5 of the best gift ideas for photographers

Shopping for the photographer in your life? Your Christmas list will be picture-perfect with these gifts!

With Christmas approaching faster than Santa Claus on his sleigh, the rush is well and truly on to finalise those last few gifts. But what do you get the photographer who has everything? Whether you’re buying for someone who’s recently taken up photography or a professional, we’ll give you a rundown of the best gift ideas for photographers this year. Let’s face it – you can’t give them a novelty keyring every Christmas!

5) Bottle cap camera tripod

Need a stocking filler for the camera enthusiast in your life? Well look no further! The bottle cap tripod is a fantastic and convenient present for photographers on the move. Sure, plenty of professional photographers are going to have their own bespoke camera tripods, but the bottle cap tripod is a fun, handy – and most importantly a cheaper alternative!

The pain of trying to balance or steady your camera on a hastily-improvised platform is no more! Just fasten the attachment to a bottle of water and you can have your very own miniature tripod put together in seconds. It’s ideal for photographers out on hikes especially as the bottle cap tripod is lightweight and easy to carry around!

4) Lensball

Something that’s sure to keep all manner of photographers busy, whether they’re amateurs or professionals is a lensball. Lensballs are a wonderful accessory and they look fantastic. These crystal balls are designed to get a photographer’s creative juices flowing.

The lensball helps reflect and capture the scenery surrounding it. You could try taking it down to a nearby beach and setting it in the sand or even let it float in the calm water to produce a really serene shot. The possibilities to which a photographer can use a lensball are endless – and it will even look great on their shelf! For around £40, this could be well worth adding to your Christmas list.

3) Pocket reflectors

Your studio photographer friend has likely got a few of these full-sized reflectors already, but they can be awkward to carry around outside of the studio and difficult to transport.

They’ll have no such issues with the smaller and more convenient pocket reflectors. To give you an idea on how small these pocket reflectors are, the full-sized versions at photography studios are usually around 40”or more in diameter. These nifty pieces of kit are around 12” and can fold down to around 5” – about the same size as your smartphone!

Use your reflector to do exactly as the name suggests. Reflect! Angle them to reflect light onto your subject and make your photograph perfect. They’ll never have an excuse to leave the house without one again!

2) Macro ring flashes

Have you got a friend or family member who’s a Canon convert? If so, then these ring flashes may be just what you’re looking for. Designed for the Canon range, these handy accessories can produce a high-beam of artificial light to illuminate the photographers’ subject.

All you need to do is attach them onto the front of a DSLR. These work great indoors and are very popular with studio photographers. If the photographer you’re buying for prefers manufacturers other than Canon, then there are ranges to fit different brands available!

1) GorillaPod

While the bottle cap tripod is a handy and quirky alternative, when it comes to the GorillaPod, it’s hard to find a better accessory for the modern-day photographer.

When capturing landscapes or scouring the great outdoors for a perfect wildlife picture, sometimes things can get a little unpredictable. Photographers have to be flexible and they need their equipment to be the same. This is where the GorillaPod comes in handy.

Styled as the flexible camera tripod, these distinctive bits of kit can be used to secure your camera to a range of different outdoor terrains. The bendable legs of the GorillaPod make them ideal for wrapping around large rocks, and their rubber feet means they should stand their ground on uneven surfaces.

These are great for the outdoor photographer, so we’re sure that by adding this to your Christmas list you’re bound to send your photographer friend ape!