Holiday Gift Guide: 20 Great Gifts for Photographers

 

We’ve put together the ultimate holiday gift guide for fantastic gifts to give to photographers. Whether you're a photographer yourself looking to share some ideas with loved ones on what to get you, or you have a photographer in your life that you need to find something for- this guide is for you. We’re bringing a wealth of gift suggestions for the creative people in your life, from books to camera gear. Here is Shutterstock Custom's holiday gift guide for photographers. 

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20 Great Gifts for Photographers


1. Capture Pro: Camera Carrying Clip

($79.95) For photographers on the go, this pro-quality camera carrying clip let’s photographers access their gear with ease. You can put nearly any professional-level DSLR to any backpack strap, belt, or bag for quick access in those moments when photographers need to capture a moment in an instant with the click of a button.

Photo: Peak Design

2. The Sahel: ONA Bags x charity:water Camera Strap

($109) One of our favorite camera bag companies, ONA bags, collaborated with charity:water, a nonprofit that brings clean, safe drinking water to millions globally, on a stunning camera strap. Part of the proceeds from each sale of handcrafted Sahel camera straps will go directly to support charity:water operations. 

Photo: ONA

3. Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders

($32) Travel website Atlas Obscura has just made finding hidden gems around the world even easier. With 700 of the best discoveries from Atlas Obscura, the photographer who receives this book will instantly be inspired to start walking off trail, and add some dream shoot locations to their bucket list.

Photo: Atlas Obscura

4. Lightroom or Photoshop Presets

($77-$99) Lightroom and/or photoshop presets are amazing ways to give the gift of photography to a photographer. While there are tons of different presets you can give as gifts, we absolutely love A Color Story’s Moments Collection (now on sale) and travel photographers Do You Travel and Gypsealust’s amazing lightroom preset collections. Give the gift that keeps on giving!

Photo: A Color Story

5. Chemex 

($43.50) If the photographer your giving a gift to is anything like the photographers we have in office- they are on a constant coffee buzz. Save them from having to work from cafes filled with expensive lattes, and instead give them a beautiful Chemex to create amazing pour-over coffees from the comfort of home. Early morning photoshop sessions just got better. 

Photo: Chemex

6. Photo Class: Shooting Family Photography

($39) If you know a photographer who is interested in expanding their photography genre into new categories, giving the gift of photography classes is an amazing way to show them you care. Brit & Co hosts a plethora of different photography classes, so find the one that fits their ambitions!

Photo: Brit & Co

7. Palette Surface

(Starting at $199) The perfect gift for the wedding photographer in your life. The Palette Surface is one of, if not the most, innovative photography tools of the year. Say see you later to those long boring nights of editing hundreds of photos, instead you can personalize your controller with buttons, dials, and sliders to eliminate cursor cramps, and allows for micro adjustments with ease. The Palette Surface is a serious force for a photographer.

Photo: Palette Gear

8. Embroidered Camera Strap

($98) Give the gift of style to the fashion-forward photographer with this stunning, one of a kind strap! This strap is made of a repurposed vintage belt and features incredible embroidery from the Maya village of Chichicastenango, Guatemala using discarded material from female weavers. Not only does your purchase support this sustainable project, it also provides a dignified job opportunity to female artisans in rural Guatemala. 

Photo: Hiptipico

9. Camera Cube

($59) Do you know someone who gets annoyed at trucking around large, complex camera bags? This gift is for them. Make any bag a camera bag with Topo Design’s Camera Cube. With a padded base and sides, the cube fits a wide variety of camera gear and can be cinched or folded down for easy access. Handmade in Colorado, these are great for the travelling photographer on the go. 

Photo: Topo Designs

10. Eclipse Charger

($79.99) Say goodbye to messy cables with the beautifully designed Eclipse Charger, perfect for the photographer who works and edits from home. You can charge multiple device at a high-speed (up to 7.8Amps) with a 3-port USB charging station. Well designed, it opens up with a touch sensor, hides up to 20ft of cable, and submits a subtle ambient light so you can find cables in the dark. 

