If you’ve got a shutterbug on your list this year, you’ve got plenty of options when it comes to what to buy. Gifts for photographers and photography enthusiasts abound – so how do you choose the best one?
From special lenses and camera equipment to books and gadgets, here are our picks for the best gifts for photographers, whether amateur or pro, this holiday season.
- Photography at MoMA: 1920-1960. This beautiful survey of modernist photography, published by the Museum of Modern Art, tells the history of this artistic period through photographs in MoMA’s collection. The book consists of 8 chapters, each with a scholarly essay to introduce it, and features works by Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz, and Dorothea Lange, among many others. This would look great on the coffee table of any art photographer (or art photography buff).
- iPhone Telephoto Lens. Even photographers can’t always carry their best cameras around. When all they’ve got is their iPhone, this telephoto lens can help make an average snapshot into a great snapshot – maybe one that’s even up to their exacting standards. The lens can fit in a pocket or purse with no problem, making it just as portable as the phone, and comes with a mini-tripod and phone case.
- Lens Coffee Mug. Photographers need coffee, too – especially when they’re out to catch that “magic hour” just after sunrise. This travel mug that looks just like a camera lens is just flat-out cool. Just make sure they keep it nice and far away from their actual camera lens…a mix-up would definitely not be cool.
- The Nixplay Iris. This digital frame is our latest offering, and is designed to look more like a traditional picture frame than our other digital WiFi cloud frames. The Nixplay Iris allows you to send photos from your phone or other device straight to the frame, no matter where you are in the world – if you’ve got WiFi, you’re connected. This would make a great gift for traveling photographers, as they can send their photos to the frame at home, sharing them with family in real time.
- MaxStone Wireless Camera Remote. Any professional photographer will doubtless have one of these in his or her bag already, but beginner photogs will discover a whole new world when they start using this. The gadget allows you to take pictures remotely, so you can not only take selfies that look more like real portraits, but you can also take better pictures of unpredictable subjects – namely, kids and animals.
- The Sun Strap. Even the most experienced photographer has found herself without a spare battery on occasion. Help the photographer in your life avoid that sinking feeling of realizing that his camera is dead with the Sun Strap, a strap with a flexible solar panel built in. The solar panel stores energy in a battery pack that has both a USB and micro USB output, so you can use it to charge not just your camera, but your phone, iPad, or other mobile device.
- Green Screen Kit. While pros might want something a bit fancier than this portable kit, we bet your average amateur photographer would be over the moon to receive this this year. This is also a great kit for high school or college-aged photographers, who will have fun experimenting with backgrounds and lighting.
- Spider Camera Holster. Camera straps and camera bags have their uses, but they can cause a whole lot of neck and back pain if you’re wearing them for hours at a time – like wedding photographers do, for example. This holster is a wonderful alternative. It eliminates the back pain because it sits around the waist, and the quick-release mechanism allows photographers to access their cameras at a moment’s notice.
We hope this list helps make your gift-giving a bit easier this year. If a Nixplay WiFi cloud digital frame is on your list, check out our post “A Lifetime in Pictures: Suggested Pictures for Your Gifted Nixplay Digital Frame” for some great ideas on how to personalize your gift.
Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.