31 Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Photographers and Visual Artists

With Christmas parties and gift exchanges right around the corner, there is a lot of pressure to find just the right gift for a friend or loved one. When selecting a gift for the photographer, videographer, photo editor, or other visually creative person in your life, it can be intimidating to find a unique or useful present—especially if you yourself are more of a logical, left-brained type of person.

Nevertheless, the photographer (or creative) in your life will appreciate these ideas for a holiday gift to make their life more convenient, more productive, more healthy, or just more fun. Whether the person is a professional creative or dabbles in visual art for fun, the list below will make them feel appreciated and provide them with a gift they will actually love.

1. Camera Bag

Sure, it may be on the nose, but you cannot go wrong with a chic and practical camera bag so your loved one is stylish while staying very functional during a shoot. While many photographers start off with a simple, durable nylon bag, your artsy friend can look all the more professional and mature with a camera bag made of materials like leather, canvas, or other waterproof material. Make sure the right camera inserts are included and all straps are adjustable.

External Hard Drive

This is an extremely practical gift, and your photographer friend will thank you. With so many large image and video files to store, the visual artist quickly runs out of memory space on their computer, especially with content from long ago that they no longer need often. Many photographers aren’t excited about purchasing their own external hard drive but are endlessly grateful when they have one, since their files become better organized and computer runs faster.

2. Standing Desk

After completing their latest photo or video shoot, the photographer in your life will likely spend hours reviewing the results, editing or Photoshopping images, and organizing the final products. Sitting at a desk for hours at a time can lead to awful lower back, neck, and joint pain that only worsens over time.  Your visual artist can benefit from standing desks, which have many health benefits and can even boost productivity. A standing desk from Autonomous is a great way to give the best of both worlds of sitting and standing, since desks can be used in either setting and make it super easy to switch modes.

3. Fashionable Camera Strap

There are many companies out there which have not only developed innovative straps that are comfortable and distribute the weight evenly—they also look super cool. Help your artist show off their personality and stay comfortable with a new camera strap, such as with leather accents or colorful patterns.

4. Prints of Their Work

Let your loved one show off their work! Select one (or a few) of your favorite images of theirs and get them professionally printed so that they can show off favorites in their office or home—or pass them on to their friends!

5. Gallery-Quality Frames

The photographer often likes hanging up personal favorites in their own home, and if they are rather shy, they almost certainly have favorite images from other photographers. Giving your loved one professional quality picture frames lets them decorate their workspace as they’d like and feel motivated throughout the day.

6. Camera Enamel Pin

For the hipster photographer whose backpack is covered in pins, why not add a new one related to their favorite activity?

7. Photography-Related Clothes

Let the creative friend show off their passion even when they’re not running around with a camera bag and camera. Items like a t-shirt or hoodie with photographs or other creative elements are a great conversation starter.

8. Computer Monitor Arm

Photographers and videographers often use computer monitors for image uploading, editing, organizing, sending, and sharing. However, it can be difficult to manage getting the right position of the screen, especially as light angles change throughout the day. For a visual artist, monitor glare is not an option, since it can alter the images they work with and lead to eye strain. A monitor arm makes it easy and comfortable to adjust the computer screen so that their creative work looks as beautiful as possible.

9. Blue Light Glasses

Looking at small on-camera screens often throughout the day shooting photos/videos—and then spending hours on a computer reviewing and editing the results—can lead to headaches, eye fatigue, and neck pain. The artist will appreciate a pair of blue light glasses to minimize their blue light exposure from screens, remain healthy and productive, and better stay focused without altering the colors of the images.

10. Earrings or Cufflinks

Let your loved one show off their talent with a subtle yet stylish flair. Camera themed earrings or cuff links are a cute and quirky spin on photography-related gifts they likely haven’t seen before, and can actually be worn on the job.

11. Creative Challenge Book

Whether your loved one is a newcomer or old pro, it’s always fun to get a jolt of creative energy. If you’re not sure of your friend’s taste in images, let them create the results themselves with an activity book that sparks new creative ideas or challenges.

12. Micro-Fiber Lens Cleaning Cloths

Your photographer friend can vouch that they go through these things quickly to remove smudges from their lens or viewing screen while in the field. A high-quality micro-fiber cloth cleans their equipment without risk of damage, and are relatively cheap, making them a great casual gift or stocking stuffer for the visual artist in your life.