Photo: Native Union

11. Writable Photo Album

($15) For the classic photographer who still prints out images to hold close, this simple gift is for them. Muji makes beautifully designed pieces that bring home and office pieces back to basics, and this writable photo album is no different. Simply designed, the album let’s the photographs do the talking. Plus- if the photographer loves this gift, it’s really easy to pick up more with their online ordering system for future albums. 

Photo: Muji

12. Feed 1 Bag

($80) Give the gift that makes everyone feel a little bit warmer this holiday season with a beautiful and thoughtful Feed Bag. A reversible burlap bag, each purchase of this tote provides one child with school meals for an entire year in 63 of the poorest countries around the world. A perfect gift for toting extra shoot material, and transporting photography gear when travelling on-location. 

Photo: Feed

13. Camera Base Layer

($48) For the adventure-driven photographer in your life, the camera base layer is adaptive camera protection for gear featuring a high-performance synthetic down called Sorona. With an integrated rain fly and padded shell, the photographer who receives this will be able to protect their camera from scrapes, bumps, and weather during their photo adventures. Compatible with most DSLR’s and Micro 4/3 camera/lens combinations.

Photo: Matador

14. Adobe Photography Plan

(Starting at $120/year) A practical gift that any photographer would love, an annual Adobe Creative Cloud- Photography Plan is the perfect way to give a gift that you know they’ll use. With Photoshop and Lightroom, it’s a photographers must-have kit for any post-production work. And you can purchase online with ease!

Photo: Adobe

15. Gatekeeper Straps

($15) For the photographer on the move, gatekeeper straps allow for easy mounting of tripods and other gear straight to your pack. No more lugging around eight different bags and dropping tripods as you attempt to make your way through security at airports, or backpacking through cobble alleyways. Recently redesigned with cam lock buckles, photographers never have to drop their tripods again.

Photo: F Stop Gear

16. Plug Pack

($135) The perfect gift for the jet setting photographer in your life. The Plug Pack is a beautiful daily carry with an awesome amount of pockets and space designed to fit a laptop charger, USB cords, headphones, and extra batteries. Don’t use plastic bags to organize your cords, travel in style with the Plug Pack organizing system. It’s nice and small, so travellers can fit it in a variety of bags with ease. 

Photo: This Is Ground

17. Lensball

($24.95) Lensball is a really fun photography tool that allows photographers to capture a totally unique view of the world. It flips a scene upside down, and let’s you see much more than you normally would. The Lensball is a fantastic gift for the amateaur photographer looking to experiment with different mediums and cultivate a unique creative style.

Photo: Lensball

18. Refurbished Polaroid Originals

($174) Originally designed to be used on-the-job at construction sites, the bright yellow safety color and durable exterior makes it perfect for the average adventurer today! They produce instant photos on Polaroid 600 film (sold separately). This is a great gift for any film and old school photography lover who has a keen eye for vintage photography gear.

Photo: Urban Outfitters

19. Society6 Prints

(Starting at $15.99) We love the idea of being inspired by other mediums, whether that be art prints, graphic design, or illustrations by other artists in creative fields. Give the creative photographer the gift of art, by purchasing a Society6 print or illustration from another artist around the world. There are gifts for every budget, and different types of artwork for every unique style.

Photo: Society6

20. Annie Leibovitz: At Work

($45) Last but not least, and speaking of inspiration- give a gift of inspiration from one of the most celebrated photographers in the world, Annie Leibovitz. At Work shows Annie’s stories and technical descriptions on how some of her most famous images came to be. Get inspired by her creative process, and journey, inspiring photographers around the world to capture breathtaking moments through their own lens.

Photo: Penguin UK


We hope this gift guide helped spark some inspiration for gifts to give to the photographers in your life! Have any ideas or past gifts that you’ve given photographers that have been amazing? Share them in the comments below, we’d love to share them with our community.

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