10 Cheap and Spectacular Gift Ideas for a Photographer

10 Minute Read:

Hey Guys! Sorry for not posting this past few weeks, I’ve been busy with College Finals (Something I should’ve guessed) but now I will start posting Saturdays and every other Wednesday. But for now and since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought that for this week I should make a list of gift ideas that are very cheap and very cool for you guys to give yourself, family members or others fellow photographers. In part this will be a really simple and short post but take this as a cool “What to buy list photographers edition”. So without further ado here are 10 Cheap and Spectacular Gift Ideas for a Photographer.

1. Lens Mug / $9.99 / Click here

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: The Lens Mug are not only cheap, but good looking, useful and it gives the photographer using it a sense of work space and identification. You don’t have to really drink coffee out of it (or any particular beverage) if you want you can also use it as a cool vase for the office too. Really, no photographer would be discourage by this gift. 

2. Camera USB Drives / $20 / Click Here (or a quick search Online)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift:  Its is really a great gift for college students who desperately need USB drives for their papers and projects. But to put it on a general basis its 8 GB of cool ass storage, nothing more to say! I wish i had 10 of these myself, even if I didn’t use them, having cute little plastic cameras around is fun enough. 

3. Pins, Stickers or Patches / $1-15 / Click Here (or a quick Google search)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: I think this is the cheapest and coolest little gift. If you already have a gift for someone but want to add that “icing on the cake” type thing don’t hesitate to pick on of these up. I personally love stickers, but if you know the person likes either one, there is literally nothing here that would go as a bad gift. *Quick Idea: If you buy a patch I suggest buying a cool jacket (or any piece of clothing) that could go well with it and either sew it yourself or give it as a DIY gift. Either way it would be a great out of the box gift.*

The best places I’ve seen are AsildaStore.com and ShootFilmCo.com so go ahead and check them out, or just do a quick google search if you want to find other cool designs on the web.

4. Cool Camera Strap(s) / $5-20 / Click Here (or a quick search on Amazon)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: Straps are, and always will be useful gifts. Giving a photographer a new camera strap is like giving a photographer a new piece of clothing, it is supposed to be stylish (In my opinion) and its supposed to go with the photographers look. It can be colorful and hipster-ish, it can be straight up leather vintage strap or it could be a go hard professional photographer type strap. It all depends on the photographer you’re giving it to, but it couldn’t go wrong if its not expected.

5. Photography Book(s) / $15-80 / Click Here (or a quick search on Amazon)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: There is no complicated explanation to this, if you care for a photographers art and knowledge, books are always a great option. Photographers are mainly visual, so this is why I listed books that are still full of imagery, and make for a great source of inspiration. Must of them are fairly cheap so go ahead and look for them online.

6. Motion Picture (Movie) or Documentary / $5-20 / Click Here (or a quick search on Amazon)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: They’re movies, who doesn’t enjoy a good movie or documentary. Here I listed some of the best movies/documentaries on photography I’ve ever seen from The BangBang Club to The Secret life of Walter Mitty or an in between, Everybody Street. This Movies and Documentaries promise to change a photographers perception on photography for the good, and are a great way to sit down and relax for a bit. 

7. Camera Bag / $25-100 / Click Here (or a quick search Online)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: Shoulder Bags are (apart from cameras and lenses) the most necessary item a photographers needs, just keep in mind a lot of them are really expensive, so for this blog post I just posted a more “laid back” shoulder bag ($55) because it is what I like using. Although a lot of professional photographers like to carry rolling bag and even suit cases, it doesn’t mean it is a bad gift but it is more of a chilling off work type gift. 

8. Instant Camera (Instax mini 8) / $69.95 / Click Here 

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: Quite Simple, is a small instant camera, who wouldn’t love this gift? Like really if you have the money buy the camera and a couple of film packages and you’re up for tons of fun and instant memories. If you have a cool extra bucks in your wallet throw in those cool filters, check out Pinterest for cool ideas with this camera and your gift is set to go.

9. Film Camera /  $50-200 / Click Here (Or a quick search on eBay)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: This is really way more than a simple material gift. A film camera makes a photographer stop and rethink their creating process. Photographing is way more rewarding, because it forces you to take your time to shoot, there is a certain love and care for the things you shoot. Buying someone a film camera means caring for knowledge and time. And getting your film back from developing is like another Christmas gift each time you do it. So again, if you have the money pick one off the internet buy a couple of 35mm rolls and you’re set with a awesome gift. 

10. GoPro / $200-350/ Click Here (or a quick search Online)

Reason(s) why this is a great gift: This is by far the best gift I can think of that’s sort of out of the box and its relatively cheap for what you can accomplish with it. GoPro’s are simply amazing cameras I suggest you take a look at their website GoPro.com and just be amazed on what this cameras can do. I suggest buying a GoPro Hero 4 Sessions if you don’t have the budget but really want to make the most of it but if you can spend those extra $50 go buy the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver just because it captures 10mp rather than 8mp (keep in mind this is from a photographers mindset, but if the person also likes video you should check other gopros out and decide from their)

That is it for today’s post, Christmas it’s just around the corner I hope you enjoy it with your family and friends. I will keep posting weekly but for now Share, comment and subscribe to the mailing list down below if you wish to receive an email every time I post on the Blog. Thanks for reading, see you around and remember…Keep taking frames.