10 Best Affordable Gifts for Photographers (2023 Updated)

Like it or not, it’s that time of year again…the time of year we love to give gifts! If you are blessed to have a photographer in your life, you know very well that gifts for them can be expensive. While it’s not easy to find gifts for photographers that aren’t ridiculously priced and still good quality, we are here to help! The following is a list of 10 gift ideas for any photographer that won’t break the bank. I may even throw in a few extra ideas, because why limit ourselves to just 10!

1. Padded Equipment Wrap – $14

These things are fantastic, dirt cheap, and something I use all the time! Think of them as a little padded “camera envelope.” They come in three different sizes (11 x 11”, 15 x 15”, 19 x 19”) and several colors. You simply wrap them around your camera and/or lenses to protect them. The Velcro on the corners will attach anywhere on the wrap to keep it secure. They keep your equipment safe without having the bulk of a camera bag insert or a lens/camera case. I like to use them if I want to take my camera on an adventure and will just be using an everyday backpack (non-camera bag type). It saves so much room because it can be wrapped tightly to the size of the gear. And of course, they can be used for other non-camera items as well. They make for a nice affordable gift, which is why I have it at number 1 (not that these are in any kind of order).

2. Cleaning Cloth – $5

This one may be a little more obvious and not very glamorous, but every photographer needs them. Lenses get dirty, there is no way around it. A good quality lens cloth is an absolute essential item in the camera bag, and somehow always have a way of mysteriously disappearing. Photographers will never turn down more cleaning cloths. When buying lens cloths make sure to get ones that are specifically for lenses. Microfiber is always a good option. The Sensei Microfiber Lens Cleaning Cloth is great and as an added bonus it’s 18% gray (your photographer will know what that means)! Another one that I absolutely love and use myself is the 3M Microfiber Lens Cleaning Cloths (Pack of 10). There are several options out there, so as long as they are specially made for lenses, you can’t go wrong!

3. Rocket Air Blaster – $18

Related to the cleaning cloth, here is another useful gift idea; the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster Large Dust-Removal Tool. Using canned air is a big no-no when it comes to camera equipment, so the Rocket Air Blaster is the way to go. It’s designed to safely blow dust from cameras, lenses, lens filters, and even keyboards or anything else that gets dusty. Photographers love these things! They are easy to throw in a camera bag as they weigh virtually nothing. It’s a great portable way to keep gear clean (as much as possible anyway) in the field. The best part is…they are cheap!

4. Collapsible 5′ x 7′ White/Black Reversible Background – $70

Whether the photographer in your life likes to shoot food, jewelry, people, or anything in between, this super portable but rather large pop-up background is only $70 and a great option for blocking clutter and cleaning up the background of any photo! (Although I will warn you that folding it up takes a lot of practice). Did I mention it’s portable!?!? It folds up to only a couple feet in diameter — just like a reflector. Photographers always seem to have too much gear, so anything that is lightweight and doesn’t take up much room is a huge plus!

5. Extra Camera Batteries – $50 to $100

This is a great gift for photographers if — and only if — you know exactly what brand and model of camera they own. If you do, splurge on a brand-new battery. Camera batteries are truly precious items, and usually go for about $50 to $100, so many photographers wish they had more but just don’t justify buying extras! Make their day and help them be more prepared for shoots with an extra battery, BUT make sure it’s the name-brand battery made by the camera brand they own and the model that is specific to their exact camera. So go sneak a quick photo of their camera while they’re not looking so you can look up the correct battery to buy!

6. Print Certificates to a Print Company

This is a good one! Most photographers these days don’t print their work and it’s a real shame. Photographs deserve to be seen in a tangible form. They shouldn’t ONLY exist on a hard drive or up in the cloud (wherever that is) just to be forgotten. Whether the photographer is creating fine art or documenting family memories they should be making prints or print books. A very meaningful gift for photographers.

Check out our good friend Marcy James’ fine art online print shop Paper & Ink Studio or the online printing giant Artifact Uprising for two fantastic high-quality printing options. If you are looking for more volume printing options or photo books, I would recommend mpix.

7. Gift Certificate to a Local Coffee Shop

I think it’s pretty universal that photographers LOVE to edit images and work on business stuff at coffee shops. It’s just like an average Monday for photographers. So, buy your person a gift card to their favorite local coffee shop and they can indulge their socially-acceptable loitering habit — and help a local business see more customers! Win win!

8. Film!

Yes, you read this correctly, I’ve added film to the gift list! There is a growing interest in film photography again. I’m unsure sure if it’s because people want to move away from this world of AI (artificial intelligence) or because it’s just the cool thing to do. Personally, I think people just enjoy the art of creating something physical in photography. Anyway…film makes for a great gift for those film photographers out there! (Don’t be alarmed, because it’s not quite as cheap as it once was…). Just make sure you know what “size” film they use. Typically, photographers are using 35mm or possibly 120 (medium format). There are a lot of different options out there, but I don’t think any photographer will turn down a box of Kodak Portra 400 (color negative film).

Another option, related to film if you are nervous about buying the right film is getting your film photographer a gift certificate for processing. There are several labs out there and depending on where you are live, there may even be a local shop. A company I personally love is The Darkroom, and they offer a lot of different gift card options.

9. B&H Gift Card

Let’s be honest, buying gifts for photographers is difficult especially if you are not a photographer yourself. You can always take the easy way out with a B&H gift card! B&H is literally the biggest camera store in the world. MOST photographers are very familiar with the store and are probably frequent customers. So, make it easy on yourself and get a B&H gift card. Do this and you are absolutely sure to get them exactly what they want! As far as gifts for photographers, this is a slam dunk!

10. Instax Camera (or film if they already have one) – $79

Typically, our advice would NOT be to buy a camera for someone as this is a very personal decision… HOWEVER, these are super cool! Everyone loves tiny, instant photo prints! These are great for kids, new photographers, or even the most experienced photographers just because they are so much fun. Of course, if they already have one, they will absolutely appreciate more film!

11. RMSP Swag!

Yep, this is the part of the article where I do the shameless plug for you to buy RMSP merch. I mean, who doesn’t absolutely love Rocky Mountain School of Photography!?!? I’m sure the photographer in your life does! And I promise they want to show it off, so it’s the perfect gift! Just do it! I should mention we will be adding some new stuff soon so keep an eye out.

Things to let them pick themselves.

There are some things that photographers just REALLY need to pick out themselves, like those listed below. Many of these are expensive too, so you want to make sure they really love what you want to buy them. Seriously, you are amazing if you’re wanting to purchase your photographer one of these items, but unless you are a photographer yourself and you know exactly what they want/need, just buy them a gift certificate to B&H so they can pick it out themselves!