December is our favorite month of the year—because, of course, it’s the month when the nights are longest. It’s also the month when giving is in the air, which always inspires us to think of the pretty things that the special night photographers in our lives might like to find under their tree.
So we start making a list of the wonderful bits of gear and whatnot that we find useful and interesting. Each fall we look at that list and choose our favorite things, then we wrap that all together to create our annual holiday gift guide.
And this, dear friends, is our gift to you. We hope you find the perfect present to help make someone’s life just a little more delightful.
You can view the gift guide in two ways: you can read it in the blog post below, or you can download the full-experience Gift Guide e-book. We encourage the latter, as the e-book version:
is more graphical
has lots more pictures
contains deals, discounts and specials
Aeropress
Travel Coffee Grinder
Night photographers tend to like coffee. Coffee aficionados tend to prefer grinding their own beans. For night photographers on the road, grinding was near-impossible while traveling, but the past few years have seen a rise in portable hand-crank grinders allow us to enjoy the best java while jonesing on our night work. Now our favorite portable coffee maker comes with a manual Coffee Grinder, machined to perfection, allowing for a perfect cup of fresh joe while on the road.
AllTrails x Rumpl
Night Hikes Puffy Blanket
Most know AllTrails for helping us discover and save hiking trails, but they also offer some unique gifts on their online shop. Their Night Hikes Original Puffy Blanket (a collaboration with Rumpl) is as warm and cozy as a puffy jacket and also packs down so a photographer can always have a comfy place to rest on a day or night hike.
America’s National Parks
Revolutionary Passport
Ephemeral alert! Just in time for America’s 250th Anniversary comes a new Passport to the American Revolution booklet that highlights all the revolution national park sites. Also included in this collector’s edition is a 10-page illustrated timeline, forward by filmmaker Ken Burns, and 10 stories from heroes and patriots. Plenty of space to sticker and stamp the brand new America250 ink logo!
B&H PHOTO
GIFT CARD
Photographers can be notoriously picky about gear. Not only do we crave the newest thingamabobs and doodads, but we tend to crave very specific ones—like, the Ronon Thingamabob 2.0 with dual widget slots, or the ProProof Doodad XL4R Mark IX with cumberslamp modification. Sound too tricky to pick apart? Yeah, we get it. So maybe the perfect gift is what allows the photographer in your life to choose for themselves: A B&H Gift Card is always a perfect present.
BAGS
There is no one bag to rule them all, because every bag suits different photographers with different needs at different times. Check out these new additions to this niche, all with unique carry and storage options.
Tenba: Roadie v2 Spinner 21 Air Case
Rollers just got smoother and more secure with the Tenba Roadie v2 Air Case. The walls are three-quarter-inch, including a removable front wall. It’s the only shippable/checkable sewn-together carry-on case on the planet!
Think Tank: Focus Point 30L
A compact yet expandable rolltop backpack that comes in fun colors. The Focus Point 30L fits two bodies and a 14-24mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 attached, or a 70-200mm f/2.8 unattached, as well as a 16-inch laptop and plenty of room for accessories, snacks and a raincoat.
Peak Design: Outdoor Sling 7L with Camera Cube
The ultimate lightweight sling bag. The Outdoor Sling 7L is easy to pack with a day kit, with camera and lens comfortably wrapped and secure.
Shimoda: Sidecountry
Sidecountry is the flagship backpack of Shimoda’s Side Series, and possibly the most efficient pack they have made. All its components and features are already lightweight for a camera bag, but you can further reduce the weight by removing parts you don’t need for specific adventures.
Wandrd: 2L D1 Fanny Pack
Fanny packs are back! Strap on the 2L D1 for everyday walkabouts that can fit a 360 camera, DJI Mini Osmo and a pair of sunglasses.
Bay Photo Lab
Custome Photo Calendar
A photograph isn’t truly complete until it’s printed, and our go-to printing partner is Bay Photo Lab. While we love all their metal, acrylic and Xposer surfaces, we think a perfect gift would be to collate a dozen wallbanger night photos into a 2026 custom Press Printed Calendar. Choose from 4- or 6-color printing and a variety of paper stocks, including UV coated options.
