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Ultimate Guy Gifts: Mobile Photography Gift Ideas

PIN Ultimate Guy Gifts: Mobile Photography Gift Ideas for later

My recent survey revealed that most of you have the hardest time coming up with gift ideas for the men in your lives… gifts for boyfriends, gifts for husbands, gifts for fathers and gifts for father-in-laws.  So I’m going to do my very best to think of a TON of great GUY gift ideas before the Holiday season hits us hard.  The last gift guide I posted was all about Business Traveler Gift Ideas.  This gift guide for men is all about mobile photography!  If your guy loves to take pictures but doesn’t want to haul around another camera, these tools will help him take his photography to the next level WITH HIS PHONE. The best camera for photography is the camera you have with you. Most people always have their mobile phone (and therefore camera) with them.

My husband is a great photographer and he gets a lot of comments about his photos. Many people are surprised that he can take pictures of this quality with his cell phone. I asked him for all of the things someone would need to take pictures like he does. Here are some examples of cell phone photos he has taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This gift idea has benefits for YOU as well. I love having the amazing pictures he takes of our kids and vacations. Buying things for your husband’s mobile photography is a WIN WIN. Here are the things you need to help your guy get started with great quality mobile photography.

*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. AT NO COST TO YOU! 

Mobile Photography / Videography

Our smartphones and their cameras get more and more advanced every year.  Even though phones now have digital zoom capability, you can only achieve so much when compared to real cameras like DSLR’s.  Have you ever used your phone to take a photo and zoomed on your subject as far as it will let you go?  Chances are the photo turned out grainy or blurry.  This is where external mobile phone lenses can really help give your mobile photography some added quality and a new perspective.

Mobile Phone lenses

The best external lenses on the market for mobile photography are from a company called Moment.  They build super high quality lenses and use the same manufacturing process as major camera companies.  These lenses are made out of metal and glass, not cheap plastic like all the rest of the external lenses on the market.  Moment sells 4 different lenses.  These are the lenses in the order I would recommend buying them:

 

1. NEW Moment Wide Lens (18mm) – this is the most versatile and allows you to capture so much more of the scene you are photographing.

2. NEW Moment Superfish lens – this is a fun lens and captures even more of the scene than the Wide lens.  Great for small spaces and tall buildings.

3. NEW Moment Macro lens – this lens magnifies your subject ten times!  Think detailed close up shots of a flower, ladybug, etc.

Required accessory for Moment Lenses

If you are going to purchase a moment lens (or 2 or 3 or 4), you must purchase a phone case as well!  This is because the lenses themselves connect to the case.  If you don’t have these specialized connectors on your phone/case, the lens will not connect.  Moment sells two types of cases you can also add to your cart:

 

Phone case (by Moment):  iPhone 7/8iPhone 7+/8+Google Pixel phone,Google Pixel XL phone,

Optional Accessories for Moment Lenses

 

Keep your mobile photography gear clean and protected by using a couple of these optional accessories.  To keep your lenses clean, I highly recommend this LensPen Camera/Lens Cleaning Kit. The lens pen will help keep the glass on the adapter side clean and the included microfiber cloth will clean the outside lens glass.  Each lens comes in a small microfiber pouch which is good but I recommend something to hold your lenses and accessories so they don’t get banged around in your backpack or briefcase.

This Moment Travel case will hold 4 Moment lenses, your lens pen and other small items.

Tripod

Joby Gorillapod Focus Tripod  – A sturdy tripod is a must for mobile photography and this one from Joby is extremely versatile and compact.  This will fit into your backpack or briefcase with no room to spare.  The legs of this tripod bend at each section and besides just standing it upright, you can literally wrap the legs around anything to keep your shot steady.  This particular model will support an larger camera weighing up to 11 pounds so it can be used with a DLSR as well!

Joby GorillaPod for Ballhead X

You can use the tripod without this ballhead but the ballhead allows for a lot better movement and flexibility when your phone is mounted.  Your photographer will appreciate the ability to smoothly pan or tilt with ease.  This ballhead also comes with a quick clip which means you can remove it quickly from the tripod and put it back on in seconds, another huge benefit.

Kenu Stance – compact and lightweight tripod for iPhones.  This is available for iPhones and other phones with different charging connectors.  Click the link to see if it is available for the phone you have!

Phone Mount

 

In order to attach your phone to the tripod, you will need some type of phone mount.  Like anything, there are a wide range of phone mounts available with a wide price range.  I personally recommend the ShoulderPod G1 Grip mount. It is well designed, won’t break the wallet and just works!  Besides mounting it to a tripod, it can also be used as a phone stand! See the different ways you can use it in the image below!

Lighting

 

 

Lume Cube

Most mobile phones aren’t the best at shooting photographs in low light conditions.  This awesome gadget will light your subject, can be recharged and is small enough to fit into your backpack or camera case.

Extras

Camalapse – This fun gadget assists in creating panning time-lapse videos or panoramic still shots.  It can sit on a flat surface or can connect to a tripod.  Great for time-lapse shots or even using the smooth panning motion will take your videos to the next level!

Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote Control – This gadget allows you to take a photo without touching the phone itself.  It connects to your phone using bluetooth to take the photo.  This helps to not move or shake the phone as the photo is being taken.  This also allows you to get into the photo and take the picture when you are ready.  Small and compact, this would be a great stocking stuffer for that special man in your life.

 

DJI Osmo Mobile (Smartphone camera stabilizing gimbal) – This is another super fun tool to have, especially if your man likes (or you want him to like) shooting video on his mobile phone.  Here is how it works – you secure your phone in the holder and then connect the device to the phone via bluetooth.  You can move the gimbal sideways, up and down and even jog behind someone and the gimbal does all the work to keep the camera steady.  No more bumpy, jittery video footage that make you sick to watch.  This will get your video footage looking super professional with almost no extra effort at all!

Extra battery power – most phones these days don’t have the option to buy extra batteries but you’ll definitely want extra battery power if you are exploring all day taking photos and video with your smartphone.  Purchase a portable power brick like this Jackery Bolt 10050mAh and this will charge an iPhone 7 up to 3.5 times.  Another cool thing about this model is that it has a built in charging cable for both iPhone and Android!  You can charge up to 3 devices at the same time if you connect a third device via the USB port.  This really is an essential for mobile photography.  I mean, what is the point of taking all of these awesome photos and then not having enough battery left on your phone to post them to Instagram!  There are a lot of options in the market right now but Jackery has great reviews and our family has personally used them!

 

Mobile Photography Book If your guy is new to the mobile photography scene, this book can introduce him to jargon and help with settings and pro-tips. The perfect accompaniment to the other gifts in this guide.

 

I hope that these mobile photography ideas have inspired you…maybe they are something you want to add to YOUR list?

PIN Ultimate Guy Gifts: Mobile Photography Gift Ideas for later

 

Happy Gifting!

Steph


mobile photography gift guide for men. All the things you need to take your mobile photography to the next level.

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