National Parks at Night

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Seize the Season: Our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Chris Nicholson

Autumn is ending, and as the trees shed their leaves (or, if they’re far enough south, their iguanas), seasonal thoughts once again turn to holidays and perfect gifts for the special photographer in your life.

Once again, we’d like to help. As we’ve been raking our leaves and lizards, we’ve also been compiling a list of gift ideas for night owls such as yourself. We’ve been writing about those gifts, and we’ve been putting those words into what you’ll find below: our eighth annual Holiday Gift Guide.

In it you’ll find ideas from camera companies, memory brands, scouting apps and more—all to help you and your shutterbug loved ones enjoy the happiest of holidays.

You can view the gift guide in two ways: you can read it in the blog post below, or you can download the full-experience Gift Guide e-book. We encourage the latter, as the e-book version:

  • is more graphical

  • has lots more pictures

  • includes some night photography tips

  • contains some deals not found below

Whichever way you browse the guide, we hope the ideas are useful for fleshing out your holiday gift list. Have a wonderful holiday—seize the season!

Acratech

GXP-SS Ball Head

Our favorite ball head company, Acratech, recently revamped their GP line to the GXP series, making the heads even stronger, and with more detailing. The GXP-SS is our go-to ball head for traveler tripods with a smaller diameter baseplate. Other new features include supporting 35 pounds over the previous 25, and a lever release clamp that accommodates a larger range of quick release plates. The lever clamp version gives the ultimate in security, and the bubble level has shifted to a more prominent position for viewing.

Special offer: 10 percent off all Acratech GXP variants at B&H Photo with promo code “BHGIFT23.” Valid through December 19, 2023.

Advocacy Groups

Membership

Night photography, national parks, dark skies. If you’re reading this gift guide, you probably care about these things, and if you know a night photographer, they probably care about these too. The things we like to do, and the places we like to do them in, all face challenges. And you and your friends can help. One way to get more involved is by joining an advocacy group. Here are some of our favorites:

B&H Photo

Gift Card

Giving a gift is never stressful when you have a photographer in your life, because a B&H Gift Card is always the perfect present. Always. It’s the gift of choice. Let your photographer (or videographer, musician or gamer) pick any camera, lens, computer or whatever new doodad, thingamabob or doohickey they may need. Of course B&H will have it—they are the world’s biggest and best resource for all photo, video and image-making needs!

Bay Photo Lab

Epic Prints

With epic images made at night (and perhaps during the day), why not show them off in the best way possible? Bay Photo’s Epic Prints combine the maximum resolution and unrivaled clarity for image quality that will leap off the walls. Epic Prints are made on Fujiflex silver halide photographic paper with up to 610 dpi resolution—four times the resolution of a traditional photographic print. You can choose between a high gloss and satin finish, both of which are mounted onto metal.

Special offer: 20 percent off one order of select wall display prints from Bay Photo Lab with promo code “NIGHT20.” Valid until December 22, 2023.

BenQ

PhotoVue SW272U Monitor

BenQ’s latest addition to their pixel-perfect display lineup for photographers is the PhotoVue SW272U Monitor. This gorgeous USB-C 27-inch monitor provides 4K resolution, 90-watt power to your laptop, a fine-coated reduced glare panel, 100 percent Adobe RGB color gamut, and a sleek, thin bezel design, plus many more photographer- and filmmaker-friendly features. Hand-in-hand is their Palette Master Ultimate software for color profiling with compatible hardware, such as the Calibrite Display Plus HL Colorimeter.

Special offer: $150 off the PhotoVue SW272U or SW321C at B&H Photo with promo code “BHGIFT23.” Valid through December 19, 2023.

Benro

CyanBird Tripod with FS20PRO Head

The CyanBird is a work of art and won’t weigh a photographer down—the latest 17.3-inch folded travel tripod from Benro is ready for adventure. Starting with the lightweight tripod legs with flip locks, setup is fast and smooth to a maximum height of 50.8 inches. The 2-in-1 pan head is an engineering marvel that’s ideal for both video and photo, and that levels easily for making fast single-row panos. Includes hidden tools, folding pan handle and a two-section center column that splits for low camera angles.

