Just a Bunch of Gifts That Are Picture-Perfect for Your Photography-Obsessed Friends

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We all have *that* one friend. The one who takes the best Instagram photos, who somehow always finds your good side (yes, even in candids), and who just has to stop and take a photo of the sunset on a gorg summer night. And friends like that, well, they deserve a thank you every now and again. And what says “thank you for taking my Hinge profile pic” better than a thoughtful gift?

Picking the perfect gift for any photographer is hard—whether they’re a professional or just your unofficial Instagram husband. Not only is it an extremely technical (and pricey) art, but there are also SO. MANY. OPTIONS. There are Bluetooth shutter buttons that let you take selfies more easily, digital photo picture frames to share pics with family and friends from afar, and even camera phone cases à la Emily in Paris. And that’s just scratching the surface. If you’re overwhelmed, don’t worry, I found all the best gift ideas that every photographer lover will appreciate (and actually use).

TBH, these gifts for photographers don’t need to go to your go-to photographer bestie. They’re perfect for any photo lover at any level—beginner to full-on professional. They might even help turn your friend into your very own personal paparazzo. Just sayin’.

Shop Even More Gift Ideas Here

Instax Mini 11 Instant Film Camera

What better way to experiment with Polaroids than this cute Instax Mini Camera? This version comes with an easy, one-touch selfie button so you can snap pics with your friends.

Annie Leibovitz Teaches Photography

Best known for her portrait work in Vanity Fair and Vogue (she’s photographed Kim and Kanye and Queen Elizabeth), photographer Annie Leibovitz lends her years of experience to anyone with a Masterclass membership in this webinar. It’s the perfect experience gift for your friend who’s been dying to take a photography class.

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Personalized Camera Strap

Being a photographer requires a lot of gear, and not a lot of it is particularly cute. Enter: these personalized floral camera straps.

Solar Photography Kit

Learning a new way to take pictures is always exciting for a photographer, especially when it involves getting back to basics: taking pics using only the light from the sun, some photo paper, and a subject.

Art Book Box Subscription

Give the gift of inspiration and ~fancy~ home decor with Cratejoy’s Art Book Club subscription box, which can be personalized for an “Art and Photography” fan.

Camera Lens Earrings

Give your photo buddy the gift of wearing their passion on their ears with these v realistic looking lens earrings.

Camera Tripod

No photographer likes taking blurry pictures—unintentional ones, at least—and you can help them avoid that with this handy tripod! (Note: this one claims to be for DSLR cameras only, but reviewers write that they’ve used the tripod with other devices just fine.)

Digital Camera

Have a friend that loves photography, but hasn’t yet taken the step into actually being a photographer? This digital camera is a great place to start. It’s small and light enough for the average person to travel with, and can take great pictures on automatic settings. It also shoots HD videos.

Rage Tote Bag

Every photographer needs something to carry their gear in. They also sometimes need some inspiration. This tote, designed by collage artist great/grand/golden, does both.

Funsaver One Time Use Film Camera

Nothing says nostalgia quite like disposable cameras. These babies still shoot on film, allowing a budding photographer to play with film without having to buy an expensive camera.

SD Card Holder Keychain

Cute, unique, and useful? Talk about the perfect gift. This camera keychain comes in a whole bunch of different colors and features a slot for a memory card, so whoever is taking pics will never run out of storage.

2-Pack Content Creator LED Light Kit

Good lighting can make or break a photo. These two lights each give off different effects—one is a RGB colorful flare, the other a white light—to help customize the lighting to your photographer’s liking.

Dock Plus Instant Photo Printer

This instant printer is an Amazon best seller that will charge your phone while printing out gorgeous 4×6 prints. It can also be used via Bluetooth.

Professional Camera Cleaning Kit

Taking care of a camera is key for any photographer—nothing ruins a great shot quite like flecks of dust on the lenses. This cleaning kit has everything a photographer needs for clear pics.

Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloth Pouch

If a whole kit seems like overkill, there’s also this simple micro fiber cleaning cloth keychain. Easy to strap onto any camera bag, the pouch comes with one cleaning cloth that will clear away any lens smudges. (Hot tip: also a great gift for glasses wearers.)

The Drop Art Print

Losing your artistic drive is tough, but it happens to everyone. One way to help ease out of it: fill your home with inspiration, like this cool print from photographer Aaron Ricketts.

Camera Backpack

For more serious photographers, a camera backpack is a must. This baby has customizable compartments to hold multiple cameras, lenses, and attachments (tripods, etc) easily. Add in a stylish, waterproof design, and you’ve got yourself a win.

5 in 1 Cellphone Lens Kit

Carrying a camera everywhere can be hard on the back, but there’s nothing heavy about these interchangeable camera phone lenses that will help take phone photography to the next level. This set comes with a fisheye lens, a wide angle lens, a macro lens, a telescope lens, and a CPL lens, and a convenient little pouch to store them in.

Manifestation Lined Journal

You never know when inspiration will strike, so help a photographer keep track of their ideas with this cute notebook.

SD Card Reader

A lot of computers don’t come with built-in memory card slots (), so if you know a photographer who shoots digital, odds are they need one of these handy USB SD card readers. They are super useful, but also incredibly easy to misplace. Even if whoever you’re shopping for already has some, I’m sure they wouldn’t say no to one more.

Photoshop

Photoshop is a super fun tool for photographers to edit their own pictures. It can also be somewhat expensive for amateurs, which is what makes it such a great gift.

Classic Leather Album

In the age of digital, it can be easy to want to just keep all your photos safe in the cloud, but there’s really nothing like the joy of opening up a photo album IRL. Plus, this photo album has room for notes so your photog friend can keep track of when/where/what lens was used, etc. All important info for a pro.

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