What’s on a photographer’s holiday wish list? In today’s episode, I’m sharing TONS of ideas of what to gift your favorite photographer this year. From stocking stuffers to making their big ticket dreams come true, this list has all the holiday essentials! 

On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.

Subscribe on Your Favorite Podcast Player

Apple Podcast App | Spotify | Amazon | Google Podcast

Connect with Quianna

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Pinterest

Today’s episode is brought to you by The Green House, my resource garden for photographers! Let me help you AMPLIFY your heart online and in real life to turn bridesmaids into future brides through templates, workshops, and freebies!

Review The Show Notes:

Review The Show Notes:

Stocking Stuffers (Under $25) (1:55)

Gifts Around $50 To $100 Or Less (11:22)

Invest-Worthy Gifts ($100-$400) (18:45)

The Big Ticket Dream List ($500+) (26:46)

Podcaster Bonus List (34:04)

Love Languages And Gifting (35:35)

The Gifts That Grow Your Business (36:40)

Mentioned In This Episode

Ultimate Gift Guide For Photographers – AMAZON WISH LIST

Easy B-Roll Ideas For Business Owners: quiannamarie.com/broll

Book Your Intuitive Content Coaching Call: quiannamarie.com/contact

The Green House Resource Garden: quiannamarie.com/shop

Dawn Richardson Tech Education: instagram.com/itsdawnrichardson

Haylee Gaffin Podcast Production: gaffincreative.com

Connect with Quianna:

Website: quiannamarie.com

Instagram: instagram.com/quiannamarie

Review the Transcript:

Hey, love. Welcome back to Quianna Weekly, your cozy corner of the internet where we talk business, branding, content, and actually enjoying the beautiful life you’re building today. I am so excited because we are diving into something fun like peppermint mocha, Mariah, carrying the background, fuzzy socks, and a full battery on your camera, FUN!

We’re talking about the ultimate photographer’s Christmas wish list. It’s a big one. It’s a juicy one. And whether you’ve been naughty or nice, this one’s for you. Whether you’re a business owner, shopping for yourself, because it’s that time to treat yourself. We deserve nice things too, or a family member or a friend listening because you have a photographer in your life that you love and you adore, but you’re feeling like you literally have no idea what to get them.

Besides a Starbucks gift card. This episode is for you. Yes, I made this because I love you, and also because photographers are hard to shop for. Well, let’s be real. Also because gift giving is totally one of my love languages, but also receiving gifts is absolutely one of my favorite things too. So please send this episode to your husband, your fiance, your mom, your best friend, your grandma, your dog sitter, whoever is planning on buying you presents.

Let’s make sure they get it right this year. Sound good. Let’s dive in. Welcome to Keana Marie Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins big or small by dancing in the kitchen photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase really, really big dreams.

You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode. At Keana marie.com/podcast, join me as I share weekly motivation chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating your wins through the lens of a photographer at heart. Come join me for a dance party. Ready? Let’s go.

Alright, let’s get started with some stocking stuffers. These are gonna be sweet. Small, mighty, and super affordable gifts that will be so loved, and the best part is they will be $25 or less. Before I list these, let me paint the scene. You wake up Christmas morning, you dump out your stocking, and it’s full of stuff that actually makes your business better.

It’s like Santa finally acknowledged your LLC. Okay, so this is it. Whether you are receiving gifts from the ones you love, or you’re gifting them yourself, this is for you. Number one on the list of stocking stuffers, a lens cleaning wipe, and microfiber cloths. Okay, so photographers go through these faster than toddlers.

Loose locks. I’m not even kidding. They always need more. I personally love this lens pen cleaner. It looks like a black mascara stick, but it has this tiny little brush and microfiber scrubber to carefully clean your lens on the go. I’m not even joking. I used to gift these to my second shooters all of the time just to keep them in their camera bag for on the go, and it’s fantastic.

It keeps my lenses super clean and I know they’re safe to not just like. Grabbing a sweatshirt or a jacket or the top of my blouse and scraping my lenses right, or blowing on them. And then just creating more spit bubbles on the lens, like that’s not good. I highly encourage those lens cleaning wipes and those microfiber cloths.

And if you wanna get fancy, you can look up those lens pen cleaners. Those are fun. Number two, gaffer tape. And I have a gray roll of gaffer tape. It actually looks like duct tape, but it’s not. If Duct tape and Heaven had a baby, it would be this gaffer tape. And I know that sounds super extra, but it’s so true.

