Photography stuff is expensive and a lot of times, technical know-how is a must, along with almost endless amounts of other things. If you’re buying for someone who is just starting out in the portrait photography field, this guide will help you purchase things that the amateur photographer will use and appreciate for a long time to come. They’ll make great gifts for Christmas as well as birthdays and any other occasion!
A good, sturdy tripod
Price: From $30 and up from there.
This is really the first thing a portrait photographer needs. Try to find one that has a nice height range. Chances are if it feels cheap, it probably is. A good tripod will be used often, for a long time and for more than just portrait photography, making this a wonderful gift for an aspiring photographer.
Continuous photography light with stand
Price: $40 for a single fixture.
Quality lighting is crucial to portrait and product photography. This is another thoughtful and practical gift that your photographer will be able to use over and over again. For $40 you can get a stand, fixture and photo light. Photos lights have a color temperature of about 5500k (Kelvin), which in plain English means a very pure white light is given off.
The kit available at this price also included an umbrella. It’s continuous which means the lights are on at all times, as opposed to a flash kit, which goes off when triggered. Rigging lights and fixtures can be really frustrating. This really is a great starter kit.
Muslin backdrops
Price: $25 and up.
Muslin cotton is the most common material you’ll find photo backdrops made of. There’s a wide selection of solid colors as well as mottled patterns to choose from. For an example of a mottled photo backdrop, please see the picture included with this article.
Additionally you can also purchase chroma key backdrops, most commonly being green or blue in color. These colors are used because they are far away, tonally, from human skin. Green has a higher luminance, requiring less light. Subjects are shot in front of these backdrops, then during post-processing, these backgrounds can be removed and another image put in its place, such as a “digital” photography background.
Soft focus filter
Price: $10 for a basic filter, $40+ for one of higher quality.
These filters screw onto the end the camera lens (or adapter ring) and work by removing blemishes and wrinkles in the skin while giving the photo a soft glow. According to The Filter Connection (http://www.2filter.com/), the most popular soft focus filters include Tiffen’s Soft/FX series in grades 2 or 3, Cokin’s Diffusers 830 and Hoya’s Softener A. A soft focus filter will provide photos with a soft, angelic glow desired in portraits and wedding photos alike.
These kids of filters will not work with most point and shoot cameras. Advanced point and shoots with adapters rings will accept these filters as will SLR cameras. Note the diameter of your lens (or adapter ring) because your filter will need to match this (common sizes include but are not limited to 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, etc.)
Softboxes
Price: If you shop around $25, generally around $40.
I got a set of softboxes myself a couple of years ago, so I can vouch for what an awesome gift they make to portrait photographers.
They come disassembled and store very easily. Picture a large, black box with a face made from a sheer yet sturdy white fabric, and you have a softbox. A softbox diffuses light reducing hotspots and uneven lights in photos, and while lighting is a science and never particularly “easy”, a softbox will give your photographer’s shots wonderful results right from the start. For a great example of what I mean by that, see the image included with this article.
Need another reason to scoop some softboxes? They look really, really pro.
Any of these gifts will have an amateur portrait photographer taking better studio shots immediately. They’re relatively inexpensive when compared with lenses and camera bodies and will make portrait photography easier and more pleasurable.
