Photography Gifts for Hard-to-Please People
photo byagrobacter via iStock
It can be really difficult to pick out photography gifts, especially if you yourself are not a photographer, and I know this because I get emails from people all the time asking for photography gift ideas.
Another reason why it can be so hard to get gifts for photographers is that you have no idea what they have already and what they don’t have. It wouldn’t make sense to get them a camera they’ve had for two years, just like it wouldn’t make sense to get them extra memory cards that they likely already have piled up in a junk drawer somewhere. So, sometimes you need to get a little more creative with your gift ideas for photographers.
In this article, I have three perfect photography gifts for hard-to-please photographers, or for the photographer who has it all. Each of these photography gifts are from Holdfast. We are recommending Holdfast leather photography accessories because they are all very high quality. All of the staff members at PhotographyTalk own at least one Holdfast piece, so we can’t recommend them enough!
Holdfast Tanker Belt
The first gift idea on our list is the Holdfast Tanker Belt, which is a camera belt built to keep all of your gear in place without pulling your pants down.
The belt is made out of two thick pieces of bridle or water buffalo leather. The base layer connects to the top layer to create a series of hang loops. These hang loops can be used to carry your keys, your wallet, and camera pouches (which you can use to store your memory cards and extra batteries).
If you’re looking for leather gifts for photographers, the Holdfast Tanker Belt is a great option because you can keep adding accessories to your gift on future holidays. For example, the Tanker Belt works really well with the Ranger MoneyMaker dog leash (for adventurous photographers with furry friends) or a Sightseer pouch which comes with quick-attach hardware.
The Tanker Belt comes with 3 stainless steel D-rings, but you can always buy more if you need them. Conversely, you can also remove them if you don’t.
This isn’t one of the best photography gifts if you don’t know the measurements of the person you’re buying for, since each Holdfast Tanker Belt comes in three sizes: ranging from a 28” waist to a 44” waist.
Like most Holdfast products, the Holdfast Tanker Belt comes in a variety of colors, like tan, chestnut and black, and it is available for $175.
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HF Classic Strap
The Holdfast Classic Strap is the only leather camera strap you will ever need, which means it is obviously one of the most thoughtful photography gifts.
This strap is made of the same leather that Holdfast’s MoneyMaker line and it comes in two sizes: a wide 1” version and a skinny ½” version. No matter which option you choose, you can expect your strap to come with a stainless steel clasp that is covered by a leather shroud which will keep the metal away from your camera body.
The best photography gifts are simple ones and this leather camera strap is as classic as they come.
The best photography gifts are also ones that are going to be used, and even if that special photographer in your life already has a camera strap, the HF Classic Strap is going to fill a gap for them because it will allow them to grab a camera for the day and head out. Most photography straps are a lot more than your average photographer would need for a day trip.
This strap also comes in tan, chestnut, black, or burgundy and is only $95.
Holdfast Explorer Wallet
Rounding out our photography gifts article is the Holdfast Explorer Wallet. This wallet may not seem like it should be on a photography gifts article at first glance, but it comes with all sorts of features that are perfect for the photographer in your life.
First of all, this wallet comes with a nice stainless steel strap which will allow you to hook it onto the Holdfast Tanker Belt so you can keep all of your equipment in one place. Secondly, this wallet is completely weather-proof because it is made out of wax canvas and bison leather. This means that you don’t need to worry about your money getting soaked in a freak rainstorm while you’re out shooting.
The wallet comes with 12 memory card slots, which is more slots than any photographer should ever need, 11 pockets for things like your credit cards and IDs, and 2 bonus pockets where you can store batteries.
Besides all of the cool features it has, the wallet also looks great. It comes in either olive, navy or black and sells for $255.
We hope that you found these photography gifts helpful!
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We Recommend
Top 10 Gifts for Photographers Under $150
Believe it or not, the Holdays are almost upon us! Since it's never too early to start shopping for your favorite photographer-type people, we're helping get you off to an early start. As always, we've listend to our members and followed the buying trends to bring you our lists of gifts sure to please any photography or cinematography buffs on your list. Here's the first for this year, with ten great gift ideas under $150.00. Happy shopping!
1. Syrp Variable ND Filter
A Neutral Density (ND) filter is one of the most creative tools you can give a photographer or cinematographer. It enables creative effects by allowing wider apertures and/or slower shutter speeds in bright lighting conditions. The most well-known examples are probably those dreamy, foggy effects created by moving water in stills and elimination of “roll” in videos. This rugged, variable version eliminates the need to carry several ND filters by allowing from 1 to 8.5 stops of exposure reduction with one filter!
2. Datacolor® Spyder®LENSCAL
SpyderLENSCAL provides a fast, reliable method of measuring the focus performance on your camera and lens combinations. It allows photographers to obtain razor-sharp focusing or check to see that their lenses are working at their peak performance.
3. WoodSnap
Imagine your favorite photographer's work printed directly on wood! Give him or her a vibrant, 16” x 20” wood print, complete with mounting slots and ready to grace his, her (or your) wall! Each genuine wood print is completely unique. Upload a photo from Facebook, Instagram or your computer, or email it in to get started.
