I’ll admit it, Christmas has seemed to sneak up on me fast this year – and a gift that arrived damaged in shipping had me spending part of my weekend emergency gifting. That got me thinking – as a photographer, what last-minute gifts would I like to receive?
Maybe you missed someone on your list. Maybe someone invited a new significant other to the Christmas party at the last minute. Or maybe you’re just a procrasti-gifter. Whatever the reason, you need a gift fast – and preferably without heading into the crowded stores.
Here are four last-minute gift ideas for photographers that are available instantly, no shipping required.
Gift cards for photo gear
Personally, I love getting gift cards – both because I love shopping and because photography gear comes down to things like personal preferences and what brand is already in my camera bag. For photographers, consider an eGift card for a retailer that sells photo gear.
- Amazon gift cards: Amazon isn’t photo-specific, but that means if their gear bag is already full, they can pick up something else that suits their fancy.
- Adorama gift cards: Adorama is an excellent photo-specific retailer with eGift cards.
- B&H Photo Video gift cards: B&H is a well-known US photo retailer. They have both an online store and a physical store in New York City.
Gift cards for photo prints
I love decorating my home with my own photos, but wall art adds up quick, so a gift card for some photo prints is always appreciated. With the end of the year here, a gift card to a photo print lab also covers purchases like annual photo books or photo calendars.
- Nations Photo Lab: This print lab has an excellent balance between price and quality, offering excellent prints and photo books at reasonable prices.
- Printique: Printique, which is owned by Adorama, is a fantastic photo lab that has some lovely pro-level photo books, as well as calendars, wall decor, and prints.
- Saal: Sall is a high-end, luxury photo printer with gorgeous photo books and prints.
- A Chatbooks photo book subscription. (20 percent off with code INSTAGIFT): Chatbooks fixes the all-too-common problem of taking lots of digital photos but never printing them. A Chatbooks gift subscription lets photographers fill the books with their own images and receive a new book every three, six, or 12 months.
Photography eBooks
If the photographer on your list is also a reader, eBooks make excellent last-minute gifts. Coffee table books are meant to be printed and enjoyed in physical form, but there are a number of great instructional books that work well on eReaders and tablets. Here are a few ideas:
- Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs: This beginner-friendly book is full of inspiration and tips, but without the photo jargon
- Shooting in Sh*tty Light: This book walks through the ten trickiest lighting scenarios and how to tackle each one, which is great for both beginners and intermediate photographers
- The Flash Book: This book seriously helped level up my photography with flash.
- For more ideas, browse the best photography books
A photography magazine subscription
Did you know that Digital Camera World has a print publication? Each month is packed with tutorials, features, news, and reviews for photographers, and right now, your first three issues are $3 for new subscribers.
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