5 Mother’s Day Gifts for the Mom Obsessed with Taking Photos

I don’t know about your mom, but mine is obsessed with taking photos of everything. By everything, I mean EVERYTHING—from special occasions and family vacations to a casual mid-week lunch, all of which she shares on Facebook. Yes, even the bad ones. And I’m pretty sure she isn’t alone.

Yes, it can be a little tiresome, especially when the whole family has been on the road for a week and all you want some quiet time alone to focus on your own photography (or maybe, that’s just me). But we tolerate it because we know they’re not doing it to fuel social media envy… or at least, not just. We know that they’re also doing it because they’re proud of us and want to share every single moment they spend with us with the rest of the world.

But I digress.

If your mom’s anything like mine, getting her something camera or photo-related might be better than shelling out money on expensive chocolates or flowers. Take it from us; she’ll appreciate it more. (That is, unless she really, really loves chocolate.)

Here are five great gift ideas perfect for photo-obsessed mammas.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX99

Click HERE to buy a Sony HX99 from B&H Photo-Video!
or
Click HERE to buy a Sony HX99 from Amazon.com!

If your mom’s always been the camera phone shooter, perhaps it’s time to give her photo taking chops a bit of an upgrade by way of the new Sony HX99. This pocket-sized wonder boasts a few aces up its sleeves that makes it better than her iPhone X: a 28x optical zoom that beautifully preserves image quality, an impressive image stabilization so mom can say au revoir to shaky vacation videos (at 4K, I might add), and a fast continuous shooting of 10fps so she can capture younger sis in action at her soccer game.

Does mom adore taking group selfies with her friends? It has an LCD screen that tilts up 180 degrees. And of course, to satisfy her need for instant gratification, it also easily connects to Sony’s Imaging Edge app so she can upload her photos and videos to her phone then immediately share to her heart’s content on Facebook.

The Sony HX99 is a bit of a splurge for a Mother’s Day’s present at $448, but the woman carried you in her belly for nine excruciating months, for sobbing out loud. Commit.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 90

Click HERE to buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 from B&H Photo-Video!
or
Click HERE to by the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 from Amazon.com!

If your mom’s anything like mine, she might get a kick (and a bit of nostalgia) out of our modern-day version of Polaroids. Not to say, of course, that Polaroid is no longer relevant because the company IS still rolling out their instant cameras. If that sounds much cooler in your opinion, we do love the OneStep 2 Viewfinder i-Type Camera in Summer Blue, just the perfect companion to take on your family summer vacation.

But if you want to take it easy on mom, Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 90 sports an equally retro look but is easier to figure out and use if you’re not a proper photographer. It has automatic flash and exposure compensation, offers double exposures, and allows selfies. Plus, the Instax Mini film it uses is considerably much more affordable at around $10-$12 for a box of 20 sheets.

Trust us; she’s going to have fun taking flat lay photos of those credit card-sized prints to share on Facebook.

Camera Phone Lenses

Click HERE to buy an olloclip Mobile Photography Boxed Set from B&H Photo-Video!
or
Click HERE to buy a Moment Tele 58mm Lens from Amazon.com!

However, if your Mom is still sticking to her guns and staying true to her iPhone, then she might appreciate a camera phone lens set instead. Sure, there’s a lot of generic ones out there that are—let’s just be honest—terrible, but a couple of the top camera phone lens brands are well made. Even actual photographers enjoy using them.

Does she love taking pretty portraits of you, your siblings, and the whole clan? Moment’s Tele 58mm Lens is the perfect little lens. It’s a tad expensive at $120, but it is made of quality materials (none of that cheap plastic crap) and produces gorgeous images. Though do bear in mind that you also have to purchase an M-series Photo Case OR Battery Photo Case to mount it.

On the other hand, if she loves taking photos at parties and on vacations, she’ll swear by olloclip’s Mobile Photography Box Set. It comes with a super wide-angle lens for landscapes, cityscapes, and street photos; a macro lens for close-ups; and a fisheye lens for the fun moments. This one’s a tad cheaper at $100, and you get three lenses for the price of one. That’s a deal your mom can get behind.

Photo Book

On a budget? Borrow mom’s phone real quick or hack her iCloud, which shouldn’t be hard since she’s probably entrusted you with the password anyway. Select and secure 20 or more of the best shots stored in her phone, then proceed to create a photo book for her. It makes for a lovely and thoughtful gift that will keep on giving, and it’s also considerably more affordable than a brand-new camera.

There are several excellent photo book services online, one of which is Amazon Prints. An 8×11 hardcover book here with 20 pages starts at $22. The service also offers themed books for travels, birthdays, and holidays, as well as allows you to design one yourself. Not too shabby for a gift that’s probably cheaper than a bouquet of two dozen roses.

A Photo Shoot

Better yet, utilize your photography skills to treat mom to a two-hour photo shoot (then get her the photo book using the shots from your session). Take her to her favorite place in your city in a beautiful dress, and snap away. Bring the whole family as well to mix it up.

You probably already take photos of her every time you’re together anyway, so you might as well use all that “training.” This time, however, make it special and bring your best portrait lens with you.