4. Spider Holster
Conventional camera straps are clumsy, hard on your neck and shoulders and not the fastest way to access your DSLR. The Single Camera System from Spider Pro transfers the weight to your hips and allows an incredibly quick draw of a full-size DSLR with lens when that killer shot comes up. It's revolutionary, rugged and perfect for active photographers.
5. Perfectly Clear
Perfectly Clear Complete for Photoshop and Lightroom offers incredibly effective, one-click enhancement of images. You can use the 40 built-in presets or easily create your own with precise control. With this bundle, you'll get complete control over exposure, contrast, noise reduction, and color. Portrait photographers can also quickly enhance the eyes, skin, face, teeth and much more in one easy-to-use package.
6.Wolverine F2D Mighty
Most photograhers have stacks of negatives and slides just begging to be converted to digital images, and who doesn't have a bunch of old home movies to digitize? The Wolverine Digital Converter makes it easy to create high-resoultion (up to 20MP) digital files from film and positive transparencies. Give the gift of preserved memories.
7. Promaster Multi-Function IR Timer Remote/Intervalometer
Time-lapse sequences are among the most fun and rewarding things you can do with your DSLR. With this intervalometer, you can control your sequences remotely on most brand-name DSLRs and for those that don't have IR sensors, you can add an optional cable to use it wired. Of course, it also works as a standard remote shutter release with a little extra control, like controlling the number of exposures in continuous mode, all from up to 30 feet away.
8. Sirui T-004X Aluminum Tripod with C-10S Ball Head
This aluminum travel tripod from Sirui is compact and weighs in at just 2 pounds. Its legs reverse fold, so its closed size is just 15.7 inches. The adjustable center column can be replaced with the short center column for low angle shooting and three leg angle settings let you keep shooting on uneven terrain. Despite its small size, it can support up to 13.2 pounds and has a maximum height of 58 inches. The tripod even comes with a ball head with safety-lock Arca-type compatible clamp with quick release plate.
Learn more about the Sirui T-004X Aluminum Tripod with C-10S Ball Head.
9. Aquapac SLR Camera Case with Hard Lens
How awesome would it be to shoot underwater with your DSLR? The Aquapac can make that happen! Not only is it guaranteed to let you shoot under up to 15 feet of water, it will float if you drop your camera overboard, and doubles as a protective “rain suit” to keep out moisture, sand and other contaminants. It also comes with an adjustable neck cord and moisture-detecting desiccant packets. Open up a whole world of new possibilities with this gift.
Glide Gear DEV 235 Camera Track Slider 23.5"
One of the coolest things you can do with videos and time-lapse sequences is to add smooth, controlled camera motion. This simple slider enables that without a lot of expense, but without sacrificing quality. It mounts to a tripod or can be set up on almost any surface with the adjustable legs and rubber ball feet. It accepts almost any digital camera, camcorder or video camera, so there's no need to worry about what your favorite photographer shoots with!
We Recommend
Why Canvas Prints Make Great Gifts
If you need a unique gift to give your loved ones. I personally think there is no better option than canvas prints.
Canvas prints make wonderful photography gifts because they are so personal. Canvas prints are also pretty unique. It’s likely that your loved ones aren’t expecting anything like it.
I believe that canvas prints are one of the best photography gift ideas, too, because they are such a prominent piece in your home. I gave my father some canvas prints as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and everytime I’m over at his house, he loves to walk me past those canvas prints to thank me once again for being so thoughtful.
Here is a list of other reasons why canvas prints make great gifts.
Canvas Prints Look Great
Canvas prints are absolutely gorgeous, but they are also versatile. CanvasHQ, one of our favorite canvas print shops, has a variety of finishes for their canvases, ranging from matte to glossy to vintage.
In this way, you can easily create canvas prints that work with any type of home.
Matte prints work best in traditional environments, since they offer an ultra-low glare finish. Semi-gloss prints also work well in traditional homes because they simulate an oil painting.
Glossy prints and iridescent prints both look excellent in more modern environments, since they catch more light.
Finally, vintage prints work well in rural homes since the vintage finish is made of natural fibers.
Canvas Prints Last Long
CanvasHQ promises that each of their canvas prints will last a lifetime because they only use high quality ingredients.
From the ink to the canvas, and even the construction in between, CanvasHQ puts a lot of thought into their products. The end result is a canvas print that is of a museum grade quality. So long as you don’t hang your canvas print in direct sunlight, it should last decades.
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They're Well Made
CanvasHQ uses commercial-grade ink that is made for use outdoors in order to prevent your canvases from fading over time.
If you do opt for another canvas company, you need to make sure that they aren’t using water-based inks as a cost-cutting measure because they will bleed if they get wet and fade so easily.
CanvasHQ also uses six different ink colors to make sure that your canvas prints are as vibrant as your photos.
Unlike other canvas companies, CanvasHQ also puts each one of their canvases together by hand. This prevents the canvas from warping over time.
They're Affordable
Despite the fact that CanvasHQ creates all of their products with high quality ingredients, they are still really affordable.
Unlike other prints, like metal, that can be incredibly pricey, canvas prints cost just a little bit more than paper prints.
For example, you can purchase a canvas print off of CanvasHQ for as little as $20.
Even huge pieces you can buy for your friends and family to hang over their couches or master beds are only a few hundred dollars.