BENQ
Monitor ARM
Regain desk space and customize work space with BenQ’s Ergo Arm. This expertly engineered tool clamps effortlessly to the back of just about any desk type, without damaging the construction, and allows a discerning photo editor to swing the display left, right, up, down, in and out. Compatible with the size and weight of any BenQ monitor.
Bivy
Satellite Communicator
It’s not uncommon for nature photographers to find themselves in the middle of nowhere with no reception. That changes with the Bivy Stick Mesh, a two-way global satellite device that offers instant location sharing and secure, safe and reliable off-grid communication. It’s super rugged and waterproof, and it offers any outdoor enthusiast reliable access to maps, trails, weather reports and (most importantly) emergency assistance.
Black Lantern
Night Sky Glassware
We were blown away with the detail of the Milky Way on Black Lantern’s Stars and Night Sky Landscape Pint Glass. The black ink is permanently set in an oven, ensuring that these night skies will never fade. We recommend pouring dark stouts for maximum effect.
BOOKSHELF
Photography & Night Books
Ah, books … the elixir of the curious mind. The photography world is full of tomes, and we can’t get enough of them, nor enough of sharing them. Here are a few we’ve loved in 2023, from monographs to instruction to parks to a coffee book of the cosmos.
Todd Vorenkamp: A Is for Aperture: The ABC’s of Photography for Kids
Jessica Rojas: Astrofotografía de Luna
Erik Kuna: The Night Photography Book
Nancy Bates: Knitting the National Parks
Tim Little: Midnight on Cape Cod
Jacob W. Frank: Parklands: America’s National Parks and Public Lands
Ken Lee: Abandoned Roadside Attractions: Under a Southwest Moon
Dean Regas: 100 Things to See in the Night Sky
Bosch
Laser Distance Measure
When infinity focus isn’t good enough, a laser measuring device is the most accurate way to focus. For the precision-oriented photographer in your life, the GLM100-23 100 FT Blaze Laser Distance Measure will help them measure up. It’s simple two-button interface is easy to use, and it’s accurate to one-16th of an inch at distances up to 100 feet. It can be set to meters or feet, with fractions or decimals. This pocket-sized tool has a bright backlit display that is easy to read in low-light situations.
Calibrite
Colorimeter
Every night photographer—every photographer in general—should calibrate and profile their displays, whether laptop, external monitor or projector. Modern monitors are brighter and have greater resolution, and with that improved quality has come an increased demand for hardware that can help maintain consistency and accuracy. The Calibrite Display Pro HL is an excellent way to future-proof color management workflow as displays get more and more capable. Compatible with HDR, OLED and miniLED (such as on MacBook Pro laptops, common among photographers).
CANON
Inkjet Printer
For a printer that can print up to 17x22 at home, look no further than Canon’s ImagePrograf Pro-1100. The 11-tank pigment-based ink system produces a wider color gamut, true color reproduction and fine image clarity, as well as enhanced detail in darker areas—perfect for those night images with lots of important shadows. Canon print heads rarely clog, as they use advanced anti-clogging technology, and they are also easy to swap out.
Coolpow
Airplane Phone Holder
The Airplane Phone Holder is one of the handiest gadgets we’ve come across to make air travel more bearable. The device clips onto an airplane seatback tray in the upright and locked position for handsfree viewing, including during takeoff and landing. We like to download shows from Netflix and watch them on long flights, and doing so hands-free with this sturdy, adjustable and compact device is easy and avoids the neck strain associated with looking down at a phone in your lap.
Cosmic Shards
Stargazing Flashcards
Level up knowledge of the Cosmos with these portable 4x6 Stargazing Flashcards that include the entire Messier Catalog—a list of the most popular celestial objects in our universe. We kickstarted this last year and can vouch for their essential facts, durability and visibility under red light.
Field Made Co
Customizable Gear Labels
Who doesn’t like to stay organized and look great at the same time? Field Made Co creates beautiful Customizable Labels that will make a photographer feel professional, polished and put together. In addition to classic front and back lens cap stickers, they offer custom solutions for batteries and camera cases that provide space for a name, website and phone number.