It holds everything and it leaves no residue. Every photographer needs his for securing their backdrops. The floor period. It could be on carpets, tile, cement, garage floors. It literally sticks to everything without leaving that guck behind. If you are a photographer or you know, someone that is constantly popping up backdrops and needs to secure either their backdrop paper or even cords if cords need to be secured, so nobody’s tripping all over them.

Gaffer tape is the way to go. Number three, cute sticky notes and my favorite pens. We need cute stationary. It’s not a want, it’s a need. Right? And two family members listening. Yes. This matters. My all time favorite pen is the pilot g dash 2 0 7. I know that sounds so silly. Uh, but it’s very precise. But it’s the best.

It has a pretty good gripper, which I’m not, I’m not like, oh, this is it for the pen, like the actual piece that holds it, you know, that you hold while you’re writing. But it’s the ink. The ink is smooth, perfect for my handwriting that has a cursive flare, right? So typically when I’m writing, I kind of start writing like my mom when I start in print, and then the faster I go, it kind of gets like half-assed, like cursive, right?

But I just love it because it’s so smooth. Also, I love purple ink. I typically journal in purple. Once a psychic told me that Purple ink enhances creativity, shares wisdom, and allows your imagination to expand. I’m not even joking when I say she literally made me feel like my angels will talk through me, like as I’m writing.

And ever since then, I’ve just love dreaming in my purple pens. So those are fun and sticky notes can be so fun. I love the tiny ones. I love the like normal. I don’t know if they’re like a two inch by two inch sticky note, but they’re fun and they’re, they’re just like a business staple, right? Number four, portable phone tripod for reels behind the scenes.

B-roll. All the client experience moments. You could never have too many of those, right? One of the biggest complaints I get from photographers is that they forget to take B-roll. I’ve burned behind the scenes moments in my brain and I make them a part of my systems and client experiences. And the only way I remember to do this is by actually carrying around a tripod for my phone.

Just having that tripod in eyesight reminds me to record B roll. I love this dirty one that can expand to be pretty tall and not so flimsy that it falls easily if your photographer doesn’t have one or keeps losing them. Tripods are always a good idea. Number five, hot hands or hand warmers for those winter shoots, for sunrise shoots, for mountain shoots, for the, I didn’t realize the desert gets this cold shoots.

Okay, so I personally love the rechargeable electric hand warmers that I call my hot potatoes. They’re perfect for early sunrise sessions or even Eliana softball games, or Landon’s football games. As an auntie, I’m always freezing on the sidelines in the winter here in Arizona and love having these in my pockets.

Plus, Mike has his own two stuffed in his Carhartt jackets for Arizona Winters. Who knew it got so cold in the winters here in Arizona? I’m not even joking for how hot it gets, like the heat of the heat in the summer. It gets the opposite of that. It gets that cold in the winter. It’s crazy. And having these little hot potatoes are so fun.

Number six SD cards and an SD card holder. This is a stocking stuffer that says, I love you. I care about your photos and your files. I don’t want you losing anything. This is a gift that keeps giving for years. I love the sand disk. A 1 28. It’s 128 gb. Prefer the hard case holders to keep them safe. So anytime that I can secure my SD cards, in those cases, I know that they’re safe, right?

Like they’re not just floating around in my bag. They’re not shoved in pockets anywhere. They’re not going through the washing machine. Oh my God. God forbid that doesn’t happen because I keep them safe in these SD card holders. And it’s great too because we can easily wrap them up and shove them into those stockings.

They’re small. Number seven blue light glasses because choline and editing equals eyeball torture. Right? Like I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Right? We spend so much time on our laptops and on our phones, if we can reduce the amount of blue light, especially while we’re choline and emailing and writing blogs, things that we don’t actually have to edit and get the color corrections correct.

Right. This will help your favorite photographer save their vision. So blue light glasses are so cute and they’re so funky too. You can get all different colors. They’re really affordable. I love the big ones that look like little tortoise shells. Even just like the super, like classic, like nerdy glasses.

I think they’re adorable and they’re, they’re so fun. And like I said, they save your eyes. Number eight, thank you notes. This may just be a personal wishlist for me, but if you’re a business owner, a photographer, or entrepreneur, you know how important it’s to send thank you notes. I love a cute little bundle of blank cards to send and love gifting and receiving these sweet cards.

