When asked what to give a photographer, many will answer: a camera, lens, flash or external microphone. The ideas are good, but if you decide to make such a purchase, do not make it based on your own ideas or reviews on the Internet. With a high degree of probability, the gift “will not go well”, since the pros spend hours studying forums, the features of different models and know exactly what they want. In such a situation, you should give up the surprise and find out the specific model of the desired device - this way you definitely won’t go wrong. If you still want to surprise a friend, then below we have selected the best gifts for a photographer that will appeal to amateurs and professionals, and will not end up forgotten in the far corner.
Optical care kit
Any equipment requires care and the camera is no exception. This is especially true for optics - its surface cannot be wiped with a regular rag or the first cleaning agent you come across. There are many useful accessories specifically for this, but we suggest considering the Carl Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit. It includes 18*18 cm microfiber, which will remove dirt from the lens without leaving streaks or lint, a special spray, a blower, a brush and 10 wet wipes. All this comes in a convenient storage case.
Other options
If none of the above suits you or you are afraid to miss the mark with a gift, then you can choose something from the universal ones. You can please a person with pleasant little things, such as a pendant, a key chain, a set of sweets or cookies in the shape of a camera.
An excellent gift would be a thermal mug in the shape of a lens, a T-shirt or sweatshirt with a thematic inscription or image. And many photo stores also have gift certificates, with their help a person can choose what he likes best.
Light set
For those who are busy filming in the studio, the issue of proper lighting is always particularly acute. In this regard, giving a photographer a light set will be very useful. There are a huge number of options - from budget spotlights installed in place of the flash to sets with several lamps, a background holder, a control panel, reflectors and other gadgets. What to choose depends on your budget, but as a starting point, consider accessories from Fancier. There are a variety of kits at different prices, and reviews of the products are mostly positive.
Spare battery
Along with a memory card, it is a necessary consumable. The battery is also very useful for those who like to shoot for long periods of time or shoot on the road or traveling without the ability to charge equipment.
Here it is very important to know the brand of the camera in order to buy exactly what you need, because all models are different, and each has its own type of battery.
Light reflector
An indispensable accessory for portrait photography, both outdoors and in the studio, is a light reflector. A good and inexpensive birthday gift would be the Fujimi FJ702 set. It includes 5 reflectors with different surface colors to change the lighting temperature or eliminate excess light. They fold up conveniently, and the included bag makes storage and transportation convenient.
Advice from an amateur photographer on the topic “What to give to a photographer”
If one of your relatives (brother, father, husband, matchmaker), friend or girlfriend is interested in photography, then you are in luck. After all, you don’t need to rack your brain too much about what to give to the photographer. Today, on the eve of the New Year, I will try to give you advice on behalf of an amateur photographer, so to speak, first-hand. Moreover, first we will discuss 13 general ideas that you yourself could have thought of, and one, the last one, will be exclusive.
Advice one. Don't give away photographic equipment.
Do not give the photographer any photographic equipment. The chances that your gift will match his preferences are very small. Any amateur photographer will tell you how he spent his nights reading recommendations and reviews on this or that device. He painstakingly took into account all the pros and cons. And you took it and, not really understanding the intricacies, bought him a present. If it turns out that the gift does not suit him, you will both be upset.
Tip two. Consider books and gift certificates for workshops
It applies not only to those who are interested in photography, but also to any other hobby. Try to give as universal gifts as possible. These include books and gift certificates for various courses, master classes, etc.
There are nuances here. I would divide all books on photography, as well as general education textbooks, into groups: for schoolchildren, for colleges, for technical schools and for universities. Information from the first two groups can be easily found in almost any article on the Internet where photography lessons are given. But these are the basics. People who have been interested in photography for many years are not interested in such literature. And the trouble is that when you come to a bookstore, the vast majority of publications are published specifically for the first two groups. There is little literature for technical schools and very little for higher educational institutions. Of course, this is not indicated in the review of the book, but from the first pages it is clear whether it was written for laymen or for somewhat knowledgeable amateur photographers.
