Christmas shopping for the photographer in your life. (how to buy presents for a photographer)

  Just in case you hadn't been able to tell from the flurry of advertisements, ugly sweater party invites, and the endless repetition of "Baby it's cold outside," Christmahannakwanzika is upon us once again. This means, if you happen to have a photographer in your life that you may be totally stumped when it comes to what to get us when it's time to be getting presents.

   I admit it, we're a pretty finicky lot. Most of us are very particular about our gear, we know what we want, and that is exactly what we want. You may not even know what camera we use, let alone what accessories work with it or what is already in our camera bag. So how do you go about getting us something you know we'll use and love? It isn't easy, so I will try to give you a few options:

Option 1: Go simple. Stick to the tried and true basics, things that are pretty much universal. Problem is there aren't many of these out there anymore, and the ones that are still there are pretty much at the stocking stuffer level. Some quick examples are handy lens cleaning cloths, you can never have enough, or cases for the standard items everyone needs, like memory cards and batteries.

Option 2b: Do a little research. What camera system does your photographer use? What gear is in their camera bag already? With a little poking around you can get an idea of what they already have, and hopefully you know what sort of images they like to shoot- landscapes, macro, portraits, sports, etc. Write down a few things then head to your local camera shop. Make sure it's your actual local camera shop, not just the camera section at Best Buy or Fry's. I don't want to disparage those stores, but the sales people there are probably not photographers and even with the best of intentions may lead you astray. But your local camera shop is staffed by photography geeks just like the one you are shopping for. If you can tell them what is already in your shooter's bag and what they primarily shoot, these pros will most likely be able to give you some great suggestions. Ask first, but these shops will also probably be more than willing to do credit/refunds/exchanges in the event that your gift didn't quite fit the bill.

Option 2b: Do a little sneakier research- aka snooping. Look over your photographer's shoulder while they browse camera sites and see what they seem to like. Look through their browser history and see what pages they visited at big photo retailers (Adorama, B&H, Keh, etc). This method is rather risky on several levels and could lead very bad relationship consequences, so only use it if you are very comfortable with your person and you have a shared computer or something that should reasonably not be expected to be private. Also, be prepared to potentially ruin your surprise if you stumble across the sites they were using to shop for your gift, or to learn way more than you ever wanted to know about your person if you stumble across some other sites they may have visited for.... umm.... research. Ok, really, I don't recommend this one. Forget I said anything, it's a bad idea. 

Option 2c: Do a little less sneaky research. In other words, just ask. We love to talk about our toys and obsessions. If you are contemplating a major league gift like a camera body, lens, bag or other high end accessory, most of us would generally rather pick these out ourselves. Ask your photographer to make you a top ten gear lust list. This way you will be sure that you are getting something we want when you drop that major coin, but if it's a long enough list then there is still some element of surprise when the grand opening day comes.

Option 3: Accessorize. Yeah. Most of us have the same old boring black cameras and lenses. Maybe white if your photographer shoots canon. You may not know what gear they shoot with, but you probably have a good idea of their personality. Maybe you can help them set themselves apart a bit from the crowd. Do they shoot children's portraits? How about a Shutter Hugger to help make those little smiles come out. Do they shoot rock concerts or just want to stand out from the crowd a little bit? How about a Lens Skin you think fits their image? (you have to do a little research to know what lenses they use for that one.)
     Even better, what if your photographer is into steampunk fashion, or just really, really wants to stand out. What if you want to support a small business instead of a major online retailer? In this case, you should definitely take a look at CameraPunk. Unlike the other links to amazon items in the rest of this post, I don't earn a cent if you buy something from CameraPunk. But if your photographer really wants to stand out and look awesome, this is a great place to shop. You can go from subtle to over the top steampunk as you like. If you go back and look at a few of my posts where you can see my 24-70 or 70-200, you may notice that each one has a lens cuff from CP. While I don't earn anything from recommending you check CP out, the artist is a friend of mine and is just an amazing person as well as an awesome photographer herself, so I would be remiss if I didn't suggest you check out her shop for some stuff you won't find anywhere else.

Option 4a: Make it personal- give the gift of yourself. Give a gift certificate for your services as a photo assistant on a shoot or two. Spend some time with your photographer and help them out while they are doing what they love.

Option 4b: Make it really personal. This one only works if your photographer is your significant other, or is someone you are considering for a closer relationship. Slip on something fancy (or naughty) and walk up and seductively ask if they would like you to model for them sometime....

   So, there you go, some really non-specific options to hopefully spur your creativity and help you pick out a gift for the photographer on your list. Before I go, just in case I happen to be the photographer on your list, or if Santa happens to be following my blog, here's some suggestions for me:

Phantom 2 Vision+ Drone!

Nikon 135mm F2.0 DC Lens

Sigma 150-600 F5.6-6.3 DG OS HSM S Lens

Zeiss Otus 85mm

Then there are studio lights, medium format cameras, a studio space.... see, we're easy to shop for as long as you happen to be loaded!

Merry New Year and Happy Christmas to all- or whatever Holiday greeting floats your boat, I am pretty equal opportunity when it comes to time to get presents!