Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Best Gifts For Travel Photography

Most gifts for travel photography fall into three categories: things to bring, bags to bring them in and then things that help deal with all the images when the trip is over. Here are ideas for presents that cover all those areas. If you have loved ones that enjoy traveling the world and taking photos here are great ideas for what to give this holiday season.

Hobolites

There are plenty of cameras that look impressive, but when’s the last time people enviously eyed your lighting equipment and asked ‘What are those?’ Hobolites look like someone went back in time to a classic Hollywood film set, took the lights and miniaturized them. They also added in some new technology, allowing you to control them from your phone. Their ‘Iris’ lights are small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Their ‘Mini’ and ‘Max’ lights get progressively bigger but are small and lightweight enough to fit in any camera bag. But the best thing about Hobolites is they encourage a sense of play — they are sold in kits with accessories that magnetically attach to the front, changing the shape and color of the light. It’s the perfect series for someone learning their way — but they’re also great for pros. “These exquisitely-designed lights encourage my creativity simply by existing,” says photographer Travis Keyes. “They entice me to pick them up every time I lay eyes on them.”

Pelican 1535 Air Carry-On Case

Pelican cases are legendary for their toughness and security — even the military uses them for carrying equipment. They designed their Air series to be 40% lighter while still remaining crushproof and watertight. The 1535 Air Carry-On Case can pack in a ton of gear for a trip but is small enough to be brought on board your flight. A retractable handle and wheels allow smooth rolling. There are foam and padded inserts available to keep your camera and lenses in place, but the best option is the TrekPak Divider system that keeps things firmly in place and takes up less room. The M50 Micro Case is a great addition to carry cables, batteries and chargers and the Micro Memory Card Case can organize extra camera cards.

Walden Frame

What’s the point of all those great travel photos if someone can’t display them? The Walden by Aura is a 15” digital frame — large enough to show off some great work, but small enough that everyone will have a place to put one. Photos are uploaded to the frame over Wi-fi through a phone app or computer browser. And the frame can be shared so others can upload and view photos as well. This is also a great present if you’re a photographer who wants to give someone else a series of your work — you can buy the frame and load your photos onto it as part of the setup. The Walden comes in two colors and can be wall-mounted or used with the included stand.

Synology DiskStation DS923+

One of the biggest problems for any travel photographer: dealing with all the large photo files, both at home and on the road. The Synology DiskStation DS923+ helps with all these things. The technical jargon: it’s a 4-bay NAS system. For the lay person: consider it a huge external drive that can expand with your photo library, back up your files and even turn into a media library for all your photo, music and movie needs. One especially great use: you can upload your files to it from anywhere in the world over Wi-fi. Nothing can ruin a trip like a lost or damaged camera card or laptop along the way. “I rely on Synology to keep my images safe, especially when I’m on a remote shoot,” says photographer Cameron Gilson. The DS923+ can make sure all your photos are already at home way before you are. For a smaller solution you can also consider the 2-bay DiskStation DS723+.

MX Creative Console

Applications like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom help photographers organize and edit their photos, but your standard keyboard isn’t always the fastest tool to get work done. MX Creative Console easily connects with your computer to work with these programs (and many others) giving you shortcut buttons and dials to quickly zoom in and out, adjust exposures and other settings. It comes pre-programmed to work out of the box but is also customizable to fit your specific workflow.

Infinite Color Panel

Photoshop can provide thousands of color tweaking possibilities but you could also earn a law degree in the time it takes to learn all of them. Enter the Infinite Color Panel. With a simple click you can generate professional color grades – different hues applied to shadows, midtones and highlights — that give your images a stylized look. If you don’t like what you see you just click again. Get something you like, keep it and do some more adjustments to get it exactly where you want. All this is done in an easy interface without having to go through a ton of menu options. Purchase the bundle and get the Infinite Black and White and Infinite Harmony panels as well.

LaCie Rugged Mini SSD Drive

This is the stocking stuffer that any photographer can use. The LaCie Rugged Mini SSD drives are designed to be portable, fast, dust and water resistant, and capable of withstanding the bumps that go along with life on the road. Their distinctive orange rubber covering can be found on drives in camera bags everywhere you go. Available in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models.

Hardcover Travel Photo Book

Screens are convenient, but nothing will replicate the experience of someone leafing through a physical book of their photos. This is a gift that will make any photographer take real pride in their work. Artifact Uprising has a stellar reputation for print quality and offers a number of paper, cover and size options. One easy choice: the Hardcover Travel Photo Book (11” x 8.25”) — a perfect format for landscape photos. You can also customize the book jacket, the page count and fabric color.

Penguins!

The ultimate gift for travel photography — a once-in-a-lifetime adventure where you can capture the ultimate shots. Surprise your loved one with a special trip — like an Antarctica cruise with Seabourn. They’ll see penguins swimming and jumping in the ocean, sea lions, whales, spectacular icebergs and some of the most amazing landscapes they’ve ever witnessed. Trips like this can book up years in advance, so plan ahead and give a holiday gift that will never be forgotten.