Bonus points if you can customize them with your logo or any type of branding for your favorite photographer. If you’re obsessed with snail mail like I am, make sure to check out the shop@kianamarie.com slash shop to grab some easy Canva templates for cards, postcards, and return address labels. Let’s get customized while we are sharing our love for our current past and even future clients, right?

I’m just, I’m a sucker for thank you notes and I love writing them as much as I love receiving them. Number nine, A Tiny Instax film case. Okay, so this is genius. This is perfect to keep in your camera or your backpack during a shoot to snap some mini Polaroid photos and keep them safe. This prevents your Polaroids from getting smashed, crinkled, or lost Plus, this is a great gift for your clients too, so you can literally have one for yourself.

So if you’re planning on just delivering. I don’t know, three to five little Polaroids for your clients, whether you’re on an elopement shoot somewhere, or you’re in a studio session for a branding session, or a super sexy boudoir shoot, family cuddles, whatever it is. If you’re planning on just handing them, I don’t know, two to three Polaroids or a bundle of them, you can just hand them to them, but keep them safe with your own little film case in your camera bag.

Or if you’re planning to be documenting Polaroids throughout the entire day for that brand or for that entire elopement or wedding day, you can deliver upwards of a dozens. If not, I don’t know, maybe you’re delivering about 10 to 12 of those little Polaroids, and how cute would it be to just gif that to your clients?

Talk about surprise and delight. Talk about blowing ’em outta the water and having such a special heirloom that they can take home that day. Oh, it’s just so powerful. They’re so cute. You can get them in black. You can get them in this beautiful brown leather. I don’t think it’s real leather, but it’s really pretty and it looks like it.

Plus it even has a cute little cover, so you can actually slip one of your Polaroids into the front. So it has a cover for it. It’s just, it’s just so pretty. Okay. And number 10. Small speaker with big beats. As a photographer, it’s up to us to bring the vibes. Having a small but loud portable speaker for family shoots, coupled portraits, boudoir branding, or really any photo shoot will help pump up the energy.

There’s nothing worse than trying to get your couples into the mood or trying to make a. Maybe not so confident business owner really feel elevated and confident in front of the camera, and there is nothing that can elevate someone’s confidence than having some really awesome tunes and just some music that just gets them in the mood.

It’s a whole vibe, and so having a small speaker that just stays in your camera bag is gonna be huge. Alright, now let’s tap into some gifts that may not fit into the stocking, or maybe be a little bit more, these are gifts that you can find for anywhere from about 50 to a hundred dollars or less. And we’re warming up now, right?

These are the, wow, I love this. Or, wow, I love you. Gifts that don’t shock the bank account. So number one, I’ll reflect. I love the handheld triangle reflector to easily grab and reflect light onto my clients. It’s light, it’s easy to use, and comes with options for silver, gold, white, and black. Hope Taylor uses this.

This is her like ride or die, um, that she uses for her high school senior portraits. I got this idea from her, oh my gosh, like 10 years ago, and I’ve been using mine ever since. It’s fantastic to keep in my bag and in my, just my gear list. It’s something that I would always encourage other photographers, especially when you’re working outdoors and you wanna reflect some beautiful light back up into their face.

It’s handheld. It’s easy. You do not need an assistant or a mom helping to do it for you. If that’s all you have, then you have a normal reflector. That’s totally fine. But having that handheld one is, is amazing. Number two. A camera rain cover because rainstorms don’t care about your camera or your budget.

Okay? This is literally the umbrella for your career. So I highly encourage if you have a photographer who especially lives in rainy locations or has very unpredictable weather, having something to protect your gear is going to be vital. It may not be something we want, but it’s absolutely something we need.

Number three. Speaking of the rain, clear umbrellas are a must. Now, this may not exactly be on the top of your photographer’s wishlist, but I promise it’s something they need. Start with one, literally just one umbrella can help make or break a day. And then if you continue kind of picking them up here and there.

Currently I have over about a dozen clear umbrellas in my garage, and I’ve just never had the heart to sell them or get rid of them because. At the end of the day, I really do think I will get back into weddings and they’re just there, right? They’re perfect for family sessions too. It’s just, ugh. It’s just so smart.

