The World’s Weirdest Photography Gift Guide

Black Friday deals, plus big news (Art + Math’s got merch!)

It’s the most American of Holidays: Black Friday’s Eve. In the spirit of the season (rampant consumerism) the editorial staff of Art + Math has worked tirelessly through late nights and long weekends scouring the best boutiques and purveyors of the finest frivolities to curate this list of the most interesting things you can buy for the most interesting people in your life.

Unlike most photo gift guides—the “advertiser service” ones, the “we may earn a commission…” ones—this guide acknowledges you’re not likely to drop $3,500 on a camera for the office gift exchange. So we’ve got suggestions starting under ten bucks and staying (mostly) in the double digits. The exceptions to this budget friendly approach are absolutely splurge-worthy, so in the end it all adds up to an assortment that’s more interesting (in my humble opinion) than the basic batch you’ll find elsewhere.

Just to be clear, these are not affiliate links! I don’t get paid when you buy any of this stuff—with one exciting exception. On that note, I’m thankful for you and I hope you enjoy the world’s weirdest gift guide, made for photographers by photographers. Without further ado, here’s the 2nd Annual Art + Math Holiday Gift Guide.

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• The Quintessential Photographers T-Shirt

Oh, what’s that? Did I bury the lede? I sure did. WE’VE GOT MERCH! That’s right, friends, you can now support this newsletter while showing off your good taste by purchasing some delectable Art + Math schwag. Do you need a new favorite T-shirt? Of course you do. And I’ve got two great options to choose from. (I don’t want to brag, but you should know these shirts were selected precisely because they’re higher quality than the typical fare. So not only are they stylish, they’re comfortable and well-made too.) If you’re particular about t-shirts (as, embarrassingly, I am) the “Rushmore” is the one for you. Taking inspiration from a line in this essay, it’s the shirt that broadcasts your love for iconic photographers. There’s also another “still quite nice but a bit more affordable” tee, as well as a few other items laid out on the Art + Math Merch Table—including bumper stickers, a dad cap and a high-style, high-satire fleece hoodie. Get the goods and support this endeavor at art-and-math-merch-table.printify.me.

• Alec Soth’s Little Brown Mushroom Shop

Let’s turn now from commerce to art. One of the preeminent photographers working today is Alec Soth. That he hails from the upper midwest is no surprise to those of us out here in flyover country, but it is another reason to appreciate the man and his work. He operates the Little Brown Mushroom Shop—named for his former blog, current newsletter, and occasional publishing imprint—and for the past two weeks he’s been offering a unique selection of beautiful and affordable collector-worthy works. These include signed first editions of long out-of print books, one-of-a-kind prints accompanied by a selection of found vernacular photographs, and my personal favorite—a $30 postcard Mr. Soth (rhymes with “both,” btw) will personally mail to you. I hoped to picture here the one I ordered, but it has yet to arrive. The order form permits you to make a (reasonable) request, so I asked him: “If you could receive a postcard from any artist, living or dead, who might it be and why?” Who do you think he’ll say? I’ll report back once I find out. Oh, I should also mention you’ve got to act fast. These LBM deals disappear December 1. (That’s Sunday!)

The sticker in question, affixed to my very own camera case.

• An Important Message on a Bumper Sticker

Here’s another ultra-affordable stocking-stuffer type gift: a bumper sticker professing the mantra “Artwork Is Work.” I love it. The moment I saw it I had to have one. You can have one too. In fact, you’ve got two options for acquiring it. One is to visit the Buy Olympia store where you can purchase straight from designer Zach Yarrington. But the other is to subscribe to this here Art + Math newsletter. Because I bought a few of these stickers! I’ll ship one to you as a thank you gift when you sign up for an annual subscription to Art + Math by December 5. How’s that for a good deal?

• A Beautiful Black & White Calendar

Round here we celebrate all things print. Remember wall calendars? Before big tech ruined everything, calendars were big business in the world of printed photographs. Some still are—like this beautiful yet budget-friendly gift for the photography aficionado on your list: a 2025 wall calendar featuring 13 sumptuous black and white photographs by Michael Kenna. He’s been doing these calendars for years—29 to be exact—and the 2025 version does not disappoint. The design is clean and minimal so as not to distract from the images from Mr. Kenna’s travels around the world. His publisher, Nazraeli Press, has also released a new monograph of his work to coincide with a 2025 retrospective. “Japan” is a collection of 100 photographs, perfect for those collectors who may want to augment their library in addition to their calendar.

• An Awesome Strobe

** Expensive Item Exception Alert! ** Remember when I said most of these gifts were inexpensive? Well this is where that “most” comes in. It’s the Elinchrom Three battery-powered monolight strobe. (“Three,” I should mention, is the model name. 🤷‍♂️) I’ve written previously that studio strobes have become so absurdly expensive that they are impractical for most photographers. As such, monolights—particularly the battery-powered variety—have become the de facto king of the hill for portable, professional strobe lighting. Elinchrom’s battery-powered monolight line—the One, Three and Five models—are my personal preference, offering 131ws, 261ws and 522ws output, respectively. I appreciate their ideal combination of high-quality and reasonable price. For example, the Profoto version of a 250ws battery monolight (the B10x) retails for twice the price of my Elinchrom Three. Better still, right now the Elinchrom is on sale for $825 (which is $200 off the regular price, and less expensive even than the lower-powered Elinchrom One). It’s a good enough deal that my studio snatched up another one last week.

