TL;DR: you can visit our Amazon Idea list for a summary of most of these recommendations. The Boston Photography Workshops is not affiliated with any of the links and do not profit off of any product.
The Beginner’s Essentials
Magnus Travel
Tripod:
We deal with tripods A LOT. Many a-tripod has come through our studio and there are plenty of duds. The Magnus tripod is a sure-fire winner for beginners and experienced photographers alike. Simple to use, well designed, portable, yet solidly built, this tripod strikes a perfect balance for those who need a tripod on the go, as well as those who may need something sturdy for their photography outings.
Samsung 1TB External Hard Drive
Photographers take lots of photos and those photos need to be stored somewhere, and your computer’s hard drive will fill up quickly. To keep things organized - the right way, you need an external hard drive. This SSD (solid state drive) is much faster than typical drives and ultra portable. Photo organization is essential for enjoying your photography, so if you need some help check out our “Organizing Photos” online class.
Photo Book by
Henry Carroll
A lot of photo books are long winded, or have no words at all. Henry Carroll’s “Read this if you want to take great photographs” is the perfect balance between photo instruction and inspiration. With simple explanations of photographic techniques and ideas, this book is an excellent read for photographers of any skill level.
Accessories to help intermediates take the next step:
Godex Camera Flash
New and experienced photographers alike often struggle to use camera flashes. These auxiliary lights can be confusing at first, but with the right know-how these tools open-up endless possibilities for creative photography. This model ditches a few features that you wont need and makes the price incredible. The BPW actually uses these flashes in our workshop “ Flash Photography For Beginners”, so join us if you’d like to learn how and why flashes are a must-have tool for photographers.
Gel Kit for Flashes
Already have a flash, or want to double down on the Godox’s creative potential? This gel kit is an accessory that can help create color tints while using a flash. Gels can also help balance out color differences when using flash indoors where light bulbs may not match the color of your flash. A great tool to have for anyone utilizing flash photography
Inexpensive Filter Kits
If you’re itching to try some more creative filters, these filter packs offer color, ND, and graduated ND filters and are great for experimentation. Awesome for any lens: Using the included adapter you can mount the bracket on your lens, then slip any filter (or combination of filters) in front of the lens. For $30 this is a great way to dabble with filters and not commit to a single type for a certain lens size. For help understanding these awesome accessories, check out our online workshop: “Filters Explained”. These come in color or standard.
For those who seem to have everything:
Capture Clip
Having your camera ready and on hand can be challenging. Sometimes a camera on a shoulder strap just doesn’t make sense. This accessory allows you to clip your camera to a shoulder bag, back back or even a belt. Bonus: the mount also doubles as a tripod plate for arca-swiss tripods. We’ve been using the capture clip for about 4 years now and really enjoy it. We’ve already shared our thoughts on Peak Design as a brand, so it should go without saying that this tool is high quality, well built and fun to use.
Tech Pouch
Digital photography seems to require so many small accessories that easily get lost in your larger camera bag. To help keep things tidy (and not lost!) A tech pouch is an excellent accessory to help stay organized and focus on the creative part of photography. From chargers, memory cards, or headphones, this handy bag is a perfect addition to your camera or laptop bag.
Camera Strap
Peak Design is the “Apple” of camera gear. Well designed, pretty to look at, premium materials, and priced on the higher end. A camera strap is something you interact with on a daily basis, so getting this tool right is critical. With thoughtful features that allow you to remove the strap easily, this strap lives side by side with a number of other Peak Design accessories you’re sure to enjoy.
Thoughtful gifts for everyone.
Digital Picture Frame
After making all of those hard-earned photos, you should show them off! Aura makes some amazing frames that are intuitive to use and dare I say enjoyable. With unlimited cloud storage, an easy to use smartphone app, sharing options for family or friends, this filter has now been gifted to 4 family members. Worth the price, and highly recommended.
Microfiber Cloths
Not super flashy, but important to photographers! Microfiber cloths are a handy tool to help clean all of our devices. Avoid scratches, remove dust, all photographers should have 3-4 of these in their bags - just in case! (We added some fun color options, or black if you’re too cool for school)
Mini Tripod
Tripods are a necessary tool for many situations. However, tripods are not always practical or welcomed tools in certain situations. This Neewer mini tripod is well made and highly portable. Great for low angles, or table top uses, this tripod is a great piece of kit for photographers on the go.