FLASHLIGHTS
Nitecore: Low-Lumen Flashlight
Finally, a flashlight for night photographers that isn’t too bright, or red. The photographer on your list will truly appreciate the Nitecore Tube v2 LED Key Chain Flashlight. It’s USB rechargeable and tiny, and at 1 lumen it’s just the right brightness for camera adjustments or finding that spare battery or memory card without ruining vision or ruining other people’s exposures.
Wuben: High-Lumen Flashlight
This super lightweight G5 Rechargeable EDC USB-C rechargeable flashlight is a great everyday carry. It’s 400 lumens at max brightness and is continuously adjustable via the side wheel. It’s tiny and light, and the tilting head allows pointing it in any direction.
Focus on Stars
Wide-Angle Bahtinov Mask
One of the greatest challenges to successful astro-landscape photography is achieving critical focus. It’s a bugaboo even for experienced night photographers. If there’s a photographer in your life who struggles with night sharpness, the Focus on Stars Bahtinov Mask is the perfect gift to help them get stellar focus every time. The Wide version is suitable for 14-50mm lenses with filter threads, and is compatible with all 100mm filters. The Wide 150 fits 14-50mm lenses with fixed lens hoods and/or convex front lens elements.
FOOTWEAR
Conscious Step: National Park Socks
Put your best foot forward by wrapping it in Socks that Protect National Parks. Wear the version that depicts a nighttime scene, or choose among 13 other designs such as oceans, endangered species, pets, trees and equality. Conscious Step gives a portion of profits to the parks.
Salomon: Trail Shoes
Our favorite trail runners, the XA Pro 3D V9 Gore-Tex keeps the safety-minded night photographer stable and comfortable on their feet. Aggressive tread minimizes slips, wide soles reduce rolling and the waterproof liner keeps moisture outside the shoe.
Vallerret: Wool Socks
Made with a blend of 70 percent merino wool, 25 percent nylon and 5 percent spandex, Vallerret’s 5-star Merino Wool Crew Sock will keep a photographer’s toes toasty wherever they may find themselves this winter.
GAMES
Keymaster: National Parks Board Game
Parks—an excellent board game to hit the trails and visit all the parks from the comfort of the living room. This new second edition updates the game so that players can explore the flora, fauna and wildlife in all 63 national parks. Roll the dice and get to know the parks in a brand new way.
Hasbro: National Parks Yahtzee Travel Edition
A new twist on a classic game: Yahtzee National Parks! Shake them up and roll for five monuments for a Yahtzee. The included dice feature: civil liberty parks, national monuments, Civil War battlefields, historic sites and the elusive ranger hat. A portion of sales goes back to the parks.
Heat Company
Gloves / Glove Liners
Warm hands in cold weather make for better concentration and more photographic opportunity. As liners, the Polartec Wind Pro gloves excel, but they are also wonderful without any additional shell. The water- and wind-repellant breathable fabric is stitched well for hands of many sizes, with high elasticity for easy movement and excellent fit. The rubberized grip on the palms helps keep the camera in hand, the back-of-hand hook and loop pocket has room for chemical hand warmers, and D-Rings on each glove help to keep them secure when not in use.
Jeff McCrum Photography
LED Panel Grid
The Hex Stack light modifier from Jeff McCrum Photography is the best way to reduce unwanted spill light when using the Luxli Viola—the best available tool for Low-Level Lighting. Photographers can “stack” multiple units to narrow the light beam as much as the shot requires, and each piece tightens the emitted beam by about 20 degrees and one stop of brightness.
Lensrentals
Gift Certificate
Who couldn’t always benefit from another piece of gear? Perhaps an extra camera body for the next workshop, or maybe a specialty lens, such as a fisheye for creative close-ups or a tilt-shift to ensure lighthouses don’t look distorted? A Lensrentals Gift Certificate will seal the deal, allowing photographers to loan or try all the latest and greatest gear.
move shoot move
Compact Star Tracker
Star trackers help with getting better image quality for star point shots. They rotate at the same speed as Earth, and depending on the camera and lens configuration they allow shutter speeds at least 1 minute long while using ISOs of 800 or lower. The Move Shoot Move Nomad is one of the best compact star trackers that can easily hold a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. We suggest the kit that comes with the attachable laser pointer and the wedge for accurate and easy alignment.
