5 Non-Gear Gifts for Photographers

Holiday season is upon us, that curious time of year when money we don't have gets spent on so many things we don't need. Sale after sale is already bombarding us, convincing us to buy the next shiny thing. The world of photography is an expensive one, and sales can convince photographers to go that step further in acquiring the extra gear and accessories they think they need. If you're looking for a gift for a photographer, skip past the shiny things and look for something more meaningful. Here are a few ideas to get you started. 

A Weekend Away

Maybe your photographer is a traveler, or maybe you just need some time away from their piles of gear. Either way, a weekend away will give them a chance to photograph new things. We all know how getting away can refresh and revitalise the mind; photographers are no different. Giving a photographer space to breathe, think, and create is about the best thing you can do for them. Find out where they've been wanting to go, or what they've been wanting to shoot, and surprise them with time off to do what they love.

A Book of Photographs

A book of photographs gives us a window into the mind of another photographer. Ideas are often sparked, and inspiration gained from looking at the work of others. The Internet is a great place to start, but also a difficult thing to concentrate on. A book will also give your photographer space to slow down and truly appreciate the photographs. The masters of photography may not be everyone's favourite work in the age of digital manipulation, but they provide an excellent base to study what can be achieved with comparatively primitive equipment and methods. A fine place to start looking for work your photographer might be interested in is the summaries on masters-of-photography.com.

A Book of Ideas

Search the Amazon bookstore for photography ideas and you will find a plethora of great books to give. Books like The Photographer's Playbook give a list of starting points without images to influence their meaning, forcing the reader to extrapolate on their own and develop images around the words. Find a book here to keep your photographer busy throughout the new year and encourage their development as an artist.

Education

Education is paramount to developing in any field, and often gets left behind in the search for new gear in the photography world. Again, books are a great way to get educated, but so are workshops, video tutorials, or mentorships. The Fstoppers Store has some great tutorials on photography and post-processing, as do Phlearn and CreativeLive. You can also ask your photographer who their favourites are and find out if they have a workshop or mentorship on offer. Gear comes and goes, but education will stay with them forever.

A Print Voucher

I have written before about the value of printing your work, and it is something I believe strongly in. A voucher to a local print house, or on-demand publisher, can be a great gift. Being able to print your own work and see it in the real world gives you the chance to reflect on and appreciate what you have created. Not only that, it means that if friends and family visit, there's no need to huddle around the laptop and flick through thousands of images.

So there we have it, five things that aren't lenses, cameras, memory cards or extra batteries. These five things will likely outlast all of the gear and bring your photographer back to what really matters - creating images. Happy Holidays everyone!