I need a new camera strap, as evidenced by the wear and tear on my poor strap seen above. I’ve tested a few lately and wanted to share my top three favorites. 

The Joby Pro Sling Strap ($48.97) is a nice option from the new school of shooters that like their strap attached to the bottom of the camera. You can see the tripod screw, which is the main point of contact for this strap. It’s also a nice, wide strap, which was good for my heavy 100-400mm lens when I was photographing the President of China on his recent visit to Washington State.

If you want a big, fat foam pad for your gentle shoulders, well, the Canon CPS strap is a classic. Sorry, Nikon shooters. Members receive this strap when they sign up for the Canon Professional Services network, which is a useful thing to join, anyway. This strap also has a nice little quick-release buckle, which I haven’t seen on a lot of other straps before. 

Finally, there is of course the classic Domke 1″ Gripper (Web Strap) ($17.95). The gripper technology comes from this bag maker’s bag straps. The rubber is woven directly into the strap, which is pretty awesome. The other neat little detail is that each end has a metal swivel, which you can see in the picture above. The production quality is great. These things last forever.

An image of mine from last year’s anti-Shell kayak protests in Seattle is on the cover of The Institutions Curse: Natural Resources, Politics, and Development, by Victor Menaldo.

Attendees receive free dental work during the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day event offering free dental, vision, and medical care, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington October 28, 2016.

Optician Ginny Mercer (right) hugs Kanti Kish (left) after helping her select a pair of free eyeglasses during the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day event offering free dental, vision, and medical care, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington October 28, 2016.

Attendees receive free dental work during the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day event offering free dental, vision, and medical care, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington October 28, 2016.

Optician Ginny Mercer (right) helps Kanti Kish (left) select a pair of free eyeglasses during the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day event offering free dental, vision, and medical care, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington October 28, 2016.

Karen Steward (right) holds a tooth after Dr. Greg Guyman (left) removed it from Doug Caruthers (center) during the Seattle/King County Clinic, a four-day event offering free dental, vision, and medical care, at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington October 28, 2016.

“Don’t Lock ’Em Up. Give ’Em a Chance to Quit Drugs.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/opinion/dont-lock-em-up-give-em-a-chance-to-quit-drugs.html

Roland Vasquez in the parking garage in Seattle where police found him smoking crack, leading to his participation in a pilot program called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion.

Lisa Daugaard, director of the nonprofit Public Defender Association.

Grown up, the Obamacare Kid transitions to a new civil rights movement

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-obamacare-kid-transitions-to-a-new-civil-rights-movement/2016/10/15/1237235c-865f-11e6-ac72-a29979381495_story.html

Cranberry bog harvest at Starvation Alley Farms in Long Beach, Washington.

http://graphics.wsj.com/glider/beerhops-d2be6f45-87ee-43a5-a98c-2698ea997f73

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/eliteeinheit-die-harte-ausbildung-der-feuerspringer-fotostrecke-140183-2.html