Today I visited Southeastern Camera in Carrboro to find out the best gifts to buy for the photo geek in your life. We all have one in our family or circle of friends. They are hard to find at times as they are often hidden behind a camera or are in front of a computer screen for hours at a time, but we love them all the same!

Chris Johnson at Southeastern Camera pulled out five items that have been big sellers this year.


$169.99 Action Life Media has created an ergonomic grip for iPhones. There is a whole photography movement of images taken solely with iPhones, believe it or not. You can do really great things with them but they are hard to handle as they are so small and they cannot be mounted on a tripod. The iPhone fits into the grip securely and instantly has weight, an easy grip and the ability to mount it on a tripod. From there you can put lenses on your iPhone using the 37mm lens mount or use the wide angle/ macro combo lens that is included. You can also mount a flash or an adjustable microphone (sold separately).


$149.99. Tripods by Sirui. The amazing thing about these tripods is that they are really light, only 2 pounds. Despite its light weight this tripod can carry a heavy load- 8 pounds. Most tripods only boast being able to hold 2 to 3 pounds. It is easy to adjust and most importantly, comes in blue for Tarheels and red for the Wolf Pack fans. Sorry dookies.


$179 w $60 instant rebate, so effectively $119. The Canon Powershot ELPH 100 HS is easy to use and does HD video as well, and is good in low light conditions. But really the best part of the camera is the amazing price.


$60 Remote switch. Canon makes a remote switch for $170. This one by Phottix is only $60 and has the same functionality. It can be a wired shutter release and also has a programmable remote switch. I want one of these! This would have come in handy when photographing flowers in Colorado this summer.


$35 For the female photographer in your life, all the black and grey camera equipment can be quite unappealing and doesn’t really inspire her. These straps by Mod really dress up your camera. They come in a wide variety of cool colors and styles and are comfortable, too. I bought two of these straps as a birthday present to myself last April and just love them. And I really do get compliments on them!

Thanks for reading and please feel free to make any suggestions of great presents for the photo geek in your life!