Give the photographer in your life what they *really* want, not just what you hope they might like.
I have asked all 7,500 people taking my beginner's photography course, A Year With My Camera, what they want for Christmas, and these are the most popular suggestions.
All of the Amazon links in this post have affiliate links. Unlike any other camera review site, not only do I tell you this up front, but I also donate all the affiliate income from this page to my favourite charity, Charity Water. If you click one of the links in this post, and then go on to buy the item, Amazon will refund between 4 and 8% of the purchase price to my affiliate account at no cost to you. I pass on all this income to Charity Water. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THESE LINKS TO BUY THE PRODUCTS - I need to make that clear to stay within Amazon terms of service: you can search for the suggested items directly within Amazon to avoid using the affiliate links below.
Last donation made June 2018, total: £500 ($650).
For improvers: 50mm 1.8 lens
The lens every photographer should get when they graduate from their kit lens. Click here for Canon. Or click here for Nikon (check online to see if you need the FX or DX version).
For complete beginners: My book
Essential reading for anyone who's just got a new camera - Book 1 is for complete beginners. (Book 2 if you can already shoot on manual and know about 18% grey): Click here to buy
For everyone: 200 Lens wipes
A stocking-filler every photographer will love you for: Click to buy
For everyone: External storage
You can never have too much storage. Backup your images and sleep easy tonight: Click to buy basic storage or Click here to buy Thunderbolt version, for Mac users
Some cameras you can't go wrong with, in ascending order of price, for someone who wants a system that they won't grow out of quickly:
Canon 1300D body only: you'll need the 50mm lens as well (the first link in the list above) (£310 on 23/11/17, plus £100 for the lens)
Panasonic G80 (£780 on 23/11/17)
At £1750 (23/11/17) this is the high-end choice. I have the X-T1 and I wish I had the X-T2.
For everyone: Instant photo display
Quick to put up and down - a perfect place to stick your photos: Click to buy
Get started with macro: extension tubes
Convert your lens to a macro lens for minimal cost. Make sure you buy the correct set for your camera - click this link and then search if you are not a Canon user: Click for Canon (search for other makes)
The best camera bag in the world? Peak Design backpack
This is the one I use. Click to see the screenshots of the interior: Click to buy
And the best tote bag camera bag? Peak Design tote bag
Yes, I have this one as well: Click to buy
These are the photography books either on my own list, or ones I couldn't live without:
For the young and young at heart: Instax Smartphone Printer
Print your photos direct from your smartphone - a fun portable printer that recreates the days of Polaroid photos for the digital generation: Click to buy
For me, and anyone who feels the cold: Heated jacket
I have no idea if these will set on fire or not, but surely they must have been safety tested? Anyway, I would be willing to risk it for those long nights waiting for the aurora borealis to show: Click to buy
For the person who has everything: cable tidy pouch
Tame those cables: Click to buy
For the outdoor photographer with no shame: Umbrella hat
I asked my sister for suggestions and she came up with this. I'm still not sure if she was joking. Part of me thinks, "Genius!", but most of me thinks I couldn't do it. Could you? Click to buy
My best reads from 2017, to keep you going while you're waiting for that train or that sunset:
Try Amazon Prime free for a month (which includes their cloud photo storage), and they will give £3 per trial started into the Charity Water kitty.
A few other ideas that don't have affiliate links attached:
Book a place on the Floral Photography meetup that I'm hosting next year in Surrey, UK
Use the discount code "AYEARWITHMYCAMERA" to claim 10% off your order of Capture By Lucy backdrops
Buy someone peace of mind with a year's subscription to Backblaze cloud storage backup
Read more about Charity Water here:
All affiliate income raised from these links will be donated to Charity Water. All you need to do is buy via one of the Amazon links in this post, and me and Amazon will do the rest. It costs you nothing extra.
Join A Year With My Camera, free, here:
