So Christmas is right around the corner, and if you are like me, you (and I) are both running all over the place trying to get hoilday shopping done! Sometimes it can be easy depending on who you are shopping for, but then you have others that can be quite complicated! For me, I rarely know what to tell friends or family because of what I am into, and most of it revolves around photography gear, art supplise, or digital purchases (think apps.)
After my Mother-In-Law, followed by my own Dad asking me what it was I’d like this year, it got me thinking….”What DO I really want this year? What do other photographers want? What is needed? Or what is wanted?” Well, I made a list after asking a handful of friends that are in the same industry along with my own interests and decided to make a top 20 list for Christmas 2019! 10 stocking stuffers and 10 bigger items for the non-budget restricted folks. Come check it out below!
Let’s start with the stocking stuffers shall we? These are easy gifts that anyone can gift without hurting your wallet.
1.) SD cards. ($20-200. This depends on the GB size you choose)
These can come in different ‘memory sizes so prices can range! Photographers can never have enough of these!
These fancy up your camera and give it a fun, unique look!
3.) Giga Tent. ($35-40)
These are pretty cool. If you have a shoot out somewhere and no bathroom can be found, this is a neat little thing to have as it provides privacy for your client to change clothes! Amazon sells them!!
4.) A wireless remote control. ($20-50 depending on brand.)
These are great for the photographer who needs to do self portraits! They make them for all camera brands. This is the one I use.
5.) A Prisim or Lens Ball. ($10-30)
Cool little trinkets for some creative change! I have the orb and it makes some really awesome pieces to add in your portfolio.
6.) Fun shirts with photography realted graphics. ($15-30)
I want all the shirts! I had a one awhile ago before my move, but I misplaced it. I’d wear these all over the place! Fun to wear to shoots or just out. Represent your passion!
7.) Gift card to coffee. (Starbucks, DutchBros, ect..) ($5-50. Your pick!)
Because coffee helps with those late night edits.
8.) Qiaya clip on ring light for phone ($10 on Amazon)
These are GREAT to have on the go if you need some creatving lighting, or maybe you are doing a selfie? Or a live stream to your clients? This is such a great gift and it is so useful! I have one and LOVE IT.
9.) Photopills App (On both iPhone and Android) ($10)
Photographers constantly are checking the weather and light all year round. This is a helpful tool to really know where things are at on a day to day basis.
10.) Gaffer Tape ($10-35)
You may think this is silly, but this really comes in handy for backdrops and cords. Prices vary from where you purchase, but I usually spend 20 bucks on a roll online on Amazon.
Larger Gifts! These are some that a husband/wife/partner may give, or perhaps a parent to a child/adult child/ or even a grandparent? Or if you are just a really generous friend or co-worker!
1.) Wacom Tablet Intous. ($70-100)
These are great for beginners. I have this and a Cintiq 27 QHD touch screen. I still love my little tablet though as I can lounge in bed and use it for travel. This changes an editing game so much!!! A MUST HAVE.
2.) A camera bag or purse. ($40-300 depending on what brand you get.)
Bags are what allow us to haul our cameras and lenses around. A GOOD BAG is worth every penny to hold all of that delicate glass. You also need them to travel. I have a backpack, but looking at a purse down the road for more local stuff. I know many ladies who LOVE their camera purses.
3.) Samsung Portable SSD T5 1TB drive. ($140)
Portable. Powerful. And it allows you to store your work on the go.
4.) Gorilla Tripod5k Stand. ($80. Kits can cost more but give more accessories.)
These tripods are great to hold and angle for vlogging with your camera, or using it to set up and hook and hold on a surface while shooting. My hubby has one of these for his camera and it is so sturdy and solid! We’ve done many videos using his Gorilla pod and it has been through hell. Great piece to have in your bag!
5.) Gift card to amazon. ($10-100+. This is your choice.)
