The season for gift giving is well underway. If you are puzzling over a gift or two for your favorite photographer, I’ve cobbled together a list of gift ideas that may help. I’ve included is a stocking stuffer list for those quick last minute gifts every photographer will appreciate. Keeping budgets in mind, the prices included are the lowest I could find at the time of writing. Also included are low cost alternatives to some of the more pricier items every photographer dreams about owning. Please note I am a Canon fan and have added certain items specifically for use with a Canon camera, however, all of these items have an equivalent with other camera brands.
Photographers Gift List:
Photojojo Bokeh Kit retail $25.00 – A fun and inexpensive way to add creativity to photographs using Bokeh technique.
Photojojo Rare Film Pack retail $49.00- This looks like a great find for photographers that continue use film cameras and many still do.
Photojojo Camera Cookie Cutter set retail $18.00 – Photography and cookies – this is a win/win gift for every photographer.
dSLR Camera Neck Strapk via Etsy – price varies by designer. Show off your creative side by decorating your camera strap.
Speedlight Flash Gels – Rosco The Strobist Collection, Strobist 55 Piece Cinegel Filter Kit retailing for $12.29.
Camera bag – His (Lowepro Slingshot $78.31) and Her (Epiphanie Clover $184.99). Every guy and gal photographer needs a bag to carry their stuff around. These two choices will warm the heart of your favorite photographer and not break your budget!
Flickr Pro Account $24.95 for a one year membership. Photographers like to show off their stuff – it’s in their DNA. A gift membership to Flickr is the best way for a budding Ansel Adams to display their work and share it with friends, family and the world.
Flatbook – Since most people have some type of smartphone with a camera, I recommend the Flatbook entitled ‘Square – The Digital Photographers Guide to Square Format’. The book retails for $9.97. A free app called Instagram has created a new interest in square format photography. This Flatbook is a great reference for newbies and advanced photographers employing square format techniques.
Lightroom – Retailing at $189.99, I highly recommend this photo editing software for photographers of any level.
Nik Software Complete Collection for Lightroom – If you really want to splurge on a good quality photo editor that works with Lightroom, this is the software to purchase. Nik Complete retails for $399.95. If you are buying for a beginner photographer, I suggest starting with Lightroom 3 then in time adding the Nik Complete Collection.
Canon EOS Rebel 2000 film camera – This is an inexpensive way for new photographers to learn about full frame photography without breaking a budget. A full frame camera will set you back $8,495.99 for the new Canon flagship full frame dSLR. For those who cannot justify this purchase within their budget, take a look at older film cameras, such as Canon EOS Rebel 2000. If you look, you’ll find the body retails under $30 dollars. Lenses for Canon dSLR’s are backward compatible, this means you can use current lenses on the Canon EOS Rebel 2000 film camera. Since this is a film camera, the crop factor is eliminated and full frame goodness can be explored by the photographer.
Canon Speedlight 580EX retailing for $424.00. This item is something every photographer needs, yet it is the one item they can’t seem to justify the purchase. Help your favorite photographer over this roadblock and gift them with this Speedlight.
Manfrotto Tripod retails for $179.67. This is an indispensable tool for every photographer. Manfrotto tripods are the sturdiest I’ve used and I highly recommend them.
Manfrotto 498RC4 Ball Head with Quick Release retails for $104.45. A great, stable ball head and a must have with the Manfrotto Tripod.
Canon Powershot G12 retailing at $379. Great compact camera that produces sharp, vibrant photos. The perfect camera for shutterbugs and those who don’t consider themselves photographers – even Nikon users.
Canon 50mm F1/4 retailing at $374.00 or 50mm F1/8 lens retailing at $105.00. Either prime lens will be welcome by photographers. Chose the lens that fits into your budget and be assured that either lens is a gift that will be greatly appreciated.
STOCKING STUFFERS:
Batteries – you can never have enough of these. I repeat, you can never have enough of these.
Media cards – Memory is cheap and always running short for photographers. A basic rule of thumb regarding this item – more Gigabytes is better.
LED Flashlight – This comes in handy during night time photo shoots.
Chocolate – This is a must have for every photographer during the photo editing process. Please be generous with this gift.
Photojojo Level Camera Cube – It looks like flash cubes from way back in the day, but this little level slides right on to your hot shoe and delivers some level goodness to the camera.
Lens Cleaning Kit – Giottos Rocket-Air Blower Professional AA1900 Large + Lenspen Lens Pen Cleaning System + Accessory Kit for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony Digital SLR Cameras retailing for $17.95. This kit seems to cover all makes of Camera – even Nikon.
Happy gift hunting my friends, I hope this list is of use to you during the mad, mad holiday season!
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