By Chris Lee
December 5, 2014
Alright ladies and gents – it’s the holiday season which means it’s time for shopping suggestions from your favorite retailer (that’s Adorama, by the way… if you have another favorite, do let me know so I can sort that out)!
Being a fan of iPhone photography myself, I’ve put together a little gift guide for the iPhoneographer on your list. From lighting to lenses to audio, there are tons of different ways to make the already powerful iPhone camera a near professional shooting tool.
First up is the Nova Wireless Bluetooth Off-Camera Flash for iPhone. Despite the improvements on the iPhone’s hardware and software, it still needs a boost on is its low light capabilities. The built-in flash often washes out your foreground and blacks out your background, leaving your subjects remarkably removed from context. The Nova is a perfect solution for this, as it provides even lighting for both foreground and background. It’s incredibly portable as well – the Nova is about the thickness and size of five credit cards stacked together, making it easy to keep on you at all times.
While the Nova flash is useful, there are so many more ways to play with lighting when you shoot. A second favorite iPhone light is the Kick LED. While the Kick is a bit larger (it’s roughly the same size of the phone itself), the Kick LED’s ability to do a full color spectrum of light makes it a really fun accessory to have. With an app, you can sample colors from your environment and create lighting effects, which makes the Kick perfect for iPhone videos or more artistic iPhoneography.
Take a look at the Kick LED here.
Next up in our gift guide is the USBfever series of iPhone lenses. I had the opportunity to bring this set of lenses on a trip to Seattle and the zoom lenses were especially useful for shooting the Space Needle and the glass garden exhibit below. Since the iPhone relies on digital zoom, getting tall landmarks and distant objects usually leads to really pixelated photos – the USBfever lenses solve this issue. They’re also small enough to keep a full set in one pocket while you travel.
USBfever has a bunch of lens options for smartphones, you can browse them here.
If a pocket full of iPhone lenses seems excessive to you (it’s not, but hey, we all have different needs), I’m also a big fan of the Olloclip combo lens. At a much smaller size that is quick to use, the Olloclip is great for nights where I know I’ll need a better wide angle or macro lens (I’ve gotten some killer food photos for Instagram using the Olloclip marco lens).
Check out the Olloclip here.
If you’re good with what the iPhone can already shoot, it’s never a bad idea to make your iPhone survive longer. Of all the cases out there for the iPhone, my favorite is the Lifeproof Fre. I’ve dropped my phone countless times (and tossed it with confidence), leapt into the waters at Brighton Beach, and run through a Holi color run with this case, knowing that impact, water, or dust would not be an issue. If you’re looking for a case for your iPhone, this is hands down my suggestion.
Check out the LifeProof Fre case here.
Okay, so you’ve got all these great photos now, with proper lighting, from a near indestructible phone (assuming you’ve been good and clicked ‘Add to Cart’ on the links I’ve provided!). So what’s next? Sharing the pictures of course! In an age of Instagram, Facebook and Flickr, it’s unexpectedly pleasant when you can print out a photo and give someone a physical keepsake. For this reason, whenever I travel or know I’m meeting people, I like to carry my LG Pocket Photo Printer. About the same size as an iPhone 5 and twice the thickness, the LG Pocket Printer makes adorable prints that become conversation startes and keepsakes that make more of an impact than yet another digital upload.
Pick up the LG Pocket Printer here.
This brings me to my last gift suggestion, perfect for music lovers: the LG Tone+ Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Headset. I’ve tried many earphones and headsets for the iPhone, from the included ear buds to a variety of wireless options and I’ve found the Tone+ to be the best balance of price and performance. With ear buds that fit well and a neck strap that has volume, voice, and playback controls, the Tone+ is the best set of headphones for when (after you’ve unpacked all your holiday gifts) you need your hands free to play with your new gear but need your music on to drown out rowdy family members (we’ve all got at least one that shows up for the holidays, don’t kid yourself).
That’s it folks! I hope you try out the suggestions I’ve made – I’ve found these iPhone accessories to be incredibly useful and they’ve all made it into my travel kit. Feel free to ask questions about any of them in the comments and, should you pick up any of them for yourself or someone on your list, I’d love to see what photos you take with these suggestions.
Have a happy and safe holiday season, from me and the entire team here at Adorama.
