The Ultimate Photographers Gift Guide
on Nov 23 in Photography by MegIt’s that time of year again. The time that everyone asks us what we ‘want’ and ‘need’. Or, you could be the person asking a photographer that question. And to be honest every time I get this question I tend to choke and my mind goes blank. It seems to get harder every year! For me it’s a ‘I got through the year with only the gear I had so what else do I need?” or…”honestly, you can’t afford _____ so some socks are fine.” or you’re doing the “well if 28 people got together (here’s to hoping you have a big family) and put money in, maybe I could get a ______”.
Today this changes. Today we give you The Ultimate Photographers Gift Guide.
We’ve put together a list of over 50 items ranging in price that we think would make fantastic Holiday Gifts. These are not the typical gifts that you find yearly photographer gift guides (point and shoot cameras, memory cards, tripod from Best Buy…). We’ve contacted our partners and let you in on some holiday specials they are having as well!!
Click the following links to jump to a category
Under $25.00
$25.00 – $50.00
$50.00 – $100.00
$100.00 – $200.00
$200.00 – $400.00
$400 and Up
Memberships
1.) The Shot Glass Lens Set: There’s nothing better than raising a glass, a shot glass…this Canon lens shot glass, and celebrating something awesome! These multipurpose little glasses are super cute if you like small things like me. The best part is you get 3 of them for $18.00! These little glasses also are great for storing supplies like paper clips, tooth picks and thumb tacks! – Photojojo
2.) Popular Photography Magazine: The gift that keeps giving. Connect your photography loved one or friend with the latest in tech news, the top buyers guide and great how-to-resources. This magazine offers reviews of the latest gear plus plenty of easy to follow instructions of producing higher quality images. The best part you ask? It’s a year full of a gift! 1 Year Gift Subscription is $12.00. – PopPhoto
3.) Giotto Rocket Blower: If you are a photographer or know of someone who is a photographer this is a must have. Ever seen dust bunnies in a photo? Those annoying black spots that show up in a beautiful sky that you end up cloning out time after time. Sometimes they move too? This is one of the easiest tools to use to get rid of those bunnies… or well, find them a new home at least! You can purchase a Giotto Rocket for between $10-$20. – B&H Photo Video
4.) Tenba Messenger Wrap: Are you headed out of the house and you just have a small bag or purse you are taking with you but want to bring your camera along as well? Leave the big camera bag at home and make sure your camera and lens is still protected in transit with these awesome wraps fromTenba! Comes in 10in (small lens), 16in (camera body,lens. shown) and 22in (laptop). Prices start at $10.95 and go to $18.95 for the largest size. – Tenba
5.) Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries: We at LensProToGo swear by these batteries. First, the can be used immediately out of the pack unlike some other rechargeable batteries. Secondly they are rechargeable 1500 times. The will retain 75% of their charge for up to 3 years. It costs about 4 cents of your electric bill to recharge. They are environmentally safe. Honestly, need we say more? Depending on the pack size they can be $6.50 to about $20.00. - B&H Photo Video
6.) Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It: A best selling book by Scott Kelby. This book gives you complete lighting set-ups (including all of the gear used), fills you in on camera settings and even post processing and retouching. A truly wonderful book for any portrait photographer or anyone looking to get into more studio photography. No other book will give you step by step instruction on lighting setup as it’s always a ‘secret’ on how the image was taken. Treat your photographer to this book for $21.99 - Kelby Training
7.) Freehands Women’s Gloves: As any photographer would tell you, there is nothing worse that having to shoot outside on a freezing cold down and having to take off your gloves in order to properly handle your camera. These Freehands gloves means no more cold hands. Keep your photographer nice and warm this winter with these awesome gloves that are only $24.00! - FreeHands
8.) DSLR Bank: Don’t have the pennies to buy your photographer a real DSLR? Give them something that looks exactly like one that acts as a bank for them to save THEIR pennies in! Want to give them a little bonus? Put a little gift (hopefully something more than a penny) inside! Also works wonderfully to totally freak out friends as you toss them your ‘camera’ from 30 ft away to ‘capture that shot’ ;) This bag of tricks bank is$24.00 and is worth every penny! – Photojojo
9.) 4GB USB Film Roll: Know a photographer who still likes shooting film? Or someone who just loves nostalgic photo ‘stuff”? These little USB Film Rolls are completely adorable and a ton of fun. They hold not 24 exposures, not 36 exposures but 4GB of photos! They are true recycled film canisters so you can feel as though you are doing a little good too when purchasing one of these. Add these to a stocking or little gift for $20.00. – Photojojo
