A great starter camera allows young photographers to explore the basics of capturing stunning photos. Models like the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo or Canon IVY CLIQ+2 are simple, fun, and intuitive. Instant-print cameras offer immediate gratification, enabling kids to print their favorite shots on the spot—perfect for scrapbooks, room décor, or sharing with friends. These can be ideal holiday photography gifts for kids.

• Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo: A hybrid instant camera that combines digital and analog features, offering 100 different shooting effects. It’s pricey, but awesome. Available on Amazon
• Canon IVY CLIQ+2: A compact instant camera printer with a selfie mirror and Bluetooth connectivity. A certain chick I know is getting this one here! Available on Amazon

2. Phone Camera Lens Kit

Many middle school kids have access to smartphones. A clip-on lens kit, like the Xenvo Pro Lens Kit, is an affordable and exciting way to enhance their smartphone photography. With wide-angle, macro, and fisheye lenses, they can experiment with creative perspectives and close-ups, capturing unique angles of pets, friends, or even Chicago landmarks. You really can take the most amazing photos with even a smartphone nowadays. This could be a GREAT stocking stuffer for even a spouse, and also a fantastic option for holiday photography gifts for kids. A total steal at $40, if you ask me!

• Xenvo Pro Lens Kit: Includes a wide-angle and macro lens with LED light and travel case. Available on Amazon

3. Kid-Friendly Tripod

A sturdy tripod is essential for any photographer. Kid-friendly options like the UBeesize Portable Tripod are lightweight, versatile, and easy to use. Whether setting up a time-lapse, capturing long-exposure shots of holiday lights, or experimenting with creative angles, a tripod is a must-have. Plus, it works with both phones and cameras, making it one of the great holiday photography gifts for kids.

• UBeesize Portable Tripod: Flexible tripod with wireless remote, compatible with smartphones and cameras. Available on Amazon

4. Photography Journal or Guidebook

Inspire creativity with a fun photography journal or guidebook, such as Photo Adventures for Kids by Anne-Laure Jacquart. Packed with kid-friendly tips, challenges, and project ideas, these books provide a hands-on way to learn about composition, lighting, and storytelling. It’s the perfect companion for family outings, whether exploring local parks or snapping pics of our Chicago city skyline and makes ideal holiday photography gifts for pre-teens.

• Photo Adventures for Kids: A guidebook offering creative photography projects for children. Available on Amazon

5. Portable Photo Printer

There’s something magical about holding a printed photo. Mini photo printers like the HP Sprocket or Canon SELPHY Square QX10 bring that magic to life. These compact printers connect to smartphones or cameras, allowing kids to print their favorite pictures instantly. They can create mini albums, decorate their lockers, or design personalized holiday cards! They are excellent choices for holiday photography gifts for kids. I do see it getting expensive with the excessive printing…but I guess it’s not Fortnite or skincare, so maybe it’s fine?

• HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer: Prints 2×3″ photos from smartphones. Available on Amazon
• Canon SELPHY Square QX10: Compact photo printer producing high-quality square prints. Available on Amazon

Why Photography Gifts Make the Perfect Holiday Present

Photography gifts aren’t just about taking pictures—they help kids tell their own stories, build confidence, and develop a lifelong hobby. As a photographer based in the Chicago area, I love seeing anyone’s eyes light up as they discover their creative voice through the lens. Holiday photography gifts for kids can truly be magical.

Whether it’s a new camera, fun accessories, or a book to guide their learning journey, these gifts are sure to bring joy to the young photographer in your life this holiday season.

Share the Gift of Creativity This Holiday Season

If you’re looking to celebrate the beauty of family and photography this season, consider booking a family photo session. As a Chicago family photographer, I specialize in capturing heartfelt moments you’ll treasure for years. Let’s make this holiday season picture-perfect—both for your family and the young creatives in your life! Gift cards are available by eMailing hello@kileyhumbertphotography.com

Happy holidays and happy shopping!

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Dad Approved Gifts that Will Make his Day Great!

1. Can/Bottle Cooler. We LOVE these, my favorite being the Asobu (linked) – because you can use it for a bottle, and it unscrews for a can, too! It has an opener on top, for the weirdos who drink stuff other than Coors Light. Lastly, (and my own husband’s gift) a skinny can holder for the Mango White Claws y’all drink on the daily.

2. BEHOLD! It’s my husbands favorite “shoes” and his favorite shirt! These Lacoste polos wash so well, and are the perfect “work-from-home” uniform. That little alligator can make anyone feel “fancy”. Also, we all know the colorful sock trend is a VIBE now, so when it’s time to, you know, put on pants again…this may be a good choice.