Not sure what to buy? Nothing on this list hit your fancy? Gift cards are always great at helping hack down the cost of equipment for any photographer. Props and accessories do well with these, too.
6.) Tether tools onsite power bundle. ($90-350.)
I want one of these! Serious life saver! You can plug in camera batteries, laptops, and phones to charge up while on the go!!
7.) 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. ($2700.)
The “lens of lenses”. I recieved this as a gift last Christmas and it is now my STAPLE lens. It give you that incredible buttery smooth, blurry background and that amazingly sharp focus on your subject. I LOOOOOOOOVEE this lens and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone.
8.) PixelStick ($200)
These are SO cool! You can personalize your setting and set a slow shutter speed to paint with light and fancy up your photos with this cool accessory! I have wanted one for awhile! In the mean time, I just use my flash light but ughhh, these are so cool and can turn any regular photo into something so beautiful and artistic! Used in low light situations.
9.) Wide Angel Lens 10-18mm ($250)
These are great for landscape photos and taking photos inside a building (think real estate photos) I have this and use it for outdoor photos all the time. It catches EVERYTHING and is just a nice little piece of glass to hold in a bag.
10.) DJI Mavic Pro2 Drone ($1800-2000)
I saved the best for last. I want this SO BAD. Not a cheap gift by any means, but if the photographer in your life is also into doing video, ohmyWOW this is such a cool gift to up their game. Currently on my wish list! These can also do photos. Have you seen drone photo IG sites? Some of them are so crazy amazing and I just and dying to get my hands on one of these for 2020!
So there you have it! Do you want any of these on this list? Or maybe something I didn’t add? Comment below and let me know what you think makes a great gift for a photographer!!
So one thing I have found when I take my own photos is that I am standing in my closet and staring blankly at my wardrobe trying to figure out what it is I want to wear! Even as a photographer. (You’d think I’d know every time what to choose, but alas, I don’t always!) Have you ever felt the same? Even if it’s simply going out to run to the grocery store.
But seriously, some of the BEST things I have found that work GREAT for photos that you can wear again in a regular day wardrobe are quite simple.
One of my top choices would be a cardigan. You can dress them up, dress them down. No wrong there. For me I like the thigh length ones, too. Not the hip or waist. (My personal prefrence.) I don’t think I’ve seen any of these look bad for photos. They flow. The make you look taller and slimmer! And you can wear them with a solid shirt and leggings or jeans, and you can even put them over a dress and it still look great.
Another accessory I love to wear for photos are soild color tunic tops. Old Navy and Target are GREAT for this. You can put them over jeans or my favorite, leggings. And you can once again dress them up or down. (And they look good with cardigans!) Now tunics can come in all kinds of materials and sleeve lengths. I am NOT a busty girl, and I have an althletic build. I am tall, too. So a lot of shirts and tops don’t always cover my stomach or my behind when I raise my arms and I just didn’t want to show that in photos if the outfit didn’t mean to do so. I like my tunics because they drape nicely over the booty and it once again makes my nubby torso look longer. Right now with it being December, Old Navy has these really comfortable oversized sweater tunics that I will wear with black leggins. (You can wear any kind of shoe, but I usually rotate between some classic black and white Vans, or some snow boots with the faux fur at the top, or even sometimes some black flats) Each has a different feel! Being Fall/Winter, it is a super cute look and it is super comfortable. I have had clients before who will stress themselves silly for that ‘pefect’ outfit, and I just tell them to be comfy! Especially if you have little ones like me! (Mine are 11, 9, and 6) And they still climb all over me. Bonus is outfits like this look great in photos, and they are great for lounging in our going out shopping. (some even have little lace embellishments or fun ruffles at the end to give some more details. Just my two cents!)
