twine, the same store that sells the ceramic cameras we featured last week, sells these neat Polaroid-shaped beeswax candles. They give off a subtle honey scent, last for approximately 40 hours, and cost $38 a pop from the twine website.
twine sells these neat ceramic cameras that remind me of the popular Munny toy that kids can decorate. Rather than giving one of these to a photography-lovin' friend as is, you could customize it yourself for a unique camera-related gift. The instamatic and folding Polaroid cameras are available for $34 each, while the Land camera doesn't seem to be available anymore.
Compact cameras are portable and convenient, but often they trade ergonomics for their small size. If your camera is a bit too small to hold comfortably in your large hand, Flipbac Camera Grips are designed to help you get a grip. Their shapes are inspired by actual grips found on larger compact cameras, and each one sticks to your camera securely and non-messily using 3M adhesive.
French bags designer Philippe Roucou creates limited edition silk scarves using lost Polaroid pictures that they come across. There's three limited edition series -- A, B, and C -- and you can currently buy a few of the scarves from the B series on REBORN for $CAD 261.75 (~$275).
This "Sky Aperture" t-shirt is a nice way to sport some photography-related apparel without being too geeky. You can grab it now for $20 over on Threadless, though if you wait you might be able to grab it for $5 or $10 during a sale.
Forget Little Trees. "Sweet Snapshots" are the air fresheners photo enthusiasts should have hanging from their rear view mirrors. ModCloth sells them for $6 a pop in yellow grapefruit or pink peach. The reviews say the scents don't last very long, so just know that you'd be buying them mostly for aesthetics.
Here's a neat necklace for photo geeks -- it's a 35mm "cropper" that you can use to see what a scene would look like in a photograph. There's even rule of thirds lines built into it. They're handmade, crafted in Korea, and cost $49 over on Etsy. If you want an equally geeky tool without paying such a ridiculous price, you can punch the film out of a 35mm slide and use that.
Judging from the strange novelty products coming out of Japan, there's apparently a huge population of people there who love both photography and cats. If a picture taking cat isn't enough to satisfy you, you can add this cat-shaped memory card reader to your collection. It reads SD cards and Memory Stick cards using slots that are exposed when you lower the cat's tail. They're available from Donya for ¥399, or about $5.
We've seen camera shaped pendants before, but these new Camera Lingo Necklaces definitely take you into uncharted levels of geekiness. Each one has a "secret code word" that will be appreciated by other photo enthusiasts, but may befuddle ordinary, unenlightened (no pun intended) folk. They come in four colors and designs -- JPEG, CR2, NEF, and a no-flash symbol -- and cost $20 bucks each over at Photojojo.
This cute little vintage twin-lens reflex camera by Chinese stationary company deli is actually a pencil sharpener in disguise. Instead of loading it with film, simply stick a pencil into the top "lens" and turn the handle on the back to sharpen it. It has an adjustable sharpness knob, and the top half pulls out when you need to dump the pencil shavings.
You've all seen multi-photo picture frames before, but the "Comic Strip Picture Frame" goes a step further by providing 45 speech bubble stickers (and a pen) that allow you to turn the frame into a comic strip. You can buy one for $18 over on Perpetual Kid -- or you can just take this idea and create your own speech/thought bubbles.
Here's a neat gift idea (especially with Mother's Day coming up): take your favorite portrait and have it printed on a beautiful notepad! Joanna Goddard made the above notepad using a photograph of her son Toby. Pinhole Press is a company that can help you make your own, and a 50 page one will cost you $13.
Made in the early 1960s, Fisher Price's Picture Story Camera was the first "camera" owned by many photo-enthusiasts. They're built out of paper-covered wood and plastic, and contained a tiny disc with eight different "photographs" that could be seen by looking through the viewfinder -- similar to the View-Master, except not in 3D. To change the photo, you simply hold down the shutter and turn the "flash", a yellow block with pictures representing the four seasons.
When Liana Garcia Joyce got married a while back (doubling her film stash), her mom came up with the idea of giving away these hand-crafted wooden photo holders as wedding favors because Liana met her husband through their common interest in photography.
Remember the 100 pixelated camera illustrations by Billy Brown we featured a little while back? Well, you can now decorate your wall with them by ordering them as vinyl decals. For $36 you can choose either 30 small decals or 10 large ones over on Scribble on Everything.
The UN01 is a Kickstarter-funded iPhone 4 case that makes it look like some kind of Apple-designed futuristic camera. The middle of the case features a pseudo-lens bulge that is actually a locking mechanism that secures the two halves of the case. They're looking to raise $23,000 to bring this case to market in 7 colors, and a pledge of $30 will pre-order one for you in black or white.
