Dignitaries wear hardhats and holding sledgehammers, including, from center, Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, Stephanie Bowman, the Port of Seattle Commissioner, and Andrew Harrison, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Alaska Airlines, prepare for a group photo during a ceremonial demolition for the Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines Inc. joint North Satellite Modernization Project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. The project will include facility modernization, seismic upgrades, and enhanced traveler amenities.

Iranian citizen and U.S green card holder Cyrus Khosravi ® meets his niece, Dena Khosravi (L, bottom), 2, for the first time while greeting his brother, Hamidreza Khosravi (L, top), after they were detained for additional screening following their arrival to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to visit Cyrus, during a pause in U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban in SeaTac, Washington, U.S. February 6, 2017.

Iranian citizen and U.S green card holder Cyrus Khosravi ® meets his niece, Dena Khosravi (L, bottom), 2, for the first time while greeting his brother, Hamidreza Khosravi (L, top), after they were detained for additional screening following their arrival to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to visit Cyrus.

Inside a Killer Drug Epidemic: A Look at America’s Opioid Crisis

Gift of the year: Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW Backpack ($249.95)

I love this Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW backpack in the camo color. It’s something that I would trust in a wildfire or conflict zone, and fits all of my gear, including laptop. It comes covered in rows of molle and comes with extra straps, pouch, and attachments for a tripod. It’s a versatile, heavy duty pack that is lightweight and still looks good enough for wearing around the city.

Joby Impulse Bluetooth Remote ($19.95) + GripTight Mount ($19.95)

For shooting with mobile devices, a GripTight mount is the perfect tripod accessory. Pair this with the Joby Impulse Bluetooth Remote for self-portraits or for controlling your device when it’s mounted in hard-to-reach locations.

Polaroid VariPod 65″ Monopod with Removable Tripod Base ($49.99)

This is the setup you need for shooting VR/360-degree video, or for shooting standard video on-the-run with a DSLR. For VR, you want a base that is low profile (not as wide as a traditional tripod). For shooting standard video, a monopod is lightweight and versatile, but not always steady enough, which is why the miniature tripod base is perfect.

Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite 13 ($899)

For editing video, there’s not much you can’t do with Magic Bullet Suite. The latest and greatest version of the suite gets you all of the most powerful plugins and saves you almost $400 as opposed to buying them individually. Magic Bullet Looks is the most famous product, but you’ll be able to clean up noise with Denoiser III, or hey, add some noise to those boring clean shots with Renoiser. Colorista IV is probably the second most famous Magic Bullet product, and it’s got a wide range of color correcting and stylizing tools. Magic Bullet Suite 13 really can’t be beat.

24/7 Traffic Collection Messenger Bag ($39.95)

I brought this along while working at a high end Christmas party and got a few compliments. It’s a really, really good deal for under $40 and it comes with a removable padded pouch for your camera.

Blackmagic Design Video Assist External Monitor ($495)

If you’ve ever shot DSLR video in harsh light, or squinted so hard while focusing that you got dizzy, you know that an external monitor is helpful. Blackmagic Design has got nice 5″ and 7″ options for you, powered by Canon batteries that you probably already own, and equipped with a HDMI out.

Lowepro PhotoStream RL 150 ($249.95)

I’ve been addicted to roller bags as of late, especially since I injured my back while moving a heavy table. Every photographer should use a roller bag when possible. The Lowepro PhotoStream RL 150 is on the smaller side, but it fits a laptop and tons of gear, as you can see above. I’ve got two camera bodies, four lenses, accessories, water, and room to spare for lunch or whatever else. Great bag.

Joby Action Battery Grip $69.95

Add battery life to your GoPro or similar action camera that annoyingly dies after 20 minutes of shooting. This grip plugs into your camera and can twice recharge it fully. Even cooler, it can charge your phone since it also features a USB port. At the bottom is a hole for a tripod screw, and at the top is a standard GoPro-style action camera mount. 

Wonderland: A Fairy Tale of the Soviet Monolith ($300). 

This photo book by Jason Eskenazi has sold out, but you can find copies on Amazon for around $300. He is one of the best, yet little-known, photographers currently working today. Wonderland is the product of years and years of photographing the former USSR, and has yielded Jason a Fulbright Scholarship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Taylor Prize. If there is a photographer on your list who loves black-and-white documentary work, this book can’t be beat.

Amazon launched a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle today, about a year after it opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/technology/amazon-moves-to-cut-checkout-line-promoting-a-grab-and-go-experience.html

Starbucks CEO and chairman Howard Schultz photographed last week for WSJ.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/howard-schultz-to-step-down-as-starbucks-ceo-1480626061 (paywall)

http://www.wsj.com/articles/middle-market-woes-inspire-starbuckss-bet-on-luxury-coffee-1480966895 (paywall)

A secondary image led the online front page this afternoon:

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.