I would be interested in receiving a book as a gift that covers the issues of correct composition, exposure, color correction and photo processing in Photoshop. For example, I re-read L. Dyko’s “Conversations on Photographic Skills” several times and I really regret that I cannot find it in print. Of those textbooks that are now sold in printed form, those from Michael Freeman deserve attention. I give in descending order of usefulness (although they are all very good, you can give a series at once):
- The Tao of Digital Photography. The art of creating successful photographs. The book is about how to find beauty in the simplest things and convey the splendor of the world around us using digital photography.
- Photo essay. The art of creating powerful visual stories.
- A photographer's view. How to learn to understand the art of photography, understand and appreciate good photographs.
- Michael Freeman School of Photography. Composition.
In general, you understand: with good books on photography, the situation is like with a search in Yandex: for the query “how to install a washing machine correctly,” on the first twenty pages of search results there will be sites with linguistically and stylistically correct texts. But from the first words it is clear that the author not only has never installed a washing machine himself, but perhaps has never even seen it.
As for photography courses, the picture is similar: most photography schools conduct classes for completely beginner photographers who are too lazy to open the instructions and read what aperture is and how it affects blurring the background in a photograph.
I would like to receive a gift certificate for attending a master class from some eminent specialist in his field. And also in terms of composition, color correction, etc. Well, a pipe dream – a photo tour with professionals somewhere in Asia or Africa.
Tip three. Additional photo storage devices
The next most versatile gift can be the purchase of additional memory. We are talking about giving the photographer an SD card, flash drive, external hard drive or network storage.
When choosing an SD card, you should focus on the maximum data transfer speed (at least class 10, not less than 400x). The amount of memory, by today's standards, is not worth taking less than 32 GB.
Now I only use one memory card. But if they give you a couple more, they wouldn’t be superfluous. After all, it will be possible to shoot videos more actively.
High-speed SD memory card for the camera as a gift. Suitable for use in cameras for recording photos and videos
An external hard drive is a device already known to everyone. As a photographer, I needed it for independent travel. Every evening we copied the photos we had taken that day onto the netbook and onto a portable hard drive.
What to give to a photographer? A portable hard drive... You really need to be sure that he doesn't have one. Nowadays, a portable hard drive is no longer a rarity
Another good option for storing photos is a regular USB flash drive. Of course, it is more convenient if it has a large capacity (from 64 GB).
An amateur photographer gradually accumulates a huge photo archive. Important files have to be duplicated, stored on disks, on cloud services or on a separate hard drive. There is a solution that will appeal not only to the novice photographer, but also to all family members. We are talking about home network storage (NAS server).
Netgear Stora MS2000-100 RUS network storage for two hard drives. I decided that 1TB of memory was enough for me and installed 2 1TB hard drives. For storage reliability, all information is duplicated.
Such a box can stand somewhere in a corner of the closet. Inside there are two hard drives of 1 TB each. All stored information is duplicated. NAS network storage is a mini-server in your apartment. It connects to the router. You can upload movies and music to a network drive and open access to all devices: laptop, tablet, TV, smartphones, etc. Very comfortably.
Tip four. Lens cleaning products.
Typically, a Lenspen lens cleaning pencil is purchased with your camera. But if the photographer doesn’t have it, you can give it to him
Just be careful. Usually photographers buy these things along with their camera. Make sure your photographer doesn't have them.
Tip five. Photo backpack.
In a previous article reviewing the “Ainogirl” camera backpack in the “Photography” section, I talked about how convenient it is to use it when traveling on your own if your friend has more than one lens. I would not refuse to receive such a gift for the New Year.
| I used my first photo backpack, Ainogirl A-2163, to carry one camera and three lenses. Review and feedback on use for several years with Nikon D5100 and Nikon D610 DSLRs. | Even if your friend has a small camera like the Sony A6600 or Fuji X100F mirrorless camera, a camera backpack can make traveling easier by freeing up her hands. Review of the compact Case Logic TBC-411. |
| With the purchase of a fast Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G lens, due to its huge dimensions, I had to purchase another, more spacious Lowepro Flipside 400 AW photo backpack. | 3. A video demonstrating the operation of a polarizing filter is given in the report on an excursion to Nong Nooch Park in Pattaya. The photos in this article were taken with a Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G lens. |
Sixth gift option. Polarizing or neutral density ND filter.
The polarizer is used to remove glare on glass and water, and to beautifully highlight clouds in the sky. It is not used when shooting portraits.
