Got a photographer in your life that you want to WOW on Christmas morning? It can be tough coming up with gift ideas for photographers, especially if you’re not a shutterbug yourself. That’s where I come in! As one of America’s Most Profitable Photographers with more than 23 years in the business, I’ve curated this list of the Best Gift Ideas for Photographers 2021 to help you find a gift that will make your photog’s heart leap this holiday season.
When it comes to presents for photographers on my list, I look high and low for things that I know will inspire them AND help them in their businesses. Here are my favorite gift ideas for photographers in 2021.
1. Photoshop Keyboard Cover
Holy shortcuts, Batman! This Photoshop Keyboard Cover takes the white-knuckle frustration out of trying to remember all those Photoshop shortcuts by putting them right there on your keyboard! Never before has photo editing been so stress-free AND cute, too! It’s a 10 out of 10 as a gift idea for photographers!
The Photoshop Keyboard Cover includes more than 70 of the most-used Photoshop shortcuts, all color-coded so they’re easy to find in the heat of editing. Ultra-thin and form-fitting, covers are available for 13 different types of laptop and desktop keyboards.
2) Spring Blossom Camera Wrist Strap
Impress your photog friend with a Spring Blossom Camera Wrist Strap that screams, “Hey friend, I’m hip to your struggle of trying to carry a gazillionty things while on at a session!” Bonus points because it’s as subtly gorgeous as your relationship 🙂 Adjustable and ultra-soft, this camera wrist strap is small, but mighty and can hold even the heaviest camera bodies.
3) Worth Every Penny book
This is MY favorite gift idea for any photographer – my New York Times bestselling book, Worth Every Penny. And it won’t break the bank. Get it here (for $9.95).
I wrote this book to help photographers maximize the business and marketing side of running their businesses. So many photographers stick with a business model that they’ve seen at retail stores – discount to sell more. But what happens when you discount? Oh gosh, a whole lot of bad stuff!! You never win big when you discount your services. That’s a fact.
Worth Every Penny teaches photographers how to structure their businesses so they serve with a fervor that makes portrait photography clients invest big bucks, screech with delight when they see images of their loved ones, and then refer all their friends!
This book teaches photographers to sell without discounting and how to use profitable marketing strategies to build a business that thrills their customers – all while still having time to put family first! Worth Every Penny shows that there is a radically different way to run a photography business by offering over-the-top customer service and specialized products, so you’re never again competing with “every photographer on the block.”
And if your photographer prefers audio books, you can get it here on audible.
When it comes to gift ideas for photographers, nothing – I mean NOTHING – beats this book. Because it’s not just a gift – it’s a life-changer!
4) Personalized Photographer Camp Coffee Mug
Light on packing, heavy on cuteness! This customizable Photographer Camera Lens Camp Coffee Mug from Etsy lets you choose from eight scenic designs in 12 colors to perfectly match your photographer friend’s style. Plus, you can even personalize it with their name, or better yet, “Favorite Photographer EVER.” Not all gift ideas for photographers are as useful as they are adorable – but this one is!
5) Photography Playing Cards
Help your photographer peel their eyes from their phone next time they’ve got a little free time with this intricately designed set of Photography Playing Cards. Each numbered card illustrates an important photographic rule or technique, so it’s like a set of traveling cheat sheets that are fun to play with, too. The more they play, the more they learn! Plus, the cards are waterproof, so they’ll hold up to the most rowdy parties or harshest shooting environments.
6) Handmade Camera Wood Slice Ornament
Art for an artist – it’s a match made in holiday heaven. These hand-made Camera Wood Slice Ornaments are created individually, by hand, on slices of natural birch wood. Stamped and hand-embellished with a painted heart of your color choice by the artist herself, Margie Overhauser, these 3-inch ornaments also work great for gift embellishments, key rings, zipper pulls, wine bottle tags and more! When you need Christmas gifts for photographers that are affordable AND memorable, these are perfect!
7) Go Boutique Live ticket – The Ultimate Gift for Photographers!
When you’re in a creative profession like photography, slipping into an auto-pilot rut can slam the brakes on professional growth. Creatives need to stay inspired to do their best work!
Go Boutique Live is the world’s only 3-day virtual education extravaganza just for boutique portrait photographers. This is a full-immersion, get-dunked-in-the-river-of-motivation and learning SPECTACULAR just for portrait photographers. With world-class speakers, interactive exercises, breakout rooms, a seriously awesome swag box with event materials and a lot more. We hired Tony Robbins’ event team to put on this event, February 15-17, 2022 – and it’s unlike any event on the planet.
Get more details and buy your ticket here.
8) Bowery Camera Bag
The tools of the trade deserved to be protected in style! The Bowery Camera Bag by ONA features a padded interior with removable divider so it’s easy to grab what you need in a flash without digging through a bottomless pit of randomness. This brilliant bag has made the Best Gifts for Photographers 2021 list because it’s durable, versatile, and sooooo gorgeously designed.
The Bowery Bag is handcrafted from Italian tanned leather in an Antique Cognac hue and finished with solid brass hardware. This bag will hold a DSLR and a lens, or a mirrorless camera with two lenses and accessories. A real statement piece, this bag will have your friend thinking of leaving it all behind to shoot for National Geographic or French Vogue.
9) “Introverted But Willing To Discuss Photography” Hoodie
Show your friend that you know their true colors with this “funny because it’s true” hoodie from TeePublic. The Introverted But Willing To Discuss Photography hoodie is available in six winter colors and from sizes small to 5XL.
10) Photographs Not Taken: A Collection of Photographers Essays
Photography = images. But what happens when you ask photographers to forgo their usual picture-taking apparatuses like cameras, lenses and film and capture a scene with only words? Photographs Not Taken is a collection of essays from photographers that offers a unique take on the experience of photography – the unsnapped photos that live only in a photographer’s memory.
Buying gifts for photographers isn’t hard when you’ve got a pro leading the way!
And remember – when it comes to gift ideas for photographers, it’s not about spending the most money or finding the flashiest new thing. The perfect Christmas gift for a photographer is always about the love and thought you put into it!