Looking for the perfect holiday present for that photographer in your life? It’s not always easy! These are best photography gift ideas for camera lovers, no matter what your budget.
Skip the gift card this year, and buy a birthday or holiday photography gift that your favorite amateur or professional photographer will actually appreciate.
These popular gifts for photographers can help make taking photos more convenient.
Photographers can be a picky bunch! If you’re not a photographer yourself, it can be difficult to know what they want.
As a long-time travel photographer, I choose to pack photo gadgets that have multiple uses, don’t take up to much space, and will improve my photography experience of capturing beautiful images.
So here are some of my best gift ideas for photographers that are guaranteed to put a smile on the recipient’s face!
A must-have for photographers to keep their camera sensors clean. The Eyelead Cleaning Kit is used to pull away stubborn sensor dust that can’t be removed with a standard air blower.
Dust on a digital camera’s sensor can ruin photos & video with spots, this camera cleaning kit allows you to safely remove the dust without damaging the sensitive sensor.
One of my favorite pieces of photography gear, the Peak Design Capture Clip allows you to wear your camera on your belt, or on your backpack straps, keeping your hands free for other tasks. The camera adapter fits into most tripod heads too!
Clipping in and out of the device is very quick and easy. You can even run with your camera strapped to your belt wearing this thing. Never miss another shot due to messing around with a camera bag. It’s a fantastic accessory for those who hike or walk a lot with their camera.
Photographers can never have enough storage space for their photos! The SanDisk Portable SSD is a pocket hard drive you can bring with you anywhere. Because it’s SSD, the drive is super reliable and can take a bit of abuse on the road.
I bring one of these drives with me to backup up any photos I take during a trip, so I have at least two copies of the images somewhere, just in case my computer gets busted or stolen. The 500 GB version costs less than $100, but you can also get storage up to 4TB (it just costs more).
Does that photographer you’re shopping for never get photos of herself/himself? Why not give the gift of great selfies and group shots without needing to hand the camera over to someone else? Check out this Sony Wireless Bluetooth Remote!
Once paired to a Sony camera, you can use the remote to focus and shoot photos or video from up to 60 feet away. The perfect accessory for an Instagram addict!
IMPORTANT NOTE: this particular remote only works with Sony Cameras. Check out this remote for Canon Cameras, and this one for Nikon Cameras.
READ MORE: What’s The Best Camera For Travel?
A Peak Design Sling Bag is wonderful gift for a photographer who needs something small and lightweight to carry their equipment around. The bag is weather-resistant, stylish, and will help protect camera gear. It also has has a lifetime guarantee!
There are 3 different sizes, and both the 3L & 6L bags are under $100. They are the perfect size to carry a camera and spare lens around a city for a day. Available in multiple colors too. It’s also a wonderful gift for travelers.
A Peak Design Camera Shell is always in my camera bag, as it allows me to protect my camera in bad weather like rain or snow. It also doubles as some basic protection in general, like if I’m just going to throw my camera in a beach bag for the day.
Combined with a Peak Design Capture Clip mentioned earlier, photographers get the best of both worlds — quick access to their camera on the go, but with protection from the elements too. A very unique gift idea for photographers!
The Peak Design Leash is a minimalist camera strap that packs down small, but is easy and convenient to use. The quick connectors can hold up to 200 lbs, so it works for both small and larger camera setups.
If the camera strap is getting in the way or blowing in the wind, for example when your using a tripod, you can easily remove it. It comes in multiple colors, and they have wider versions too if you prefer more comfort.
An air blaster is used to clean a digital camera’s sensor, lens, and other sensitive components from dust buildup. I personally love this particular air blaster because it pre-filters the air coming in, so you’re not just blowing dusty air back on your camera.
It’s also super small and easy to pack in a camera bag. Most photographers carry multiple lenses with them, that need to be changed from time to time. Dust can get into the camera during these lens changes, and it can ruin photos unless it’s blown away.
Another photographer must-have gift is a healthy stash of micro-fiber cleaning cloths. These are used to clean fingerprints, smudges, and water droplets off a camera lens to get the clearest images possible.
I always pack a few of these in my camera bag, and I’m always running low on them too.
These K&F Concept Micro-Fiber Cloths are my favorites so far, each comes individually vacuum-sealed to ensure they are free of dust. They are small, and don’t take up much space.
I own a few of these Think Tank Camera Accessory Pouches (in different sizes) to keep all my cables, battery chargers, SD cards, and other camera accessories organized. The clear sides allow me to quickly figure out what’s inside.
An awesome gift for photographers who want to stay more organized!
This is just a fun photography gift. Know someone who’s both into photography, and loves coffee? These camera lens coffee mugs are a wonderful gift idea!
The mugs look exactly like camera lenses, and they come in both white and black colors. The top of these stainless steel insulated coffee mugs even looks like lenses! This could also be a good idea for photography enthusiasts who work from home.
Every photographer needs a solid tripod to help capture the magic of the northern lights, epic sunrises and sunsets, and other kids of low-light or night photography. The Peak Design Travel Tripod is small enough to take anywhere and strong enough to hold large cameras.
The innovative design allows it to be packed down very small for travel, yet extends to a full size tripod. It also includes a handy attachment for your smartphone! You can read my full review of this tripod here.
This thing is magic! The Fujifilm Instax Printer is an ultra small portable photo printer that allows you to quickly print photos directly from your smartphone for friends and family. It’s super fun to bring to parties, family reunions, or while traveling.
Send your photos to the printer via Bluetooth from your phone, and print them out to give to friends or hang them up around the house. Images print fast, with surprising quality, in a 2X3 format.
While it may look like a normal picture frame, this Digital Photo Frame from Aura can store all your favorite photos and display them in high resolution on a rotating basis. The frame is 9 inches.
You can control what’s displayed on the frame using their smartphone app, or set it up with some pre-loaded images before you give it as a gift (great for family or friends who might not be very tech savvy). The brightness of the photos automatically adjusts to the ambient lighting of the room too.
I know most photographers think their photos are amazing already, but there’s always room to improve! The best way to level-up your photography skills is to learn from other professional working photographers.
Gifting a professional online photography course is a wonderful present for that photographer in your life. Plenty of amature photographers could use some help with turning their hobby into a well-paying career.
Luckily I’ve put together a review about my favorite online photography classes that cover everything from post-processing techniques — to making money with your photography.
Well, that’s it for the best gifts for photographers in 2021. I hope you found some unique gift ideas for the photographer in your life who loves shooting images.
Whether you’re photography shopping for a birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwansa, or even Festivus — you can’t go wrong with these fun photography gifts!
I actually own and use most of these products regularly as a working photographer.
Happy shopping this holiday season, and remember to get out there with your own camera too! ★
Check out my full Amazon Shop to see all my favorite travel, photography, and outdoor gear.
I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best gifts for photographers in 2021 Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:
Have any questions about these photography gifts? What about other suggestions for travelers? Drop me a message in the comments below!
This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.
