Holiday Shopping List

By Christina VanGinkel

If you have a budding or seasoned photographer on your holiday shopping list, I have assembled a list of gifts that are sure to be a hit with any of them, whether they are new to the craft or a seasoned professional. From basic cleaning supplies to a backpack for the photographer who already has everything, and they just need a bit more space to store or carry it along. Read along and you are sure to find the perfect gift to give this upcoming holiday season.

1: Buy them a new camera bag, one that is large enough for their favorite camera, along with spare room for an extra battery, cords, and memory cards. Go one-step up for that very special photographer on your list and purchase them a backpack made for carrying all their equipment plus supplies for a day in the field.

2: If they are working with a digital camera, buy them a spare rechargeable battery and charger. You will need to know what type to purchase, as different cameras use different batteries and chargers, but as long as you know what type of camera they have, any good photography store will be able to tell you what type they will need.

3: When picking out a spare battery, add in an extra memory card. While most cameras come with a memory card, most are too small to hold more than a few pictures at a time. An extra card is a great way to encourage them to snap as many pictures as they want.

4: If they are new to photography, get them some of the basics that many beginners go without, such as a tripod and cleaning kit. Relying on a camera's lens cover to keep the lens clean is like relying on your house door to keep the cold out in the winter. A house requires heat and a camera requires cleaning papers.

5: Toss in a pack of LCD screen protectors while you are at it. Similar to what many of us use on our PDA screens to keep them scratch and dust free, camera screen protectors will help prolong the life of their camera's screen and keep it clear to view.

6: Buy them a photo printer. With models available that do not require hook up to a computer, you can find a printer suitable for anyone, whether they have a computer or not.

7: A supply of photo paper and other printable material such as postcards, iron on transfers, etc., will be a welcome gift for any photographer who loves to experiment with their photographic creations.

8: Photo editing software, if they have a computer available to edit their snapshots. If you know they have a hobby such as scrapbooking that they enjoy using their photographs with, there are even software titles specifically for those who want to combine the two loves.

9: If they have a computer but it does not have a writable DVD or CD drive, buy them one along with a supply of writable disks so they can safely store all their precious photos, instead of leaving them on their hard drive where they risk losing them in the event of a computer failure.