Putting Out Fires

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Gift ideas for your photographer

With the holidays in full swing, I get asked a lot for gift ideas for photographers. Where to start! If I had a few thousand dollars to burn, I could spend it in a heartbeat on all the fun photo things I want to buy. So here's a list of a few fun things that I either can't live without or things I think would be fun to have. This list is good for beginners and not-so-beginners, and there's a few goodies on here that would work great with your point-and-shoot too.

- 50mm lens. If you have a cropped body camera (vs. a full frame), then the 50mm is perfect lens for portrait work. I survived on my 50mm f/1.4 on my D200. Note though: now that I've got the full-frame, the 85mm works better for portraits. Here's why. Oh, and if you can't afford the 1.4, you won't be sorry with a f/1.8!

- Gorillapods are so cool, and they make them in all sizes. Whether you've got a point-and-shoot, or a heavy SLR, there's a Gorillapod for you. Great for if you're horrible about getting pictures with YOU in them. Set the camera on the timer on the Gorillapod anywhere.

- A good sturdy tripod is a must for any photographer.

- A nice camera bag or backpack is an idea, but if you've got a photographer who loves to change lenses, I don't know how I'd live without my Shootsac. The covers are interchangeable so it's like having a new bag all the time! And the neoprene bag is great at protecting lenses. They've got a big sale running right now.

- Every SLR guy or gal should have an external flash with some sort of diffuser on it. For Nikon users, you'll be plenty happy with the SB600 and Canon folk, try a Speedlight.

- Books on photography are great presents. I like books that show the exposure details of each photo (aperture and shutter speed).

- I'm very happy with my subscription of Popular Photography. The gift that gives every month!

- Photoshop Elements is a great starter program to use, and it's pretty affordable. Full-fledge Photoshop is about $600, and if you've got the cash, it's the way to go.

- If your photographer already has Photoshop, how about a set of Actions. My favorite is Totally Rad Actions.

- A great stocking stuffer is a rocket air blower for leaning lenses and a quick fix for sensor cleaning.

- Why use the lame-o camera strap that advertises what kind of camera you have when you can have a strap that has some personality. I love these and these, but there's tons of straps out there.

- A UV filter is another great stocking stuffer. I keep one on each of my lens to protect them. Check out the specific lens filter size for their lenses. It is a whole lot cheaper to replace a filter then a lens!

- I have a digital photo frame that I love.

- Everyone could use more memory! Get them a memory card.

- And now that they have so much memory for all their pictures, how about an external hard drive to store them. Costco usually has them at a reasonable price.

Leave your ideas in the comments. Maybe you can help MY husband with some gift ideas!

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Name: atpanda

Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States

I'm Amanda. I'm an engineer in an industry full of men, a professional wedding and family portrait photographer, a firefighter's wife, a traveler, and a dogMa.

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