You don’t have to earn a living taking pictures to enjoy pro-level product quality. Enhance your photography passion by adding the right gear to your equipment arsenal. Even if you don’t currently work as a pro, you can work like a pro.

Befree Advanced Aluminum Travel Tripod
The Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod features a center ball head and Manfrotto’s proprietary QPL Travel lever that ensures maximum stability and easy setup. It measures 15.8 inches (40cm) closed and extends to 59 inches (150cm). It weighs only 3.3 pounds (1.49kg) and is superbly built to endure heavy professional use. In fact, it boasts a load capacity (“Safety Payload” in Manfrotto’s vernacular) is 19.84 pounds (9kg). The four leg sections are crafted from aluminum alloy for strength and light weight. Order from Manfrotto, price is $234.95. Also available from Amazon.

Advanced Befree Backpack III
Weighing in at just 2.69 pounds (1.22kg) the Advanced Befree Backpack III will accommodate a 15-inch laptop, 9.7-inch tablet and a DSLR with 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom attached, and features an expandable side pocket for a tripod. In other words, it will tote the gear a pro needs for a full day’s outing. Contents are accessed from the back for greater security and it’s small enough for airline carry-on. It’s water resistant and also includes a raincover. External dimensions are 13 x 8.3 x 19.3 inches (33 x 21 x 49cm) and the internal dimensions are 9.8 x 5.5 x 17.3 inches (25 x 14 x 44cm). Comes with camera insert for safer transport. Available directly from Manfrotto; cost is $125. Or order today from amazon.com.

Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II
Lowepro’s 24L (liter) photo backpack is constructed from 75% recycled fabric and is carry-on compatible. It accommodates a 15-inch laptop, 10-inch tablet and a mirrorless or DSLR with 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom attached, plus four or five additional lenses. Measuring 12.6 x 9.8 x 18.9 inches (external), she weighs 5.3 pounds (2.4kg). The Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II is built from 1680D ballistic polyester, 420D ripstop nylon and 500D polyester. Interior material is scratch-free Velex nylon. Available today from Lowepro for $229. Can be ordered from Amazon, possibly at a higher price.

PRO TH-55 HighLid Rolling Case
When heavy-duty protection is necessary, but convenient light-weight desired, the PRO TH-55 hard rolling case provides IP67 level protection against water and dust ingress and weighs less than 10 pounds. IP67 indicated that it is 100% dust-tight and can withstand being submerged in one meter of water for at least 30 minutes. Learn more about IP classifications here. Manufactured in Italy, this sturdy case includes four layers of pre-cubed foam for easy equipment organization. Best of all for travelers, it  fits the standard to be used as carry-on luggage (but check with your carrier anyway). It measures 13.8 x 8.9 x 21.7 inches (35 x 22.5 x 55cm) and tips the scales at a svelte 9.9 pounds (4.5kg). Price is $239 and it’s available from Manfrotto today. Also available from Amazon. Or visit the official Manfrotto Store at amazon.com.

Want to Become a Better Photographer?
Begin by taking more pictures. Carry a camera everywhere you go and shoot even when you’re 100% sure the picture won’t turn out. Review all of your images with a critical eye and share them with others – and that includes posting the best on our Gallery. Subscribe to our newsletter (see sign-up form on our homepage) and bookmark Shutterbug as a Favorite on your browser so you can check back often. We’re in this for the same reason as you – we love photography, and we’re learning more about it every day.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

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We’ve had discussions in the past about how a heavy-handed approach to post processing can be worse than no editing at all and can really mess up an otherwise nice shot. There are also times that problems occur because of a failure to understand how common tools work, and this often results in easy-to-correct mistakes

This tutorial from one of our favorite instructors addresses the latter concern and demonstrates several common beginner Photoshop errors with straightforward solutions for doing things right. Or as landscape photographer Steve Arnold says, “There are seven sneaking editing mistakes sabotaging your landscape photos and preventing your photography from reaching the next level.”