National Park Service
National Parks Pass
America’s national parks preserve pretty much anything a night photographer needs to practice their craft: beautiful landscapes, historical structures and, of course, darkness. For only $80 you can purchase the America the Beautiful annual park pass to begin or continue an exploration of America’s greatest idea. The annual pass provides access to more than 2,000 recreation areas managed by five federal agencies, and the proceeds are used to improve and enhance visitor recreation services.
NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY CONFERENCES
Nightscaper Photo Conference
The Nightscaper Photo Conference is an in-person gathering of night photographers—to be held next on May 14-17, 2026 in the Four Corners region, home to some of the darkest skies in the country, and the gateway to uncountable inspiring locations for landscape photography. The conference is dedicated to teaching astro-landscape techniques, as well as spreading positive messages about dark-sky awareness and preservation.
Night Photo Summit
Inspiring night photographers across the galaxy! The Night Photo Summit is a virtual wintertime gathering of night photographers from across the U.S. and around the world, dedicated to instruction and inspiration in this dynamic and growing niche. More than 40 speakers engage with a passionate and dedicated audience over three days of online presentations, parties and networking. Topics range from a “Night Photography Fundamentals” track to talks about mid- and high-level post-processing, specialties such as light painting and panoramas, and general topics such as dark sky preservation, astronomy, national parks and more. (Tickets go on sale January 3, but contact us and we’ll make a gift happen!)
Outdoor Photographer
Magazine Subscription
After a multiyear hiatus, Outdoor Photographer is back! Moreover, they put a night photography article on the cover. So what’s not to love, and what’s not to look forward to as this magnificent magazine roars back to life? A subscription will provide a year (or more) of how-to’s, gear reviews, motivation and more.
OstrichPillow
Travel & Power Nap Pillow
Have you ever wanted to block out everything while traveling? How about nap with your head down and your ears covered? This unlikely Original Napping Pillow may look odd, but it offers superior opportunities for napping and resting in various locations. With an opening for breathing in the front and room for hands on the sides, the traveler can shut out the world and get some well-deserved rest.
Parks Project
Bortle Scale T-shirt
We have always appreciated our friends at Parks Project for their designs, and this year they really hit it out of the park with their Dark Skies series of apparel. The whole line glows in the dark, but we particularly like their long-sleeve Bortle Scale T-shirt that helps promote dark skies.
Planetdrop
Planets & Moon Bracelet
Wear our solar system on your wrist! Handmade from natural stones, this stretchable one-size-fits-all Solar System Bracelet is crafted with nine different colors of natural stones to represent planets and moons.
PUZZLES
Cavallini Papers & Co.: Celestial Map Puzzle
Once correctly configuring this Celestial Vintage Puzzle, the puzzle and night sky enthusiast will unveil an image beautiful enough to frame and put on the wall. Packaged in a 10 inch tube, with a hand sewn muslin bag inside. Completed puzzle is 20x28 inches.
White Mountain Puzzles: National Park Badges Puzzle
The National Park Badges Jigsaw Puzzle consists of 1,000 random-cut heavy weight pieces, and no two are alike. Learn about what each park has to offer, and dream about getting back out there when the time is right. The finished size is an impressive 24x30 inches.
Red River Paper
Professional Photo Paper
Unveil the brilliance of images with a captivating, almost luminous quality that transforms everything from stars to moons into intensified, richer and incredibly realistic depictions. It’s time to be immersed in the world of Polar Gloss Metallic 255—a truly exceptional inkjet paper that seamlessly mirrors the captivating allure of professional photo lab metallic prints.
Sentigrams
Journey Map
Have you ever visited a restaurant, or stayed at a hotel where there was a pushpin map for visitors to mark where they came from? Sentigrams Journey Maps are a similar concept, but in reverse. It’s the perfect gift for avid travelers to show off where they’ve been, and for armchair travelers to dream about where they might someday go. Available in multiple sizes and styles.
