Gift Guide for the Young Photographer
The iPhone, the device that placed a versatile, easy-to-use, high-definition camera in every asshole’s pocket, gave even the most inept art school wannabe 17-year-old the confidence to try and charge people $50 for a portrait shoot somewhere in a wheat field or on a beach at sunset, probably after having upgraded from an iPhone 6 to a Costco DSLR.
Now that the dumb idiot has decided to put ‘photographer’ in their Instagram bio, it’s time you started supporting them in their ill-fated ‘creative’ endeavor. How do I know this experience so well? I lived it. It was me. Sorry, world, and sorry, 2014 Flickr, for my garbage contributions and incessant hashtags.
Though I shot on film rather than a DSLR (due to poverty and not taste) this gives me an insider understanding of the young photographic psyche. The young photographer is one who is likely not very good, and therefore, likely not very wealthy or knowledgeable about their gear or their craft, which is good news for you because that makes them very easy to please. Still, though, best to try and get them something that’ll make them a bit less shit, or at the very least, look less shit when they show up to take macro shots of their female friends’ hands holding a dandelion in some playground (again, sorry 2014 Flickr).
We’ve collected a list of items that’ll help your nephew, friend’s kid, coworker, or stepdaughter with creative ambition to jumpstart their photographic career.
Hung Supply Sidewalk Camera Sling
Hung Supply are a small, independent camera accessories company that makes well-designed products for photographers at any skill level, style, or format. They are photographer owned and operated, which means that from concept to design to material to color, the items are crafted with the needs of the average, working professional photographer in mind. We love the Sidewalk Camera Sling bag because it fits everything we need to fit, pads everything we want padded, and doesn’t look like a big, noticeable camera bag full of valuables to be stolen. They are low-key, stylish, look cool when worn, but not obnoxious in size or appearance, which is good when shooting skating or music where theft is a real risk. Plus if your kid brother’s camera gear gets stolen because it was in a bright yellow pelican case that screams ‘I’m full of expensive re-sellable items’, he’ll likely be asking you for new shit, and that can get pricey. Keep it stylish, low-key, and hung.
Gordy’s Leather Sling Neck Camera Strap
I’ve been a fan of Gordy’s real leather camera straps for quite a few years because of their timeless look, hand-made strength, and excellent customer service. I’ve never had, nor have I ever heard of anyone actually needing to replace their Gordy’s strap due to wear and tear, but I have had one fall off a boat into the ocean. I emailed Gordy’s and explained what happened and how much I love their straps and asked if they had the same style and color available. and they sent me a new one for free. It’s always worth investing a little cash in something that’s quality, and quality customer care is a big component in that. Go with Gordy.
If they’re serious about wanting to go pro, they’ll need some serious talent and vision, and then they’ll need an internet presence to showcase it. You can’t make them better at their craft, but you can buy them the platform necessary to show it off with a Squarespace web domain subscription. This will allow them to register a website domain, build a beautiful platform that suits their style and compliments their art, and allows them to link potential clients to a professional portfolio rather than an Instagram page that’s just their name with ‘photo’ at the end. It’s a unique gift, not very tangible or unwrappable so maybe a little less exciting than a puppy or a bike or whatever kids dream of for holiday gifts, but it shows you care about what they care about, which is a big deal. Bigger than a bike or that dumb puppy.
100,000 followers on Instagram
If you’re getting the feeling that maybe – no offense to them, I know you love them—maybe they aren’t that serious about going pro, or are taking photos based on whatever is trending on TikTok, or you see this interest fading as soon as they get into business school, they might actually just want attention. Again, no offense to them, kids want attention. It’s natural. In that case, surprise them with the gift of fake internet numbers, the concept of which I believe is truly poisoning every creative market on the planet, but will make their day. Everyone wants to be popular, your 15-year-old daughter is no exception. At $10 per 10,000 followers, popularity is cheaper than ever.
External flash with sync cord
This is a serious piece of gear and a piece of gear I wish I had when I was a young photographer in skate and music and surf and party culture trying to document my small town’s scene. Flash allows for the addition of light in dark situations, and if your young photographer friend is cool, most of the cool things they do happen in the dark, so a flash is necessary. The flash is a necessity, but also a style choice. There is a tinge of revelation in flash photography, in that the photographer is illuminating what is not normally or naturally visible, capturing something that isn’t actually being experienced that way. The sync cable offers further style options in that it allows the flash to be untied to the camera’s hot shoe, which allows for light to be brought upon the subject from whichever angle the photographer chooses. Fuck me, is it cool.
Again, like with Gordy’s and Hung, we advise you to invest in the best. MeFoto, with their product diversity and product warranty, is one of the best. Regardless of style or intent, MeFoto has a tripod for any situation. Though they have beefier tripods for heavy, medium, or large format shooting, and Air series or even lighter options for point-and-shoot size timed photos, the RoadTrip is my favorite for the compact size, ease of setup and break down, color, and material options, and endlessly adjustable appendages. Especially if you don’t know exactly what that kid is taking photos of, the MeFoto Roadtrip is a catch-all, safe bet this holiday season.
As far as I’m concerned, whether your child star shoots film or digital is a toss-up. Either way, the Reto Ultra Wide & Slim is a fun, small, cheap, interesting, easy way to expand their 35mm horizon. Reto is a company that makes affordable, quality cameras based on their favorite film cameras that have gone out of production. Their $30-ish Ultra Wide & Slim is based on the slim and wide toy cameras that became famous for their super-wide 22mm plastic lens that made for very dramatic vignetting, and before Reto stepped in to produce new models, was in very high demand ($400 resale level of high demand). Reto is a boutique affordable film camera producer worthy of supporting, and their Ultra Wide & Slim is full of inspirational potential.