• Modify That Light

You got the light, now you need a modifier. I use a 4-foot umbrella on the key for a lot of location portraiture. Mine’s an Elinchrom umbrella (see above) and it costs about $150, but I dropped another $50 for a front diffuser to turn it into a super soft indirect source. Profoto users can get their own branded version of a 51-inch umbrella, and of course it’s twice the price: $320 for the umbrella, $100 for the diffuser. But it does say Profoto on the side so… Anyway, imagine my glee when I discovered that Adorama has the Glow 51-inch white umbrella on sale for just $50. (It’s normally $60, so still a deal!) Pair it with a diffuser for another $20 and your total investment (under $70) means you can get two for the price of one of my Elinchrom umbrellas, or four for the cost of a single Profoto. I don’t own any Glow gear. But how bad could it be? It just needs to be white and bounce light, right? If it falls apart, well, you can buy another and still save money versus the leading brand. And if you want a bigger modifier, the 65” model is just 10 bucks more.

• Two Monographs

Photo books are one of my favorite gifts, to give and to receive. I think it’s because I don’t often treat myself to a new monograph, even though I want them all. And since this is my wish list—er, I mean “gift guide”—one perk is that I get to put whatever books on here for any reason at all. In this case, I’ve got two recommendations, and it’s simply because they’ve piqued my interest.

First is Alison Rossiter’s Expired Paper, a 2017 monograph dedicated to cameraless photography and images of photographic papers throughout the medium’s history. I’m a fan of cameraless work—it actually played a significant part in my graduate thesis (which was an exploration of photography as a method of pure creation in the Mondrianic tradition). The long and the short of it is, Ms. Rossiter appears to have delivered the goods and elevated the art form, and I somehow missed it until now. Better late than never.

The other book atop my reading list is

Wesley Verhoeve

’s Notice Journal, Volume 1. Wesley is a fellow Substacker (and Art + Math subscriber!) and along with producing a beautiful book of in-camera diptychs made with his 35mm half-frame camera, he has also documented the process of creating, editing, designing and printing a high quality monograph. He’s also just this week dropped a delightful video trailer for the book—perhaps the first ever fictional trailer for a non-fiction work.

• A Classic Stocking Stuffer

Everybody knows National Geographic is the ultimate showcase for the world’s best landscape, wildlife and travel photography. But did you know the December issue is the annual Pictures of the Year edition, too? This year it features, along with some of the best documentary photography of the year, an in-depth look at the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral photographed by Paris-based photographer Tomas van Houtryve. An annual subscription to the Geographic is just under $7.50 per month, or hit the newsstand to pick up the December issue for the perfect stocking stuffer for any photographer on your list.

• Give the Gift of Education

This next item also features a National Geographic connection. Longtime readers may recall how much I like educational videos from the likes of Masterclass. But there’s a similar series dedicated specifically to photography. It’s called Masters of Photography, and it features courses led by great photographers—including a few with extensive Geographic publishing histories. There are classes from Steve McCurry, Albert Watson, Cristina Mittermeier and her husband, Paul Nicklen, and there are even some free courses available. But the one I’m most excited about is taught by Joel Meyerowitz on street photography and photographic identity. You can sign up for individual courses one at a time, in beginner and advanced versions, but the subscription I’m most interested in offers a quantity discount as part of the Masters of Photography Black Friday sale: buy two or more courses and get 32-36% off.

• Give the Gift of… Accountability?

We often look to equipment upgrades as the best way to improve our photography. But I believe our energy and resources are often better spent working on the creative challenges—inspiration, ideas, storytelling—in order to level up our abilities. To that end, here is an unusual gift for the aspiring portrait photographer in your life. Chris Buck, whose fantastic portfolio is filled with offbeat images of famous faces across industries, has launched an “accountability group” for portrait photographers. It began as an extension of his in-person workshops, but he’s recently opened it to anyone “serious about their practice.” The Checking Focus group involves a monthly one-hour virtual call, but the centerpiece is the photography assignments. “Participants are not obligated to do the assignments,” Buck says, “but I’ve been pleased at the level of engagement. Assignments have included utilizing costumes to help tell your story, ‘stealing an idea,’ and the latest: write down 100 new photo ideas (a specifically a non-photographic task).” The group is organized around a Substack newsletter, where a full subscription (i.e. joining the group) is $20 monthly for an annual subscription.

• A Useful Tool that is Art Unto Itself

Alright, this one is out of left field but I’m going with it. Why? Because if a holiday bonus dropped out of the sky and I could buy any piece of “gear” for my photography practice? It would be a hand-painted backdrop from the inimitable Sarah Oliphant. I know, the gear I lust after is strange, and one paragraph ago I was touting that gear is not the answer. But once you’ve worked with an Oliphant, no other backdrop compares. The artist imbues magic into her canvases, somehow. I don’t understand it, but I see it in the pictures. I’d like to add to my collection (currently limited to one) with a brown one and a green one and a blue one and an ivory one. Prices start in the high three-figures, with shipping included. Every once in a while Oliphant Studio has a sale, and that’s the perfect time to pick up one of these stunningly subtle backdrops. If they’re good enough for the likes of Annie Liebovitz and Albert Watson, they’re good enough for you and me. If you draw my name in the office gift exchange, please—pretty please—start here.

• Get 30% Off Art + Math!

One more thing! In honor of that most American of holidays, Black Friday—and, all joking aside, to show my thanks to you, dear reader—I’ve created a great deal on a premium subscription to Art + Math. Now through the end of the year, get 30% off an annual subscription. Subscribe and save 15 bucks, so your one year subscription is just $35. This gets you all the great Art + Math you know and love, plus periodic subscriber-only bonus posts—and, most importantly, the gratification that comes from knowing you’re supporting me with this endeavor. There’s no limit to these subscriptions, so you can get one for yourself and send the link to friends and family, too. Thank you, sincerely, for reading Art + Math.

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