There are innumerable odds and ends that photographers can add to their bag. From a new lens to protective and creative filters, photographers are always buying new gear. If this sounds like your mom or dad, why not help them out a bit and gift them a fun or practical accessory for this Mother’s Day and Father’s Day!
In this guide, we’re focused on the essentials—including a few you may not have previously considered. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at some must-have accessories for your photographer parent.
Circular Polarizer Filter
One of the first accessories we recommend is a circular polarizer filter. These are different from your typical protective filter, as they actually alter the final image. A polarizing filter aids photographers in controlling reflections, glare, and haze. Additionally, they can improve color saturation. If scenic shots or nature scenes are the target, you really need a polarizing filter. The Premium Circular Polarizing Filter from Chiaro is a great option, with scratch, oil, water, and dust resistant coatings.
Close-Up Macro Filters
Lenses are a thoughtful gift item, but unless we’re asked to get a specific one, they can be hard to shop for. If you’d like to gift an accessory that enhances creative capabilities, look no further than the close-up macro filter. These are screwed on to the front of a lens to decrease the lenses minimum focusing distance, or how close we can focus.
Think of this like a more effective macro or close-up mode for your mom or dad’s interchangeable lens camera. These often come in kits with various levels of magnification, so your photographer parent can swap them out based on the situation. Hoya’s HMC Close-Up Set offer three different filters and protective coatings, so they don’t scratch as easily. Just make sure you get the right size for the lens they’ll be used on!
Monopod
Let’s face it, tripods are bulky and cumbersome, but there are times where taking the weight off can be a life saver. Enter the monopod. Monopods provide a great deal of support without having the large footprint of a tripod. This makes this method of support perfect for sidelines or other crowded school events. Not only does it take the weight off of your arms, but it does also so while keeping your camera in the ready position when any action happens.
Not all monopods are as compact as the next. Make sure the model you pick has a high enough load capacity. Also, consider getting one made from carbon fiber. These are lighter, thus easier to lug around. A monopod like the Leofoto MP-285C 5-Section Monopod can carry up to 22 lb while weighing just under 1 lb. With the included VH-10S 2-way tilt head, users can better maneuver without leaning back to get the shot.
Flash
Many of the problems photographers face when snapping family photos on vacation has something to do with lighting. Folks bring their images to the local print shop and ask the age-old question, “Can you fix this?” What they’re usually referring to a family in shade, blue against a bright, well-lit background. While there are certainly some in the moment changes we could suggest, there’s also flash.
Flash is used to fill shadows or to illuminate an otherwise dark scene. In a situation like mentioned above, the use would be to light up the subject while keeping the background properly lit. It’s surprisingly easy to use flash, no matter how overwhelming it may seem. We’ve even done a guide to on camera flash to help those just getting started!
It’s important to note that flash units, or “speedlights” as they’re often called, are specific to the brand they’re being used on. For instance, a Canon camera needs a Canon flash. Luckily, there are third party brands that offer flashes for various brands. The Godox V860III TTL Flash is available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and even Pentax!
Protective Wraps
When we throw our gear in the bag, it’s often packed between foam inserts like a honeybee in its hive cell. While these padded dividers do a good job at keeping cameras and lenses from scratching each other, there’s still a little room for our gear to slide around. There are individual camera and lens pouches available, but many come in generic small, medium, and large sizes which may not fit our particular gear as snug as we want. Enter the protective wrap.
Serving the same purpose as a pouch, the protective wrap can be wrapped around cameras, lenses, flashes, and anything else that’ll fit in your bag. Made of padded nylon with a non-scratch backing, these keep expensive gear snug and safe within your bag as you travel to and from your shooting location.
The tried and true original, the Domke Color Coded Protective Wrap, use a touch fastener tab on all four corners to wrap in any shape. The material offers some padding for added protection for trips where a camera or additional lens need to be stuffed in a non-photo pack with a small footprint.
Photo Bags
Speaking of bags, no matter how many a photographer has, there’s never enough. That’s because there’s essentially a bag for every scenario. Traveling or hiking a trail, you’ll need a photo backpack. Bringing a camera to a family occasion or sporting event, a shoulder bag is the better solution. Even for smaller shoots, a small waist pack or sling is essential to carrying cleaning supplies and extra batteries.
We covered every day carry bags in depth already, but here, we’re going to address the small accessory pack. What better pack than the WANDRD ROGUE V2 4L Sling Bag for such uses. This small cross-body bag can fit up to two small point and shoot cameras or a few essential accessories. For more storage, we can upgrade to the larger 6L size. Keeping with the theme of color, you have plenty of choices to pick from. Aegean Blue, Atacama Clay, and Sedona Orange are just a few of the color options you can pick from.
Comfortable Strap
A strap is a safety harness that keeps our expensive camera gear from crashing to ground. The straps that come with any new camera are not known for their comfort. In fact, a few outings with the stock strap may prove to much to bear, and many forgo the strap entirely. This is ill advised, as it puts our expensive camera at risk of dropping!
Luckily, there are a number of comfier straps available for you to choose from. Not only are many of these padded, but they also offer a more intuitive way of attaching to the camera itself. Peak Design uses their proprietary Anchor Links to quickly connect straps. These links can be attached to multiple cameras or even some heavier lenses so that the strap can be easily swapped between them.
The Peak Design Slide strap is among the most popular, not only for the aforementioned ease of connection, but for its comfort and simplicity. They best resemble a seat belt in texture and come in a variety of colors from the standard black and gray to more exotic hues like ocean, eclipse, and sage green.
Battery Charger
Long ago, wall chargers were always included with any tech purchase made. This changed for the camera industry when manufacturers first released batteries that could be charged in camera via USB-C charging. This is by all means super convenient, as we all have more AC adapter blocks than we know what to do with. The problem begins when we start accumulating batteries.
A traditional wall charger is essential for any serious photographer, otherwise our camera would be out of commission anytime we need to top off our battery. With a charger, we can charge upwards of two batteries simultaneously while we’re still shooting.
Obviously, these are not only brand, but camera specific. Do some sleuthing to learn which charger is right for your photographer. If you can stealthily acquire the make and model of your mom or dad’s camera, great, if not, stick to a strap, bag, or wrap to play it safely.
Gift for Any Occasion
There’s no shortage of fun accessories to gift your photographer parent. Even if you don’t know exactly which model camera they have, a gear wrap or strap can always be a thoughtful gift, especially if they come in someone’s favorite color!
When all else fails, don’t forget the trusty gift card. B&H gift cards are always in stock and they never expire! Pair one with one of the brand agnostic gifts above or a nice flower arrangement, then let mom or dad get the gear they know they need.
If you’d like to learn more about gear and other great gift ideas, check out our other articles and guides on the B&H Explora page!
