10 gift ideas for photographers – what should I buy someone who loves photography?
- William Gray
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Over the past 35-odd years as a photographer, I've accumulated a fair amount of gear (camera bags are my weak spot 🙄). But there are certain accessories I wouldn't be without – and they don't necessarily cost a fortune. Here are my top 10 gift ideas for the photographer in your life...
*Disclaimer: the first two items I confess to having a material interest in, as they are both available from my website. However, everything else is gear I have either bought or used myself and wholeheartedly recommend from personal experience. I have no affiliation to any of the companies below, and have included links to their websites purely to guide you in the right direction. Happy shopping!
Photography workshop voucher: the gift idea for photographers that's also an experience!
A gift voucher for a photography workshop (whether it's one of mine, or from another photographer) is a genuinely useful present for anyone who wants expert help at getting to grips with their camera, or professional advice on how to improve their photography. Mine are tailor-made and one-to-one, ensuring a personal experience.
£175 (half day) or £250 (full day)
Photography Weekends Britain
Another plug (last one, I promise!) but researching my latest book Photography Weekends Britain (published by Bradt Guides, February 2026) was a real eye-opener to the sheer beauty and diversity of Britain's landscapes. I've featured 25 locations – from the Far West of Cornwall to the Northwest Highlands of Scotland – and each one has a two-day action plan, woven around the top photo locations, and how to take the best pictures. The 384-page full-colour guidebook contains city guides, wildlife and landscape masterclasses, and well over 250 photographic destinations to plan your travels around.
£19.99 (available for pre-order on Amazon and Bradt Guides)
*Free copy with every full-day photography workshop voucher purchased from Will Gray Photography before 31 December 2025
Wellie boots
Mundane and sometimes overlooked, but essential for landscape and seascape photography, a pair of rubber wellie boots will keep your feet dry while taking those spectacular shots of waves swirling around rocks, or rivers tumbling through woodland gorges. Often the best viewpoints are found when you dabble your toes in the water... These ones are lined with neoprene for extra insulation and have non-slip soles for safely negotiating slippery, seaweed-covered rocks.
From £44.99
Photography gloves
Another really useful item of clothing that will enable you to keep shooting when those around you give up and head to the café... these photographer's gloves come with removable finger tips so, when necessary, you can easily press fiddly buttons on your camera – and then pull the tips back over to keep you warm. As well as being water- and wind-resistant, the gloves have non-slip palms for extra grip on valuable camera equipment. Sensory fingertips allow you operate touch-screens with your gloves on.
£34.99
Folding sitting/kneeling mat
My top bargain 🤩. Grab one of these folding mats for a few quid from Mountain Warehouse, or similar, and slip it into your camera bag (or strap it to the side) and you've always got a dry and comfortable base to kneel on when taking low-level landscapes or macro photographs. Also perfect for picnics on photography walks! It weighs virtually nothing and packs down to just 30cm x 9.5cm (closed). When unfolded it measures 37cm x 30cm.
From £4.99
Red beam head torch
A head torch is essential when you're setting off for a sunrise shoot and need to navigate your way in the predawn darkness. Choose one which also has a red beam and it can be used when you're out grappling with complicated astrophotography shots and need a soft red beam to see your camera controls while preserving your night vision. Great value at just £10.99, this one can be tilted 45 degrees and has hands-free sensor control.
£10.99
Geared tripod head
I've gone through my fair share of tripod heads, from ball-and-socket designs to three-way pan and tilt and fluid video heads 🥱. But it's only in the last few years that I've become a big fan of geared tripod heads. Sure, they are heavier and more expensive, but they allow incredibly precise control when framing your compositions. I love the way they slow you down and encourage you to take a more considered approach to setting up for a landscape photograph. For half the price of the Benro model shown here, you can pick up a K&F Concept or Neewer geared head. I've only used the Benro one, and the quality and build is superb.
£220
Cube 2 battery charger
I came across this cool device when I went to Snowdonia and forgot to take my Canon battery charger with me! It was the only thing available in the local camera shop – but I absolutely love it, and now rarely use the one that came with my Canon R5. The Cube will charge two camera batteries side by side (with a handy LCD screen to show the charging progess of each). You can also pop a little tray on top which will charge four AA rechargeable batteries. There's a USB port and it comes with both a mains plug and a 12V socket adaptor for your car.
From around £60
The Photographer’s Ephemeris app
A must for landscape shooters, this app shows exactly where sunlight and moonlight will fall on UK terrain, with detailed 3D mapping to predict shadows, light direction and elevation – ideal for accurate and precise natural-light compositions and for planning your shot with perfect precision. Download it from the App Store. And while you're adding useful apps to your phone, get hold of what3words – it's fantastic for sharing precise navigation to photo location spots and car parking areas.
£9.99
Polariser filter
With ever-more-sophisticated versions of Lightroom and Photoshop allowing photographers amazing control over post-processing, there is one thing that this software can't do – and that's replicate the effect of a polariser filter. So, this is one filter that should definitely be in every photographer's camera bag. It's the one to use for saturating colours and removing reflections from water surfaces, shiny metal and wet leaves. There are lots of brands available from screw-on filters to magnetic ones. I particularly like this system from Kase in which a magnetic polariser filter is mounted at the back of the system, allowing for up to three 100mm square filters (such as neutral density or graduated filters) to be slotted in front. It comes with adaptor rings to fit 67mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm filter sizes.
£149
National Trust Membership
If you spend any amount of time out and about taking photos in the UK, chances are you will come across a National Trust property, whether it's an historical house, a patch of ancient woodland or a stretch of coastline. Aside from supporting essential conservation work and protecting our heritage, membership of the charity means no charge for parking at any of their sites – and you'll be amazed at how quickly you recoup the cost of membership just through 'free' parking on your photography trips.
£96 per year
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