Jon Sienkiewicz

The Rhake—a weather-resistant, roll-top backpack from Mission Workshop—accepts a custom-fitted capsule that converts it into a camera backpack. According to the manufacturer, Rhakes are “made by hand in small batches in the USA,” and judging from the workmanship, I’d say that’s an accurate statement.

We live in a world of color. Rendering a multicolored scene in monochrome, or as “black and white” (in quotes because that label is a misnomer), is a paradox. Back in the old film days, the difference between shooting color and shooting black and white was explained like this: amateurs begin with black and white, graduate to color, and when they really understand their art, go back to black and white. I subscribe to that theory, and that’s why my mission today is to warn you to never let your camera create monochrome images for you.

If you're using the latest version of Photoshop, you're likely exploring the cool new stuff that was recently added. Which enhancement do you find most exciting? There's no doubt in my mind — it's Adjust Colors. Here's why.

Here are the rules: every item described herein is small enough to fit inside a reasonably normal stocking and each is something that every photographer will appreciate. Price was not part of the selection process, nor was foot size.