Special offer: 10 percent off the CyanBird Tripod at B&H Photo with promo code “BHGIFT23.” Valid through December 19, 2023.

Bicycle

Stargazer Playing Cards

While waiting for sunset, twilight or even the coffee to be ready, why not bust out the cosmically appropriate Stargazer Playing Cards and spend some quality time with friends or family, or even playing some solitaire? These super-cool playing cards have the legendary Bicycle air cushion finish and are printed colorfully on high-quality stock. The backs are all inspired by black holes, so remember which pocket you put the deck in.

Big and Little Parks

Flat Hat Fan Club Sticker

We love the creative art from our friends at Big Little Parks, much of which promotes the smaller, lesser-known parks. One thing that is common across all National Park Service units is the rangers who help guide and educate us about the history, nature and importance of their park. When someone officially becomes a ranger, they receive a unique hat that can easily identify them out in the field. If you are in the know, then you know that chapeau is called a “flat hat,” so well represented by the Flat Hat Fan Club Sticker for a car, computer or water bottle.

Books

Various Authors

Ah, books … the elixir of the curious mind. The photography world is full of tomes, and we can’t get enough of them, nor enough of sharing them. Here are a few we’ve loved in 2023, from monographs to instruction to parks to a coffee book of the cosmos.

Bright Beta

Adventure Log

Bright Beta has taken the adventure log pages from their No Limits Planner and turned them into a durable, compact 4-by-6-inch booklet perfect for making notes of adventures, travels and photo shoots. Use the Adventure Log to record location notes, lighting or weather conditions, or even a scouting report to refer back to when visiting a park, city or shoot location. Its 48 pages have space for 22 adventures with room to sketch, journal or just notate important information, along with prompts to log trip details.

Calibrite

Display Plus HL Colorimeter

Take control of color and focus on creativity. Every night photographer—every photographer in general—should calibrate and profile their displays, whether laptop, external monitor or projector. As modern displays get brighter and resolution increases, the demands for hardware that can help maintain consistency and accuracy over multiple devices increases too. The Calibrite Display Plus HL Colorimeter is an excellent way to future-proof your color management workflow as displays get more and more capable. Compatible with HDR, OLED and miniLED (such as MacBook Pros, common among photographers).

Callie Barbas

Moon Calendar Block Prints

Callie Barbas is an Atlanta-based printmaker and illustrator. Among her work is a handmade wood block 2024 Moon Calendar recrafted as a 12x16-inch print. It’s a gorgeous way to mind the moon phases for the entire year at a glance. Each print is lovingly hand-dyed in tea to provide an aged patina. This is a limited edition of 500, so hurry before they run out!

Cameras

Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Sony

We live in a golden age of digital night photography. Cameras with higher ISOs with high-megapixel full-frame sensors no longer lack image quality—though we might need more hard drive space for star stacking! Viable options abound. Here are some of our favorites:

  • Canon’s 45-megapixel EOS R5 has taken the mantle of most popular in the 5D DSLR series.

  • Nikon’s Z 8 incorporates some night-specific features, such as backlit buttons and Starlight view to make seeing in the dark possible.

  • Sony leads the full-frame sensor-size race with their 61-megapixel a7RV, which is on the tripod of many of our night photography friends.

  • However, if you want the ultimate in resolution, the Fujifilm GFX100S packs in 100 megapixels in a larger-than-full-frame medium format sensor. Fujifilm is releasing faster glass, which makes balancing your exposures in darker sky environments even easier.

Coast Portland

TX11R Flashlight

The venerable Coast HP7R flashlight has been updated and upgraded and reintroduced as the new TX11R. It has just three light modes: low, medium and a very bright full power, with no bothersome strobe mode! This flashlight has a refined focusing system that easily transitions from X-Range Spot beam to an even, Broad View Flood beam with no haloing. It’s USB-C chargeable, machined of solid aluminum, is built to IP54 specifications for water and dust resistance, and is backed by the Coast lifetime warranty.

Deep-Sky Imaging

Visible Universe Poster

Astronomers and authors Charles Bracken and Max Whitby teamed to create a complete visual record of the visible night sky as seen from Earth, and have published it in the form of a 38-by-21-inch Visible Universe Poster. Originally created for their book The Visible Universe, the poster bears the same name and is the result of their imaging from several locations in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Chile and Spain over 3 years. This all-sky image includes H-alpha data and took several month to process.

DxO Labs

Nik Collection 6

Night photography requires lots of post-processing to bring our vision of the scene to the screen. DxO is here to help. Nik Collection 6 is a post-processing suite that fosters creativity and solves problems. It can be used as stand-alone software or as a plug-in for Lightroom and/or Photoshop. With its latest updates, Nik has improved their eight plug-ins to help the photographer de-noise, sharpen, improve color and translate images into stunning black-and-white photographs. (This is our go-to solution for black-and-white conversion.)

FireTacks

Reflective Trail Markers

Have you ever been frustrated trying to find your way back after a long night making night photographs? Check out FireTacks! They’re high-visibility trail markers with durable pins that you can press into the landscape around you during the hike out. Choose between 3D (pyramid) and 4D (cube) shapes, depending on the trail complexity. Shine a light at eye level and these will blaze back at you like a street lamp. Just remember to leave no trace and grab yours on the way back out.

Irix

21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly Lens

The Irix 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly lens is perfect for astro-landscape photographers when there’s not much foreground. The huge f/1.4 maximum aperture makes focusing and composing in the dark easier, and it’s great to keep your exposures short and star points sharp. The lens is available in Nikon F, Canon EF and Pentax K mounts. The built-in shade also serves to protect the front element, and the focus locking ring helps you stay sharp.

Special offer: $250 off the 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly at B&H Photo. Valid through December 31, 2023.

Jackery

Explorer 290 Portable Power Station

Sometimes a photographer needs lots of power when on the road—especially in the wilderness or backcountry, or in other remote areas without access to the power grid. Enter the Explorer 290, a lightweight portable battery. It has a 200-watt AC inverter with a 110-volt USA AC plug, two USB power ports and a 12-volt DC car-style outlet. You can charge your phone, a star tracker, camera batteries, a dew heater and more! Perfect to keep in the car for those moments when you just need some power.

Special offer: $50 off the Explorer 290 at B&H Photo. Valid through December 19, 2023.

Jeff McCrum

Lanceli Grid

The Lanceli grid, designed and manufactured by our friend Jeff, is a useful light modifier for the Luxli Fiddle, our top-recommended lighting tool. The Lanceli reduces the angle of the light beam from 102 degrees to about 20 degrees, making it especially useful for lighting foreground objects without spilling onto other parts of the scene. The light output is also reduced by two stops, which is useful for controlling illumination in very dark conditions. Comes with a Luxli Fiddle switch clip, which is designed to prevent the panel from accidentally turning on while in your bag or pocket.

LEDlenser

P4R Work Flashlight

The P4R Work flashlight is a great addition to any night photographer’s light painting kit. It has three brightness settings, with a helpful “last-used” setting memory. It also sports a CRI of 80 and color temperature of 4300 K, placing the light quality perfectly between old-school warm incandescents and most modern daylight-balanced LED lights. It’s tough and waterproof, features a tail cap switch, and boasts an advanced focus system for smooth spot-to-flood focusing with no halo. Comes with a rechargeable, 3.7-volt lithium-ion battery

Light Painting Brushes

Earth, Wind and Fire Glitter Stick Set

Light Painting Brushes has long supplied us with tools to be endlessly creative, and their new Earth, Wind and Fire Glitter Stick Set could be the most fun new tool in your belt. At 24 inches long, these sticks create a unique sparkling band of light. Earth provides a glittering green and gold effect, Wind creates a blue and silver glittering effect, and Fire creates a red and gold glittering effect. They’re great for light writing in portraits, for abstract light painting work, and for creating classic light-painted orbs and other light sculptures.

Luxli

Case for Luxli Fiddle LED Light Kits

How many Luxli LED Fiddles do you own? If you are like us, the number is at least two! While these LED panels are compact, it can be tricky to keep them organized and all together with the correct chargers, grids, ball heads, etc. Lucky for us, the company recently released a custom Case for Luxli Fiddles that perfectly fits three Fiddles and their accessories. The lightweight but rugged EVA shell protects the panels from the rigors and constant travels of a night photographer while keeping all the components neatly in one place for easy use and charging.

Special offer: 15 percent off the Luxli Fiddle Case at B&H Photo. Valid through December 19, 2023.

Moonglow

Moon Phase Jewelry

Do you and a special photographer share a special date? The night you first photographed the Milky Way together, perhaps? Or maybe a wedding anniversary, or a birthday? Visit the Moonglow website, enter a date to see its moon phase, then see a selection of moon phase jewelry to match. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, ornaments and more.

Move-Shoot-Move

Lens Warmer/Dew Heater Band

Dew can wreak havoc on a night shoot, as lens glass is one of the first things drops form on. The solution? Warmth. The Move-Shoot-Move Lens Warmer/Dew Heater Band is made from durable neoprene (wetsuit material), adapts to fit most any lens and has three power settings to prevent a lens from fogging up when the temperature reaches the dew point. It can be powered by most 5-volt power banks, weighs next to nothing, and rolls up or folds flat for easy storage in a camera bag.

Special offer: 10 percent off at moveshootmove.com with code “NPAN.”

National Parks at Night

Workshops

Send the photographer in your life on the adventure of a lifetime, crafting images under the night skies of some amazing destinations. Or get them online to learn how to better process their images. Tickets are available for several National Parks at Night adventures:

Or if none of those sound like the perfect gift, then how about Online Tutoring?

2024 Wall Calendar

National Parks at Night’s sixth annual wall calendar, titled Dark Hours, will help the photographer stay inspired by and for night photography throughout 2024. The 12x12-inch calendar is printed on heavy-stock photographic paper, and is coil-bound for easy flipping from month to month.

In addition to 14 photos by the National Parks at Night instructors, the calendar includes dates for: National Park Service events and holidays, astronomy holidays (yes, they exist), equinoxes and solstices, new and full moons, meteor showers, supermoons, eclipses, and more.

Instructor Books

Looking for some national park and night photography inspiration and education that you can always have at your fingertips? Choose from one of the books written by members of the NPAN team!

National park Service

America the Beautiful Pass

America’s national parks preserve pretty much anything a night photographer needs to practice their craft: beautiful landscapes, historical structures and, of course, darkness. For only $80 you can purchase the America the Beautiful annual park pass to begin or continue an exploration of America’s greatest idea. The annual pass provides access to more than 2,000 recreation areas managed by five federal agencies, and the proceeds are used to improve and enhance visitor recreation services.

Novoflex

Multi-Tool with 8 Functions

Get one for the camera bag. Another for the jacket pocket. And a third for home! The Novoflex Multi-Tool is a versatile, portable accessory with universal attachments for all tripods and other photography equipment. Whether the problem is a jiggly tripod leg or a loose camera screw, this handy 2.8-ounce item will keep gear stable and together in the field. Includes various sizes of hex key, flat- and Philips-head screwdrivers, and Torx T25.

Special offer: 10 percent off the Multi-Tool at B&H Photo with promo code “BHGIFT23.” Valid through December 19, 2023.

Ocoopa

Rechargeable Hand Warmer

Working with your camera’s controls in the dark can be challenging, and even more so when your fingers are chilled to the bone. Chemical hand warmers can help, but they are expensive and add to our landfills. Ocoopa has a perfect solution: a rechargeable Rechargeable Hand Warmer! Sleek, durable and well designed, Ocoopa has created hand warmers to keep our fingers warm and nimble for up to 15 hours. They have multiple temperature settings and a choice of ports to use for charging. They can also recharge your phone! 

Parks Project

National Park Welcome T-Shirts

We love National Park T-shirts. We are also huge fans of Parks Project, which not only creates cool products promoting our parks, but donates back to them as well. Our top pick from Parks Project this year is their National Park Welcome Tee that comes in a variety of colors, long- or short-sleeve, as well as an optional front pocket. For our friends in The Golden State, they also have a Welcome to California T-shirt which features all nine of its national parks.

Special offer: 25 percent off sitewide with promo code “GIVEPARKS.”

PhotoPills

LightMeter Mug

Every night photographer needs a hot beverage from time to time, and that beverage can be had in style! Sip a coffee, tea or hot cocoa in this sleek Lightmeter Mug from PhotoPills. Available in white and black, this vessel will not only keep you warm and caffeinated, it will also remind you of why you’re out late in the first place.

Special offer: 15 percent off and free shipping at PhotoPills.com. Valid through December 3, 2023.

Plum Deluxe

Night-Theme Teas

A little caffeine can help the night last longer. So indulge in one of these night-theme tea blends from Oregon-based Plum Deluxe, which sources its tea leaves and other ingredients from farms and families the owner knows personally. Before a night adventure, enjoy Full Moon Chai or Stargazer Caramel Maté Chai, or while groggy in the morning wake up with the Fog Cutter blend.

Sawyer Products

Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion

Being out at night in wild places means exposing your skin to wild critters—such as ticks and mosquitoes. To keep them off, Picaridin is the most effective and most comfortable topical solution we’ve found. Not sticky and smelly like most insect repellents, Picarardin lotion feels just like moisturizer, except that it also does an excellent job of warding off those little blood-suckers. The 4-ounce bottles are the perfect size to fit in a camera bag, for easy access on buggy nights in the field.

Shimoda

Action X30 V2 Backpack Starter Kit

If the pursuit of astro-landscape photography takes a photographer everywhere, then it’s time to stow and carry gear in a Shimoda. It’s the most versatile, rugged, accommodating and flexible bag system we have ever had the pleasure of carrying and abusing. The Action X30 V2 Backpack has three height options with approximately 2.7 inches of vertical adjustment, as well as the most comfortable swappable shoulder straps for men or women.

Special offer: 20 percent off the Action X30 V2 at B&H Photo with promo code “BHGIFT23.” Valid through December 19, 2023.

Slow Watches

24-Hour Wristwatch

As their promo video postulates, “Does it really matter if it’s 12:34 or 12:36?” Leave the minutia of a.m.’s and p.m.’s and minutes and seconds behind, and instead focus on the natural rhythm of the solar day. The stylish, Swiss-made 24-hour Slow Watch tracks only hours. Available in three style categories, each with multiple bands and face palettes.

Studiocult

Still Frame Sunglasses

To be the coolest photographer on the strip, sunglasses are a necessity. And what says “hipster photographer” better than sporting nostalgic negatives across the eyes? Studiocult is the New York City-based jewelry designer behind these Still Frame Sunglasses, created in consultation with conceptual artist Gab Bois. The lenses are made from composite nylon, framed with matte-finish stainless steel spring-hinge temples. Includes vintage film storage box and color checker cleaning cloth.

Tether Tools

StrapMoore

When on a night shoot, we all have … stuff. Things that hang around with no obvious place to put them. An external battery. An eyeglass case. A phone. To help, the Tether Tools StrapMoore provides a way to secure such items right to a tripod, where they won’t get in the way and won’t get lost. Two adjustable straps wrap around a tripod leg, making the attachment versatile and secure, and the adjustable object strap can hold anything from one-quarter inch to 3 inches in diameter.

Venus Optics

Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens

When the night sky gets so big that you have to go superwide, pop on the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 lens and dream away. This sharp prime lens features a rectilinear optical design, a removable metal flower lens hood and buttery smooth manual focus. Comatic aberration is greatly reduced, making this a wonderful astro-landscape lens. Available in mounts for Canon EF and RF, Leica L, Nikon F and Z, and Sony A and FE, and Pentax K. (Fun note: Matt used this lens to shoot the cover photo of the gift guide).

Special offer: $100 off the 12mm f/2.8 at B&H Photo. Valid through December 31, 2023.

Wasoto

Heated Socks

Avoid discomfort and frostbite on freezing nights with these wonderful electronically Heated Socks. Each sock has a USB-C rechargeable battery pack secured in a small pocket. Great elastic holds the socks on the calves. And once you are bundled up, you can control the socks’ heat and settings via a smartphone app! Keep Jack Frost away from those little piggies.

Note: Remember, this gift guide is also available as a free downloadable PDF, with lots more photos and a ton of discount codes. Download yours today by clicking the image below.

Chris Nicholson is a partner and director of content with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015) and Photographing Lighthouses (Sidelight Books, 2023). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

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