2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers - Under $100

Christmas is just around the corner!! That means it is time to start thinking about gift giving, what you are going to buy that special loved one, and then buying gifts!

I have put together a selection of the best gifts to help make your holiday season a little less stressful.

This hand picked assortment features the best gifts under $100 for the photographer or the photography lover.

Holiday Gift Guide for the Photographer:

Under $100

1. A good photography book :

So there are a few different Photography books that I love. For landscapes it is hands down the Landscape Photography On Location by Thomas Heaton.

For Portraits it is Boudoir Photography Cookbook by Jennifer Rozenbaum. This book is great not only for Boudoir, but for posing and understanding how to pose women.

2. External Hard Drive:

I personally think the more memory the better. Now days our digital files are huge and the space fills up fast. I personally like the 1 TB Passports.

3. Battery Packs / Portable Chargers:

The worst thing that can happen to a photographer is you run out of battery. Whether that be your phone battery or your camera battery. You are sitting there, on location, with a beautiful scene in front of you, and then the red battery symbol starts blinking. Your heart sinks, you begin to become frantic, but that isn't needed when you have a battery pack on hand!

Check out many different options here.

4. Monitor Color Calibration

If your monitor isn't calibrated your colors will be completely off. I mean your skin tones will be bright orange when you print the image even though they look beautiful on your screen. These are essential. I have heard good things about the Spyder but that one was almost $200. I ended up choosing the ColurMunki which has worked awesome for under $100.

5. Creative Live Classes

In today's world of technology things are always changing. Whether you are brand new to photography or you are a professional, continuing education is important. These classes range from $19 to $300+.

Find photography classes here.

6. Peak Design gear

I am seriously obsessed with all things Peak Design. All there things are high quality and just make life easier. My all time favorite is the Peak Design Clip for $60. This thing is amazing for backpacking and adventuring.

Check out all peak design gear here.

7. Camera Strap

Growing up, my mom would make me camera straps almost every year. Actually, she would do it whenever I asked, or whenever she found an awesome fabric. Talk about lucky! I was always so excited to switch up my camera strap and have a different style. Then I could change it out whenever I felt like having a little bit of a different vibe. It was awesome! So I know that alot of people do not have this luxury. Let's just say my mom is extra ordinarily creative and awesome at all things. So, if your special someone is anything like me, they will looovveeee a camera strap. Typically photographers just keep the same boring black camera strap on their camera (you know the one that came with the camera) and never buy a special one for themselves. There are so so many neat handmade camera straps for under $50.

8. SD Cards

Again, the more memory the better. SD cards only last a certain amount of time, and photographers are constantly needing it. My personal favorite is the SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB.

9. Landscape prints to decorate your home:

Photographers need inspiration and not just their own photographs. I have many different photographers images hanging on my walls and it inspires me to get better and get outside to shoot.

You can always find my Images for sale here.

10. Rocket Air Blaster

This thing is seriously amazing especially for mirrorless cameras like my Sony. I love this thing as it cleans your sensor with no touch and at under $10 it is a no brainer.

Get yours here.

11. Fujifilm Instax mini 9 Instant Film Camera

My very first camera was an instant film camera. These are amazing. You take the picture and BOOM there it is in your hands, printed right there! It is amazing. These come in at under $100; however, if you get the full package it is $110 .

12. Lens coffee cup

Ok so I just think these are the coolest! If you love coffee and photography then this is like two of the best things combined and under $30 !

13. An Awesome Coffee Cup

So photographers work long hours! We stay up late for sunset and star images, but then we get up early for sunrise images. This means coofffeeeeee!!! Coffee is seriously a must. One of my favorite coffee cups is this one:

Plus it is a small business company 100% made in the USA!

14. Joby Gorilla Pod

These are just fun! They make it possible to have a tripod anywhere and for under $50 I am obsessed. This was actually my very first tripod and It was awesome. It will grip tree branches, sit on the ground, hang from a railing, and so much more :)

Check it out here.

15. Of course a Bessie Young Photography Gift Card ;)

This list is meant to help you all with your gift giving this holiday season. Hopefully it makes it easy and you can now relax and enjoy the holidays a little more.

Merry Christmas!

Bessie

Maker sure to check out the other gift guides here:

 $100 - $500 Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers

$500++ Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers

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please note, that these links are affiliate links that helps support this small business.

Unboxing the Sony A6500 | I finally got one!

I am beyond excited about finally getting the Sony A6500 (if you watched the video, you could probably tell by how many times I said it). This past week, I finally bit the bullet and decided that in order to really up my video game I needed to use something other than my smart phone. I also decided that it would be a good idea to have a second camera for those needed or unexpected moments.

This camera is going to allow me to get some awesome video and behind the scene shots for my adventuring and 'how I got the shot' videos. I can't wait to take this out and give it a try. So why did I choose this one? Why didn't I get another Sony A7rii, A7, or A6000? Well alot of factors went into this decision. I have been putting this purchase off for quite some time as I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. Basically, the deciding factors were the size, the fact that it would use all my lenses, the price tag, the burst mode capability, and the video capability. I wanted to mainly use this camera for my videos and then having a backup camera is much needed. It is slightly smaller than the A7rii, my main camera.

