Shopping for a photographer? We’ve got you covered.
Our holiday buying guide will help shoppers pick the perfect gift for the photographer in your life. Beginners, advanced, and everything in between, we have something in mind for all skill levels.
Quick note: This guide helps summarize several of our articles which feature more details, and other options. Make sure to check out the full articles linked below if you’d like the complete breakdown and insight into our gift ideas!
If Santa can’t get these items delivered in time.. you can always rely on us! Our gift certificates, or gift bundles, are the perfect gift idea for those in hurry!
Best Camera For A Beginner
Our Pick: Canon Rebel T6i
A rebel with a cause. Still a compact and reliable DSLR for beginners, the t6i is a great choice for everything from portraits to vacation photos thanks to the included 18-55mm kit lens. You can also make videos with full 1080p recording at 30 frames/second. Still curious? Read our full article here.
Suited for:
Beginners, food photographers, touch-screen lovers
Notable Features:
Easy photo viewing and setting changing thanks to the 3-inch back LCD touchscreen
Wifi capabilities for easy camera-computer photo transfers, plus a downloadable smartphone app that can work as a remote trigger
Available certified and refurbished through Canon- highly recommended by the BPW!
Price:
Around $500 with the kit lens
Runners up: Nikon D5600, Sony a6000, and Canon M50. Read up on the other great cameras we love in our full article “Cameras we love - 2019”
Best Camera For Aspiring Professionals
Our Pick: Sony A7 iii
For the last few years, Sony has been rolling out impressive cameras one after another. The Sony A7 III isn’t the newest Sony camera but it sits nicely in the value-for-dollar and professional features categories, making it our top pick for aspiring professionals. With incredible detail and fast and reliable autofocus, this camera has more to offer than most photographers will ever need. Check out the other contenders in the full article here.
Good for: Professionals and enthusiasts looking to photograph sports/action, portraits, landscapes, and astrophotography, as well as those who love to customize their camera buttons.
Not ideal for: Photographers who want to grab and go right out of the box. The menus (albeit improved) are still frustrating and hard to navigate. Also, budget-concerned photographers. Sony lenses are great but get expensive quickly; compatible third-party lenses are available, but not as numerous as Canon/Nikon.
Notable Features:
Full Frame 24.2 megapixels CMOS sensor
693 phase detection / 425 contrast AF points w/ 93 percent image coverage.
Up to 10fps Silent or Mechanical Shutter with AE/AF tracking. Battery Life (Still Images): Approx. 610 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 710 shots (LCD monitor)
4k video output
Wifi capabilities for easy camera-computer photo transfers, plus a downloadable smartphone app that can work as a remote trigger
Price:
~$2000 with kit lens
Available at Amazon
Runners up: Canon 6D mark ii, and the Nikon D750. Read up on the other great cameras in our full article “Best Professional Level Cameras 2019”
Best Tripod
Our pick: Zomei Aluminum Tripod
Love ’em or hate ’em, a tripod is a quintessential piece of kit for every photographer. Our reigning champ returns in 2019 as the best buy for beginner and intermediate photographers alike. We’ve been using this camera for workshops and personal photoshoots for several years now and the combination of price, size, and simplicity makes this an easy choice for us to recommend.
We have a few new additions to our overall list of recommended tripods, so make sure to read the full article here.
Available on Amazon for ~ $60
Essential Gear & Accessories
Photography is an incredible hobby/passion/small business to have, but it sure does require a lot of accessories! Before you get lost on the internet looking for gizmos and gadgets (that may or may not really help a photographer), check out our full article on these essential gear and accessory gift ideas that every photographer really needs!
Read the full article here
Top Photography Workshops
It’s the truth, we promise: The best way for any photographer to grow is to practice, learn, share, and then practice some more! Photography workshops cut through the noise of the internet and help photographers get direct answers, get new ideas, and improve their skills better than any other method. Our top picks offered by the BPW:
For Beginners: Digital Cameras I
This one-day workshop is by far our most popular and for good reason. Here we introduce students to manual mode and move away from needing to use auto-mode. Photography stops being a mystery, and we explain the ins and outs of a digital camera giving the photographer control over their pictures.
For Intermediates: Digital Cameras 2
in this workshop we help students move beyond simply “taking photos” to “making photos.” A step beyond basics, this workshop introduces students to concepts like composition, color, and light as a photographic tool, and even touches on lenses and their effects on a picture.
For Advanced: Flash & Studio Lighting
This incredible workshop introduces students to using their flash and how to shape with light. Students will also learn the critical ideas behind lighting, applicable whether in situations using flash, strobe, and natural light. Especially good for portrait and food photographers.