If Adam Elmakias' lens bracelets aren't retro enough for you, photographic.ly is now selling these f/stop lens bracelets featuring a colorful design based on old Nikon/Nikkor lenses.
If you want your kids to grow up with the same love of photography you have, you can try performing some "inception" giving them photography-related toys from a young age. "Zoom" is a camera windup toy by Z Wind Ups that waddles around, looking at things with a magnifying glass.
F-Stop Searching Key Caps are tiny camera key fobs that help you quickly identify important keys on your keychain. They attach to your keys easily -- the key slips in from the top -- and come in black, gray, and bright yellow. You can pick one up for $9 over at ModCloth.
Remember the pastel baby box cameras that we featured a while ago? Well the seller, Mel Stringer (girliepains on Etsy), has a new design for vintage box cameras that's inspired by cameras such as the Brownie, Bakerlite, and Ensign. These could make nice table decorations for when you hang out with your photography-lovin' friends. The templates come on A4-sized PDF files and a cost $4 through Stringer's store.
If you find yourself often shooting in cold weather and having to take your right hand glove off to operate your camera, you might want to check out Freehands gloves. These are special gloves that have thumb and index finger tips that fold back, allowing you to adjust your camera settings without having to expose the useless parts of your hand to the cold. They range from $18 to $80 and can be ordered directly from the Freehands website.
Sharan pinhole cameras are Japanese-made cardboard camera kits that you buy and build yourself. All the parts are pre-cut, and can be assembled using tape in about 1 to 2 hours with the help of step-by-step instructions. The STD35 is a standard 35mm pinhole camera, while the Wide-35 allows you to take panoramic photos.
It's a little to late to get this card in time for Valentine's Day this year, but maybe this can give you some inspiration if you're looking to create one by hand for a special photography-lover in your life. This "We Just Click" card sells for $4.50 from dudeandchick's Etsy store.
Julie Lewis saves the
We've featured a Brownie camera clock in the past, but that one was a custom-made gift. Minnesota-based artist Debra Dresler converts vintage cameras into clocks as well, but makes them available for purchase. You can buy this clock made from a Brownie Hawkeye Flash Model camera for $165 over at UncommonGoods.
Beth Blafka (known as bethtastic on Etsy) makes hand casted resin bangles that look like old film negatives. Each one is hand made -- and therefore unique -- and costs $65 from her store. At this price it's a fashion accessory that fits between the focal length gel bracelets ($10) and the cuffs created from old lenses ($201) that we featured before.
Ordinary DSLR cameras too big and bulky for you? Check out the CHOBi CAM ONE, a DSLR-style toy camera the size of an eraser that actually has lenses you can swap in and out. It shoots 1600×1200 still photos and VGA video at 30 frames per second.
The "Photo Hanger" is a mini steel wire paperclip shaped like a miniature clothes hanger, and can be a neat way to display photographs your wall when combined with pushpins. You can also hang some string across your room or wall, and hang the photos up like you would hang clothes on a clothes line. Novelty and awesomeness, however, comes at a price -- for $9.50 you get only 7 of these sweet clips over at arango.
Erin Paysse sells one-of-a-kind pinhole cameras created by upcycling vintage hardback books. Each camera has a magnetic shutter and is designed to take standard 35mm film.
Photo-opoly is a Monopoly clone in which you use 22 of your own photographs for "property". An fun idea might be to print out your friend's photographs, customize the game with them, and give it to them as an awesome photo gift. You can pick one up for $27 over on Amazon.
You've probably seen the special keyboard covers for Mac keyboards that show you the Photoshop shortcut each key is used for, but what if you're looking for something more old school (or don't have a Mac)? These Photoshop Keyboard Stickers should do the trick. They're individual vinyl stickers that you individually stick onto each key, allowing you to stay old school and giving your keyboard a very childish look. You can pick up a set for about $8 on Amazon.
If PetaPixel's very own Leica skin for the iPhone isn't enough photo geekery for you, there's also a Polaroid Land Camera skin being sold over at Infectious. We think it would go very nicely with your retro-photo apps! The skins run $15 a pop and are available for not just the iPhone, but for other devices as well (e.g. Blackberry, iPad, etc...).