10.) iTunes Gift Card: Does your photographer have an iPhone or iPad? We have a couple Apps that are must haves if you are a photographer. The first is called Snapseed . Made by Nik Software it makes editing photos fun and easy and who doesn’t like a new something to play with? The second is Release Me HD. The perfect app for model releases. Snap a photo, fill out their information and have them sign! It’s that easy! Varying in price up to $8.99. - iTunes
11.) Rosco Gels: These Roscolux Gels are a must have for any photographer using a speedlite. Balance light or get creative trying new techniques. With all of the colors of the rainbow, and more, it will be hard to run out of new things to try. These gels come in a handy pack for only $8.25…honestly a must have. Get yours now! – New Lighting
1.) Digital Photography Books by Scott Kelby: Volumes 1-3 of the Digital Photography Book in a Limited Edition Slipcase! Some of the best digital photography books ever written. With over 600 “tricks of the trade” these books will help any photographer become a better shooter. For only $44.99 and 3 volumes how could you not want to buy this and share? – Kelby Training
2.) Wooden iPhone Camera Cover: With iPhones being so popular this cover makes a great gift for any photographer! And the neat thing is that it is real walnut wood that has been laser carved! Non of that decal nonsense! For $42.00 this will be the only iPhone cover ever needed! – Photojojo
3.) Canon Lens Mugs: We had to. They are so popular and cute that we just HAD to have them on the list! Choose from tall or small. Both are L series so both are great ;) The detail on these are so realistic that your friends will think you bought them a lens! Pricing is a bit better this way at $24.00 for a small and $30.00 for a tall! – Photojojo
4.) Nikon Lens Thermos: Another staple for any Nikon shooter. Keep your drinks nice and warm stylish too! The original mug is $30.00 and the tall thermos is $35.00. – Photojojo
5.) Rogue FlashBender: For anyone who uses speedlites the Rogue FlashBender is a must have accessory. It can be used to either bounce light onto a subject or a flag light away. With 2 positional rods on the sides it can be positioned in any direction. For $39.95 this should be in every bag. – Hunts Photo & Video
6.) 42′ 5 in 1 Collapsible Reflector: This reflector is perfect for the studio or on location in the field. Depending on lighting conditions use the translucent white disc or cover it with silver, gold, white or a silver gold mix for the perfect light! At $46.95 it’s quite the deal for 5 different setups! – B&H Photo Video
7.) Visible Dust Cleaning Kit: We swear by these. Everyday these are used in the LensProToGo offices to clean all of the camera sensors in our returns. They are easy to use and clean great! **Be sure to get the right size for the sensor. This cleaning kit is for a 1.6 crop sensor. Click here for 1.5 and full frame. Between $24.00 and $39.95 it’s worth it for a happy sensor! – B&H Photo Video
8.) Vello Wireless Remote Shutter: If you know of a photographer who likes shooting night scenes or self portraits, give them a helping hand with this little guy! The wireless remote shutter (for Canon) will allow you to be 320′ away from the camera and take a photo! For $37.50 it is also great for super shy photographers ;) – B&H Photo Video
9.) iPhone Lenses: Let’s face it. Tons of photographers have iPhones…so why not be allowed to have some fun while we have them?! Photojojo has a set of three super adorable tiny lenses just for the iPhone including a telephoto, wide/macro and a fisheye! Give all three for $49.00! – Photojojo
1.) Walcom Bamboo Connect Tablet and Pen: Great for work in Photoshop or to sketch directly to the computer with the feel of a pen. Feel in control with this tablet and pen combination for only $69.00 – Amazon
2.) Photo Tools 2.6: One of our favorite programs from onOne Software. Photo Tools has so many great abilities that it’s hard to stop editing! With over 300 effects for Photoshop and the ability to stack and blend multiple effects there are endless possibilities. Buy the full program for $99.95 and make your photos look great easier! – onOne Software
3.) Spyder 3 Express: There is nothing worse than editing images and ‘color correcting’ because everything looks orange and green or pink and blue! Especially when you think back at what you were shooting and you weren’t with Willy Wonka. Give the gift of correct screen colors with this color calibrator. It’s easy, fast and professional for $89.00! – Spyder
4.) Westcott Speedlite Accessory Gift Pack: This holiday season, Westcott is holding a wonderful special for speedlite users! It has everything you’ll need including an adjustable shoe mount bracket, 43″ white collapsible umbrella, a Micro Apollo softbox and a 20″ 5 in 1 reflector! Save 42% with this deal and pay only $69.90! – FJ Westcott
5.) Black Rapid RS-7 Strap: The product everyone raves about so we HAD to put it on our list! This strap allows for easy transition from the down/side position to the upright ‘ready to rock’ (camera to the face) position. Did we mention how it is designed and shaped perfectly to fit around your shoulder?! For a price of $58.95 you can feel the difference! – Black Rapid
