2018 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Photographer on Your List

We’re just days away from Black Friday, kicking off this year’s holiday shopping.

To help get you in the gift-giving spirit, we’ve put together a short list of photographer must-haves.

1. SD cards

If you’re a photographer, there’s no such thing as having too many of these. When shopping around, pay less attention to getting the largest capacity possible and more to the speed and class of the card.

2. Photo bag

There are a wide variety of photo bags out there so you’re bound to find one that fits the needs and personality of your photographer. Consider where they often shoot, if it should be more functional or stylish and how much gear it should fit.

3. Lenspen cleaning kit

These are a great, universal tool that work much better than standard cleaning cloths to remove dust and fingerprints.

4. Lens filter/expodisc

You’ll need to know the particular lens in this case to make sure the filter fits, but these are inexpensive lifesavers to help protect the lens in case of damage. Expodiscs also attach to the front of the lens, but are designed to help calibrate white balance, which can be a big headache in post-processing. Help your photographer save time editing, and they will be sure to thank you!

5. Unique camera strap

While some may like the standard or branded strap that comes with the camera, it’s nice to add your own style to it as well. Not to mention it will help tell your camera apart from others in the crowd.

6. Phone lenses

For those times when you can’t have your camera by your side, take phone photography to the next level with lens attachments. Just like DSLR lenses, there are many different types like wide-angle, macro, and telephoto.

7. Education

Regardless of how much experience someone has, it’s always a good idea to invest in education. This can come in many forms, like a magazine subscription, online course, book, or a local workshop.

8. Editing software

To help enhance the image straight out of camera, it’ll take a bit of perfecting.

Lightroom and Photoshop are the big names when it comes to editing software, but check out some other options too, like the ones mentioned here.

9. Camera batteries

For the practical photographer, you can’t go wrong with extra batteries. Give the gift of endless shooting by doing some quick research on the camera and what batteries are needed.

10. Giftboxes

There’s a subscription box for everything these days, and why not?

Help spread the joy past the holiday season with a recurring delivery of photo goodies like prints, film, and more.

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Author Kim Garrison is a product manager at Cision. She also is a snowboarder, photographer, and Washington Capitals fan.