Is there a down side? Yes. This camera is a cropped sensor camera where as my main camera is a full frame. I thought about getting another A7rii, but did I NEED another full frame camera? At this moment in time, I decided that this camera will be the next big step and I am absolutely thrilled!!

So, I just wanted to give you all an update on what I have been up to and the thoughts behind expanding my photography business.

I hope you all enjoyed this small update. If you want to follow along on my crazy life, business adventure, learn photography, and so forth make sure to subscribe to my blog. This way you will get an update on when I post some fun and exciting news :)

Also, don't forget about the photography cheat sheet! You can find it to the right of your screen, or the bottom if you are on a phone. Download it for free!

Wishing you all a beautiful day,

Bessie

P.S wanna know what gear I used? Check it out here:

Kit Used:

Camera: Sony A7Rii: http://amzn.to/1taGpAu
Backup Camera and Video: Sony A6500: http://amzn.to/2rEEh63
Favorite Lens: Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 G Master: http://amzn.to/2n747NJ
Best Wide Angle: Sony 16-35mm lens: http://amzn.to/1UBjBDW
Vanguard Tripod: http://amzn.to/2aoI5ku

Filming:
Samsung Note 4 Smart Phone: http://amzn.to/2rxq2yd
Sony A6500: http://amzn.to/2rEEh63

Editing & Processing:
Bulk editing: Adobe Lightroom: http://amzn.to/1WB7Jnc
Fine tuning: Adobe Photoshop : http://amzn.to/1WB7YPh
Viva Video Pro for combining videos

Top 10 Best Selling Cameras of 2016

Top 10 Best Selling Cameras of 2016

by Bessie Young Photography

Cameras, Cameras, Cameras.... There are so many different choices these days. You aren't sure what camera to get? That is ok. There are so many different options out there and it all depends on your style, what you need the camera for, and your budget. I have put together a list of the Top 10 Best Selling Cameras of 2016. No, this isn't an extensive list. Just the top 10 of 2016.

1. Canon EOS Rebel T6 Digital SLR Camera
2. Nikon D3300 1532 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II Auto Focus-S DX NIKKOR
3. Sony DSCW800/B 20.1 MP Digital Camera
4. Kodak PIXPRO Friendly Zoom FZ43 16 MP
5. Nikon COOLPIX B500 Digital Camera
6. Nikon D3400 DSLR Camera
7. Canon EOS Rebel T5 Digital SLR Camera
8. Canon Powershot ELPH 160
9. Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera
10. Canon PowerShot SX720 HS

If you are in the market to buy a camera there are a few things that you need to consider. Before you make the final decision, ask yourself a few questions:

1. Why do you want one?
   • This will help you decide on which to get. If you want one for documenting your life, or taking pictures of your adventures, you may not need to get one of the big expensive full frame cameras. A point and shoot might suit your needs better.
2. What is your budget?
3. Will you upgrade in the future?
   • Ok, so I am a true believer of the old saying 'buy once, cry once'. I learned the hard way on this one. Believe me, I have been through some lessons learned when it came to camera gear. If you know that you are eventually going to get that big expensive one, you may want to consider getting it now. Are you going to upgrade to the 'nicer' lens or the 'better' camera? Just stop and consider getting it now rather than buying the lesser quality today and then 2 years from now buying the better one. If you go this route, you may spend more money that you ever needed to. Just food for thought.
4. What are you planning on photographing?
   • This will really help you in your decision process, especially when it comes to various lens options.
5. What are your preferences?
   • Ok so this may sound odd, but what I mean here is do you like big cameras... small cameras.... having the shutter button on the right or the left... do you want a hand grip... Think of these things. Each camera is different. Sony cameras are light, Canon cameras are bigger and more substantial, Nikons have the buttons on the opposite side...
6. Ask yourself if the camera has the features you need.
   • Again, this is extremely important.
     • Are you using this camera for video?
     • How big do you plan on printing?
     • Do you want it to have Wifi?
     • What do you want the tool for? Answer this and you will be able to answer if it has the right features for you :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post.

Wishing you nothing but fun adventures, pretty pictures, and a beautiful day!

Bessie

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Wondering what gear I used? Check it out here:

Kit Used:
Sony A7Rii: http://amzn.to/1taGpAu
Sony 16-35mm lens: http://amzn.to/1UBjBDW
Canon 100-400mm f4: http://amzn.to/28TA55m
Sigma MC11 Adapter: http://amzn.to/28TjmRR
Vanguard Tripod: http://amzn.to/2aoI5ku

Filming:
LG G3 Smart Phone

Editing & Processing:
Adobe Lightroom: http://amzn.to/1WB7Jnc
Adobe Photoshop : http://amzn.to/1WB7YPh