With “black Friday” just a few days away, I thought it was the perfect time to switch up my blog a bit and cover an easy gift guide for all of you out there shopping for your favorite photographer or those photographers stumped on what to put on their list this year! Ever since getting into photography, my “Christmas Wish List” has changed from new jeans and slippers to photography gear, or simply “money for photography gear”. While it is an amazing outlet for my passion, it is also a very expensive one. I’ve found some great products over the years that are definitely favorites of mine and practical items that all photographers can use!
Photographer’s Holiday Gift Guide
1. Wireless Remote Control $8.99
Have you ever wondered how I get those “picture perfect” photos of Sully and I sitting in bed all cozy? SECRETS OUT – I use a wireless remote control with my tri-pod! As a photographer, I’m rarely the one behind my lens, but a girl’s gotta show her face every once in a while on the gram, so this wireless remote is one of my besties and SO affordable! My brother in law got me this one last year for our sibling grab bag!
TIP: Make sure you do your homework and find one that works with the right camera model!
While you might think all that a photographer does is take pictures, there is A LOT of to do’s behind the scenes that don’t involve a camera. From taxes to marketing, we wear a lot of different hats as entrepreneurs. While I have a background in design and marketing, I don’t always have the right tools or bandwidth to fulfill all of my business needs . Etsy, however, has thousands of talented makers ready to step in to support small business owners! From logo designs to thank you cards, decorative USB’s to wooden print boxes, Etsy is one of my favorite resources for enhancing my business “add ons”. I’ve found some wonderful partners and products that I’m proud to incorporate into my business.
3. JJC CF+SD Memory Card Case $10.99
This little $10 case has been one of my favorite purchases. It travels with me to every single shoot and keeps all of my memory cards organized and safe! Bonus – it holds my CF and SD memory cards!
4. Freehand Ladies Stretch Gloves $29.95
If you’re a photographer from Chicago, you know that our winters can be absolutely BRUTAL. They can also be quite beautiful, and the perfect setting for a newly engaged couple or winter wedding. To make sure your photographer friend doesn’t get frostbite on those fingers, these gloves are just perfect. I don’t personally have these, but I’ve heard great reviews, and they are on my Christmas list this year!
5. Kattee Professional Canvas Camera Backpack and Laptop Case $46.99
I LOVE THIS BACKPACK. I got this backpack two years ago from Kevin and I absolutely love it. It is my session companion and has so many great compartments. It has a protective area for your laptop, and I can fit my camera, 2 extra lenses, a flash, and extra memory cards and batteries in here. I love that the bottom section can be removed and used on its own as well. I also, yes, after having it for 2 years, just found a velcro sealed pouch in the very back that has a waterproof cover for it!
6. Extra Batteries // Memory Cards
•SanDisk Extreme 32 or 64GB Memory Cards $30-$50
•SadDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SD Card $25
If there is one thing I can always use more of, it’s memory cards and batteries. I like to start somewhat fresh each wedding season to avoid faulty or corrupt cards and batteries only last so long. While they aren’t a huge expense, they add up quickly!
TIP: Make sure you know what type of memory card // battery the camera you are buying for needs. While my camera has dual slots for both cards, not all cameras do. Batteries will vary my camera brand and model.
7. Nifty Fifty // Canon 50mm 1.8 lens $125
I got my start with this lens, as do most photographers. Typically the “kit” lens that comes in a kit with the camera body isn’t a great lens to learn on. This bad boy is so reasonable price wise, and takes just incredible photos. I used this for several years before upgrading to it’s big brother the Canon 50 mm 1.2 and was very impressed by the quality of images and the price of this lens!
8. External Hard Drive
•WD 4TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive $100
•LaCie Rugged Mini USB 3.0 // 2 TB $110
A little behind the scenes you don’t usually see involves me sitting at my computer backing up all of those pretty images of you in 3 different places, one of them being on an external hard drive. Backing up is such a huge part of any photographers job to ensure their images are safe! I use a new external hard drive each year and keep all of my old ones where your photos live, just in case (you never know!). While I personally use the WD 4TB, I recommend the second option for anyone who travels a lot and needs an extra protected external.
9. Magmod Starter Flash Kit $99
Photographers will never tell you this, but flash is an area that most of us despise. It’s tricky, sometimes inconsistent and can be a tad frustrating. This tool is a flash modification system that helps to diffuse the beam on our flash. It creates a much softer light to use during those dark dance floor raves or outside at night. While I don’t own this (yet!) I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a good black Friday deal to scoop one up!
10. A Session Behind the Camera $350+
Let’s face it, as photographers, we’re usually only on one side of our cameras, but guess what – we’re still human! We still have seasons of life and memories we want captured, but don’t always carve out the time or money to do so. So why not gift your photographer friends with a session of their own? Not only does it allow them to capture their own memories, it also gives them a great learning experience. Every-time I step behind the camera myself, I’ve found that being the subject, has helped me direct and interact with my own clients even better. I absolutely love working with fellow boss babes and creatives, so send ’em my way and let me know if you’re interested in a MAC credit 😉
I’m currently offering holiday minis for only $200!
I’d love to know – if you’re a photographer or know one, what’s on your list this year, or what are you planning on gifting!
H a p p y • H o l i d a y s friends!
xx
Meg
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