25 Gift Ideas For Professional DSLR Users

Photography, these days, is a very popular hobby. You can’t walk for ten minutes in a city without spotting someone taking a photograph of something or another. Thing is, though, while more and more people are using smartphones as their main cameras, DSLRs still rule the roost in terms of versatility, image quality and all around usefulness.

This holiday season, if you’re stuck trying to buy gifts for that DSLR user (or users) in your life, we have this list of 25 accessories and items for DSLR users that can help you out. Whether you’re buying for a seasoned professional, or just a hobbyist, there will probably be something in this list to help solve your gift-buying woes.

Recommended Reading: 20+ Ideal Gifts For Photographers

Lowepro DryZone 200. This is the world’s first waterproof camera backpack. It’s also soft-sided, so you won’t feel like you’re carrying a box on your back. It also floats in water. [$399]

Ona The Bolton Street. Here’s a stylish side-access backpack for your DSLR, which means you won’t have to take the backpack off to get your DSLR out. It also has a pocket for a 13 inch laptop. [$359]

The Carlisle Camera Bag. A snazzy bag inspired by the bags carried by British schoolchildren, this camera bag is made of lightweight water-resistant material and has movable interior dividers. [$110]

Inside Line Equipment Ultimate Photographer’s Bag Prime. The inside is a 30-liter bag with a rolltop main compartment, large side pockets, built with weatherproof construction. [$320]

Blackrapid Cargo Strap. The Cargo Strap is a comfortable, heavy-duty sling-type camera strap. It has a heavy-duty metal clip and tripod screw so your camera is always secure on the strap. There are also extra storage compartments for smartphones, memory cards and so on. [$71.95]

The Spring Break Camera Strap. The Spring Break Camera Strap is a funky, colourful strap for fashion-conscious DSLR users. It’s made of soft neoprene so it’s comfortable to wear, and is still strong enough to hold up to 120 pounds. [$26]

Personalized Leather Camera Strap. This leather strap is hand-made from Italian cowhide and finished with beeswax. The leather loop that comes with the strap can be personalized with up to five characters for that special personal touch. [$45]

The Fisheye Lens. This handy fisheye lens adapter gives you full 180-degree photography without having to buy a new lens. Simply screw the adapter onto your current lens and have fun capturing things from a new perspective. [$50-55]

DSLR Wheel Of Filters. The DSLR Wheel Of Filters has eighteen different filters and prisms that you can switch between simply by turning a wheel. From weird dual colour tones to kaleidoscope prisms, the DSLR Wheel of Filters probably has something for everyone. [$40]

Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom. Get a grip with this GorillaPod! Secure your camera onto almost any object, at any angle with a zoom lens and snap away. [$54.95]

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB + SBH-100 Ball Head. This is an aluminium tripod with features such as a Multi-Angle Central Column and legs that adjust to three different angles. The SBH-100 ball head can rotate 360 degrees. [$229]

The Expedition Wooden Tripod. Not a fan of aluminium? Here is a stylish tripod made from sustainably harvested ash. The wood is durable, dampens vibrations and (let’s be honest) looks really cool. [$290]

TVC-34L Versa Series 3. A top-of the line carbon fiber tripod hand-made in the United States. It’s lightweight but also incredibly durable and strong. There are also smaller versions if the TVC-34L is too tall for you. [$1045]

Cinetics CineSkates. CineSkates is a set of skateboard-style wheels that attaches to Joby’s GorillaPod Focus. These wheels ensure smooth camera motion for moving and tracking shots, especially important for video work. [$299.95]

iFlow. The iFlow is a portable, compact dolly for DSLRs, compact cameras and the iPhone. The iFlow latches onto most surfaces within seconds, so you can get straight to shooting quickly. [$149]

ZipShooter Pro. An incredibly versatile portable dolly system, it works as a linear, curved or under-sling dolly, and will also serve as a hand or shoulder support rig. It folds compactly for easy transportation. [$425]

Rhino Slider. The Rhino Slider is an affordable and lightweight 48-inch slider for tracking shots. Its low-friction design means you can simply use gravity to slide your camera from one end to the other, and the all-terrain legs allow you to set it up on almost any surface. [$475]

Cineik IR13. The IR13 is an advanced rail and shoulder support system that stands out for its interchangeability. Users can add more accessories as they see fit, to suit any situation. You can buy the system and rails separately, or buy a complete shoulder support system. [$700 for complete shoulder support system]

Spaulding International Cinema The Ghost. The Ghost is a robotic camera stabilizer that’s programmed to make sure your camera stays level. It’s made out of carbon fibre to ensure durability and to minimize weight. It comes in both pre-assembled and kit forms. [$2350 assembled; $1895 kit]

Swivl. The Swivl is a multipurpose, motion-tracking robotic platform for DSLRs and tablets. When used with a DSLR, Swivl and its DSLR Control app can even be used to adjust settings and fire the trigger. [$149]

Cameramator. The Cameramator is a device that allows you to tether your DSLR to your iOS device wirelessly. You can transfer images, preview and edit images, and control your DSLR, all from your iPad or iPhone. The Cameramator also supports tethering to Mac. [$299.95]

Hyperdrive iUSBportCAMERA. The iUSBportCAMERA functions similarly to the Cameramator, but with the additional ability to control video recording from the companion app. The iUSBportCAMERA supports Mac, PC, iOS and Android. [$299.95]

TriggerTrap. The TriggerTrap is a sync cord that lets you control your DSLR from your iOS or Android device. It can function as a shutter remote, a motion or sound trigger, as well as time and distance lapse. It works in conjunction with a free iOS or Android app. [$30]

Michron. The Michron is a device that, together with an app, turns your smartphone into a time-lapse photography controller for your DSLR. The app comes with presets, so even novices will be able to produce great time-lapse photography from the start. [$50 minimum pledge]

The Lens Apparatus. The Lens Apparatus is a lens controller for time-lapse and video. It provides follow focus control in conjunction with the included ChronoController, so you can accurately manipulate zoom, focus and depth of field while shooting your time-lapse or video. [$449.99]

How to Use Psychological Motivators in Your Blog Posts

Editor’s note: This is a contributed post by Glori Surban, who helps business owners and solopreneurs by providing painless blogging and guest posting services so they can focus on growing their businesses. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her via LinkedIn.

