This past weekend, on my drive out to the desert, I was looking for radio stations when I stumbled upon one that was playing Christmas songs… already! It’s not even Thanksgiving yet! I had to listen for a few songs though.. they were playing “Jingle Bell Rock” and then “White Christmas”.. I couldn’t resist!
Well, with Thanksgiving only a few days away now, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. I hope you get time to relax with family and friends, stay warm, and enjoy plenty of pumpkin pie (mmmm, my favorite) 
If you’ll be doing any gift exchanging, then I hope you get that awesome lens you’ve been eyeing for months now.. If you ever need to justify their high cost, just remember: lenses are like investments because they barely lose value
If you’re looking for gift ideas, check out the buyer’s guide I put together awhile ago. I go over all the gear I use, and include a few sample photos from each of my lenses.
And, if you’re feeling extra generous this holiday season, and would like to help support PhotoNaturalist, there are two extremely easy ways to do so:
1 – Use one of our affiliate links to purchase your gifts
If you plan on buying any of your gifts online, I’d greatly appreciate it if you used one of the affiliate links below. Any purchases you make after clicking these links will help earn us a small commission:
Amazon – Great prices on books, and they also have a few holiday specials on camera gear.
B&H Photo and Video – They also have some great holiday specials going on:
$40 off Gitzo GT-1541T Traveler Tripod – This is the tripod I’m currently using, and I absolutely love it. I was skeptical of spending so much money on a tripod, but after using it for awhile now, I’m glad I got it! It feels so much more stable than my previous Manfrotto 190XPROB, and it’s half the weight (much easier to carry on those long hikes!).
$15 off Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod – This is a great tripod if you don’t want to spend a whole lot of money.
$15 off Manfrotto 486RC2 Ballhead – A great ballhead to go with the Manfrotto tripod above. I now use a Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead, but if you’re looking for something a little cheaper, this Manfrotto is a great alternative!
$50 off Canon 17-40 f/4L USM Lens – My favorite lens for photographing landscapes
$75 off Canon 70-200 f/4L IS Lens – My favorite lens for photographing wildflowers I’ve never used this lens off a tripod, so if I was to get this again, I’d go with the non-IS version, which is $500 cheaper!
2 – Tell your friends and family about PhotoNaturalist
Another way to help us out is to tell your friends and family about this site. If you’re giving someone their first DSLR this holiday season, and they’re interested in photographing all the wonders of the natural world, I’d be eternally grateful if you told them about PhotoNaturalist
Thanks, and I hope you have a beautiful holiday season!
Steve
Related posts:
- Top 10 PhotoNaturalist posts of 2009
- 5 reasons to minimize your camera gear
- The Future of PhotoNaturalist
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Happy holidays Steve, and thank you for a year of wonderful tips!
I’m thankful to have stumbled across this place a while back. I’ve learned alot here- thank you.
Hope you have an enjoyable holiday season Steve. Really am impressed by all of your work over the past year, here’s to another excellent year of growing as photographers. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!