Making a gift for an ordinary person with standard hobbies is not the biggest problem. It's another matter when a friend has such a kind of creative hobby - to photograph everything and everyone. He cannot be surprised with worldly gifts. Consider what to give a photographer for his birthday or his professional holiday in order to definitely surprise, delight, and so that the gift does not migrate to the top shelf in the closet.
Photo equipment
Good photography equipment is quite expensive. But, if opportunities allow, then why not please a loved one with such a gift. Do not forget, before buying, to clarify the tastes of the person being gifted in terms of the manufacturer, for many photographers it is important that the lens is from, for example, Canon.
Most likely, the culprit of the event already has a certain technique, but it doesn't hurt to find out if he wanted to update it. A good new camera is one of the best gifts to give a photographer for his birthday, if possible. Your choice will be between mirrors and mirrorless models. They differ from each other by the presence of a mirror video finder. Today, DSLR cameras are far superior in quality to their mirrorless counterparts. However, mirrorless models also have their fans, find out, perhaps your friend is just one of them. When buying, consider also other important parameters of the camera, for example, weight and matrix.
The quality of the picture is highly dependent on the lens, so it can be considered a good gift for the photographer. Choosing the right one is not easy enough: you need to know the model of the camera, its features, as well as the preferences of the person to whom the gift is intended. There are lenses that are most suitable for shooting landscapes, portraits, macro photography, etc. The best option would be to ask your friend in advance which lens he would like to receive as a gift.
No matter how high-quality the camera is, the lack of a good computer will seriously complicate the work with photographs. Therefore, if your friend suffers from an old and slow laptop, which obviously does not match the quality of his pictures, then give him a new one. Choose models with a large amount of RAM and an IPS matrix, this will solve the problem with freezes and provide good color reproduction. This gift clearly does not belong to the category of cheap and simple, but if there is a desire, then why not.
Photography Accessories
High-quality and expensive photographic equipment is far from all that is needed for a good photo. So, when choosing a gift for a photographer for a birthday or other occasion, pay attention to these accessories.
Camera strap
This item makes the use of the camera more convenient. There are many varieties of belts: wrist, neck and shoulder. Also, belts differ in the material of manufacture, they are leather, polyester, neoprene and others. You can purchase a belt from a major manufacturer, or you can order a handmade accessory. It all depends on taste and preference.
These accessories are designed to be attached to the lens and allow the photographer to work with light to achieve a variety of effects. Filters are indispensable for the photographer who is fond of experiments and is constantly in search of new effects.
Each type of filter has its own task: the ultraviolet one improves the quality of the frame by getting rid of ultraviolet radiation, the gradient one makes the picture more contrasty, and the neutral one reduces the exposure and allows you to shoot at long exposures. Before buying, find out the diameter of the camera lens of the person for whom you are preparing a gift.
External flash
Yes, every camera has a built-in flash, but it's not always suitable for the job. Therefore, the professional always has an external flash. It allows you to shoot in poor visibility, smoke and other lighting problems.
A good tripod can make a photographer's life much easier. It makes the process of photographing easier and more comfortable. Choosing a tripod should be based on the preferences of the photographer, whether landscape photography is close to him or he prefers to take portraits in the studio. Without a tripod, it is impossible to shoot high-quality video or take panoramic shots. When buying a tripod, remember that its main parameters are lightness and stability.
In addition to a tripod, you can purchase a tripod platform. This small device allows you to quickly and conveniently mount the camera on a tripod vertically or horizontally.
Batteries and chargers for them
There are never enough batteries, the more a photographer has, the better. Your friend will appreciate the gift in the form of a battery if he prefers to take pictures in nature, far from civilization, where there is nowhere to recharge at the right time.
Following the improvement in the quality of photographic equipment, the quality of photographs also grows. And the better the photo, the heavier it is. Therefore, modern photographers are forced to have a lot of memory cards in order not to lose anything of their work. By presenting one or more memory cards as a gift, you will save your friend for a while from the need to look for free space and free up memory.
Pocket Photo Printer
This little miracle technique will allow you to very quickly see the result of your shooting in printed form. The printer connects to the device via bluetooth, the printing time is only a few seconds. These mini printers can be purchased at some online retailers.
Optics cleaning pencil
Any self-respecting photographer makes sure that the optics on his equipment are always clean, and not a single speck is left on it. A good assistant in this will be an optics cleaning pencil. A special tip will help get rid of any dirt without harming the lens, while a soft brush will remove dust and other debris.
Carrying and storage bags
For convenience, a good bag will not interfere with the photographer, there are many types of them, and each can be applied in one case or another.