6.) Leather Photo Gloves: Just like the fleece photographer gloves, these gloves saves all photographers hands from the cold. Give the gift of luxury for $75.00. – Freehands
7.) X-Rite Color Checker Passport: The ease of mind color checker. Pack up this passport color checker when ever you head out on a shoot and know that you will have the same colors you shot on location as on your computer screen. Can be used in Lightroom 2.0 or newer. Feel confident in color for $99.00. – Amazon
8.) Cube Decor: We love these photo blocks from Nations Photo Lab. They are great for many occasions; recording a recent vacation, announcing a baby, showing off a marriage and more! Buy as many cubes as you’d like and design each one personally! Take part in their sale ending December 5, 2011 and get 25% off photo cubes! Get 4 cubes for $59.96! – Nations Photo Lab
9.) Paparazzi Presents and Film Art Presents Bundle: Save big when you buy this presets bundle from Clickin Moms! Each set is individually priced at $65, but both sets can be yours for $99! Optimized for Lightroom 3, Paparazzi Presets is a collection of 15 versatile tone-and-color presets including four black-and-whites, four cross-processing, and seven color presets. Inspired by modern film photography and available for both ACR and Lightroom, Film Art is a collection of 14 sophisticated black-and-white and color presets. – Clickin Moms
1.) Spider Holster: Ever pretend that you live in the wild wild west? You’re in a quick draw. Back to back, ten steps and BAM! If you’ve ever done this, and let’s just admit it…we ALL have, this Spider Holster is THE accessory you need to make this come a reality! Connect this belt around your hip and your camera will be safely at your hip, ready to go, whenever you need. For $135.00 you can live a dream and be ready for action. – Spider
2.) Lacie Rugged HD: One of the top hard drives on the market and has been for years. The Lacie Rugged Hard Drive is exactly what it says, rugged. Living in a world of bumps, spills and adventures this hard drive can withstand a lot. Now let’s not go out and test how far it can fall with important files that aren’t backed up… but for $159 you will be extremely pleased with it’s performance! – Lacie
3.) Pelican 1510 Carry On: Do you travel a lot or are just looking for an easy, well protected way to transport gear? If you rent from LensProToGo you know that we swear by Pelican Products and ship all of our products in them. At $162.99 you’ll know that your gear is super safe and you can travel with ease! – Hunts Photo & Video
4.) Lensbaby Muse: Squeeze the Muse to focus and bend your sweet spot around the photo! This little lens is packed full of fun. For only $150.00 this makes the perfect, entertaining Holiday Gift for any photographer! – Lensbaby
5.) Tenba Messenger Bag: If you follow us on Facebook you know that literally every single person in the LPTG office has this bag and can’t say enough awesome things about it. If you are, or you know of someone, like us and carry a ton of things with you where ever you go, including a camera body, 2 lenses, flash and accessories, this is the bag for you! Give the gift of organization and style for $104.95 – Tenba
6.) Wacom Bamboo Create Tablet: An upgrade from the Bamboo Connect Tablet. Being almost twice the size of some other Bamboo tablets the larger work area allows for better control of the image. Priced at $199.00 it’s a gift that will help ease post production work. – B&H Photo Video
7.) Steadicam Smoothee: With the iPhone being ever so popular these days this little Steadicam is all you need to capture the perfect memories right to your phone! Connect an iPhone to the harness and get perfectly smooth videos! You can also use it as a tripod for your iPhone camera! $179.95 – Amazon
1.) GoPro Hero 2: Just watch this movie and you’ll understand why it’s on our list. Honestly…go watch. For $299.00 and everything the little camera can do, how can you NOT get this!? – GoPro Hero
2.) Zoom H4n Handy Recorder: The Zoom H4n recorder is perfect for interviews, lectures, rehearsals meetings and more! With true X/Y stereo microphones it picks up clear natural sound without phase shifting. Captures to SD or SDHC cards too! Another great gift for $299.00 – Hunts Photo & Video
3.) Cineskates: A fun device that has become rather popular. The CineSkates system allows for very smooth captures where ever you are! It includes CineSkates, a case, a GorillaPod Focus Tripod and BallHead X camera mount for $315.00 so you can just grab your camera and go! – Cintecs
4.) Lensbaby Composer Pro w/ Double Glass Optics: The baby brother to the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optics we have touring the country as we speak! This lens is so fun and will always get you something different. It’s small enough to carry with you to every shoot to try out! Take advantage of their Holiday Special and only pay $349.95 for a Composer Pro + Accessory Kit Bundle or $329.95 for the Composer Pro + Optic Kit Bundle - Lensbaby