SmallRig
Folding Wrench Set
Need to tighten a quick release, l-bracket or tripod in the field? The SmallRig Film Riot 10-in-1 Folding Wrench Set is compact and stylish. It has five Allen wrenches, one flathead driver, two Phillips driver and one Torx T-25 driver—pretty much everything needed to tighten just about anything on the next photography adventure.
SUPPORT
Benro: Geared Tripod Head
The innovative GD36PT tripod head is a fusion of ball head and a geared head. Its inverted design is ideal for panoramas, and it allows for fast adjustments and accurate geared motions (8-degree vertical tilt, 15-degree lateral tilt) for fine-tuning a composition or leveling a head. It’s travel-friendly, and surprisingly light (1.62 pounds) for its 13.2-pound load capacity.
Novoflex: Mini Ball Head
Sometimes the right ball head is one that is lightweight but strong—one that travels easily and doesn’t take up too much room. Enter the Novoflex Ball-19. It holds 6.6 pounds and weighs a scant 3.25 ounces. The top features a quarter-inch thread with locking collar that is ideal for securing LED panels or even small mirrorless cameras. The bottom has a 3/8-inch thread and includes a quarter-inch bushing to fit either a tripod or a threaded light stand tip.
Really Right Stuff: Ultralight Tripod
While the Really Right Stuf Ultralight series tripods aren’t technically light (they weigh in around 3 to 4 pounds), they are more compact than the popular Versa series. The legs fold incredibly close to each other, keeping the Ultralight compact while still offering the same durability and weight loads exceeding 80 pounds! In particular, check out the Ultralight-33, which is right in the middle of the line’s range.
Twelve South
Airline Bluetooth Adapter
These days many of the best headphones are Bluetooth, and some don’t even come with a cord—which means you couldn’t use them on a plane. Until now! The AirFly Pro wireless adapter plugs into a standard eighth-inch stereo headphone jack and pairs with up to two sets of Bluetooth headphones. Comes with an internal USB-C rechargeable battery and works anyplace there is a headphone jack (not just on airplanes).
Vello
Intervalometer
The next revolution in intervalometers is here! How many times have we all fat-fingered our remotes? The Shutterboss Pro clearly separates the Delay, Long and Interval settings with a specific button and readout for each. No more digging through interval menus, as all the settings appear on a big illuminated screen. Excellent for creating timelapses and star trails, or for just general triggering without having to touch the camera.
Venus Optics
Superwide Lens
What is the widest and fastest lens that is not a fisheye? That would be the Zero distortion/rectilinear Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF lens that will capture huge swaths of the night sky. It’s available in all current camera mounts, and the Nikon and Sony versions come in autofocus and manual-focus versions. Other mounts are manual focus only, and come with buyer’s choice of a five- or 14-blade aperture (we recommend the 14, for more circular bokeh).
Wander Painting
National Park Paint by Numbers
Before there was photography, there was painting, and painting by numbers taught us all as kids how we could be artists too. Now we can step back in time and revisit our favorite national parks via the paintbrush! An excellent project to help relax, focus and create a masterpiece: National Park Paint by Numbers.
WhateverMarket
Magic Auroral Mug
Start the day with a splash of aurora! The Northern Lights Color Changing Mug has a heat-sensitive design that magically appears when hot liquid is poured into the mug, revealing a starry night forest scene with the aurora borealis. The mug can be a reminder of visits to the northlands, or as inspiration to plan that trip to see the northern lights.
ZWO
Smart Telescope
For the night photographer who wants to take deep space photos but is intimidated with dedicated Astro rigs, or who just wants to get started the easy way. The ZWO S30 is a small smart telescope that weighs no more than a 1-liter bottle of water and has an equivalent 150mm lens. Control the S30 via phone or tablet and watch the image of a close nebula and constellations appear. Incredibly fun and easy to use, it’s the perfect astro stocking stuffer for any age!
Note: Remember, this gift guide is also available as a free downloadable e-book, with lots more photos and a ton of discount codes. Download yours today by clicking the image below.