13. Ergonomic Chair

If the visual artist spends hours working on their images in front of a computer or desk, their shoulders, neck, and back will be in desperate need of an ergonomic chair. If your loved one is not keen for a standing desk, these chairs are another great option for improving health and productivity during long sitting periods. These chairs are specially designed to improve posture and provide better back support to keep the sitter productive and health. The Autonomous ErgoChair 2 is one of the best that works well with any desk type. 

14. Chair Pillow for Back Support

Want some of the benefits of an ergonomic chair, but need a temporary fix before getting one? You’re your creative loved one the “support” they need with a chair pillow specifically designed for back support while they work for long periods on their images and videos. Your loved one will thank you for the comfort of a chair pillow with a lumbar support feature or a chair with built-in back support.

15. Coffee Table Book

As an artist themselves, your loved one can appreciate beautiful, large glossy images of other photographers’ work. You could give them a book of photos by one of their inspirations, or even give a book on a totally unrelated topic (like cooking or pets) since those images will still be impressive.

16. Wireless Shutter Remote

Experienced photographers will already know the value of having an electronic wireless camera release remote. However, if you have a budding photographer on your gift list this is an inexpensive (and valuable) gadget to add to their camera bag. This device lets you fire your camera remotely, which comes in handy when they need to balance a light or microphone, or for child and animal portraiture.

17. Memory Card Case

For the avid hobbyist or the professional photographer/videographer, they will go through many memory cards with each new project. Help your loved one stay organized with a carrying case specifically designed for small memory cards, with space to label the project for each one.

18. DSLR Camera Cheat Sheets

Photography can be a confusing skill to learn. These durable, pocket-sized cheat sheets can help make the learning curve easier with quick examples and explanations to common questions even while your loved one is out exploring.

19. Photoshop Shortcuts Keyboard

For the avid image editor, this keyboard skin will save hours of time in Adobe Photoshop so your friend stays productive and efficient.

20. Ergonomic Mouse

While editing and sharing their work, a computer mouse designed for ergonomic support will make the hours of computer time much more comfortable and painless for your creative loved one.

21. Decorative Light

Turn their workspace from drab to exciting with this zany light-up camera décor that even changes colors.

22. Old-Timey Camera Posters

This set of 4 camera patent posters celebrate the art and beauty of vintage cameras. Created by an award-winning artist in North Carolina, the posters capture the spirit of innovation and engineering behind cameras. They’re cool prints to hang on the wall for photographers and non-photographers alike!

23. Magazine Subscription

You can’t go wrong with a magazine subscription that fits the artist’s interests. There are plenty of photography-related magazines if you’d like to remain on theme, or find a magazine related to their personal interests such as cooking, home décor, fixing up cars, music, or any other hobby.

24. Camera Face Masks

Before COVID-19, a face mask with a camera design may have seemed strange, but now it’s just another way of saying, ‘I care about you.’

25. Cozy Socks

Because who doesn’t love snuggling up in warm socks during winter? These camera-print socks are a sure hit with visual artists, or you can look for socks that match a different hobby or personality trait of theirs.

26. Desk Lamp

Being a photographer or other visual artist often means hours of artistic work long after the sun has set. A chic, practical desk lamp can be one of the best gifts for creative people to continue working productively at night.

27. Desk Organizer

For the visual artist spending hours working at their desk, help them stay organized with a cute vintage camera-inspired desk organizer. This can store pens, pencils, scissors, and any other desk items they might need to keep tidy.

28. Digital Picture Frame

With a digital picture frame, your loved one can easily show friends and clients all their latest photos. It eliminates the awkwardness of passing around your smartphone, and the larger size and higher resolution will make their shots look better.

29. Travel Coffee Mug

For the photographer/videographer on the go, help them keep their morning coffee or tea steaming with a stylish or quirky travel mug.

30. Hand Sanitizer Variety Pack

What’s a stocking stuffer for everyone this year? Hand sanitizer. Buying a pack of smaller ones allows the artist to keep some at home and some in their camera bag while shooting on the go. Try a variety pack with fun scents (like these) to incentivize your photographer to actually use them.

31. Daily Planner

Keep track of notes, appointments and shooting schedules with a daily planner, which helps keep a photographer/videographer organized. Look for a cute planner with sections such as a quick glance month- or week-long calendar, an hourly schedule, a notes section, a doodle section, or a place for to-do lists