Best gifts for photographers, 2020 edition
Welcome to our best gifts list for the photographer in your life for 2020. If you are a photographer: have a browse and see what might be missing from your kit bag. This list was co-ordinated by AYWMCer and EDPS Camera Club member Lorna McHardy with help from the rest of the Camera Club members and has been dubbed the “Essential, Useful/Desirable, and Fun Bits of Kit for Different Photography Genres”.
Before we start, if you know someone who is getting their first big camera this Christmas, buy them the first A Year With My Camera workbook to go with it. It’s the only beginner’s book they’ll need to get up and running from day 1 without wasting time trawling through YouTube videos or buying books that are too advanced. The workbooks are available on your local Amazon store.
1. Generally essential gear for any photographer
Your usual camera and lens of choice (the one that's always on it unless it isn't).
Spare batteries, fully charged. Especially if it's cold, or you're draining them with bursts of high-frequency, or long exposure.
Spare SD cards, suitable for the type of photography you are engaged in. Lots, and fast.
Airbrush, lens cloths, and something large that will soak up water (e.g. a compact microfibre towel).
Remote shutter release.
Phone... for apps (Photopills, Photographer's Ephemeris), but also safety, emergency, maps. What Three Words is a great app to let someone know your location in an emergency but also to use for location scouting.
Clothing/gear protection for whatever weather (sunscreen, hat)... and food and drink if you're going to be out all day... and don't forget your glasses!
If you’re leaving home you’ll need something to put everything in. Pick something comfortable that you can keep going in all day, something waterproof and easy to access.
The most inexpensive yet most useful piece of gear any outdoor photographer can own: a microfibre camping towel. Emma’s is shown in action here providing some protection from rain and seaspray. These towels hold a lot of water and you just wring them out and start again.
2. Landscape
Essential:
Tripod. If using long exposure and a heavy lens, L-bracket/lens collar.
Suitable clothing... good walking shoes/boots, wet weather protection for you and the camera, sunscreen/hat.
Useful/desirable:
Wide-angle lens, long lens.
Camping stool, midge-repellant.
Gimbal tripod head (for panoramas).
Filters: ND, ND graduated, reverse ND graduated (sunrise/sunset), and polarising.
Guide books, apps.
Waterproof padded backpack.
Fun:
Tilt/shift lens, lensball, fish-eye lens, lensbaby.
Emma’s book, Beginner’s Landscape Photography, is available now: click here to buy
3. Macro
Essential:
Suitable lens. It can be done by reversing a standard lens but nowhere near as well.
Useful/desirable:
Small light source such as Lumimuse. If your budget extends that far and you shoot a lot of insects, a dedicated front-of-lens ring flash is a must-have.
Small and flexible tripod (e.g. Gorilla).
Mini-windbreakers.
Pins/clamps to hold stuff motionless.
Portable reflector.
Fun:
Props such as toys or mini figures.
These shots used only the sun as the light source. If you are photographing fast-moving insects or stuck with lower lighting conditions, a ring-flash becomes indispensable.
4. Sport/Wildlife
Essential:
Only the general... but you'll want more very quickly. Fast memory cards and spare batteries particularly important for this genre.
Useful/desirable:
The longest and best quality lens you can afford.
A flexible way of stabilizing the long lens: tripod with gimbal, monopod, bean bags.
Wet and cold weather protection for yourself and your camera. Gloves and hand warmers. Midge repellant.
Pop-up hide or bag hide.
Waterproof padded backpack.
Fun:
Battery pack and mini-tripod for mobile to take simultaneous video.
Spare camera body for the wildlife to play/pose with.
A ghillie suit is optional for wildlife photographers but anything that makes you invisible and able to stay in place for long stretches of time is invaluable.
5. Night
Essential:
Tripod.
Torch/small flashlight to see where you're going and change settings... consider red filter torch or head torch.
Additional spare batteries!
Warm clothes/handwarmers/gloves.
Useful/desirable:
Photopills/Photographer's Ephemeris for night sky planning.
Wide-angle lens.
For the remote shutter release: timer if using bulb mode, interval exposure option, delay exposure option.
Lens hood (to avoid flare from city and other harsh lights).
Light source to illuminate specific subjects and reduce contrast.
ND filters.
Full-frame camera body may allow higher ISO with less image degradation.
Camping stool.
Fun:
Coloured gel for the light source.
Light painting stuff - coloured glowsticks, pin light for drawing, wire wool and matches (be careful!).
Sky-tracking camera mount.
Lots of planning goes into a night shot so don’t be let down by not having the right gear. Stay warm and dry, have plenty of spare batteries, food and drink, and a camping stool is a bonus if you’ll be out for hours.
6. Indoor/Studio
Essential:
Flat solid surface and/or a seating area.
Light... only a window is truly essential but see next section!
Useful/desirable:
Lights: lightbox, lightpad. Dimmable option. LED video lights. Flash, strobes. Softbox, grid, snoot.
Reflectors and light stands.
Backdrops (don’t forget AYWMCers can claim 10% off Capture By Lucy backdrops with the code “AYEARWITHMYCAMERA”).
Things to grip stuff with, like plamps. A selection of different ones probably best... and lots of them.
Fun:
Coloured gels for light source.
Mirrors.
Can of air duster and mist humidifier.
Tripod with ball head for easy vertical positioning. Plamp to hold the flower. Macro lens (Canon 100mm). Light pad for bright backlight and coloured cellophane paper for the background.
7. City/Street
Very similar to landscape. Wide-angle lens probably essential; selection of different lengths useful.
General photography present ideas
There are plenty of ideas for basic presents for photographers in our previous photographer’s gift guide:
The 2018 photographer’s gift guide which includes a “books to read on the journey” section which is as valid today as it was then.
And if you want help knowing which camera to buy, our camera-buying guide will help.
What is A Year With My Camera?
AYWMC is an online beginner’s photography course written by Emma Davies (who swears by the triathlete’s Dry Robe to stay warm and dry when shooting in winter). The email version is free for one year. Join here and get started today:
