Tag: gift

Give Nothing for the Holidays Except Yourself

Life, My Community, Photography

It is that time of year again when we turn our attention to purchasing gifts for those we love, to acknowledge their place in our lives and to say how much we love them. It’s a joyous activity for many; It is a classic dilemma and typically the source of much stress and consternation for most.

If you are as old as me, there does come a point though when many of us decide we have enough stuff and ask not to receive anything material again. Although I still like to hear about toys as much as ever, I’m there – I don’t need to own them. It’s a bit of an odd feeling. Yet somehow appropriate as you head toward your twilight of life.

Instead, I’m suggesting a new approach this year. Making yourself the gift. I don’t mean anything cringeworthy. Instead I’m talking about the gift of your time. If you are as old as me, it is now the one thing that means everything.

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Gift Giving – 2024 Edition

Interesting Stuff, Life, Photography

Can’t believe it’s that season again – when we all struggle with trying to decide what to buy for those who are closest to us. We want to celebrate their importance to us and to celebrate how we feel about them. Apart from dealing with the commerciality of the season, this end goal is really, really hard because it means so much.

Gift giving seems to go through a variety of transitions over our lives. We go through phases of gift giving – initially, we give gifts that say something cute to a new friend or romantic interest but may just be a trinket or token; we then move to gifts that are trendy because everyone wants one; eventually, we indulge in financially more expensive gifts that say “you deserve this” and then, when we and our loved ones have all the stuff we need, ultimately, we look for gifts that are more personal, less commercial, perhaps even made with the hands of the gift giver.

At this stage of my life, I’ve come full circle around gift giving. Most of my family and friends have as well. What to do for those who really don’t need more stuff? Here are a few ideas.

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Gifts for the Senior Photographer

Gear, Interesting Stuff, Photography

It’s that time of year when we stress out about getting gifts for the people in our lives that already have everything.  Seniors (and I am one) are particularly hard to buy for because of three main things:

  • They already have pretty much every possession they need.  Buying more stuff isn’t really a priority for them.
  • New technology while fascinating, isn’t always useful to a senior.  It becomes about convenience and ease of use, not more complicated and sophisticated functions.  The stuff that offers “more” is often the stuff that is worth “less” to us.
  • And I guess there is a third driver too.  Cost.  New technology is becoming outrageously more expensive.  You used to be able to buy a high end DSLR camera for under $1000.  Now you are lucky to find new tech under $2500.  Even I’m getting to the point where I say no bloody way.

So, what do you get for the senior photographer in your life?  Family, take note:

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Gifts for Me!

Life, Photography, Tools

A little self-serving? Yes, it is. I admit it. But I’ve discovered that friends and family who aren’t into photography and videography often have little idea on what a hobbyist might like. So I thought I would throw out a few inexpensive but meaningful ideas for that last minute shopper with a photographer on their list.

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