Alright, and number four, rechargeable batteries. Whether they are aas, aaas, whatever it is, there is no such thing as two many ever. I personally use the brand Antelope. It’s E-N-E-L-O-O-P or en elope. I’m not sure how to pronounce it. Uh, but they’re amazing. And I have about a dozen of the rechargeable AA batteries with the charger, and it’s been a fricking game changer.

Batteries can be so stupid expensive, and I hate having to stop on the way to photo shoots. These in loop rechargeable batteries are a staple in my think tank camera bag. Like they’re just. They’re so important, and I’m telling you right now, like I have spent so much money for batteries for my flashes and just emergency things that having these charged ready to go, oh my gosh, has saved me so much money.

So don’t be shocked by the sticker price, how it may be a little bit of an investment, but I promise you the way batteries are just climbing and getting more and more expensive, like it’s so worth it. Number five, a car phone charger and make it a fast one. Okay? Because we’re always on the go in bonus points if it’s the kind that actually charges above 3% per hour.

So I don’t ever look at the specs on stuff like that, but I just make sure. Make sure it’s a cable charger. And so what I mean by that is you wanna make sure that it’s not just a phone charger. Make sure that it’s a charger that will also sync, like it’s a sync cable so it won’t just charge your phone, but also connect to your apple CarPlay for directions and your music.

Right. Um, one time I traveled from here to Las Vegas with my friends Felicia and Steph, and I didn’t have the sync cable. I had just gotten a new phone. I didn’t have the correct charger for my car, and so I literally just borrowed a charger from Steph. Thank God she had one, which is fantastic. I’m so happy that she had a charger for me to use, but it wasn’t a sink cable, whatever the heck that means.

And so I literally just watched the directions like on my crotch, my through my phone, right? Like I literally just kind of set it up and it wasn’t able to play through my cart plate. I know these are like first world problems, but just make sure if you are gonna get a phone charger, make sure it’s a sync cable.

Number six, a lightweight travel blanket for outdoor shoots. Clients love it. You’ll love it makes everyone look more prepared and cozy. This doesn’t have to be a super soft and fluffy blanket, like a Velcro whole sheet for weeds and pokey leaves to stick to you, right? I love those thick Mexican blankets or anything that folds up easily to use for photo shoots, picnics, and random adventures on the road.

And as always, I love to give advice when it wasn’t even asked for, but I suggest selecting neutrals, creams, and solid colors. Nothing too busy or with crazy patterns to help your photos look timeless, classic, and very versatile with different types of styles and colors that your clients will be wearing, right?

So I love a good brown blanket. I love a good tan one or cream, something that is just very versatile. And like I said, I don’t even mind, especially if they’re planning on going on the ground to have a little bit of that thicker texture, right? Like these don’t have to be soft and cuddly. They just need to work for your clients to be able to sit down and create variety for their poses.

Number seven, a portable charger bank, perfect for traveling off grid long conference days and being out and about while working from coffee shops. Sometimes we’re just not close to a plug when we need it. Keep your favorite photographer fully charged up all year long. Number eight, headphones. Whatever you think your favorite photographer will love from earbuds to those big earmuff looking ones.

They’re perfect for workdays. Hot girl walks listening to podcasts and traveling. I personally have my eye on the JBL wireless headphones to cover my full ear because sometimes my earbuds give me a headache after a while, right? Like they’re in there and they just kind of like make my ear scratchy. The Wired Bose headphones for podcasting are also on my list too.

Number nine, a pop-up changing tent. Perfect for photographers that often photograph seniors. Brands and couples that include an outfit change in their session. They’re easy to use. Store in the car and always come in handy when you’re out on an adventure for a shoot and just need a quick outfit change.

If your favorite photographer doesn’t have this yet, they’re gonna love this gift. Number 10, the DJI microphones or digi, I think that’s how you pronounce it. I’m sorry. I told you I’m not techie, but oh my gosh, these little mics have been a game changer and I wish I got them sooner. I’m so thankful my bestie Tara encouraged me to invest in these, and our friend Paige major sent over her affiliate link or right away for me to snag these tiny mics, create crisp, clean, and dependable sound for recording content testimonials and voiceovers for day in the life of videos, and literally all types of content.

They’re so smooth and high quality. I’m I’m obsessed. These microphones come with a receiver that goes on your phone or on your camera. It connects with the cable and two mics perfect for interviews or needing those talking head videos. I even have friends that use these little mics for podcasting on the go.