ND Filter An ND filter is used to extend exposure times when shooting in well-lit areas. Using an ND filter, a photographer can get “rivers of milk.”
You can give the photographer a polarizing or neutral density ND filter.
To give the accessories described, you need to know the diameter of the thread for the filter on the lens. When purchasing, you need to consult the store. It seems like the price for a good device starts at 80 USD.
A well-known amphibian (common toad) did not allow me to spend such funds. And I ordered filters in China for 500 and 300 rubles, respectively. An example of a photograph taken on a Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55 without and with an ND filter can be seen in my story about crossing the dam on the Smorodinsky Reservoir during a trip to Lake Bezdonnoye.
I will note that I use ND-4 and it is too light. You can see the table of characteristics and tips on choosing a neutral density filter in the comments to the review of the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens.
And here is an example of the action of a Chinese polarizer for 500 rubles.
Traveling around Mexico while driving a rented car. When filming without a polarizing filter on the surface of the water of Cenote Azul, we see only a reflection.
Using a polarizer we remove reflections from the surface of the water of Cenote Azul. Two photos taken on Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55
At the top of the Mayan pyramid during an independent journey. Without a polarizer, the clouds and sky look pale. Shot on Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55
Mexican jungle from the top of the Mayan pyramid in Coba in Mexico. Shot on Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55 + Chinese polarizer for 500 rubles. A polarizing filter brings out the blue of the sky and the green of the trees.
The seventh type of gift for a photographer. Tripod for the camera.
You can read why a photographer needs a tripod In the same section there is a review of the Sirui T-2204X carbon tripod with the G20X head. It is very convenient for landscape photography. Material: carbon and forged aluminum. Therefore, it is lightweight, but very expensive. Sirui and other manufacturers have tripod models made of aluminum. The price will be two times less.
The eighth gift option for an amateur photographer. Additional power supply.
In a comparative review of various entry-level DSLRs from Nikon (Nikon D3100, D5100, D5200 and D5300), I wrote that I personally did not have situations where the battery completely ran out of charge at the wrong time. But I don't shoot much video. And in the cold weather I didn’t go hiking somewhere in the taiga for three days. Still, if I had a spare battery in my backpack, life would be more fun.
Another option is a battery grip. This is a device that allows you to place several power sources (batteries or batteries) at once. A useful thing for those who have to shoot very actively.
Ninth gift idea. Remote control.
The remote control for the camera, for example, on the Nikon D5100, allows you to extend the shutter speed for a time greater than 30 seconds.
Without a remote control, the Nikon D5100 can shoot at a maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds. To shoot, for example, stars at night or still life with longer shutter speeds, a remote control is required.
I can advise you to take a wired remote control (for example, on AliExpress you search for the phrase “Viltrox LCD Timer Remote Shutter Release Control Cable Cord” and by camera model) - it has more functions and is more convenient to use.
Option ten. Lens as a gift for a photographer.
Of course, advising to give a lens as a gift is sedition. There could be a million different nuances here, known only to him. But if your photographer friend only has one zoom lens, no matter how good it is, it seems to me that any amateur photographer would be happy to receive a 35 or 50 mm prime as a gift. I would recommend 35 mm for crop and 50 mm for full frame. Look at the amazing quality of photos you can get if you take pictures with an inexpensive DSLR camera with a high-quality Nikkor 50/1.8G portrait lens.
Eleventh type of gift. A certificate for renting a photo studio as an answer to the question of what to give to a photographer.
I would like to practice shooting in a photo studio with special lighting equipment. But so far the same amphibian (toad) does not allow it. If someone decided to give me a gift certificate, that would be great. Time flies when filming, so expect at least 5 hours of filming. If you decide to give a photographer a ticket to a studio shoot, he will very likely need a model as well. This is a chance for you to spend time together and get good studio photos.
Twelfth version of the gift. Winter gloves for photographers for shooting landscapes in winter.
On a frosty day, your hands get cold very quickly. You have to take off and put on gloves. A handy thing is special gloves with fingertips that “flip back.” It’s a small thing, but it’s convenient to photograph in the cold, since the palm itself remains warm. Probably, such a gift would be good for the New Year, Valentine’s Day (well, if you embroider ice and scarlet hearts) and February 23rd.
Conclusion
My list of gifts for the photographer turned out to be quite long. I hope my wife reads it...