Pardon the obnoxious watermarks, but Gadget4all is selling this funky USB speaker that looks just like a Canon 5D Mark II 7D and 24-105mm lens. It's a 1:1 clone of the actual camera, though the camera and lens both sport "Caoon" as the brand. Audio files can be played from a computer, USB devices, or SD/MMC memory cards, and various buttons on the back of the camera have been changed to control volume and playback. If random photography novelty gifts is your thing, you can pick this one up for …
iPhoneography (i.e. iPhone photography) is exploding in popularity, and undoubtedly many people jumping into the craze will want to share their work in a non-digital way in addition to broadcasting their photos on the Interwebs. The Boo Box by hatchcraft is a handmade bamboo frame designed specifically for iPhone photographs. It's available in three different colors (light, mixed, and dark) and costs $20 from the hatchcraft store.
The soft cases that are often bundled with higher-end lenses are good for preventing minor scrapes and bruises, but offer little when it comes to protecting your glass against harsher dangers. The BETA Shell line of SLR lens cases are designed to guard your lens against most things extreme environments can throw at them, offering protection from water, impacts, and extreme temperatures.
Now that you're older and not playing with stuffed animals any more, you're probably not keeping coins in a piggy bank either. Instead, you can save up for your next camera or lens with this awesome "piggy bank" that look like a Canon 350D with an 24-105mm L lens attached. Coins are inserted through a slit in the lens, and can fill up the camera body as well. it's available for about $23 over at 100milligrams.
Sorry that this year's list of awesome photography gifts comes even later than last year's... we'll try to have it ready earlier in 2011. This year we have 10 fun, novel, and/or useful gifts for photography-lovers you love...
I don't know about you, but if it weren't for the protective case on my smartphone, it would have probably needed to be replaced a long time ago. If cell phones have protective skins and cases, why shouldn't cameras? Camera Armor is a protective case that's custom designed for each separate DSLR model, and is available for both Canon and Nikon bodies -- and a few others as well.
Wanna give a unique present this Christmas? If you have two portraits of a particular friend (head-on and profile), Sculpteo can turn them into a miniature figure that resemble the "big head mode" from GoldenEye on the N64. Only the head is created from photos -- you'll need to describe the clothing and accessories you want to see on the figure (might we suggest a DSLR as an accessory?). A 7cm figure will cost you $75, while a 10cm one sets you back $130.
You know how you can never manage to frame people properly when taking self-portraits of you and your friends? What? You've been getting along just fine? Well, if you do suddenly find yourself with self-portrait ineptitude and randomly feel like spending some dough, you can buy a "Mirror, Mirror on the Camera", a "cool self-adhesive self-portrait mirror you stick on your camera or cell phone" meant for helping you frame self-portraits better.
Want something fancy to prop up your growing collection of photography books? These snazzy vintage camera bookends sell for $50 on Amazon, and could also make a fun gift for your favorite photography-enthusiast bookworm.
Thinking of buying a love one a digital photo frame this Christmas? You might want to reconsider. A recent survey of 2,000 people by the British Video Association found that digital photo frames were the most unwelcome gifts, followed by foot spas, blenders and digital organizers.
Photojojo is selling this nifty Juice Box Camera, a 35mm camera that looks like a box of apple juice. The shutter is triggered by -- you guessed it -- the straw!
There was a pretty enthusiastic response to the lens gel bracelets we featured here yesterday, but what if you want to go a little further than simple $10 geekiness? re:vision by Oye Modern is a line of cuffs created from old camera lenses. Everything from focus rings to depth of field sliders are recycled as fashion accessories. Haute photo fashion comes at a steep price -- the cheapest cuff will set you back $201.
Photographer Adam Elmakias created these geeky lens gel bracelets to help photo-enthusiasts show off their love of photography. They come in a range of focal lengths, and cost $10 apiece over in his online store.
Carry around your business cards, cash and/or plastic in style with this nifty retro camera business card case by Etsy seller Coolbeans717. Each handmade case takes 5 days to make and costs $13.50.
These might not be as practical as the USB cufflinks we shared a while back, but with Christmas just around the corner, camera cufflinks might be a fun gift idea for a photog in your life. They sell for £7.95 (~$12.5) over at Weesh.
ThinkGeek is selling a spy-themed T-shirt with a twist -- the camera being used by the spy in the design is actually a working camera. The Electric Spy Camera Shirt shoots 640 x 480 images (storing about 150) with a remote you can use while having it tucked away in your pocket. It costs $40 from the ThinkGeek store.
Gap is selling a pair of vintage camera boxers for $12.50, or $10 each if you buy two.
The Friend Poster is a fun product product offered by grad student Benjamin Lotan through his new website PrintingFacebook. For $20, you'll receive a 20 x 40 inch high-quality poster with thumbnails of the profile pictures of all your friends (works best for 200 to 2,200 friends). What's neat is that the posters are created using a traditional photographic print process: …