They’re that good. These mics go for around $79 and they’re, they’re worth every penny. Like they’re absolutely worth it. And this may even be an expensive stocking stuff or two, but I made sure to put it in this segment of the gift list just because it is a little bit more pricey. Let’s get into a little bit more of investment worthy gifts.

Okay? This section is for the a hundred to $400 range. These are the, okay, you’re a photographer, I see you, and I’m here to help your business scale. Okay? So number one, it’s time for an upgrade for your good camera backpack. Okay? So I love the brevity. I think I’m saying this correctly, but it looks like Bret or Breit, but I think they pronounce it brevity.

Um, these are fantastic because I love that they just look like a normal backpack. I love being incognito, especially when I’m traveling. I don’t like people looking at my stuff and being like, oh, look, there’s probably a lot of camera gear in there, right? Like, I just like kind of blend in and look natural.

Um, these backpacks are perfect for that. You can shove your laptop in there. You can shove multiple camera bodies, multiple lenses, literally your entire office, like your entire life to run a business can go in this one backpack. And, um, another couple brands I enjoy are the Wandered, which is spelled W-A-N-D-R-D.

They kind of got fancy there, but I think that’s how you pronounce it. And then of course, peak design also has some great options as well. And it’s just a great upgrade. It’s a great upgrade for photographers, for creatives, for videographers. You name it. There’s nothing that feels better than a brand new backpack.

Like we’re not going to school anymore, right? Like it just feels good to have a backpack for Christmas. Number two, a small camera bag. This is the ultimate travel, an everyday camera bag. It’s literally my camera purse, and I say that because it looks like a normal purse and doesn’t look like I might have expensive gear in it, right?

So like I mentioned before, I love being incognito. I love that I can shorten the strap to one shoulder. I could just like a little shoulder bag, or I can extend the strap to be a cross body. I can fit my camera body, a couple lenses and memory cards and daily essentials. Tara’s had this bag for a while and I’m just so excited that I finally ordered it too.

So we have, of course, we’re besties. We have matching camera bags, which is fine when we’re not together. But when we are together, we like dig through each other’s bags to find which belongs to. If you don’t have a travel bag, then I highly encourage this one. And I noticed that. I noticed when I would go traveling, whether it was just like a family road trip or hopping on a plane for something that wasn’t work related, right?

Not a wedding, not a brand session outta state. I was just traveling with family and friends. I didn’t wanna just shove my camera and my DSLR and the bottom of a backpack, like I needed something a little more safe, a little more secure. And inside this camera bag that I have linked for you, you’ll be able to see that there’s actually little sections in there.

So it keeps everything in there really safe and secure. Alright. Speaking of safe and secure, number three, a carry on think tank. This bag has all of the perfect adjustable compartments to keep your lenses, camera, bodies, and gear safe. This is the one luggage piece that has lasted me over 10 years and still going strong.

It’s gotten me to international destinations for weddings in Mexico and Italy and all over the us. It’s sturdy, safe, and the perfect size to keep everything with you on a carry-on while traveling. So this is so important because it actually fits, I don’t know what the word is, the TSA approved, I guess, like it actually fits in the overhead bins on airplanes.

It will not fit under your feet, but it’s a legal carry-on size. Whether you’re hopping on planes or staying close, this think tank is a must for all photographers and videographers. As a bonus, I also encourage any type of luggage, right? Like we need some good traveling luggage for photographers. I love those sturdy, hard case luggage options.

Highly recommend for photographers that are always going places, which is us. That’s me and you. We’re always going places, right? Okay. All right. Number four, a tripod. That doesn’t suck. Every photographer has bought a bad tripod. We know it. I know it. I’ve been there. You’ve been there. And we all deserve good ones.

I think it’s important to have a variety of tripods, one for your phone and for all of your behind the scenes and another for your actual camera. So you’re gonna want a super sturdy one that keeps your camera your expensive gear safe. Number five, a portable backdrop stand. Great for headshots, lifestyle shoots, and mobile studios.

I love the one that has a bracket on top that allows three different paper rolls, so you literally have three different bars on top, which is so cool. It’s perfect for quick changes needed for photo shoots. So if you ever needed to change out those colors of backdrops, boom, it’s not quite the same as having those mounted power operated backdrop roll stands for studios and garages.

