Affordable Gifts For Young Photographers

Back-to-school is in full swing. If you're looking to buy a gift for a young photographer  here you go! There's nothing worse than that look of disappointment, masked or otherwise, when they open a gift they don't want. This article is here to help you avoid that. Find gifts here which your young photographer is sure to love!

1. Photography Lessons
2. Photography Info Cards
3. Tripods
4. Fast Lenses
5. Camera Bag
6. Lighting Kit
7. Instant Cameras
8. Mini Photo Printers
9. Smartphone Lens Kit
10. Bluetooth Camera Remote

I receive inquiries all the time from parents looking for photography lessons for their teens and college students. If your young photographer is hungry for knowledge sign them up for some photography lessons.

My private lessons start at $200/lesson. If that isn't quite what you consider affordable I totally understand. That said, I'm able to teach multiple students at the same time and am willing to offer discounts when there are more than one student. Too, group photography classes are more affordable.

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If lessons are too expensive these cheat sheet cards are a great affordable alternative. Because they provide high quality information they help your student learn. As a photography teacher these carry a lot of the information I teach. That said they're missing the benefit of being able to ask follow-up questions. However these cards are packed with great information.

These cards are very affordable costing as little as $20.

Another option are photography idea cards. These cards increase your photographer's creativity by suggesting things to photograph. Because of lot of these are ideas your photographer might not think of they make a great and affordable gift!

Get a set for around $20.

Tripods are essential for a lot of different types of photography. That said, the Amazon Basics or Best Buy tripods are practically worthless. If you're buying a tripod for your young photographer you'll want to spend $50 or more.

Tripods provide stability. Since your young photographer is still learning being able to use a tripod will help them think about each photo. The resulting photos will look much better. Too, since most new photographers don't have the best lenses a tripod allows them to create sharper images in lower light.

Brands such as KF Concepts and Neewer make really great tripods for around $100.

Yes, there are affordable fast lenses. What do I mean by fast? A lens that allows in more light is considered faster. This is because it allows the photographer to use a faster shutter speed. Because kit lenses tend to be very slow a fast lens opens up a whole new world to your young photographer. Plus it does it affordably.

Buy your photographer a fast 50mm lens. The "Fast 50" lens opens up the photography world in exciting ways. First, these lenses allow them to take photos in lower light. Too, they're not a zoom lens, they're fixed at 50mm. This means the photographer has to learn to move themselves rather than just zooming. Second they're considered "normal" because they don't distort things like wide angle or telephoto lenses do. Finally, these lenses allow the background to become more out-of-focus than slower lenses.

Here is a list of fast 50s for different camera systems. Make sure you know what camera you're buying for.

• Nikon Z  $80 
  Note: this is a manual focus lens*
•  Nikon DSLR $110 refurbished
• Canon EF DSLR $125 new
• Canon RF Mirrorless $180
• Canon RF Mirrorless $80
  Note: this is a manual focus lens*
• Sony E Mirrorless $200
• Sony E Mirrorless $80
  Note: this is a manual focus lens*

*Manual focus lenses are less of a problem with mirrorless cameras. This is because the photographer can turn on "focus peaking" which will outline what is in focus.

Camera bags are very helpful and affordable photography accessories. They help photographers keep everything sorted. Too they help keep things clean. One of my favorite bags is affordable, comes in a variety of great colors, and has a lot of room.

The CADeN D6 bag is also waterproof and has an iPad compartment. Plus it's less than $35.

If your photographer is interested in portraits a lighting kit is a great affordable option. Too, this is an excellent choice if they're making videos of themselves or others. An affordable favorite of mine is this Phopik softbox kit. It comes with two lights, stands, and softboxes.

Softboxes are lighting modifiers that spread the light out. This results in more professional looking light. Too, the lights this comes with cool themselves so they won't overheat.

A lighting kit will help your photographer to see and manipulate the light. After all, light is the cornerstone of photography. Therefore, understanding light is critical to success.

Buy the Phopik kit for around $60.

Digital photography is great but there's nothing quite like the joy of printing an instant camera photo!

The Fujifilm Insta Mini 11 is the most popular instant camera out there amongst teens and young adults. Too, they come in a variety of colors including blush pink and lilac purple.

If your young photographer is even younger a kids instant camera may be a better choice. For example this instant camera prints stickers, puzzles, and more.

These cameras are available starting around $70.

Since photo printing is retro and popular mini photo printers have taken off! The Kodak Step Wireless printer is one of the most popular around. It retails for around $70. It's portable, works via bluetooth, and creates cute little 2x3 wallet sized prints.

If you've got another $20 consider buying the Retro 4 Pass. Your photographer won't regret the higher image quality. That said, don't forget to factor in the cost of paper. The photo paper for these might make them less affordable in the long run. Of course that all depends on how much they use them.

Expect to pay between $50 and $100.

Many young photographers start out using only their phone. If you're looking for the perfect, and affordable, gift consider a smartphone lens kit. This one from Apexel is a great choice. It offers a variety of lenses. Those lenses include practical lenses such as a macro lens. Additionally, it includes fun creative lenses. For example there is a star filter, two kaleidoscopes, and more.

Phone lens kits like these range in price but most around between $15 and $45.

Here is another very affordable photography tool. The Zenvo Shutterbug is a remote that allows you to remotely take photos with your phone. This is super helpful for a number of reasons.

First, if your young photographer likes to take photos of the moon or lightning this trigger prevents them from bumping the camera. Thereby preventing blurry photos.

Second , if they like to take selfies or create videos it lets them do so handsfree. Finally, it's great when paired with a phone tripod for extra stability. This allows them to take photos or videos from farther away.

You can get the Zenvo remote by itself for around $20. Too, you can get a phone tripod/remote combo for around $30.