Shutter Mike Photography

The clock is ticking and time is running out to finish up your Christmas shopping.  If you have a photographer on your list here are 5 great gift ideas under $50 that any photographer would be happy to find under the tree.

1) You can never go wrong with a camera bag.  There are a lot of options in bags now and it can get confusing however.  I have a couple different bags and I switch between them depending on what I am going to be doing and where I am going.  But one bag you generally can’t go wrong with is a sling bag.  I gives easy access to your camera and is pretty generous in what it will hold. The Caselogic SLR Camera Sling Bag is only $49.88 at Amazon and a great bag.

2) Tripods are one photography necessity.  But they can be pricey for a top quality one.  Gorillapods however are only about $15 to $40, depending on the size you get, and are a great little tripod for those situations where a full size tripod isn’t appropriate.  Go with the Joby Gorillapod Flexible 6″ Tripod at $14.95 for lighter weight cameras or  the Joby Gorillapod Flexible 10″ Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras with Bubble Levelfor $39.95.

3) Digital photographers can never have enough memory for their cameras.  So a memory card is the perfect gift.  You will want to make sure you know which type of card your photographer’s camera takes, the smaller SD card or the larger Compact Flash card will cover most cameras out there.  You can get a decent SanDisk 8GB CF Card for about $34 or a little better quality and faster one for $48.  If your photographer is using a camera that takes the smaller SD card you can get a 16 GB SDHC Flash Memory Card for just over $25.  Might as well get two at that price.

4) For the photographer who already has every gadget imaginable or if you are at a loss when it comes to what will work with the camera they have books are a great idea.  You can either go the “how-to” route with some thing like Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 for about $45.  Or a book featuring the work of a celebrated photographer is also a great idea such as Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs or Ansel Adams in Color for the Ansel Adams fan.  Not sure which photographer your photographer admires?  A compilation such as Through the Lens: National Geographic Greatest Photographs will definitely be appreciated.

5) Finally, this one might seem a bit odd, but how about photography gloves?  These gloves will keep your hands nice and warms while giving your essential shooting thumb and finger freedom to handle the camera.  Trust me, these are great for anyone shooting in cold weather and for under $20 you can’t go wrong.