Shutter Mike Photography

There are just seven shopping days left until Christmas.  That can be a stressful countdown especially if you are at a complete loss on what to get the photographer in your life.  A lot of people will be heading out this weekend to pick up those last minute gifts and stocking stuffers.  For some photographer gift ideas under $50 check out my top 5 list.  Time may be running out to do much more online shopping without paying for rush shipping but you can find most of these items in mass retailers or brick and mortar camera stores as well.  If all you need is something small to fill up the stocking hung by the chimney with care of your favorite photographer here are a few ideas for some great smaller gift ideas.

1. Camera Cleaning Kit – For under $10 you can pick up a camera cleaning kit that includes all the basics a photographer needs to keep their camera clean and in great working order.  The kits usually include a micro-fiber cloth, lens cleaning tissue, a lens safe cleaning solution and an air brush.  (Never used canned air on your camera – you can damage the sensor – so don’t put a can of that in their stocking)
2. Gorilla Pod – This is gorilla in the urban sense more so than the jungle animal.  A gorillapod is a small tri-pod with flexible legs that can be bent and formed to attach it to almost any surface.  They are light weight and easy to carry in your camera bag.  When you can’t have your full size tri-pod with you but want to capture a perfect slow shutter speed shot one of these is a great substitute that can get the job done.  You can pick one up for under $20 usually depending on the brand.
3. Magazine Subscriptions – Yes, people do still read magazines and there are some great photography magazines out there.  Check out amazon.com for a great selection of photography magazines.  This is one gift you can shop for right up to the last minute without having to get up from your desk.  If you are at a complete loss as to which magazine your photographer might like there are a few stand by photography magazines that are almost always a safe bet.  You generally can’t go wrong with Popular Photography.  If they love photographing nature and landscapes Outdoor Photographer is a great choice.  For the more artistic photographer try a subscription to B & W or American Photo.  A little shopping around online can get you a gift that keeps on giving all year long for no more than $30 on the high end.
4. Books – The beginning photographer or even the more experienced amateur photographer can never have too many photography books in my opinion.  The options are limitless in this category.  From photography how-to books to books featuring the works of noted photographers there is something for everyone.  For a very good how to manual I suggest Tom Ang’s Digital Photography Masterclass.  For someone with a new camera or even someone who has had their camera a while an excellent compliment to the camera’s manual are the Magic Lantern Guides.  These are well written camera manuals on steroids that you will be hard pressed to find a camera make or model that Magic Lantern does not have a guide for.   Alternatively,  find out your photographer’s favorite genre of photography and get them a photo essay book that features that genre.
5. Accessories – There are a lot of little camera accessories that you can get your photographer.  In some cases you will need to know some details about their camera to make sure you match up sizing and what not.  But if you know the make and model as well as the lens sizes you should be good to go.  A lens hood, like the one on the right, is used to block glare and lens flare.  You will need to know the diameter of the lens to make sure you get one that fits.  Other camera accessory options would be a lens cap strap for the photographer prone to misplacing their lens caps.  Or a new strap for the camera itself can be a great way to personalize a camera.

Happy Shopping!

I personally think New York City is one of the most photographic cities in the world.  Especially if you have an affinity for urban and architectural photography.  I came across a photo blog that features daily photographs from NYC photographer Joseph Holmes recently.  It is well worth checking out and subscribing to the feed.  His work is amazing.

Joe’s NYC

Photographing holiday decorations comes with the territory this time of year.  Most of us do the traditional shot of the Christmas tree year after year.  The thing is that shot rarely ever changes.  It tends to be a straight on, full frame shot of the tree.   So this is the year you can do things differently.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with a good old fashioned full-framed image of your tree like the one at the left.  It gives you the big picture of the tree as a whole.  But there is a lot more you can do.  You can really explore the subject, in this case the tree.  Take close up shots and wide angel shots.  Take shots from down low and from up above.  Explore details such as a single ornament and how it interacts with the lights.  Experiment with depth of field both with the tree as a whole and details of the tree.  Try different compositions and framing options.  Just see what you can come up with and have fun with it.

Blurred Motion Photography

This is part of a playground “ride.”  A child would stand on this disk and hold on to two handles at the top of the orange pole and spin.  By using a slower shutter speed for this image, 1/8 second, I was able to get the effect of blurred motion.  This is something you can do with almost any subject that is in motion either within your frame or moving across your frame.  The slower the shutter speed the more blurred the subject will be giving an indication of motion in the photograph.

The newest addition to the Las Vegas Strip, City Center, opened this month.  Every Las Vegas mega-resort has to have a theme; Paris, New York, Luxor, etc.  The theme of City Center is Modern Steel and Glass.  It is clean lines, shine, and opulence all the way around.  The architecture is spectacular and photo opportunities are around every corner if you are an architectural photography fan.

Unfortunately more and more people are relying on the services of America’s food banks in this down economy.  Most of us only think about donating to food banks and soup kitchens during the holidays when these organizations are working hard to make sure as many families as possible have what they need during the holidays.  Photoinduced.com has found a creative way to help out America’s food banks by creating the “Let’s Do Lunch” photo contest.  There is an entry fee for the contest, $12 for single entry, $20 for up to 4 images, and $10 for students single/up to 4 images.  Twenty percent of those fees will go to local food banks.

Participants are asked to submit photos for any of 4 categories; 1) Friends and Family – meals of a more personal nature, 2) Down to Business – meals centered on business, 3) Street  – those great meals you can pick up on at street vendors and the like and 4) Solo – the meals where you go it alone.

The grand prize package is impressive and includes a Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens, an HP Pavilion dm3 series notebook, an HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web AiO printer, you photo on the cover of the book “Let’s Do Lunch,” and much more.  In addition, 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to local food banks.  So you win some great stuff and the community food banks win some much needed funding.

Submissions will be accepted through January, 2010 at the Let’s Do Lunch site.

The Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas is known for going over the top.  It was one of the first billion plus dollar hotels built on The Strip.  From its Chihuly glass ceiling over the registration desk to the hourly fountain show set to music out front everything at the Bellagio is done in excess, as is expected in Vegas.  Their Christmas display in the hotel conservatory is no exception.  There is something for everybody from floor to ceiling trees, polar bears, toy soldiers and even snow falling.  It is a spectacular display worth stopping in to see if you are in Vegas.