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50+ Photography Gift Ideas

Beginner Photographer Gift Guide

I’m excited to share some ideas on gifts for someone on your list who is interested in photography. This post is the first in a series of 3 gift guides: Beginner Photographer, Intermediate Photographer and Advanced Photographer. If there is someone on your list who has expressed an interest in photography this will help you think of some ideas!

Also photography related is my gift guide for mobile photography.  Be sure to check it out if you haven’t done so already. You will find some great tools and accessories to help your guy make the most of that camera in his phone. If you are looking for something more, check out this gift guide for a beginner photographer.

*This post contains affiliate links. This means when you click on a link and purchase an item, I receive a small marketing payment from Amazon.com, ETSY or CreativeLive AT NO COST TO YOU! 

Camera

Obviously, the first item you need for your beginner photographer is a camera! When photographers are starting out they don’t need fancy DSLR , an entry level point-and-shoot will do fine.  Here are some of the best options on the market. The Panasonic Lumix is a great option if you have a bigger budget but if not, the Canon Powershot ELPH is also a great value for the money.

Beginner Photographer Compact Camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX10K Camera and 2 Pack of batteries and Rapid Micro USB Charger for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

 

Compact Camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canon Powershot ELPH 190 Point and Shoot Camera and 2 Pack of Batteries and Charger Kit for Canon PowerShot Elph 190

There are so many options out there today. For a beginner photographer, I recommend a camera that will let them experiment and see how much they really like it. These point and shoot cameras are both very solid quality give a good mix of automatic functions as well as extra features that will let them shoot great photos.

 

 

Memory Cards

Sandisk Extreme Pro Memory Card

 

 

 

 

 

 

SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB Memory Card

I recommend this card because brand name is important. Our family has been using SanDisk for a long time and has never had any problems. With a cheap no-name brand, you don’t want to worry about your memory card getting corrupted and losing all of your photos. I also recommend getting the card with the fastest transfer rate (which will usually read something like 40MB/sec). This is important so you never miss the shot due to your card taking too long to transfer the image from camera (you can’t take a new photo until each transfer is complete).

 

 

Camera Case

Another essential camera accessory is something to carry and protect your camera. Here are a couple of options. These are great because besides carrying your camera, they also have a little more room for an extra memory card, battery and camera cord. The AmazonBasics camera case is a bargain and also comes with a strap you can use to carry over your shoulder and a loop you can use if you want to carry the case on your belt.

AmazonBasics Medium Compact Camera Case

 

 

 

 

 

 

AmazonBasics Medium Point and Shoot Camera Case

 

Hard Shell Compact Camera Case for Canon PowerShot ELPH 190 IS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard Shell Compact Camera Case for Canon PowerShot ELPH

 

 

Camera Care

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camera cleaning kit

Save yourself the trouble of searching through hundreds of listings and just buy this kit that has everything you will need to keep your camera clean. Includes air blower for removing dust dirt, cleaning fluid, lens tissues, microfiber cleaning cloths and double sided lens cleaning pen. If you have a mobile photography setup (link other post) or intermediate or advanced setup, this kit will work for those too!

 

 

Tripod

tripod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joby tripod
A tripod is essential gear for a beginner photographer. This tripod is a great value and super portable.  The legs of this tripod bend and twist so you can mount it to random things wherever you are. Just another way to encourage the creativity of your budding photographer.

 

 

Beginner Photographer Learning Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting a new camera is exciting but can be overwhelming. The website CreativeLive is my go-to resource for amazing on-line courses. There are many different classes available including many for beginning photographers The course Beginner Photography Tips for Everybody teaches things like lighting, framing and point of view.  Creative Live has an app so you can watch the video courses anywhere and you have lifetime access.

 

Shutterbug Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subscription to Shutterbug magazine – Just like any skill, it takes practice to continually improve your craft. It also helps to have someone teaching you how to get better. There are alot of tutorials on the internet but giving a gift like this magazine subscription will ensure monthly inspiration and instruction.

Digital Photography: A Basic Manual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would also recommend this book Digital Photography: A Basic Manual that teaches the very basics of photography. Simply following some of the basic principles in this book will have you leaps and bounds above other beginners who just pick up their camera and start clicking.

For a beginner photographer, having a ton of gear is not the most important. What is most important is that they get out there and take photos. Experiment. Take more photos. These gifts will help get them on their way to taking better photos. If you have someone you are looking to buy for that is already past the beginner photographer stage, check out this post on gifts for intermediate photographers.

I hope this helped inspire some gift ideas for the beginning photographer on your list.

Happy Gifting!

Steph

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