It’s CHRIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAAS!
Umm, how did we get here so quickly? I feel like I’ve only recently got back from my summer holidays and already I’m a quarter of the way through my advent calendar and planning what nibbles to serve at my mini winter solstice party. Still, I love this time of year so am definitely not complaining.
This December I'm looking forward to putting up the tree & hanging our Mickey Mouse bauble from Disney World, getting all scarfed up & going walking with my Peabrain to spot Christmas lights and find a nice pub for dinner, wrapping loads of presents (& hopefully having enough spare time to volunteer with my friend Andrew to wrap more presents & pack up food parcels for the elderly), finishing my crafty gifts and scoffing myself silly at our Christmas eve tea (mmmm Mr. Kipling's mince pies!).
Anyway, as usual I have compiled a guide of Christmas gift ideas for photographers (& please check out the galleries from 2009 & 2010 too if you're still stuck for ideas). I hope you find it useful unless of course you have been super organised and already done your Christmas shopping in January, like my nan!
2. If you thought the Gorillapod was clever… you haven’t seen the
Monsterpod! Marketed by Photojojo as the “tripod equivalent to the hoverboard”, it sticks to over 1,000 surfaces and objects, hangs upside down, tilts & rotates to any angle with a pivoting tripod mount and is waterproof and dirt resistant. It looks ideal for those awkward self-portrait moments where the only viable option is a lopsided, stony precipice!
3. Over the past few years I’ve tried not to get so anxious over missed shots. As Linda McCartney would have said, “Don’t worry, it’s on the soul camera.” But for all the shots Linda didn’t miss,
Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs is the definitive book. When the Taschen catalogue dropped through my door with this on the cover I knew instantly that I needed it. Linda worked at a time when photography was much purer and I can’t see how anyone would fail to be inspired by her pictures.
4. This USB negative/slide scanner may not be the thing for preparing high resolution scans for exhibition prints but it looks amazing for messing around with plastic fantastic “toy” camera shots or rediscovering your old snaps from ‘90s school discos!
5. How come whenever I have upgraded my camera body, the only thing to get progressively worse is the free strap? Hmm. The straps at
My Funky Camera are highly recommended for both their sturdiness and being super cute proving that not all practical gifts have to be boring! Sadly for me my favourite designs have all sold out but I’m sure you could find something suitably stylish.
6. Camera Armour - the gift of protection! If only this came in pink…
7. Last year I had New York: A Portrait of a City for Christmas and LOVED it so much I had to ration the time I spent looking at it to last longer. Taschen have now brought out a
Los Angeles version which looks equally as fascinating.
8. The
Stella is the latest offering from Epiphanie, queens of the non-hideous camera bag. It’s a bit of a girly one but I am so tempted to buy this as a Christmas gift for myself. Totally vegan too!
9. Formula One actions are like a goodie box full of expired film… for your digital camera! Check out some sample edits
here to see how other photographers have used the actions in post production.
10. Wires & plugs drive me crazy and I have managed to break three card readers this year so
this product seems too good to be true for me. Automatically upload & backing up your shots via wifi? No wires? No plugs? No flimsy plastic card readers hanging out the side of your laptop? If only they made a compact flash version!
11. My wedding assistant Simon first introduced me to these
Westcott Apollo softboxes. Use them with your off camera flash gun for location shoots where dragging your studio lighting around would be too awkward. The softbox itself folds down like an umbrella, clever clever! It’s a great bit of kit and I’m sure most location photographers would be thrilled to pieces with one.
13. Creative, experimental types will love Kevin Meredith’s
Toy Cameras book. It’s a bible for all things plastic fantastic!
14. You can’t argue with the fact that all serious photographers need a good set of prime lenses and a 50mm f1.8 is a nice, affordable place to start. Try here for
Nikon & here for
Canon.
15. Everything is more cheerful in colour. These
portable USB hard drives from Verbatim make the rather joyless task of backing up work slightly less dull.
16. At first glances I thought
this camera bag looked like a terrible ‘80s monstrosity but it’s beginning to grow on me. Lots of space for extra bits & pieces means it’s great for a day trip and it comes in purple too (which is probably why I like it!).
17. I know I mention Moleskines every year but they really are the perfect notebook and now they come in
PINK! Woohoo!
