Gift Ideas for Photographers

Published November 30, 2004

It's that time of year again. In need of some gift ideas for photographers on your list? Or maybe it's time to treat yourself. Either way, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite gear. These are items that I own, use frequently, and have served me well, in the office or photographing far from home.

(I've tried to list current street prices, but for some items they change frequently and you may find a better deal by shopping around.)

ColorVision ColorPlus Monitor Calibration Kit

For accurate and predictable color in the digital darkroom, you really should calibrate your monitor. And the best way to do so is with a colorimeter, a hardware device that can read your monitor's colors with much greater accuracy than the human eye. The accompanying software takes these readings and produces a profile for you monitor, which color-managed programs like Photoshop will use to display your colors more accurately. Prices for these devices continue to fall, and the entry-level ColorPlus can be had for $99.

Adobe Photoshop CS

Photoshop is the mother of all image editing programs, and Photoshop CS adds numerous enhancements for photographers, making it worth the upgrade cost of $169. Buying the full version at over $600 is an investment, but this is a program you'll eventually want.

"Real World Adobe Photoshop CS"

by David Blatner and Bruce Fraser, Peachpit Press (2004) - $34
This is still my favorite guide to Photoshop, because it eschews special effects and glitz and focuses on solid technique for working with your images. It also provides a strong background for understanding the fundamentals of digital images and color management. Recent

"The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers"

by Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing (2003) - $24
This book is packed with practical step-by-step instructions for solving plenty of photographic problems with Photoshop CS. With tips for effective use of the new FIle Browser, exposure and color correction, portrait retouching, creating black and white from color, and more, this is a reference you'll keep close to your computer.

Really Right Stuff L-Plate

When I first saw Really Right Stuff's L-Plates for mounting cameras to tripod heads, I thought this was a solution in search of a problem. Wrong! Now, I can't be without one. Really Right Stuff has long manufactured custom plates designed to mount on the bottom of your camera (or lens with tripod foot) with grooves designed to fit Arca Swiss style clamps. (If you're not using this type of mount, you should be.) Their innovative L-Plates extend this bracket in an L-shape around the side of your camera, so that you can quickly unmount the camera from a horizontal position and remount it vertically. No more dealing with tilted ballheads and unstable off-center loads on your tripod. The plates are custom designed for various camera bodies to be as light and unobtrusive as possible, while still providing rock-solid connection of camera to tripod head. $100-$195 depending on camera model.

Really Right Stuff Flash Quick-Release Flash Bracket

I have long used Really Right Stuff's original Flash Brackets with my super-telephoto lenses, which have their own tripod mounts and rotating collars. They solve two problems. First, the flash is held higher above the lens than if mounted on the hotshoe (higher still when optional extension arms are used) reducing red eye and the chance the lens hood will vignette the flash. Second, when I rotate the lens from horizontal to vertical, the heavy flash -- made bulkier and more unwieldy by the Better Beamer Flash Extender I always use with long lenses -- no longer rotates to the side as it would if mounted on the camera; instead, it stays solidly centered atop the Flash Bracket, helping maintain balance and keeping it in optimum position for shooting.

I've tried other flash brackets, but Really Right Stuff's is the most solid and lets you aim the flash most precisely with an adjustable tilt that locks down tight. The one disadvantage of these brackets was that they had to be screwed onto the lens plate, making them inconvenient to remove. RRS has solved that problem with their new generation of brackets that attach via a special quick-release clamp (which also allows them to be attached to the popular Wimberley tripod heads). Model B91-B, sized for large telephoto lenses, is the largeest of three and costs $250. It attaches to your lens via newly-designed lens plates or a $10 adapter for old-style plates. See the RRS web site for details.

Garmin GPSMAP 60C

Nature photographers often have to navigate to hard-to-find places, sometimes in the dark. Never get lost again with a hand-held GPS unit from Garmin. My current model is the GPSMAP 60C, with bright color display, long battery life (two AA's), plenty of memory and the ability to download topo maps or street maps via a fast USB 2.0 connection. The unit ships with a basemap of major US roads and highways. I've found Garmin models easy to use and invaluable, both for navigating back to shorebird nests on the featureless tundra of Nome, and for finding plant nurseries on the streets of Tucson for flowers for my hummingbird workshops.

SmartDisk FlashTrax Portable Storage 80 GB

Download and store up to 80 GB of digital image files in the field or back at the motel. With built-in CompactFlash card reader and folding color LCD screen, the SmartDisk FlashTrax fits in the palm of your hand and tucks into a corner of your camera bag. It also functions as an external drive via fast USB 2.0 connection.

It has a rudimentary built-in operating system that allows you to view your images after downloading, with support for most Raw file formats. I find this more useful for verifying the images are actually there, and leave serious browsing until I'm back in the room at my laptop, where all images are also stored to the hard drive. But the FlashTrax comes in handy in the field when my CF cards fill. You can download a few GB of data on a fully charged battery I bought a spare battery ($60) for extra downloading capacity in the field. And it's good to know I've got a backup set of images if ever my laptop drive fails. The 80 GB FlashTrax is $579 with current rebate. A 40 GB model will set you back $400.

Western Digital Dual-Option Combo External Hard Drive 250 GB

After a year of shooting digital, I realized I had a year's work all stored on a single 250 GB hard drive, with little of it backed up. Rather than lay awake at night (or stay up late nights burning loads of CDs, which I really don't trust), I invested in a Western Digital external hard drive. Prices for storage continue to drop, while file sizes for images continue to rise. Western Digital wasn't the cheapest, but I was willing to pay extra for their reputation for quality and reliability. The largest 250 GB model retails for around $250.

After connecting to your computer via USB 2.0 or FireWire, the included software allows you to easily back up one or more drives at the touch of a button, depending on capacity. Although my initial backup of 200 GB required 8 hours, subsequent backup of the same drive may take only minutes, depending on what files have been changed. You can leave the drive connected and schedule periodic automatic backups. I take mine home from the office in case one location is struck be a meteor. (You never know.) This data is so important, and disk storage so relatively cheap, that I'll soon buy a second 250 GB unit to leave in the office for nightly backups, while an emergency archive is made periodically and stored in a physically separate location.

Happy Holidays, and good shooting!