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Alex Cooke
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Original Articles Written by Alex Cooke

Announcing the Fstoppers Community Photographer of the Year and Upcoming Awards for 2016: Win a Tutorial of Your Choice!
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We're proud of the community we've built here at Fstoppers. We frequently spend a lot of time perusing your photos, admiring your talent and vision, and finding ways to feature it, whether that be in the Photo of the Day, on the official Fstoppers Instagram, or in other ways. Now, we've decided to honor the best of the best and we need your help!

Ten Things You Should Do When You Have a New Camera
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Was the holiday season good to you? Are you blissfully cradling a brand new camera? Before you run out and start firing frames, be sure to check this list to make sure you and your camera are in top shape.

The Story of One of the Earliest Composite Controversies
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The use and misuse of composite photography is a story we hear about quite often. Long before the days of Photoshop and digital manipulation, though, composite photography existed. Here's the story of one of the earliest controversies surrounding a composite.

VSCO Jumps Into the GIF Game With DSCO
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On Thursday, Visual Supply Company (makers of the immensely popular editing app, VSCO) announced the release of DSCO, their new app for creating short, GIF-like clips. I downloaded the app and spent some time with it today.

The Photography Accessory That Could Get You Killed
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I've seen photography products that have made me laugh at their silliness. I've seen products that have made me roll my eyes at their absurdity. But it wasn't until I saw this product that I audibly cursed at my computer screen in sheer disbelief.

How to Do Web Culling in Lightroom
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Lightroom does some things really well, but one area I always wished I had more control over was web culling. After some investigation, here's the best method I've found for efficiently sending out photos for clients to peruse and select.

When Your Lenses Lie to You
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I love my Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. Or was it a 1.4? It turns out that even though it says f/1.2 on the barrel, the story is more complex than that.

How to Take Photos Without Causing a Ruckus
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Are you as stealthy as a fog horn? Do you have all the grace of a dirigible in a sudden windstorm? Certain genres of photography — wedding and wildlife photography in particular — require a certain physical tact, an ability to be unseen. Check out our tips on how to capture the focus of an event without becoming the focus of the event.

Why the iPhone Fashion Shoot Is So Important
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"Oh, this is going to be good," I chuckled to myself. Fstoppers co-founder Lee Morris had just posted an article and video called "The New iPhone Fashion Shoot: Bikinis, Foam Core, and Flashlights." I knew the response would be fast and passionate. I wasn't disappointed.

Five Must-Have Apps for the Working Photographer
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There are thousands of apps out there to expand your mobile photography capabilities, but what about apps that augment your abilities when you're holding a DSLR? Here are five of my favorite apps to enhance your productivity.

The 5D Mark IV May Well Make or Break Canon
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Since 2012, many have considered the Canon 5D Mark III to be the proverbial workhorse of the photography industry. It's a great all-around camera. It's not perfect, though. It's also three-and-a-half years old. In the meantime, manufacturers like Sony and Fujifilm have vaulted ahead in the innovation game. This is Canon's chance to take back the spotlight.

Are Your Lenses Suddenly Obsolete?
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Up until a few years ago, if you purchased a quality lens you could be sure that with proper care it would continue to perform well even as you upgraded your body in the future. After all, bodies decay and glass lasts. However, with the sudden influx of high-resolution cameras and the seeming resurgence of the megapixel war, some are asking: “Can lenses keep up?”

How to Properly Critique a Photograph
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Photographers love to critique. Or is it criticize? Or comment? Complain? Postulate? Pontificate? We seem to witness quite the gamut of behavior in response to one simple request: "CC, please."

When We've Lost Sight of the Image
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Lenses, bodies, lighting, software, film, digital. Photographers can be a technical bunch. We must not forget what lies beneath the tangible, first-order details, though.