Oh my gosh, those are my dream. But for on the go, it works great. Consider those sandbags for safety so the stands don’t tip over or get bumped easily. And those big clamps too, photographers need them to clamp the roll so they stay secure and don’t just keep rolling off of the bar. Speaking of rolling off the bar.

This is where number six paper backdrop rolls come in. I personally love the Kate Seamless backdrop rolls. The paper is just thicker and it feels creamier to reduce kinks or little pokes in the paper. Like if you’re familiar with rolling down backdrops, if you don’t have the perfect roll. Sometimes the paper, if it’s like one edge is lower than the other, it’s not quite evenly coming off of the roll.

It will kink and if you have the right paper, it’ll just kind of pop out and it won’t actually damage the paper. So that’s why I love the Kate Seamless backdrop. Rolls the savage. Seamless is also another brand of backdrop rolls that I love too. They can be a bit more pricey, but very, very good quality.

Seven editing software. So for this I suggest photo mechanic or imagine. Choline goes from, I hate missing out on life from all of this editing to wow, I’m a speed demon and I’m getting things done. You can even take it a step further and offer a year long subscription to Imogen, which is pronounced either Imagine or Imogen.

I think it’s Imogen helping your favorite photographer get their life back with help with choline and editing. It’s literally insane how quickly imagine can edit your galleries. Or I said imagine, I think it’s image. But yes, you still have to eyeball every single photo, but it does the time consuming work for you.

So if you’re a photographer or you know of a photographer that is constantly complaining about editing, or, sorry, I can’t, I’m editing, they most likely are introverted. And just using that as an excuse that they don’t really wanna go. They love you, but they don’t wanna go. They don’t wanna leave the house.

But if they really are struggling and feeling so backed up. I highly suggest sending over a photo mechanic software license, which would be a huge time saver for choline, and then of course, possibly looking into some AI editing, which I would encourage Imogen for that. Number nine. SSD, external hard drive for your phone.

Oh my gosh, this is a game changer. Holy smokes. This is so cool and allows you to take photos and higher quality videos and images to save them right to this tiny external brain that attaches to your phone. Simply plug it into your phone, select to save those photos and videos on there and keep them safe.

Literally never run out of storage again. This is genius and I need one. It’s on my Christmas list this year. Number 10, an Instax mini film camera. These little Polaroid cameras run for about $250 and their film can be pretty expensive, but oh my gosh, they’re my favorite. You can easily get carried away with the camera, the case, the film, and all the cute little frames for the film.

But they have big sentimental value for family and friends and clients will keep these forever in their cars, on their fridge or at their desk. I love how instant they are. And how they feel timeless. Like they’re, they feel retro. And I love that it’s the perfect way to surprise and delight your clients.

If you don’t have one of these, or your favorite photographer doesn’t have one yet, oh my gosh, you literally can be their favorite with this gift. And I mentioned before in one of the stocking stuffers, making that little film case for it. Well, don’t get the film case unless you have the actual camera.

Right? So that is something to consider. Let’s get into the nice list. This is the Santa Claus list. Okay? This is the big ticket dream list. This is where I’m gonna be sharing $500 or more of an investment for these gift, right? These are the gifts that we either gift ourself to have a huge business expense or you surprise your spouse with because you know they need it and they’ve been talking about it, and you just can’t wait to offer that big Santa gift.

So number one, meta glasses. These RayBan glasses have been on my wishlist since they first came out. They’re perfect for grabbing POV, which is that point of view content for your business, sharing all the behind the scenes and capturing content completely hands free. So you know how often I preach that the content is happening around you.

We need to stop stressing about creating content and instead focus on capturing content, right? You’re already doing the work, we just need to record it. So imagine having a video camera on your glasses. You can still go about your day and get that point of view. That could be a whole other episode that I cannot wait to share once I get those.

Um, but those are definitely on my wishlist too. Number two, a new lens, depending on your camera type and goals. My dream lenses include the 35 millimeter 1.4, the 50 millimeter 1.2 24 to 72.8. Or the 70 to 200 millimeter at 2.8. This is the beast that’s prepared for everything, right? So that’s a big, big one.

I need to be honest. I ran my entire business off of a 50 millimeter and a 1 0 5 millimeter for weddings, and I would use that 1 0 5 only for ring shots and the details. Sometimes I would pull out the 1 0 5 for some creamy and buttery portraits of the couple, but you don’t need to have all of them to be successful.

