Holidays are just around the corner. If you’ve got a shutterbug in your life, you’re probably starting to get the annual stress induced by the pressure of picking up gifts they’ll actually like.

I get it.

Photographers, or any kind of creative professional for that matter, are a group of people who are notoriously difficult to get good gifts for. Let’s be honest, your photographer you have in mind likely has everything he wants, I know this as a fellow photographer – one that suffers from G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

So today, I’ll give you a pro’s insight on a lot of cool stuff that a photographer will find useful. Here’s your photographer gift-giving guide for 2021, starting with my number one personal pick…

#1 Polaroid Now+ – The Best Gift for Photographers for Around $100

An instant camera isn’t a necessity for a pro photographer, but it’s a fun gift that can spark creativity, heck it’s an awesome prop for couples shoots, hand it the couple and shoot away. You get great shots, they get a few tangible gifts they can take home that day.

It’s also an awesome gift idea if you want someone born from the younger generation of lensmen to get a little taste of analogue photography. Instant film offers an entirely different shooting experience which is a welcome shake-up to any creative’s day to day.

We’ve covered many of the best instant cameras, to me the Polaroid Now+ is one of the coolest instant film cameras you could get today. It prints sharp and gorgeous square photos at 3.1 inches, the largest among today’s selection of instant cameras. It’s also got a myriad of manual settings that can be remotely accessed via the app — great for the control freak creative who needs to tweak everything, even if it’s just for a fun little snapshot of today’s dinner with friends.

#2 Aputure MC RGB LED Light – Best Lighting Gift for Photographers

One thing about photographers is that they never really know if they need more lighting for a shot until they pick up the camera. The Aputure MC RGB LED is an extremely portable, credit card-sized light that packs a lot of punch and every creative should have one in their bag.

It’s a really versatile creative tool. You can set it to whatever color you need it to be or pick out an existing light on your set and have it match said color via the handy app. The MC also has a convenient magnetic backing so it can deliver a strong, continuous pop of light while being hidden away in the background. For $100, the Aputure MC is one of the best practical camera accessories you could get for any photographer and videographer.

#4 Rode SmartLav+ |  Best Gift for the Hybrid Photographer/Videographer

Now I know we’re talking about photographers specifically, so how come the next entry’s a lavalier mic? Well, first off, photography and videography have A LOT of overlap between the two fields and it’s very common for someone on either side of the fence to hop on over and expand their horizons.

Second, the Rode SmartLav+ is one of the most accessible entry points to great sounding audio. It’s easy to use: you just clip it anywhere near your collar, run the cable under your shirt, plug it on your smartphone and boom — you’ve got broadcast worthy audio without any real set up time. The SmartLav+ is great for any photographer friend who’s starting to dip their toes into videography work, and at $79, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better sounding lav mic.

#5 Peak Design Cuff – Ditch the neck strap for a wrist strap!

I’ve talked about this amazing piece of kit on two separate posts at this point, and I’ll gladly talk about it again. The Peak Design Cuff is easily one of the best wrist straps you could get for a photographer, professionals or enthusiasts alike.

The Cuff is comfortable, can carry about 200 pounds of load, looks very sleek, and costs $30 on Amazon. It’s got an “automatic” drop protection feature that cinches itself down if you accidentally let your precious gear slip out of your hands.

#6 A Nifty-Fifty Prime Lens

Now this is a great gift for anyone who just picked up the hobby very recently. For the uninitiated, a nifty fifty is a prime lens, or a fixed-focal length lens with a fast aperture, allowing for more creative control for new photographers. They’re also the most affordable lenses you could get.

Canon (EF and RF), Nikon (FX, DX and Z), and Sony’s nifty fifties are excellent starter lenses. Fujifilm also offers a competitive nifty fifty equivalent and so does the micro four thirds system. Just remember to do a little research and make sure the prime lens you get is compatible with the giftee’s camera!

#7 Photography Books

You can’t go wrong with photography books. Find out what genre they’re into and I can almost guarantee there’s a long list of available classics for that field they’ll gladly have on their shelves. Robert Frank’s The Americans for one is a must-have for street photographers all over the world.

On the other hand, portrait photographers would greatly benefit from Gregory Heisler’s 50 Portraits. Or, if you want practical advice on starting a photography business and photography in general, there’s Zack Arias’ widely acclaimed Photography Q&A.

My personal favorite though, is perhaps the most practical of all, The Photographer’s Guide to Posing, from one my favorite photographers, Lindsay Adler.

There’s a wealth of printed material out there for the craft and there’s always something for everybody!

#8 Lastolite 5×7′ Vintage Collapsible Background

Here’s another extremely practical piece of gear you can give almost to any photographer. A lot of aspiring food photographers, portrait and product photographers will require a good background for their work. This Lastolite Collapsible Background is an amazing backdrop that combines premium-level aesthetics and practicality phenomenally well. They also have them in black and white if that’s more up your alley.

There aren’t many products that can give you that sought-after, hand-painted look that’ll add a beautiful painterly vibe to your photos without getting you to spend too much time and effort prepping up — It’ll let you set up your shot and tear it down in a flash just like any portable backdrop. The Lastolite Collapsible props up to 5 x 7 ft which is the perfect backdrop for on-location headshots and non-full body portraiture.

https://youtu.be/1F5h7njfE8w

#9 Legacy Lens Adapter

Giving your new-ish photographer friend a good legacy lens adapter is like opening an entirely new world of creative possibilities for them on the cheap. What a legacy lens adapter does is that it makes old lenses — really old lenses from the 70s — mount to modern cameras of today.

Now the operation will be entirely manual, but the character and sharpness you can get out of cheap legacy lenses isn’t something you can lightly ignore. We’ve done a complete guide to adapting FD lenses to mirrorless cameras already, if you’re on Micro Four Thirds or an APS-C camera, I’d look into lens adapters and you can find them for under $20. If you want something a little more premium, the Metabones Speedbooster’s can change your FoV and let in a little more light.

#10 Billingham Hadley Pro 2020

The Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 is an incredibly stylish camera bag. It’s made with honest-to-goodness leather, features brass fixings and three-layer waterproof canvas, all hand made in England. Honestly, the photographer in your life must have been a real stand-up person this year to deserve such a fine bag.

It’s great for photographers who pack light or those who can get by with one body and a couple of lenses. This beauty fits a 13” laptop, too! The Hadley Pro exudes so much class and elegance that no one will ever know you’re strutting around the city with a whole host of camera gear, except of course for a few eagle-eyed peers who’ll recognize the classic Billingham look.

#10 Impact Heavy-Duty Air-Cushioned Light Stand

Photographers who are just starting with external lighting may need more gear than they realize. Help a budding portrait photographer out and get them a reliable, good quality light stand that should last them most of their career.

This air-cushioned heavy duty light stand from Impact should do the trick. It rises up to 9.5 ft., is relatively lightweight, and can carry up to 22 pounds of load. There’s also this really neat security feature that lets the tubes gently glide down, instead of having it crash and meet the floor when you forget to lock the joints.

If the photographer you have in mind is a professional photographer – I’d opt for a good quality C-Stand instead.

Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below!