High traffic, loyal readers, niche expertise, and high page rankings are just a few of the many goals of serious bloggers. But there are millions of blogs out there vying for attention. Most have better web designs and higher page rankings than yours. So obviously, if there was a way for you to stand out and be heard, you’d want to know about it.

Blogging may not be as precise of a science as writing landing pages and other forms of sales copy, but you may apply a few copywriting principles to the way you blog. Reading this post will help you understand why learning how to deliberately yet discreetly use psychological tactics can improve reader retention and convince people to read more of your blog posts and share them generously.

Although I’d love to take credit for what you’re about to read, most of these wonderful tips were inspired by the book, Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso, who I consider the Meryl Streep of copywriting. Practice using these psychological motivators wisely because they can give you a crucial advantage in this crowded blogosphere.

"Reason Why" Device

You’ve probably read about the "copy machine" experiment conducted by Ellen Langer, a Harvard social psychologist. A person asked people who were waiting their turn to use a copy machine if she could use it first. Here’s how it went:

Q1: Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?
Response: 60% complied

Q2: Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?
Response: 94% complied

Q3: Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?
Response: 93% complied

Note that a higher number of people complied whenever the word "because" pops up. The idea is that all you need is to give a reason, even if the reason doesn’t make sense at all. Why else would you be queueing up for a copy machine? Everyone is there to make copies!

How to use it:

Use "because" (or simply give your readers a reason) because it’ll help get their attention.

“Practice using these psychological motivators wisely because they can give you a crucial advantage in this crowded blogosphere."

Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)

Veloso defines NLP as "the science of how the brain codes learning and experience." This approach takes advantage of the power of syntax to influence people’s thinking and behavior. Here are 3 NLP devices you can practice using in your blog posts:

1. Embedded commands

Embedded commands are designed to urge people to do something. At first glance, they look pretty bland, like:

"Blogging may not be as precise of an art as writing landing pages and other forms of sales copy, but you may apply copywriting principles to the way you blog."

How To Use It:

Create a simple command, something you want your blog readers to do while or after they read your post. Embed the command in a sentence or within your call to action at the end of your blog post.

2. Presuppositions

Presuppositions take advantage of the fact that our brains usually can’t handle too many tasks or information at once. When it receives too much, it copes by presupposing, that is, accepting suggestions as facts. Take this as an example:

"So obviously, if there was a simple way for you to stand out and be heard, you’d want to know about it."

Using the presuppositional word, "obviously," the sentence was met with less resistance and you easily accept the suggestion that "if there was a simple way for you to stand out and be heard, you’d want to know about it."

How To Use It:

You can use phrases like "Everybody understands," "All people know that," or other similarly structured phrases to begin your sentences. While presuppositional words are pretty effective, most ) are adverbs (e.g. clearly, readily, easily, so use them sparingly and strategically.

3. Linguistic binds

Linguistic binds help convince your readers that what they’re reading is true. It uses embedded commands to make your message more powerful. Take a look at

"Reading this post thoroughly will help you understand why learning how to deliberately yet discreetly use psychological tactics can improve reader retention and convince people to read more of your blog posts and share them generously."

“Reading this post" is a fact followed by the embedded command "understand why learning how to deliberately yet discreetly use psychological tactics…"

The pattern appears logical because the fact at the beginning softens up people to agree with the statement that follows.

How To Use It:

Linguistic Bind = FACT (what the reader is actually doing or have done) + COMMAND (what you want your reader to do next or to take away from what you wrote)

3. Zeigarnik Effect

The Zeigarnik effect was named after Bluma Zeigarnik, who theorized that people are more likely to think about uncompleted or interrupted tasks than completed ones. You can take advantage of this device in 2 ways:

1. Get rid of any unnecessary links, buttons, and banners on your blog so that your blog visitors can focus on reading your posts. These distractions can become "tasks" that your readers need to complete even before they start reading any of your blog posts. Choose a simple, minimalistic design and use a lot of white space.
2. Write list posts wisely.

The Buffer blog’s interesting article on to-do lists highlights how people can’t resist the urge to make lists (and cross items off them). This could be the very reason why list posts are so popular: readers have to finish the list!

A Word of Caution

Not all copywriting principles are applicable to blogging. In fact, many of them could work against the goals of blogging. But the Zeigarnik effect, neurolinguistic programming, and the "reason why" device are three psychological motivators that can help you weave a more convincing blog post. These methods are so powerful that using them requires great responsibility.

So keep the following in mind when you’re using these tactics:

1. Be responsible and only use them to strengthen what you have to say.
2. You need practice to get it right.
3. These devices will only be effective when you give value, not false promises.
4. Your writing voice is essential. Relying simply on psychological motivators but not working proactively on honing your writing voice will not help you grow.

Do you use any psychological devices in your blog posts? Can you spot other psychological motivators littered throughout this post? Share them when you comment below.