This blog post is for anyone who has a PHOTOGRAPHER to buy for and want to get them something fun and quirky…or useful! Some of this stuff can be found locally, but some you’ll have to order from Toronto or the states…but c’mon, your photographer is worth it!
FUN AND QUIRKY STUFF!
CAMERA LENSES YOU CAN DRINK FROM
No, that’s not a typo…recently a variety of mugs, thermos bottles, and other beverage containers that look exactly like camera lenses have come on the market. Most of these items may be hard to find in Canada…most of these I’ve found from Photojojo. a great site with lots of quirky AND usefull things!
Shot Glasses Both Canon and Nikon now!
Thermos and Mug set in Nikon and Canon versions
And of course COFFEE MUGS!!
KITCHEN LENS TIMER!
The f/60 Lens Kitchen Timer, a kitchen timer disguised as a zoom lens!
That F/60 would give you some sweet depth of field on your baked goods!
Speaking of baked goods…
USB DRIVES AND OTHER GADGETS!
How about a cool F-Stop Watch?
Mini SLR camera USB drive Nikon, Canon AND Pentax!
For your old school film type, a film cannister USB drive!
USEFUL STUFF!
LENS BABY 
These are cool lenses that allow the photographer to do funky depth of field/focus effects! Lots of examples here.
Website here. They do have them at Henrys.com
USE YOUR IPHONE AS A CAMERA REMOTE!
The Trigger Trap cord and app combo allows you to use your iPhone as a remote, with a lot of different modes and features.
TOY CAMERAS
For anyone who has a photographer who used to shoot film…or is one of those hipster types, a toy camera can be a great gift.
Two of the most popular are the HOLGA and the DIANA
Both are cameras with plastic lenses and shoot 120 film.
Or for those who don’t shot film you can get lenses that go on your Digital SLR to get a similar effect!
Here is an image by Cole Burston taken witha Holga:
You see more examples here.
I have found some Canada based suppliers, The Camera Store in Calgary, and Downtown Camera in Toronto to get them.
iPHOTOGRAPHERS
And for your iPhotography friends….JUST AND INSANE AMOUNT OF iPHONE ACCESSORIES HERE
HOLGA IPHONE LENS KIT
This kit turns your iPhone/iPod into a holga!
TELEPHOTO LENS KIT
This lens allows you to zoom in on the subjects, something you cant do with the iPhone camera.(well, digital zoom, but that reduces quality…this is an accessory lens, but it will be sharper than digittal zooming)
TELEPHOTO LENS MOUNT
Or you can go all in and get this lens mount kit that lets you mount your Nikon or Canon lenses to your iPhone.
OTHER STUFF
There truly is a Monopoly for everyone…I have like 6 versions of the game at home…but not this Photoopoly one!
How about some Photoshop Fridge Magnets?
GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR CAMERA EQUIPMENT
It can be hard to buy actual equipment for your photographer when you yourself know absolutely nothing about cameras….so instead, buy them a gift certificate from your local camera store like Harvey Studios in Fredericton, Ivan’s in Moncton, so they can buy exactly what they want! Or Henrys in Toronto/Halifax.
BOOKS/MAGAZINES/SOFTWARE
PHOTO LIFE
Why not get them a subscription to the only Canadian based photo magazine for photographers? Contact me if you are interested in a special deal I can give you as a photography instructor!
A gift certificate from your local bookstore or chain store will let them pick the books they want!
Your photographer’s interests will determine what kind of book they would like…
Are they a creative DIY photog? Try Photojojo! The Book
If they love photoshop, any of the Photoshop for Photographers by Scott Kelby are great! (make sure you have the one for their version of photoshop)
Speaking of photoshop, if your photographer doesn’t have it…buy it for them!
Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 is now out, and can be bought for $100 from Adobe.com. With it, they will be able to crop, reszie, color correct, sharpen, and do lots of creative things to their photographs. Combine it with my 2 day photoshop course and your photographer will have a great christmas!!!
And if you are looking for some more “you time”, having photoshop will mean they will spend more time on the computer…
A PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE!
Why not enroll them in one of my many photography courses? I have an eight week beginner digital SLR course starting in early January, along with some 2 day photoshop courses, and will be setting more dates as the weather gets better for my one day SLR courses, workshops, and field trips (including another epic Grand Manan field trip!) You can find lots of info about my courses on my site here.
APP STORE CARD
Tons of great apps out there for your photographer, whether they shoot with their SLR, point and shoot, or just their iPhone or iPod touch. Buy them an iTunes or App Store card so they can download some great apps…
I can think of a few…
Check out my Photography Assignment Generator Apps on the app store, a unique photography app that’s meant to inspire you to take great photos!
Perfect for anyone taking part in a Photo 365 challenge, there are over a hundred individual assignments and hundreds of thousands of potential random ones. Versions available for iPhone/iPod and iPad, including free versions so you can try them out! Full details, including reviews and tour videos of the apps can be found at www.learnphoto.ca/apps Even if you only download the free version that would help get it up the app store lists!
If you want to give them to someone, click the arrow next to BUY APP and select GIFT APP
Here’s the full list of buying guides
CAMERA BUYING GUIDE
LENS BUYING GUIDE
FLASH AND FLASH ACCESSORY GUIDE
TRIPOD AND CAMERA ACCESSORY GUIDE
FUN STUFF TO BUY FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER
WHERE TO BUY
I am a big fan of buying local when possible, for a few reasons.
1) You are supporting a local business
2) If you have any problems, the local people are usually easier to deal with. Buying from an out of province/country dealer, if there is a problem, you will most likely have to pay to ship it back to them. There could also be warranty issues if buying from another country
if you are in Saint John, Future Shop is your best bet as they have brought in more equipment since Applebys closed down…in Fredericton, head to Harvey Studios. (Tell them Noel sent you!) or Ivan’s in Moncton.
If you want to buy online, Henrys in Toronto(also Halifax) is a great store that I’ve dealt with personally and for the Telegraph and had no issues with. Also Vistek.
Avoid buying from ebay, unless it is from a reputable dealer. I’ve seen lots of “great deals” where you seem like you are getting a whole lot of extras…but in reality, it’s a bunch of extra crap. bad lenses, crappy tripods, no name brand memory cards…not worth it.
If buying something off Kijiji or craiglist, make sure you try it out. If the seller won’t let you try it out, that’s a good warning sign…
Once you’ve bought a new camera or accessory , check out some of my photography courses so you can use it to it’s fullest potential! Check them out under the COURSE menu above, onr contact Noel at noel@learnphoto365.com
I hope you find these tips useful!
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Noel Chenier
———-
Photographer and teacher
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