for photographers to promote their work and to connect with potential clients. If you find yourself struggling to get traction on the platform and are unsure of how to move forward, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers a range of advice to get you on the right track.

How Photography Can Be a Positive Force in Your Life

There can be a lot of negativity in the photography community that can be discouraging or downright disheartening, and that is a shame, because every one of us first picked up a camera because it was something we enjoyed and something that invigorated our imagination. If you find yourself feeling a little let down by photography lately, check out this insightful video essay that discusses many of the positives of photography and how to go about finding them.

Why You Shouldn't Get Hung Up on the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is such a common compositional tool that camera manufacturers even build it into their cameras as an overlay for easy application. And while it is useful, if you rely on it exclusively, you could be doing your photography a real disservice. This excellent video essay discusses some issues with the rule of thirds and why you need to move past it to really discover your full creative voice.

How Color Theory Can Improve Your Landscape Photos

Composition is one of the trickiest aspects of landscape photography, but once you feel comfortable with it, the next step to really taking control of your images is color theory. This helpful video tutorial will introduce you to color theory, including several topics and how to see and apply them to create more compelling landscape photos.

How to Become a Better Photographer

We all want to be better photographers, of course. However, how do you actually go about it? If you find yourself wondering how to set about improving your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing loads of wisdom both on how to be better and how to enjoy the craft more.

A Review of the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens

With a cost of just $1,299, the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 offers an incredible capable and versatile range of capabilities, at least on paper. Can its performance and image quality match those impressive specs in real-world usage? This great video review takes a look at what you can expect from the lens.

A Year With the Canon EOS R7: Is It the Best APS-C Mirrorless Camera Available?

Canon's 7D line of APS-C DSLRs were a massive hit for the company, as they borrowed many of the advanced features and capabilities of powerful full frame cameras like the 1D series and put them in far more affordable bodies that were accessible to a much wider audience. The EOS R7 has continued that philosophy in the mirrorless age, and it offers photographers some incredible features for the price. This great video review takes a look at the camera after a year of usage and discusses whether its combination of performance and image quality make it the right choice for you.

A Review of the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD Lens for Fujifilm X Series Cameras

Perhaps no workhorse lens is more ubiquitous than the standard zoom with an f/2.8 aperture. Capable of handling a diverse range of applications and needs, these lenses can be found in many photographers and filmmakers bags, though they are often rather expensive. At $799, that makes the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD rather refreshing. Can it keep up with more expensive options? This excellent video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from the lens.

How to Photograph in Harsh Midday Sun

We constantly talk about how soft light is flattering and how to find or craft it for our images. However, if we spend our careers shooting in nothing but soft light, we will miss out on countless photographic opportunities. There is no reason to be afraid of harsh, midday sun. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to embrace that hard light and create dynamic and compelling photos.

The Lie That Almost Every Photographer Falls for at Some Point

Photographers are constantly inundated from every direction by a variety of messages: the need to constantly buy new and better gear, the kind of trends you need to follow to land clients, the latest social media platforms, and much more. Some of these can be quite detrimental. This insightful video discusses one such message and why you need to beware of it before it costs you.

How to Customize Your Lightroom Workspace

Lightroom is a very intricate and multilayered program, and while its default layout is perfectly fine for most uses, it can make your workflow both easier and more efficient if you take the time to customize your workspace a bit. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced Lightroom pro showing you how to do just that.

5 Helpful Tips for Shooting Landscape Photos in New Locations

Finding a new landscape photography location or even planning an entire trip can be quite exciting, but there is a lot to consider before you arrive to ensure you can get the best possible images. Before you head out to your next spot, check out this helpful video tutorial that features two experienced landscape photographers discussing five useful tips for working in new locations.

Is Canon Planning Another Extraordinary Lens?

Canon came out swinging when they entered the full frame mirrorless market, with one of their most impressive lenses being the RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, the first full frame autofocus zoom lens with an f/2 aperture. This has led many to hope that other f/2 zoom lenses might eventually be offered, and their wishes might come true.

Are You Retouching Your Photos Too Much?

We all work quite hard to develop a range of post-processing techniques to help us realize our creative visions and to satisfy the needs of clients, but one thing that even experienced photographers struggle with is knowing when to stop retouching. If you find yourself unsure of how far to take your post-processing, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced portrait and beauty photographer discussing philosophies of retouching and how to know you are doing just the right amount.

How to Control Reflections in Your Photos

Reflections can be some of the trickiest things to deal with as a photographer, particularly when you are working with rounded objects that can reflect light from almost any angle. Nonetheless, learning how to read and control reflections is one of the best exercises to improve your lighting technique, no matter what you shoot. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced studio photographer showing you how to manage reflections in your images.

Ideas for Minimal but Effective Workspace Setups

We put a lot of time and effort into ensuring our workspaces are technically capable of tackling the often high demands we place on them for our photo and video work. Nonetetheless, the visual design of our workspaces can have a major impact on both our efficiency and our enjoyment of the work. This neat video highlights five minimal but highly functional workspaces to inspire your own design.

Why Landscape Photographers Should Rethink the Exposure Triangle

The exposure triangle is practically gospel that just about every new photographer needs to master, but there is more to it than simply varying shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to create a balanced exposure. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing how to properly approach the exposure triangle to ensure you can make photos that are both technically and creatively satisfying.

A Review of the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Lens

At just $1299, the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 looks like a remarkable deal if it can offer the performance and image quality to match those impressively versatile specifications. So, how does it hold up in practice? This fantastic video review takes a look at what you can expect.