At the top of the are ugly “halos” that may appear around the edges of elements in a scene, like buildings, trees, boulders and other objects with clearly defined edges—especially when they’re photographed against a bright sky. These distracting artifacts identify you as a beginner and are created when you mask an object poorly before attempting to make adjustments.

When this happens the effect you’re attempting to create can spill over into adjacent areas in the frame, with halos being the unfortunate result. This concern is particular acute when employing Photoshop’s Select Object tool. Fortunately there’s a quick and effective fix if you follow Arnold’s advice.

Another familiar mistake is one that you may has committed more than once, and this one occurs when you go overboard attempting to brighten dark objects. Arnold explains it like this: “When you push things too far you tip the balance of what should be bright and what should be darker.” This problem is most common when you try to pull out more detail in the shadow areas within the frame and use the wrong approach. Once again, the solution is simple.

Another topic of concern is using the same technique to edit different types of images—thinking that this will provide consistency to your work. More often than not, however, you’re likely to end up with unrealistic photos.

Mistake #4 isn’t something you’re doing wrong, but rather something you’re not doing at all. This is error occurs when deciding whether or not to crop, and Arnold describes the dilemma like this: “It a trap photographers fall into because they want as much image as possible, and it feels like a shame to “waste” data by cropping a photo and reducing pixels.”

The salient question is this: Would you rather have a full resolution photo with OK composition, or a slightly reduced file with perfect composition? There are three more mistakes to go and you’ll have to watch the video to see what they are and learn the related solutions. When the video concludes be sure to check out Arnold’s popular YouTube channel for more shooting and post-processing techniques.

On a related note, don’t miss the earlier tutorial we posted  that begins with this question: “Do you know the difference between Lightroom’s Vibrance and Saturation sliders and the best way to them to enhance your photographs?” If not take a look.

If you’ve ever tried removing extremely complex objects from an image, you probably tried doing so using Generative Fill. It’s likely that the results you received weren’t up to par because Gen Fill often delivers poor results no matter how many times you try. In fact, in some circumstances like this one it may even replace objects rather than eliminate them.

This tutorial comes to us from the PiXimperfect YouTube channel, a robust instructional resource with more than five million subscribers. In this episode you’ll learn a foolproof technique to vaporize complicated, unwanted objects that ruin a shot.

Unmesh Dinda is globally popular educator, post-processing expert and workshop instructor who travels the world sharing his wisdom with others. He begins this 12-minute primer on object removal by explaining why Generative Fill isn’t the solution for detailed elements like the fence in his demonstration portrait.

As Dinda explains, Gen Fill not only fails at this particular task, but when it works there are several drawbacks to consider. One of these involves resolution limitations, and Dinda puts it like this: “As soon as you zoom in, all those filled areas are super, super, duper low-res.”

So what’s Dinda’s secret to getting rid of the fence with precision in a way that makes it look like it was never, ever there? The solution involves using the right approach to applying Content Aware Fill, Generative Fill, and Photoshop’s Remove too to achieve high-quality results.

Once you get the hang of it (and it doesn’t take long) you’ll be able to easily and effectively remove any offensive elements from images forever more. He demonstrates the procedure from beginning to end, which begins by selecting the fence and applying a basic fill. Then you’ll learn his technique for “filling by area.”

Dinda also demonstrates how to fix the subject’s eyes, perfect her lips, and he addresses a few bigger issues as well. There are tiny refinements too that are easily rectified with Photoshop’s straightforward Remove tool.

There’s one final step once the image is cleaned up, and Dinda explains it like this: “I’ll Liquify the correct proportions and sizes,” and he illustrates how that’s accomplished. Then you have an absolutely precise transformation with nary a fence in sight.

The PiXimperfect YouTube channel contains an abundance of post-processing lessons for both beginners and experienced users, so be sure to visit often.

We also recommend watching an earlier tutorial we featured with another post-processing expert who demonstrates how to unlock the power of Lightroom’s Linear Gradient tool to create awe-inspiring travel and landscape photographs.