But investing in good glass ain’t cheap and it’s totally okay to take your time by investing in lenses. Number three, a new camera body. So whether that’s a Canon R six a, Sony A seven iv, um, which is the A seven four, the Nikon series, the Z six series. Pick your favorite. They’re all magical. I have my eye on a Nikon mirrorless camera.

And Tara, my friend, just shared how our friend jojo had this mirrorless Nikon, and it was butter, like just so, so tack sharp. The colors were vibrant, smooth, beautiful. It was just like next level. And so I have my eye on that as well. Number four, a drone for those outdoor lovers, aob and photographers, and all of our adventures.

Perfect for brands and businesses too. So imagine being able to be a brand photographer and offer those aerial bird’s eye views for your clients. So huge, right? Literally, anyone can use and appreciate a drone. We just need them now so we can practice and get better at them because there is a learning curve with drones, right?

Number five, a MacBook Pro. This is on the wishlist for any photographer. Make sure to follow along with my bestie Dawn. She’s at it’s Dawn Richardson. For all of your tech help education and recommendations with tech savvy creative, she’ll be the one to help you decide which MacBook Pro is best for you.

If it’s better for your lifestyle or your business to have a desktop, a laptop, or. All of the tech that goes along with saving, archiving and just being very protective about your files and your images. Don literally is on speed dial for the things that I need when it comes to tech. So make sure to follow along with Don at it’s Don Richardson.

Number six, an editing tablet. iPad Pros are always a good. Life changing for editors right now. Personally, let’s be honest, I’ve never edited photo shoots or anything on an iPad, but I do know photographers that have edited full weddings on an iPad, and it’s possible. I typically just use my iPad for playing games.

I’m not even kidding. Or for reading, or for surfing the web or doing some online shopping. But I do know, like my besties, Brett and Brandy, for example, they’ve shared with me that they’ve edited actual galleries on their iPad, which I just think is is so cool. So that’s definitely something to consider for those techie photographers.

Number seven, plane tickets. I mean, really this will be on all of our wishlists, whether we’re photographers or not, but especially for traveling photographers and business owners that just need a break. Inspire your favorite photographer to explore new shooting locations or just escape for a week.

Southwest Flights fit everyone, right? Doesn’t matter what size you are. We are all size round trip flights. Okay. Eight lighting. So Alien, bs, ProPhoto, go Docs. I think that’s how you say Go Docs. It’s G-O-D-O-X. It could be Gods. The lights, the soft boxes, the photographers need them all. I personally love my alien B strobes that never fail me.

They’re consistent. The triggers is straight from my hot shoe on my camera, and they pop off when I need them. These lights can be expensive, but in my opinion, they take photographers from the hobbyists. Friend of a friend that takes photos to a professional, legit, high quality and big investment photographer as soon as they’re plugged in and used properly.

Right? So you just because you have them doesn’t mean that you can start charging more. We need, do need to practice, but I’m telling you right now that prior to having my Alien bees, I was booking these weddings in big barns and big locations and it was very intimidating photographing in these. Big brown, red painted barns, right?

They were just so dark, and with these lights, pew, it was just, it was magic. I’m not even kidding. It took me from like a 2,500 to $3,000 photographer to upwards of a 5, 8, 10 K photographer, literally with these lights. And as photographers working with the natural light is always the dream, but we need the toolkit to still produce even on cloudy days and rainy days or dimly lit locations.

Number nine, the cricket. Okay, so this was kind of a like, I’m gonna just toss this in there as an idea, but this is every creative business owner’s dream. The Cricut maker for is the ultimate crafters bundle to help photographers make creative holiday backdrops, address envelopes with printed handwriting or beautiful calligraphy, create custom client gifts, literally anything.

You name it, it’s pricey, but the creative gifts, personal touches and ideas are priceless. And number 10, saving the best for last, the Digi Osmo pocket. Three to search it. It’s DJI, Osmo Pocket three. The creator kit that includes the little kickstand, tripod, and mic. Oh my gosh. This little camera is a fricking game changer.

And I say game changer all the time, but it really is. I just recently got to play with one, one of my bestie, Whitney Abraham. Let me play with hers to help record behind the scenes content for Barb at her conference. Minted Wealth Live hosted right here in Scottsdale this fall. This little camera takes great quality videos and photos.

