I’m as bad as the next guy when it comes to tripods. I know I should know better—they’re the only accessory you can buy that has the potential to improve every single picture you take. I’ve written about tripods at least a hundred times. That said, there have been too many occasions when I’ve been two-legged when I should have used three.

Our Shutterbug Photo of the Day by Ed Paulson is a beautiful portrait of the beloved family dog enjoying some quality time playing outside.

Capturing Couture’s Cap Saver: This tiny device eliminates the possibility of accidentally losing your lens cap. Available in five styles (polka dot, diamond, flower, alphabet and paper flower) and 16 color choices (including clear, white, lime green, light pink, tan, purple and cream) this small decorative disk attaches directly to your lens cap with an adhesive, and the elastic loop securely wraps around your lens. The suggested retail price ranges from $10 to $12—depending upon the style.

You’ve seen it in films and on television: the spy breaks into the villain’s office, removes a tiny camera from his jacket pocket and begins shooting pictures of secret plans.

Kenko Tokina has introduced the new Hoya HD3 series of pro photographic filters. The HD3 UV and Circular Polarizer filters are designed to give photographers the ability to capture high-quality images in extreme settings without loss of color balance, contrast, or clarity due to adverse environmental conditions.

Lowepro just announced the latest generation of its urban daypack photo bag series—the Slingshot Edge. The redesigned series caters to the urban photographer by combining protective compartments and easy access with added storage for tablets, slim design and a stylish exterior.

Our Shutterbug Photo of the Day by Andy Lerner is a beautiful and dynamic underwater shot.

(Photographers of all skill levels benefit greatly from the shared knowledge of our close knit community. The follwoing highly nformative piece by photographer Zhang Jingna originally appeared on the Profoto Blog and includes 14 amazing tips on how to become a professional photographer.)

Without a doubt, this month's Wildlife and Nature assignment brought out the best in Shutterbug readers. There were so many excellent entries, we could've easily picked twice as many favorites and still felt we left some great shots out. In the end, we narrowed it down to 10 wildlife and nature images that truly stood out.

Andy Biggs shot this striking image of a giraffe under an acacia tree on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, Africa, in 2007.