Gifts for Creators 2023: The Photographer

Photographers and photo enthusiasts are notoriously hard to gift shop for - they are choosy about their tools but there are some things that every photographer, beginner to expert, will find useful. We’ve curated a list of thoughtful presents you can give to the special photographer in your life.

We also suggest checking out our Techie guide, as these tools will be helpful for digital photography.

Please also support your loved & local artists by purchasing their art as gifts for your other loved ones! Spread the creativity around.

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Polaroid Now I-Type Instant Camera ~$141 Ideal for those who appreciate the magic of instant film but want the perks of current tech, this camera brings the classic instant photography experience into the digital age with style and ease. Packing features like dual lens autofocus and integrated Bluetooth for use with the Polaroid app in a nostalgic package.

Polaroid I-Type Instant Film Variety Pack ~$44 Designed for the modern Polaroid cameras, offering rich colors, tones, and contrasts. Perfect for making images in bright light or with flash, this film is a favorite for its classic white frame and the clear, vibrant images it produces. Includes 8 Color and 8 B&W.

Polaroid Originals Color Instant Film ~$47 The classic choice for high-definition instant color prints, delivering high-speed, medium-contrast images that we all know and love. It works beautifully with both daylight and flash. The film is compatible with vintage 600 and i-Type cameras, offering a versatile option.

SAMSUNG SSD T7 Portable External Drive 2TB ~$135 Give the gift of digital organization - we love these hard drives because they are fast, thermally optimized and are compact enough to be kept in our camera bag. At the studio, we dedicate two mirrored hard drives per-project to make sure we have digital file redundancy - boring but important, making it a great gift for the serious photographer.

Manfrotto 322RC2 Ball Head with 200PL-14 Quick Release Plate ~$250 This is the best tripod head we have ever used for stills, and our other ones have been collecting dust since we got it. Since all of our camera fleet has in-camera levels now we don’t really need to rely on geared tripod heads with bubble levels any more and this tripod head is STRONG - it gets attached to all different kinds of tripod legs depending on our needs, or even to our overhead photography frame for quick-switching from horizontal to vertical video.

JOBY GorillaPod 5K Flexible Mini-Tripod with Ball Head Kit ~$130 A set of tripod legs that bends and stabilizes anywhere, but this rig can also hold up to an 11 lb camera and lens! That’s an SLR with a lens and then some! We use this all the time for sneaking our camera in to tight places to capture b-roll, wrapping the legs around street posts, or splay them out flat. Moreover, these chonky squid-legged tripods can support flash heads and continuous lights too!

Mini Bi-Color Portable Photography Lighting ~$25 Really great little light for fitting in to tight space but this thing is POWERFUL - and it’s USB C rechargeable. It stays in our camera bag and is about the size of wallet.

Foot Pedal Shutter Release for Canon Cameras $165 and for Nikon Cameras $195 Perfect for overhead photography, camera scanning, stop-animation, and an awesome tool for bloggers who need to make a picture while your hands are in the frame.

Ways of Seeing by John Berger ~$7 A transformative text that deconstructs the viewer’s relationship with art. For photographers, it's an invitation to look beyond the surface and question the power dynamics and contexts that shape visual representation. This book is an essential resource for those eager to engage with their craft on a conceptual level, making it a thoughtful present for photographers who value the philosophy behind the image.

A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum ~$70 This book makes an enlightening gift, providing an extensive survey of photographic history, from the earliest experiments to the latest digital practices. It is a critical resource about the medium's past as its potential for the future.

Thanks for checking out our 2023 gift recommendations for the photographer! Now you'll be sure to have the best presents at your gift exchange. Find some of our other curated gift lists here:
      The Artist
      The Maker
      The Techie
      The Maker
      Under $25