A high-quality and comfortable photo bag plays a huge role for the photographer. It doesn't matter if he works in a studio or outdoors, a bag is a guarantee of the safety of expensive photographic equipment and ease of movement. Therefore, her choice should be taken very carefully. Look for bags with lots of compartments, dividers, and pockets, made from durable fabrics with well-finished seams. Avoid giving too flashy and bright photo bags. After all, the equipment inside them can easily attract thieves. Better to stay on more discreet options.
This type of photo bag has a large capacity. The backpack will fit all the equipment you need. Also, its important advantage can be considered the release of hands, because the backpack hangs on the back. A good photo backpack should be lightweight so that when all the necessary equipment is loaded into it, it does not become overwhelming. It is also worth taking a closer look at models in which the part adjacent to the back is made of ventilated materials.
Shoulder photo bags
They have a great advantage over backpacks: if the backpack needs to be removed from the back in order to gain access to the camera, then with a shoulder bag the equipment is always at hand. Their downside is not too much comfort for wearing - all the weight is on one side. There is a great variety of shoulder bags, they differ in style, material and quality.
They are a backpack with one strap. Slings are very convenient because their design allows you to reach the camera in a few seconds. However, as in the case of shoulder photo bags, the weight will put pressure on one shoulder, and this is quite inconvenient.
Photo bag holster
They are also called top-loading bags. This bag can be worn around the neck, waist or shoulder. The main disadvantage of holster bags is their small capacity. Only a camera with a lens will fit and that's it. But such a bag allows you to very quickly get the camera when needed.
It is suitable for a professional photographer who has a lot of photographic equipment. The cases are designed for safety, they can be dropped, for example, and the equipment inside will remain intact. Some models are waterproof and shockproof.
Certificates and subscriptions
If, when choosing photographic equipment or photo accessories as a gift, it is quite easy to make a mistake and buy the wrong thing (especially when you yourself do not understand anything about this), then when you present a certificate, the probability of an error is minimized.
Certificates for courses, workshops and trainings
A huge number of photography schools, as well as individual photographers, regularly conduct courses and master classes. Perhaps the gifted person has long dreamed of undergoing training from a photography guru. Find out in advance which of the photographers your friend considers an unsurpassed master, and ask if he will organize master classes. The main thing is to be sure when buying a certificate that the person to whom you present it has not already taken this course. Otherwise, an awkward situation will come out.
By the way, in addition to courses devoted directly to photography, you can donate a course that teaches you how to process images with high quality.
Remember that in most cases, certificates cannot be exchanged or returned, therefore, it is better to make a gift, being sure that a friend will definitely use it.
Paid subscriptions to photo processing software
To make a good photo even better, it needs to be processed. Retouch, tweak lighting, fix composition errors, etc. Special programs help with this.
If your friend is engaged in photography not as a hobby, but on a professional level, then he probably uses one or several such programs in his work. The main disadvantage of such programs, especially the most convenient and well-known ones, is the need to purchase a paid subscription for them.
Most likely, your photographer friend will be very happy to receive, for example, an annual subscription to his favorite program. Of course, the details of such a gift should be discussed in advance.
Certificate for the purchase of photographic equipment
This gift will be perfect if you don't know exactly what your photographer friend wants to get. Thanks to the certificate, he will be able to choose a gift for himself.
Certificate for printing photos or making a photo book
Long gone is the time when all the pictures were printed and stored in an album. Nowadays, most people prefer to store their photos on memory cards, and only print them out as a last resort.
At the same time, any photographer will not refuse to print his most successful photographs in high quality. High-quality printing is not a cheap pleasure, so a certificate for it will be a good gift.
You can also help build a good portfolio of your friend's work by presenting a certificate for making a photobook. This is not just a photo album, but a whole work of art. If you are confident in your taste and know closely the person to whom the gift is intended, then you can not only give a certificate, but order the production of such a book yourself. To create it, you will need to choose the most beloved and iconic frames for your friend.
A trifle, but nice
A gift for a photographer may be simpler, but no less valuable. For example, a birthday person can be given:
- a mug in the shape of a lens;
- make a custom-made photoball cap, sweatshirt, baseball cap with a matching print;
- camera made of sweets.
These are simple but memorable things that will give you good emotions, and some will remind you of the donor for a long time.
As you can see from the above review of gift options for a photographer, there are really many today. They vary in price and functionality. To purchase some of these gifts, it is desirable that the donor himself at least a little versed in photography, while others can be purchased, being completely illiterate in this area.
