Photographer Gift Guide

Gift giving is one of my love languages, mostly because I’m selfish and get a huge burst of adrenaline when I find the perfect gift for someone. So I’m writing this up to help save all you non-photographer people out there with a photographer friend from getting them a cheesy lens coffee mug or a t-shirt with camera clip art printed on it along with a camera pun.

So here’s some of my all time favorite photography + travel gadgets and gizmos and my must haves and wanna haves. I own all of these and would gift them to any of my photographer friends! Also, I’m not getting paid to write or share any of this! Just sharing cause I think all of these products are freaking awesome.

I’ll start with the basics. Stuff every photographer needs and are smaller, less expensive must haves!

Memory Cards. Different cameras require different kinds of memory cards, but here are the ones I use. I love them because they never lag when writing files and keep my camera working fast!

Batteries. I always need more batteries it seems like. This also depends on what camera you shoot on, so make sure to check what batteries are compatible with the camera you’re buying for (I shoot on the Canon 5d Mark series). There are two ways to go here, the more expensive high quality version which last longer and have longer lives. Or there is the cheaper version, which don’t last as long but still get the job done. I have both versions and always prefer the name brand version.

Lens Caps. I have always had a love hate relationship with them, until my friend showed me these babies. They’re universal lens caps that can go on any lens, no matter the brand, length, width, etc. They’ll fit on all of them, and on both ends. They’re shock resistant, waterproof, dust proof, and a bunch-of-other-stuff-proof. The company hooked me up with a bunch of them and I’m way into them. They launched their kickstarter last week so you wont get the lens cap yet but you can at least back it and gift it to them once they all ship out!

LaCie External Hard Drives. I’ve tried a bunch of different brands of hard drives and so far these are my fave because they’re small, pretty durable, fast, and great for travel. They come in quite a few different storage sizes but I recommend the 1 or 2 TB options to give as gifts!

And if you get the hard drive, I would recommend getting a case for it as well. I like these little cheap Pelican cases that are waterproof and tough to protect the hard drive especially when traveling!

A Honeybook subscription. You have no freaking idea how much I didn’t realize I needed this SO badly for my business/sanity until I got it and holy heavens I’ll never go back. It’s a client organizing program and app that helps you keep track of what stages all your clients are in, automates payment schedules + reminders + files to send out, hosts your contracts, lets clients pay through it, keeps all your files and conversations between you and each client organized, the staff sets everything up for you so its easy peasy, and it does a bunch more of super neat stuff that literally every photographer with multiple clients needs. It also has an app version that is freakin amazing that I use daily especially when I’m on the go. It’s a yearly subscription but you can gift them their first year to get them started! I have a 50% off discount code for the first year too which is a win for you! Click here for my 50% off discount link.

Now onto the “treat yo-self” section. Stuff every photographer wants but can’t buy for themselves yet.

Instax cameras + film. I freakin love these things and they’re so fun for every photographer. There are tons of different instant cameras but the Fujifilm Instax Wideis hands down my favorite so far. It’s not as finnicky as others and the pictures are big which I love. Add on a couple packs of film for them too if you can!

Another instax product I love are these little golden smartphone printers. They’re awesome for printing out little instant phone photos from wedding days, for your friends, or for yourself. I use mine all the time and always pack it when I am heading out on trips or to shoot a wedding so I can instantly gift a few shots from my phone!

A mini Bose Bluetooth Speaker. The specific one I have has been discontinued sadly, but these ones are basically the same thing and have hella good reviews. I love my bluetooth wireless speaker because I love playing music on shoots or when I’m editing, and I love how small these are because you can just throw it in your camera bag and play music from inside your bag because they’re so loud!

Holy hell I can’t stress enough how life changing wireless noise-cancelling headphones are. These are a must have for when I’m editing or traveling (especially in planes, the noise cancelling feature is bomb.. get it? Ok I’m done making horrible airplane jokes). These are the ones I have and love them!

Speaking of travel, I have a bunch of travel must haves to share. First one would have to be this guy. Traveling would be way more frustrating without it since my phone dies pretty quick and it seems like there are never chargers around when I need them. This little travel charger is awesome and gives my iPhone 4 full rapid charges that actually last (I’ve tried a few different travel chargers and this is the only one I’ve loved). And it can charge anything that charges off a USB (like headphones) and there’s two ports which is cool, and they recharge themselves super fast.

Another charger that is a must have especially on road trips to charge your camera batteries, laptop, or anything that needs to charge off a typical wall socket. I use this car power inverter all the time especially because I love to edit while riding in the car on road trips or when I need to charge extra batteries while out shooting weddings or whatever.

Alright, onto bags. I’m SO freaking picky about gear bags you have no idea. I’ve tried tons of different bag companies and all have disappointed me but two brands. ONA and WANDRD. I have two Ona Bags, a leather messenger bag and a canvas backpack. I love them both equally, but typically take my backpack with me when I travel so theres not so much weight on one shoulder, and it has an awesome laptop sleeve. Jay loves the WANDRD bag because it is soooo functional and high quality. The guys who designed this bag seriously thought of everything for a traveling photographer/videographer.

This carry on. I have used lots of luggage for traveling and I hate checking bags so this has been by far the best piece of luggage I’ve ever owned. Its a big carry on that not only is pretty, but way functional too with lots of features like a built in portable charger, a lock, laundry bag, etc. We got one to see how we liked it and then bought another right after we got our first one because we fell in love with it.

Last but not least, a mentor session. It doesn’t have to be with me but I think gifting a mentor session with your friend’s favorite photographer is the best gift you can give them because it is something that will push their business so they can succeed and leave them feeling rejuvenated and inspired. I recommend the hell out of these because I always wished opportunities like this were around when I started photography 6 years ago! Most creatives learn best in one on one settings because they can ask all the questions they want and the entire session is customized to what they need and want to learn, which you can’t always get attending workshops.

If you wanna gift one from me, I offer two types of mentoring opportunities : Skype Sessions that last 1.5+ hours and One on Ones that last 6+ hours. You can check out all the details on what is included, what to expect, cost, payment plans, and more HERE. And of course, feel free to email me with any questions or to gift your photographer friend with a mentor session with me!

Hope this list has helped ya find that perfect gift for your photographer boo.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animal.