There are only a few weeks until Father’s Day (June 19th) and if you’re like me, you are already planning how to celebrate your dad, or help your kids celebrate their dad. Dads can be extra tough to shop for; after all, you got him that BBQ last year, the tie the year before that, the ‘World’s Best Dad’ coffee mug before that, so what’s left?
Don’t worry, we have some great photography gift ideas for the dad in your life. These gifts range from the budget-friendly ($25) to a little bit of a splurge. Check out the list below and grab something for ad today (or just get something for yourself and buy him a few steaks for the BBQ instead).
1. HoldFast Camera Straps
We can’t stop talking about the HoldFast Gear camera straps after recently reviewing their Money Maker in this article. The HoldFast straps are functional, stylish, and made of 100% leather. You can choose from Water Buffalo Leather, Bison Leather, and even genuine python. Your dad will not only be the coolest photographer on the block, he will look like it too! If your dad isn’t into camera straps, HoldFast has a collection of rugged looking camera bags as well.
Coming in at $155 to $490, SLR Lounge readers can save $10 off all orders over $100 and even more as a SLR Premium Member. More details and codes here
2. ClickGear Photography T-Shirts
You can’t really go wrong getting dad a t-shirt, but sometimes photography t-shirts can be really cheesy (pun intended). ClickGear is a lifestyle brand for photographers that specializes in shirts and accessories that aren’t like your typical geeky photographer t-shirts. The “Creeper” shirt shown in the photo above is $30 and can be found here. ClickGear also has hoodies, hats and bags available, as well as some great items for women and kids.
3. PhotoMatix HDR PHotography Software
If Dad loves HDR Photography, get him some of the best software on the market for HDR. Whether he is into the more natural looking HDR or the more surreal, HDRSoft PhotoMatix is the software for any HDR enthusiast. We chose it as our processing software for the SLR Lounge HDR Tutorial and readers can get a 15% discount off the $99 price using the code: slrloungehdr. Premium Members can save even more. Details here
4. Peak Design Messenger Bag
Another one for the cool, rugged dads out there; this Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag. Last year, it took the Kickstarter world by storm raising $4.8 million dollars (exceeding their $100k goal) in just thirty days. The bag comes in 2 sizes – 15″ and 13″, and fits well just about everything (check out our review here). I love them so much I got two for myself – one in each color/size. SLR Lounge readers get 10% off, while Premium Members save even more. Check out the Partner Page for more details.
5. LIGHTBLASTER
Remember when Dad used to make us sit around and watch slide shows on the old projector? If your Dad practiced this form of torture, he is going to LOVE the LightBlaster. The LightBlaster is a creative light modifier that uses any lens and shoe mount flash to project images onto any surface. The perfect amount of geekiness and fun. Get it on B&H here for $99
6. Raya Pro
Raya Pro is a Photoshop panel with a wide range of actions for digital blending. Developed by travel photographer Jimmy McIntyre, Raya Pro will help you blend exposures naturally for any scene, and much more actually.
Max Bridge reviewed it here and loved the comprehensive course. He said it really sped up his workflow. It’s $44.99 for just the plugin or $69.99 including the Mastering Raya Pro course (which he recommends). You can purchase Raya Pro here or click here to purchase Raya Pro and the accompanying course
7. Drones
One of the hottest toys/gadgets on the market right now, drones or UAVs are flying high, used by amateurs and pros alike. Get dad one of the popular DJI Phantom 3 Quadcopters for around $500, or if money is no object, get him this Freefly Alta which is roughly around what my first car cost
8. Advanced Lightroom Processing
Save Dad a ton of time on his workflow by helping him master Lightroom with our Advanced Lightroom Processing Course. He’ll learn every single RAW processing function and feature as well as mastering advanced edits in Lightroom. The 11-hour course is $129 or comes free with a Premium Subscription. This is all he’ll need to be a Lightroom power user
9. Memory Cards
In this digital age, you can never have enough memory. Give the gift of memory in the form of these 64GB U3 Class 10 SD/XC cards, which are perfect for 4K filming and high megapixel cameras. Currently on really high discount here.
10. Lenses
What’s a list of photography gift ideas for Dad without some lens suggestions? A favorite among the top wedding photographers of the world is the Sigma 35mm ART. You really can’t go wrong with any of the Sigma Art lenses really.
Our EIC, Kishore Sawh, is currently reviewing the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens, and he tells me that so far he loves it so much that he’s likely buying one for himself. I, of course, am still in love with the Sony 85mm F/1.4 GM, having spent a few days with it earlier this year.
If you want to go really extravagant, but don’t have the $$, try your luck at winning Dad one of the hottest cameras on the market right now. Be sure to enter our Ultimate Camera Giveaway and get a chance to be the lucky person who gets to pick either the Canon 1DX Mark II, Nikon D5, or the Sony a7RII (or a7s II) to take home.
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