Photo and Design Tips

For those of you lucky enough to get a tax refund this year, it’s time to take some of that welcomed "bonus" cash and put it towards a few photo gadgets. Here are a few gift suggestions for yourself or for another aspiring photographer in your family…

For the Portrait Photographer The Lensbaby: This is on my list of things I’d love for my D- SLR. If you have that type of camera, and you’re looking to spice up your portraits, it should be on your list. The newest version allows you to bend your lens to the position you want, and lock it into place, so you can setup the same shot over and over (in case you took a shot a few days ago and need to have it set the same way).

The Lensbaby site has a great demo as well as tons of samples to check out. After you check those out, please visit 2 of my favorite stores to purchase the version for your camera, and the 3G model is around $270 (older versions are available as well for less): B&H Photo and Adorama

For the eBay Businessperson Tabletops & Backgrounds: Whether you’ve tried to sell things on eBay yourself, or you know someone who loves to sell online, this is an important little investment. Anyone with eBay experience knows that the photos make the big difference on the ads you place online, and this is a great way to get some classy looking photos.

For as little as around $35, you can get a small tabletop with black or white backgrounds to place your item against, prop a camera and take a quality photo. Have your images stand out from the rest and be more professional. And hey, if it’s a business of yours, consider this a small tax deduction for next year! View your options here.

For Graduating from the Point & Shoot Camera A D-SLR Camera: You’ve played with your point and shoot camera for a while now, read up on techniques, and realize that you may be ready to jump up to the next level and have more control. While I personally own a Nikon, I won’t consider myself a Nikon snob and get into the brand battle. Most of the major brands produce perfectly good cameras and have similar features. I would first find out if anyone in your family, or any friends, have lenses for a specific brand already. It’d be cheaper for you to borrow or get hand-me-down lenses to play with than buy them all to start.

A reason I love Nikon is that they have been using the same mounting system for their cameras for decades, and even lenses produced in the ’70s are able to work with the modern-day cameras. While they may not have all the auto-focus and computerized lens features, they are usable in manual mode, and work great! If you’re looking for a good starter camera kit, I’d recommend the Nikon D40 for the budget-conscious (~$500 with a good starter lens!). I am not a detailed product reviewer, but you can find plenty of reviews online if you search places like DPreview.com and FredMiranda.com. I will say I trust Nikon as a brand, but in the end, try to at least get a feel for a camera in a store first and make sure it’s comfortable for you. Then compare prices with stores online, and see if that local store will price match (I’ve gotten them to). If you’d like to view other brands and prices, check them out here.

For Your Next Carribbean Vacation Aquapac Waterproof Bag: I can personally vouch for this product. While not as great as the fancy underwater housing that you can find on sites for hundreds of dollars, this low-cost little bag (~$40) is something you will have fun with. I got to use this little bag at a pool party with friends where we had plenty of goofy underwater photos, as well as snorkeling off the coast of Bermuda with the fish.

Things to note: Flash may reflect off the inside of the bag so play around first; make sure when you seal the bag, that it’s not too tight that when your lens extends it gets stuck; and obviously, keep it dry! Just keep shooting since you will still have a lot of throw away photos, but I have to admit, it was fun to get a few closeups of fish you would otherwise not get. See the Aquapac here.

For the Photo Lover with Little Wall Space Digital Photo Frames: Though some people see this as a fad, I think everything has its place. I received one as a gift when leaving Boston, and it definitely is pretty cool. Some offer a few features such as slideshow effects, and even sound! While that may be overkill, it is a good option for people with little wall space or only a little bit of counter/desk space for a photo. You can plug in your memory card from a camera for some frame models, and just let it go through hundreds of photos.

I’ve talked to a fewpeople on both ends, thinking this is where all photos are headed, and others who see it as a gimmicky toy dying off very quickly. My feeling is that it’ll stick around, though not kill off the typical framed print. I love standard prints, but this offers a nice option to get all those other photos you wish you had room for. Check out some photo frames here, with decent ones starting at around $60.