Shutter Mike Photography

Time is almost up!  If you are one of the last minute procrastinator shoppers and you have a photographer on your Christmas list this year, you are in luck.  Here are a few gift options for photographers that you will not even need to leave your computer to buy or pay extra for express shipping.

1. Flickr Pro Account – Flickr is one of the most widely used photo sharing sites on the Internet.  It is especially popular among amateur photographers.  They can post their images and share them with fellow photographers for feedback.  It has a strong amateur photographer community as well being popular with the casual snap shot takers.  For most people the free version of the Flickr account will suffice.  But for the avid amateur who has a lot of photos to share the free version is probably too limiting.  So the Gift of Flickr is perfect.  Flickr makes it easy for you to buy a year subscription to a Pro account for $24.95 and even provides a gift card for you to print.  And no need to fight your way through the mall on Christmas Eve.
2. Mozy Online File Backup – There is one thing every digital photographer needs and that is BACKUP.  Burning CDs can become tiresome and you still need to store them somewhere safe.  One of the best online storage services I have come across is Mozy.  For $4.95 a month you get unlimited storage space to keep a  backup of all your digital images perfectly safe.  You will have to get a little creative with the gift giving on this one as I was not able to find a “gift program” from Mozy.  But it is something every amateur photographer needs and will be grateful for.
3. Magazine Subscriptions – Yes, I know this is the digital age and print magazines are considered passe by some.  But I am not the only who still loves thumbing through and reading an actual physical magazine.  And there are some great photography magazines out there.  For under $20 you can get some of the most popular photography magazines sent right to the photographer on your list for a year.  They will be reminded of your generosity 12 more times in the coming year.  Sounds like a win-win situation!
4. Photo.net Membership – You may not be familiar with photo.net, but chances are the photographer in your life is.  Photo.net is part Flickr – but geared to the professional and serious amateur photographer rather than the casual online photo sharer – and part all encompassing photography resource.  It is designed for critiques of member work – a critical step in improving one’s work – as well as sharing information and ideas with fellow photographers.  You can easily give a 1 year membership for $25 and set the photographer on your Christmas on their way to being part of a great online photography community.
5. Gift Cards – Yes, this is the old stand by “last minute gift.”  But hey, they work and are more popular now than ever.   One all-purpose gift card that any photographer can use to find something they are sure to like is the amazon.com gift card. I think the general rule is that if Amazon doesn’t have it, it doesn’t exist or at least you don’t need it.  With a huge selection of photography books as well as accessories for most every camera a gift card to the online superstore can go a long way.

So stop procrastinating and take advantage of some of these great last minute Christmas gifts for the amateur photographer on your list.