If you have a photographer on your shopping list this Christmas, here are a few gift ideas that might help you out. Some of these items are on my list and some I have already as indicated by the little * next to the item description (just in case a certain someone is reading this post and still has some shopping left to do for me – hint hint). Happy shopping! Only 11 more shopping days til Christmas.
- Two of David DuChemin’s books: Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision, and Vision Mongers: Making a Life and Living with Photography. Both are fantastic photography books written by a fellow Canadian and super nice guy.
- Microfibre Cleaning Cloth*: Great to have a few of these in any camera bag. Even if a photographer has a couple they’ll always appreciate having a few more.
- Rechargeable NiMH batteries*. I don’t think it’s possible to have enough of these things in your camera bag.
- Gorillapod*. These are one of the most useful little gadgets any photographer should have in their bag. Basically they are a portable tripod with three articulated legs that you can use to wrap around any object and hold your camera or flash. They are relatively small and lightweight and are great when you need to support your camera or flash in some unusual position or location. Recently, they just released a version for the iPhone called the Gorillamobile which is a great little accessory with a number of uses. In conjunction with the Gorillamobile, there is now a new iPhone application called Gorillacam and the best part is that it’s FREE! It features a camera timer, unlimited rapid fire, 3-shot burst and a grid overlay. Used together with the Gorillamobile, you can now take better self portraits or videos using your iPhone.
- Black Rapid R-Strap*. Hands down one of the best camera straps on the market. Rather than hanging around your neck like a traditional camera strap, the R-Strap allows you to hang the camera at your side and then quickly slide it up to your eye to take a shot. Great for travel photography and wedding/event photographers.
- HonL Photo Accessories. David Honl makes some great lighting accessories and any photographer who uses flash would be happy to receive some of his products in their stocking. David was kind enough to send me a copy of his Light DVD* and it is packed full of information on how to light like a pro with minimal gear.
- Subscription to KelbyTraining.com*. Scott Kelby’s training website offers hundreds of hours of instruction on just about every Adobe program including Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, and others. There are also lots of other instructional videos on photography, covering topics ranging from legal and business issues to lighting and wedding photography.
- Cinema Kit Hoodloupe 3.0. If you have a photographer on your list who has started to experiment with video on their DSLR, this is a great accessory from the folks at Hoodman. This attachment fits over top of the camera’s LCD screen and allows for better viewing outdoors.
- Memory Cards*. Just like batteries, you can never have enough memory cards. If you are feeling really generous, spend a little extra to get the faster UDMA cards and stick to well known brands like Lexar or SanDisk.
- Gift Card. Still not sure what to get them? A gift card to their favorite camera store is always a safe bet.
What items are on your photography wish list this year? Leave your ideas in the comments below.
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