3. Golf. Dad’s and Grandpa’s love it. Check out that trunk organizer!! This would be a huge hit with my own Dad. He’s a bit….”organized” with his car, as is his Dad. (It’s too clean to ride in, essentially). For those that just do casual and affordable gifts (like us), the “I’d Rather Be Golfing” socks are a great low-budget option!

4. DRANKS. Ice Molds for whiskey Dads, and our favorite wine chiller + aerator (I still eye roll at how much my husband loves Kim Crawford). Lastly, a double can beer hat guzzler…. because times are tough.

5. It’s not a secret that my husband LOVES smart devices. His favorite thing is to yell “ALEXA TURN OFF THE LIVING ROOM TV”. He does this using smart plugs. These smart lightbulbs can dim or turn on/off on timers, change colors, gradually dim or brighten, and you set environments for up to 64 lights using the hub it comes with. For example, we hate our bedroom can lights — you can just yell “ALEXA dim the bedroom lights” and BOOM! Gahhh now I need to buy these, too! Lastly, the Amazon Echo Show – perfect for Grandpa so he can see the grandkids. (You’ll prob have to set this up…let’s be honest)

Well, that about does it. Hopefully this gives you a few easy peasy ideas on how to best take care of Dad on his special day! If you end up getting something, please let me know what he thinks! I hope you enjoyed this list of some of my favorite things to buy — as an amazon affiliate, I promise to NEVER post anything I don’t love, or have interest in – I do hope this helps!

Have another amazing idea to help celebrate Father’s Day 2020? Leave it below! Cheers!

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Materials:

• Wooster Paint Brush with Angle
• Paint Samples (1 for each color chosen, I used 5 sample size paints from Sherwin Williams)
• Painter’s Tape

Instructions:

1. Decide how large you want your rainbow to be in full. Mine is giant. Like, it’s probably 10 feet wide. The space between each of my colors is about 2-3 inches, and my largest coral colored rainbow section is about 6 inches wide. (There will be very limited technical guidance on this, because I truly “eyeballed” this mural).

2. Paint your wall the base color you want your room to be. We had our wall paint color still “My Sweetheart” by Behr, from when we painted the nursery.
3. Get your painters tape and start to form your first giant U (upside down, durr). You do this by going to the top most part of the arch, and placing tape bit by bit as you go. You’ll be able to adjust the painter’s tape, and you’ll want to as you step back and look from different angles. It helps to tear the tape in half and bend as you go. You can do this for each layer, or wing it by eyeballing it all!
4. Take a light colored pencil (dark pencil is often times difficult to remove), and a ruler, and mark off your selected rainbow color width, using the base as a guide to help choose the length (around 6 inches wide is what I chose).
5. Plan out how many colors + “rainbow hues” you’ll want. Here’s my color palette. I chose the colors based on the exact RGB color codes from my daughter’s rainbow bed sheets I bought. Taking the RGB codes + plugging them into EASY RGB, I was able to select the paint brand I preferred (Sherwin Williams has contactless pickup, YAY!) and found the matching colors.

6. Time to paint! Use your brush + dip in color, don’t stress too much. You’ll need a few coats of pain and can touch the lines up by hand in. the end!
7. Take the light colored pencil + hop down a few inches (mines between 2-3 inches) and then decide how big you want your next color to be. My second color was about 4.5 inches wide across. I made the yellow (3rd color) about 1.5 inches. There was no plan or rhyme or reason. Go with your gut – it’s.just.paint. Just notch out the same amount gap space as you follow the rainbow curve
8. Finish your rainbow by continuing on painting one color at a time. Leaving 1-2 ish inches between each color is fine, or if you leave 3 inches between each color, you will have more wiggle room when you go back in and touch up your lines. This might be good if youre not a pro muralist like me (HAHAHAHAHA) because you’ll be able to make each hue curvier + more fun! It’s up to you, of course! Because this is a hand painted look, it’s totally fine if you have some thicker or thinner spots. You can’t screw this up. I drank vodka spritzers while I did this.

9. Go back and touch up each color, by hand. You’ll have extra paint, of course! I used left over paint to color up some shiplap we had previously installed in the reading nook corner of my daughter’s room!

I LOVE the way the mural turned out. It’s so stinkin’ happy to look at, and my kid is thrilled….which makes it all worth it! Don’t forget to check out the “what to buy to keep your toddler entertained during COVID-19” blog, too!

I’m eager to hear if you try this and see photos of yours – be sure to use good quality materials, it truly matters! And don’t forget, I’m an amazon affiliate, but I’ll never endorse anything I don’t LOVE!

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