5.) Perfect Photo Suite 6: One of the best programs out there for photo editing. We’ve been lucky to be able to play with this software and sit down with a rep to run us through it and it’s top notch. For quick, effective editing this is all you’ll need! Purchase the entire suite for $299.95. – onOne
6.) Glidecam 2000 Pro: This has become quite the product around here at LensProToGo. It is a smaller version that can support up to 6 pound camera. Allows you to shoot 360 panning, upside down, up and down, side to side, sideways, near the ground, over head. Easy to balance and easy to fall in love with! $299.00 – B&H Photo Video
7.) Simplis Solo – DSLR Rig: This rig is the solution for anyone needing a lightweight support rig. It is also modular so you can build off of this product to create the rig of your dreams! Take part in their Fall Special and get a $50 rebate when you purchase for $399.98. – Cinevate
8.) Dynalite JackRabbit Pack II: This is a brand new product here at LensProToGo that we are head over heels for! The JackRabbit is a portable battery unit used to power speedlites or a single head. You can even hook up multiple speedlites at once! You’ll be loving your speedlite with this attached to it! $399.95. – B&H Photo Video
9.) Apollo Speedlite Kit: Unwrap over $210 in saving on this award winning Apollo pair! Westcott has set up a major deal for all of us this holiday season including a 50″ Mega JS Apollo, a 16″x30″ Apollo Strip, 2 Adjustable Shoe Mount Bracket and 2 8′ Light Stands! Everything you need for the perfect portrait shoot for $399.90! – Westcott
1.) Epson R2880 Photo Printer: This beautiful little beast of a printer prints up to 13″ wide. Has UltraChrome K3 with Magenta Ink and an advanced Black-and-White Photo Mode. It can print on Fine Art or Photo Media, can support Rolled Paper and can even print on CD/DVDs. The perfect printer for any photographer looking to learn more about printing at home. $579.95 and has a $150 Mail in Rebate making the ending cost after rebate $429.95 until Dec. 31, 2011 – Hunts Photo & Video
2.) iPad 2: Another awesome Apple product and perfect for any photographer to have as a mobile portfolio. Choose from different sizes and Wi-Fi or 3G options. $499 – $829 – Apple
3.) Nikon 1 VI with 10-30mm lens. I personally got to play with one of these down in NYC at PPE and was quite amazed at it’s abilities. If you are looking for something smaller with the versatility of a regular DSLR this will not disappoint. It can shoot 10 FPS has an i-TTL Hot Shoe Mount and can shoot Full HD. The Nikon 1 V1 with 10-30mm lens is $899.95. Additional lenses and happiness are available as well! – Nikon
4.) Cinevate Atlas 10 DSLR Camera Slider: The perfect slider for any photographer whether you are a pro or amateur. It has a full ball bearing linear tracking system that offers 7 tripod mount positions and non marking feet. Lighter than the other Cinevate sliders, this product is top notch. $629.98 – Cinevate
5.) Wacom Intuos4 Large Pen and Tablet: The ultimate pen and tablet for a photographer looking for the best possible tools to help with retouching. With 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity it delivers precise pressure control and has ExpressKeys and multifunction touch ring for shortcuts. Save 13% now when buying through Amazon for a final price of $436.62. – Amazon
Kelby Training - Access every online class with unlimited access so you can learn at your own pace. Join the world top Pro Photographers and Adobe Photoshop Exports 24/7 when you want! A year subscription is $199
Professional Photographers of America: Access a wealth of resources from education to discount programs, helpful articles and tips. Be part of the world’s largest non profit trade association for professional photographers: A Professional Active membership is $323 for a year and INCLUDES $15,000 of gear insurance and one full registration to Imaging USA 2012 in New Orleans, LA. Aspiring Photographer membership is $194 and includes a $50 discount for Imaging USA 2012.
Clickin Moms: Clickin Moms has become an online home for business networking and development, artistic growth, technical knowledge and support, and deeply held friendships. Their extremely active forums address everything from marketing to lighting to step-by-step work flows in the digital darkroom. Check out Clickin Moms for yourself or buy a membership for the photography-lover in your life! Prices start at $50 for the year or a lifetime membership for $195!
National Association of Photoshop Professionals: Get thousands of Photoshop Tutorials, bonus classes and quick tip videos only with the best Photoshop and Lightroom Magazine in the Industry. $99 for a year or $179 for a 2 year membership.
American Society of Media Photographers: With a membership you get discounts on certain software programs, are able to find an assistant in your area, can socialize with other photographers and join groups! General Membership starts at $335 a year.
well, written and so fun to read. i want it all. thanks!
i meant “well written”. Why in the world would I put a comma after “well”?!?!?!?