As a little child I always had at least a couple of things I was secretly hoping Santa would bring… and I wasn’t thinking about bag of oranges, warms socks, or the winter underwear my sweet grandma always thought I needed ;) .

Sometimes I wished for new winter shoes, maybe a music CD, some cream, or a hairdryer, haha! I bet you expected something more fancy, right?

Well, when I started making my own money, my wish list wasn’t as simple any more, and I always wanted to try some new things… the best of this… the best of that…

Over the years I realized it doesn’t really matter if I got face cream from the top 10 best cosmetics list…  I had MY best whatever and that was sure enough to me.

When I started photography there were so many products I felt like I needed to try, check if they fit my needs, my style of shooting, etc… I did ask for a 50mm 1.4 for Christmas four years ago, a gift card to Adorama, BHphoto …  50 mm 1.4 a year after, then SD cards, lensbaby edge 80…

After many years I feel like I know what I really want, what I need, and what I can live without and just shoot with what I already have. Having said that, there are products I can really recommend to anybody who loves photography.

Mostly because I have them OR because I heard lots of rave reviews from other photographers. I know you will love so many of them!

Ready?

1. a beautiful mug to drink your coffee/tea while editing.  Oh, you know exactly what I mean, right? Something that fits your hand so nicely and makes you smile… I wouldn’t have minded if it came with a variety of great tasting tea, too ;), Do you? I personally love this red coffee mug from Anthropologie monogrammed whimsical mug just because it fits my ethnic style so well, or you might like something photography related photography mug

2. notebooks. I am such an old fashioned pen and pencil person, you wouldn’t believe it. Writing down ideas for location and sessions all the time.

3. a big girl lensbaby edge 50 optic with composer. This little baby is da bomb for creative roots! I own an edge 80 lensbaby lens and love everything about. Although I don’t need composer, I know this lens will be on my wish list for sure! Heard from many talented photographers that the flare it produces is simply amazing!!! Just check Justyna’s Buttler picture below and you will know what I mean.

4. camera strap. It took me 3 years to decide on what camera strap I wanted. Seriously! Isn’t that crazy? Finally, while at the Click Away conference in San Antonio, TX, I found the perfect strap for myself. This company has so many of them! You may also want to check out scarf straps and even camera bags! Their collection is huge!!! I can tell you from experience that this strap is much comfier than original camera straps and so unique!

5. If you didn’t already get one for yourself I would really, REALLY recommend you to go to www.clickinmoms.com and get a membership!! Or just put it on your Christmas list and ask for a Clickin Moms gift card !!! This was a game changer for me!!! I was not only able to share my work with others, ask questions, and get inspiration, but I found so many friendships and grew amazingly since the first day I registered. Seeing my own work in their photography Click magazine (another great gift!) was just icing on the cake for me! The forum, The blog, Daily Project, CM university where you can purchase so many wonderful classes, and the PDF Breakouts! (Next year my own Breakout will be in the shop as well, can you believe it!!? )… Y O U… M U S T… G O… A N D… C H E C K … T H E M… O U T!!!

6. Timbuk camera insert in 3 different sizes! Such a great idea for anybody who doesn’t want to spend too much money on their camera bag and just use theirs everyday purse. That’s totally what I do right now, not complaining AT ALL! ;)

7. Ok lets go just a little into a gear… and that’s really more for casual everyday photography, amazing with kids and for fun outings, amazing for everyday or even selfies… this will rock your world!!! Fujii  came out with this amazing Instax Camera, so classy, easy to use, simple and you get your pictures in seconds!!!Instax 90 Fujifilm camera. Many different modes include: kids or macro mode, different levels of brightness, self timer, high performance flash or even double exposure mode. I mean REALLY!!! Make sure to ask for at least couple packs of film because you are going to need it!