Alex Cooke's picture
Average rating:
3.2 out of 5
3.2
Alex Cooke
Cleveland, OH

Articles written by Alex Cooke

Five Helpful Tips for Better Black and White Photography

Perhaps no style is more timeless than the black and white photo, but creating a successful monochrome picture takes a lot more than simply pulling all the saturation out of a color photo. If you would like to improve your black and white photos, check out this great video tutorial that shares five helpful tips sure to put you on the right track.

5 Items a Portrait Photographer Brings to Every Shoot

James Quantz Jr is one of the best portrait photographers out there, with his innovative lighting and dramatic concepts making for eye-catching images. While every portrait photographer knows the importance of things like lights, there are some other items that we think about less often, but that can be tremendously useful on a shoot. This fantastic video essay features Quantz Jr discussing five items he brings along on every shoot.

Why One Photographer Prefers Smaller Cameras

In recent years, we have seen budget full frame cameras become more affordable while medium format prices have become competitive with upper-level full frame options. At the same time, APS-C cameras have continued to grow in capabilities and performance, and micro four thirds is enjoying a resurgence. So, should a new photographer follow the old wisdom of using a larger sensor for the best image quality or consider the benefits of a smaller system? This great video makes a case for the latter.

How Powerful Is This New Photoshop Feature?

A few years ago, Content-Aware Fill made its debut in Photoshop, and it took the photo world by storm. Photographers could now ask Photoshop to fill in areas of an image intelligently by considering the content in the rest of the frame, and the results were often astounding. Now, we have taken the next step forward, and it looks like another paradigm shift for editing images.

What Can We Learn About Photography From Picasso?

Photographers can learn a lot from the realm of the visual arts, and few artists were more groundbreaking than Pablo Picasso. What can Picasso's works, approach, and philosophies teach us about modern photography? This excellent video tutorial discusses the topic and offers a wider range of useful advice for growing as a creative.

5 of the Best 20mm Lenses You Can Buy

When you get into wide and ultra-wide angle lenses, two of the most common focal lengths are 16mm and 24mm. There is a significant difference between those focal lengths, though, and something in between can be just the ticket, which is where the 20mm focal length comes in. With many options, you might wonder which is right for you. This fantastic video review features an experienced lens tester detailing five of the sharpest 20mm options you can purchase.

The Strange Relationship Between Hobbyist Photographers, Professionals, and Influencers

Influencers have invaded just about every space in which there are products for sale. If there is money to be made, there is probably an influencer for it, whether you realize it or not. Photography has not been immune to this, and it has left hobbyist and professional photographers in a strange place. This insightful video essay features a long-time pro discussing the issue and offering his thoughts.

A Beginner's Guide to ISO

Along with shutter speed and aperture, ISO is one of the three fundamental exposure parameters, and as such, mastering it is crucial to taking full control of your images. If you are new to photography, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you the ins and outs of how ISO works and how to use it.

A Review of the Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR Lens

50mm lenses with wide apertures are some of the most useful and versatile options a photographer can own, suitable for a wide range of genres and applications, including portraits, low-light events, and much more. For Fujifilm shooters, there is the XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR, this excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in real-world usage.

A Review of the Google Pixel 7A Smartphone for Photography

The Google Pixel 7A smartphone offers a lot of features and capabilities at a reasonable price, making it a nice choice for a wide range of users. This great video review takes a look at the phone's photo and video capabilities and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Using a Prime Lens for Landscape Photography

The standard lens of choice landscape photography is an ultrawide zoom, something like a 16-35mm f/4. When working in a genre in which you have no control over the placement of elements in the scene and there is often significant physical effort to get to a location, a zoom can be a major convenience. Nevertheless, a prime lens still has its place. This great video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer sharing the benefits of using a prime lens for landscape work.

The Importance of Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography

The digital age and the ability to crop our photos however we want instantly has reduced the attention placed on aspect ratios. Nonetheless, aspect ratio has an important impact on many factors of your image, ranging from composition to printing. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced landscape photographer discussing the effect aspect ratio has on images and how to leverage it to improve the quality of your photos.

Save $1,700 on a Top-level MacBook Pro Today Only

The MacBook Pro is the most popular laptop of choice for creatives, able to tackle just about any task you can throw at it with ease, while also offering a beautiful display and all-day battery life. Today only, you can get the top-level model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro for $1,700 off.

A Review of the Portable Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens

Sigma's Contemporary line of lenses offers a nice balance of portability, affordability, and image quality, with one of the most intriguing options being the 50mm f/2 DG DN, which offers a popular focal length in tandem with a fairly wide maximum aperture. Can it back that up with good performance and image quality? This excellent video review takes a look at what you can expect.

A Review of the Impressive Acer Swift X 14 Laptop

The Acer Swift X 14 Laptop offers a wide range of modern features, but perhaps the most exciting is its OLED screen, which promises stunning contrast and vibrant colors, making it an intriguing option for many creatives. Is it the right option for you? This excellent video review takes a look at the laptop and the sort of performance and experience you can expect from it.

How Good Is the New Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX Mirrorless Camera?

Panasonic makes some of the best hybrid cameras out there, and their latest, the Lumix S5 IIX, brings with it some of the company latest and greatest features. This excellent video review takes a look at the new camera and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in usage.

A Review of the Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR Lens

The Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR offers photographers a longer telephoto focal length in tandem with a wide aperture, making it an intriguing option for portrait and wedding photographers among others. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

7 Ways AI Can Help You Become a Better Photographer

Perhaps no trend has a tighter grip on the photo industry (and arguably, tech as a whole) right now than AI. While it has caused a lot of uncertainty and worry over how it will affect the careers of creatives going forward, it has also brought with it a lot of highly valuable tools that can make your job easier and more efficient. This fantastic video tutorial discusses seven such tools and how you can use them to improve your work.