A holiday shopping list for photographers
The gifts you might just go ahead and buy for yourself.
Let’s face it photographers, there’s a whole bunch of stuff that nobody packing stuff under the tree understands except for us. Those Cinebloom filters, the Holdfast harness, that new ultra fast prime lens. It’s all stuff we want to ask for but don’t know how to. The hard part is that that list get’s so much longer when we start to include things we need for our businesses. So I’ve compiled a list of the companies, the services, the products, and even the podcasts that pair perfectly with some mulled wine, spiked cider, egg nog, or whatever your holiday sipper is. These are the things I’m using to make sure that 2024 is my very best year yet and don’t worry - I’ve included discount codes to a whole bunch of them for you!
I’m starting with presets.
We all know that color is critical right? Like it’s the most critical. The way your images look is just about as important as the way they’re shot and if you’re still using those over trendy totally forgettable next year presets it’s time to upgrade to a look that will age well. Jared and I literally spent 7 months alongside GPresets building the ABIDE pack from Miles Witt Boyer Presets. It’s a mix of color and the perfect Black and White presets paired with a whole tool kit of Ai tools that makes your workflow seamless, consistent, and beautiful. Everything from subject retouching to background blur is baked in alongside the literal color that we use for all of our images. If you haven’t already snagged the ABIDE pack - do it. It’s the cheapest way to future-roof your photos. https://www.gpresets.com/product/abidepresets/
I am a sucker for that new leather smell.
Every time I open a Holdfast Gear box it’s like a treat to my senses. For over a decade now we’ve been carrying two cameras with the harness system that literally patented the idea. Holdfast gear makes my harness, my solo straps, my bags, and even my favorite belt. Everything on their site is handmade most of it right in the heart of Oklahoma by my friend Matt Swaggart and his amazing team. No cheap China knockoffs or hardware that’s destined to fail with several thousands of dollars hanging from it. Plus if you use the code MWB2021 you get a really rad discount on everything in the store. Pro-tip here, I have a bunch of these straps and my very favorites are the black leather and the green vegan straps but they’re the ultimate brand update. Remember 90% of people at a shoot may not see the photography but they will see the photographer. Update your swag. https://holdfastgear.com/?rfsn=2895121.c0a224
How your galleries look matters.
Like big time matters. We spent over a decade with a company that made the backup process really seamless just wishing they’d update the look and eventually got tired of waiting. From the moment we switched over to Pic-Time I’ve kicked myself for not switching sooner. The gallery pages are gorgeous on mobile and computer which is huge for our clients who are perpetually on the go and many of which don’t even own computers any more. The automated sales processes mean that not only are we making more money but our clients are literally being served through the process of getting their images printed and all of their products come from the biggest pro-labs in the country. Probably underrated here but even the customer service at Pic-time is absolutely amazing. https://mileswittboyer.pic-time.com/referral use this link for a free month! You won’t go back to whoever you’re using.
It would be CRAZY to mention Pic-time and not mention Honeybook
They just partnered up. The best thing to come out of 2020 for our company was getting organized with HoneyBook. We used paper contracts for far too long and the big draw to Honeybook for me was how easy it is to keep communication going with our clients. All of our payments, contracts, and formal communication in one place means I can log into Honeybook from either my desktop or phone any time and get a complete view of where the company is at that day, communicate with every client individually or send out mass messages easily and even access full financial reports any time I want. https://share.honeybook.com/mileswittboyer will give you 50% off your first year. That’s a crazy opportunity to get your business in order!
Let’s skip to the OBVIOUS one shall we?
I’m a Fujifilm photographer. Like a big Fujifilm photographer. Like one of the names on the Fujifilm Global website that says “this dude is legit” kind of Fujifilm photographer but here’s a secret we don’t need my friends at Fujifilm to know. You ready? I’d shoot these cameras even if they decided they didn’t like me any more. So for all of my Fujifilm GFX shooters out there let me just go ahead and say that the new GF55mm F1.7 lens is hands down the most beautiful thing to ever touch the front of a GFX sensor. I’m not totally sure how they did it, but it’s the perfect lens. HERE IS A LINK to check it out and of course should you buy it through Bedfords (DUH) use the code MWB for 5% cash back! (It’ll give you a literal refund after the charge) https://www.bedfords.com/
Speaking of Bedfords and the MWB cash back program this one is as easy as it gets.
Every camera system, every lens, every bag company, every memory card, hard drives, card readers, lighting, tripods, stands, video, drones, audio, microphones, home office stuff, everything. EVERYTHING at one of the coolest and largest camera retailers in the country with 5% cash back. It’s absolutely the best deal you’re going to get on your gear and you’re supporting an Arkansas based, family owned business that can ship anywhere. https://www.bedfords.com/