One more accessory that is super important that sometimes is over looked are shoes. Yes, shoes. For the Fall I will see all kinds of things come out, but this is a detail that is so important. You don’t want to have this awesome outfit and look, and then get down to your feet and then…..oh. Now the shoes you wear do NOT have to be elaborate or expensive. There are tons of stores out there that have a varaity of choices, but one of my favorites and staples I’d recommend would be: black flats and booties. Why? They go with nearly EVERYTHING. Fall and Winter colors usually consist of darker jewel tones. Burgendy and scarlet reds, emerlad greens, plums, dark blues. Now, there are whites and golds and silvers, too! But one color I have found that just ties them all in so well is black. You can put on leggings or jeans, or if you have a dress on, it just keeps it looking clean and uniform, and they are comfy! My husband replaced my first pair of flats a year ago with the pointy toe black flats from Toms and I wear them with my tunics and black leggings all the time. As far as booties, I like that it elongates the legs and makes your calfs POP if you are not covering them! Plus boots are just fun.
Lastly, black leggings. They are comfy. Stretchy. Great for ALL body types. And they are easy to put on with a tunic and/or cardigan. If you check out IG or pinterest, you’ll see this is such a cute and popular look, but I love to see it in photos, period! Comfort, ladies! And after your photos, you are still good for the rest of the day.
Together, my cardigan, tunic, and flats or booties…..This is my usual look that defines me and I actually love seeing it on other people! What about you? Do you have some staple items that you enjoy that you think would look great in photos? Share in the comments below! 🙂
Today began the first week of December and it is full on Holiday time for all. Las Vegas has proven to be very COLD this last week during Thanksgiving and already we are seeing snow powder the tops of the mountians surrounding the Valley. The first light snow hit this area and the sky was absolutely gorgeous.
Standing at the entry to Calico Basin, looking out towards Red Rock. Back Friday 2019 The sunset was incredible with the snow storm at the peaks and clouds all over.
With all of that being said, I am preparing for some winter sessions that will go through February. Over the weekend, I found a crazy awesome sled and mini ladder for props and can’t wait to use them!
I took my 3 kiddos out with their Dad and Step-Dad and we hiked around at Calico-Basin for a bit (free entry! Red-rock requires a park pass or a cash fee to enter) and we scouted around for a bit in the light slow flurries that fell. The kids LOVED scraping up the fat flakes that collected around the rocks and seeing the white blanket for a moment on each others hair and clothes.
Some shots from our day that we enjoyed! I hadn’t shot the kids much since we moved her to Vegas in July and I feel we caught some fun stuff! Calico Basin is a FAVORITE spot of mine and there is literally so many different looks and spots you can do that you’ll have different stuff each time you go!
The hubby got me scouting the area, too. I kinda like this hah! I never get photos of me that often, so this was cool to see. #moodyport
I think that the next time we go, I’ll have a decent idea on a themed shoot. One thing I lack right now is a portfolio based around Las Vegas. Everything is Houston and when I’d visit my hometown in Destin, FL. If you haven’t been to Calico Basin, and you only really hit the strip when you visit Las Vegas, you are seriously missing out. The spring and Fall are the best times as it isn’t hot, but if you go when it’s warmer, early morning or late evening is a decent time. You’ll want good shoes and a small thing of water if you decide to hike around. Also, there is no cell reception in that area, so make sure you have gas in your tank! I’ve done a few shoots here earlier in the year so I will share those later with all of you! Anyhow… That is all for now! More soon! 🙂
Hey everyone! I know I have another blog that I have posted to for some time now, but I wanted to separate everything and create one for my photography business exclusively. It has been a long time coming, but I thought this was a good time as 2020 is upon us and I need to get serious about pushing this since I just moved from Houston to Las Vegas almost 6 months ago.
I will have everything from behind the scenes from shoots I’ve done, projects, tips, tricks, fashion and prep advice, and anything else I can possibly think of that would be useful to clients and other photographers out there! 🙂
Keeping it short for tonight but I will have more shortly! -Megan
Studio of Vim - Meg's Photography Blog 