It’s small and discreet, and I love that the footage is stored on the micro SD card. Instead of clogging up your phone, just pop that micro SD into an adapter to upload to your laptop. Make a quick edit, and boom, you’re ready to post. Every photographer is building a business we’re proud of, and documenting our client experience and our daily life is the easiest way to add value.

This is for sure on my wishlist this year. All right, and I added a bonus list for all of my podcasters for you, my love, who also loves to talk in the app and share advice that nobody asked for. So I have a quick list for you for some podcast essentials. I love a good road pod mic or sure. MV seven.

There’s an audio interface with tons of options with that, a boom arm, which is what I’m actually currently using, so. It just kind of clicks and connects to my desktop or any table that I happen to be working at that day, and then it just allows the mic to kind of float so it can be hands free when I’m talking.

Any type of lighting for your podcast, cute background, setup, whatever it is that you need to just feel legit. Right? And I got these from my mom a long time ago, and I absolutely adore them. They’re little recording door signs so people don’t just barge in when you’re recording. Now, that doesn’t always happen.

Sometimes my mom will still just knock, or she’ll wanna just come in. But sometimes just having that little recording sign looks like those little, like do not disturb signs on hotel doors. Right. But it really does help and it’s something that I would have on my wishlist if you’re podcaster. I don’t have that yet.

Make sure to follow along with my podcast producer, Hailey Gaffin with Gaffin Creative to grab her recommendations, year list and tons of podcasting education. Head over to Gaffin Creative, that’s G-A-F-F-I-N creative.com to start leveraging your podcast for business. Okay, let’s talk gift giving because here’s the truth, photographers we’re not asking for much.

We just deeply appreciate when someone notices the little things that make life easier. One time I got a pack of lens wipes from a friend and just that tiny pack, I swear like it just, I felt so seen. I felt so appreciated. I was just like, thank you so much. I don’t even think those little lens wipes cost more than $20, but I truly felt so seen, and my lenses and my photos definitely thank her too.

Right? So when you’re a business owner, gifts aren’t just gifts. Their support, their acknowledgement, their, I see how hard you work. They’re, I believe in your dreams, right? And if your loved language is quality time acts of service or words of affirmation, let me tell you, a new memory card will speak all five of those love languages fluently.

Send this episode to your people. Let them spoil you. Let them love you in a way that fuels your business and your heart. And of course, if you wanna invest in your business beyond gifts, you can hold with your hands. I highly suggest bloom with B-Roll. This is my signature mini course that teaches you how to create endless high converting authority, building content using simple behind the scenes clips.

You’re welcome to invest in intuitive content coaching with me that is content coaching. So you can stop guessing, stop overthinking, and start showing up with clarity, confidence, and creativity. We get to go over your entire marketing calendar, understand who you are, celebrate where you’ve been, what you’re currently offering, what you want to offer in the future.

What you’re forecasting for future launches, future events, let’s generate the content that sells for you, right? I want people who have no idea who you are to search your services, search your products, and have you pop up and have you be the only answer because they wanna be your best friend and they trust you.

So if that sounds like you and you need some marketing coaching, let’s, let’s book a call. And yes, your girl. That’s me. I’m always booking branding sessions. If you want fresh photos, strategic content, direction, and the kind of images that get you booked, let’s make some magic, babe. Okay? These are the investments that pay you back all year long.

This is your official photographer’s Christmas wishlist. I hope you screenshot it. Send to your people or use it to treat yourself because you deserve it. Remember, your business needs, tools, your creativity needs fuel, and you, you my love, you deserve gifts that feel like upgrades, not clutter. Okay? I love you.

I’m cheering for you, and I cannot wait to see what Santa brings you this year. Until next time, keep blooming, keep sharing your magic and keep crafting a life worth capturing. I love you and Merry Christmas. Can’t wait to see you next year. Okay, love you. Bye. That’s a wrap on another episode of Kiana Marie Weekly.

Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast.

I’d be honored if you’d show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app. Until next time, keep on on dancing.

If you liked this episode, you’re gunna LOVE these…

Priceless Photo Gift Ideas – Creative Ideas To Display and Share Your Photos

Recently Engaged Gift Ideas

Cheap, Last Minute Photo Gift Ideas