Professional photographers do some incredible work, and a lot goes into learning about their craft. That doesn’t mean the work of amateur photographers isn’t just as admirable and important. Photography is one of those hobbies that people often find a lifelong passion for, growing and learning more about it as they go over the years. If you know someone who has a photography hobby, then you have a go-to gift list for them. This list of photography accessories will help give you some gift ideas to help your favorite amateur photographer enjoy their hobby that much more.
In my opinion, gifts related to a photography hobby are always welcome and will help inspire and even reignite your loved one’s passion for photography. I put together another list of cool photography gifts here a while ago.
Yes, it’s true that photography can be a pricey hobby – which is one reason that photography gifts are so appreciated. But there are some photography accessories that are quite affordable and fun.
Because photography accessories can range in price quite a bit, I’m grouping this list by price to help you find the items that best fit with your budget, including items under $10. Just keep in mind that prices do vary by when and where you buy, so I’ll be listing things using a pricing key, not exact numbers.
Photography Gifts By price
Photography gift pricing key:
$$$$ – ~$150 & up
$$$ – ~$75+
$$ – ~$30+
$ – ~$30 & under
Plus an extra section dedicated to truly budget photography accessories!
Here’s a quick look at the photography gift list:
| $$$$ | $$$ | $$ | $ | Budget! |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Cameras | Tripods | Personalized camera straps | Crystal shapes set | Photography idea cards |
| Editing Software | Crystal photography ball set | Memory cards / cases | DSLR cheat sheet | |
| Filter set | Lightroom presets | Photography coursebook | ||
| Camera hand strap |
$$$$ (~$150+)
New Camera
Top of the pile for any photographer, hobbyist or professional, is a new and improved camera. These can be quite pricey depending on which kind you’re looking at, however, if you have a budding photographer that hasn’t yet got ahold of a full-fledged DSLR-style camera, there are some decently-priced options for beginners.
This is a beginner Canon camera, and although not cheap it is more on the budget side as far as DSLRs go. It includes the Canon 18-55mm lens, which is the standard starter lens. You can also get it as part of a bundle with LOTS of cool accessories to really give the beginner photographer lots to work with right off the bat.
This is a more expensive beginner camera but made it to the top of the DigitalCameraWorld’s list of DSLR cameras for beginners. It includes fun extra features like a touchscreen and live viewing mode. If you’ve got the budget for it, it has a lot to offer a new photographer with a little extra pizazz compared to the T7.
$$$ (~$75+)
Editing Software
Adobe has a lot of useful digital products and programs. One of the best for any aspiring photographer is Lightroom. Adobe Lightroom offers all sorts of editing tools so photographers can edit and organize their photos, learning more about digital photography along the way.
Adobe is a subscription-based program, so in order to gift it to someone, you would just sign up for a subscription, billed to yourself.
Tripods
This is a ball head tripod (if you’re not sure what that means check out this tripod guide) that is exceptionally lightweight at only 2.3lbs. If you have a photographer in your life that enjoys taking their camera on hikes or traveling, this is a great gift for them.
You might also like:
24 Gifts That Don’t Come in a Box
A Walk in the Woods (Photo Post)
$$ (~$30+)
Camera straps are a MUST for photographers. They’ll save you a camera or two more times than you can count. Just when you think there’s no way you’d drop such an expensive piece of equipment, there it goes, slipping from your hands, with no strap to catch it.
A personalized camera strap is even better, serving as a thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing nametag on your camera.
This little photography accessory set is great for finding a new perspective on a scene. You put the crystal ball in front of the camera lens and get a flipped, fisheye photo. It’s a fun way to get interesting photos without dealing with any confusing settings or expensive equipment.
Filter Set
Filters serve a lot of different purposes, from balancing out light, to changing the hue of a photo, protecting your camera lens from breaking, and even things like allowing you to take photos of the sun without frying your camera. Filters get lost and damaged throughout the life of a photographer, so you can never go wrong grabbing a set of filters as a gift.
When buying filters, make sure they are the right size for the camera lens (58mm is a pretty standard size, for example.)
Here are a few filter set options:
Set of 4 filters, ND, CPL, UV and FLD
$ (~$30 & under)
Similar to the crystal ball set, this photography accessory includes several differently shaped crystals to do even more experimenting.
Memory Cards
Every photographer could use some extra memory cards. Memory cards hold the original photos until they’ve been downloaded to a computer, so it’s nice to have some high-quality memory cards like these for DSLR photography. You’ll find both SD cards and micro SD cards, so make sure to get the right kind.
You might also consider a memory cards holder to go along with it. These would generally fall into the budget photography accessories category, but I’m putting them here because they go hand-in-hand with memory cards. Once again, be careful to check which kind of memory cards each case is made for. Many are made to house both micro and normal SD memory cards, but some are for a specific style.
There are a lot of different types of memory card holders to choose from, so I’ll list a few here:
Memory card and battery waterproof case
Ultra-slim 10 memory card holder
Lightroom Presets
If you (or the person you’re buying gifts for) has access to Adobe Lightroom, check out the multitudes of Lightroom Presets available for purchase at extremely reasonable pricing. Presets are similar to Instagram filters. They automatically add edits to a photo to create a certain look. Lots of presets for sale have a “theme” for each collection so you can pick your presets pack based on the style you like.
This is a cool photography tool that is within pretty much any gift budget.
10 Dark and Moody Lightroom Presets
Rustic Autumn Lightroom Presets
If the big long neck-straps aren’t your favorite, try a hand strap instead. This is a super handy photography accessory. It allows you to keep a hold of the camera without having it bouncing around your neck, or having to worry about it slipping out of your hands.
Budget Photography Accesories
This set of cards is a great way to inspire some new creativity in a photographer’s portfolio. 72 cards are included, each with a new idea for a photograph. There is also a hashtag associated with the card set, so photos can be shared on social media and you can see all the different ways photographers used the ideas.
This set of cards is the perfect photography companion. The photographer can stash the whole set in their camera bag to quickly reference all sorts of tips anytime they need them. From aperture to camera blur, this little set of photography tips makes a great gift.
Digital Photography Complete Course Book
A great gift for beginner photographers, but also very useful for more experienced hobbyists. This book covers all the basics of digital photography and then some, with lots of great photos and illustrations included alongside the text.
