Yuletide Gift: When asked... do you list anything photography related?

Someone asks, 'What'd you like?" Photo books work. Film works. More than that... it's a struggle. Curious how you folks deal with it? I'm told a good pair of boots, a warm pair of socks... maybe new feet for the tripod... these work, too.
Really curious where you guys run with this... or don''t. All's fair in love and whatever.

FWIW, here's my current thinking for year-end 2020 when the family asks for "What can I get you?" Something small... something not much $'s, but something that's a treat and a bit of a new challenge, or at least "out of my lane". Last year, I thought, "Color film would be nice". So as Fall rolled around, I've been having fun shoot the colors... and getting set to dabble in E-6 and crank out my more familiar C41.

For next year, I'm thinking to try a special film like a box of ADOX (CHS or CMS),Ilford Ortho Plus, or Rollei Infrared 400. Each is kind off the beaten path. I snagged a filter for infrared earlier... so that's a likely candidate. But the others are intriguing, too. Adox is expensive stuff, and they seem to insist results depend on their own developers... which isn't a thrill to a guy who loves D-23 and is also fine with ID-11 and Perceptol, but Ortho is also a thought.

Downside of course to this is the distraction of whether a few sheets of a film are really going to get close to pulling out whether or not it's worth the bother. So for some, maybe this is too much distraction, too much work, and not really a "gift". But I'm wired to like the challenge. Curious - which would you do, or would you think of something in th $50/$60 and less department that follow a completely different vein? Maybe I get lucky and turn out something worth sharing back with them. That'd be wonderful.

Black Friday cometh... but last time I checked, it don't come much to film, lens cleaners and the like. Such is life... and the blackness that cometh in midday.

I ask for no visitors

Stay home

Donate to their favorite charity

Update

My daughter, her husband, their 2 college students are coming to me in 3 hours, from 6 hours away, a short detour

That's today!

We already agreed they stay in their car and I on my porch

I will use D750 with long lens

I wonder why they are going to Florida...no relatives there...

My mom asked my brother and I what we wanted this year. I gave a short list for my son since he's still a kid (10), but both my brother and I said to donate to a food bank or Feeding America in our names.

In years past, if I asked for any type of photo-related stuff, I'd send them a specific URL. Otherwise, I'd get things that fit equipment I don't have or film I didn't like.

This has always been a struggle. When you get involved in something to a certain degree, a certain degree of specificity, it's really hard for folks who aren't involved at that level to understand what you need or want. Unfortunately, for some who like to "surprise" you on holidays, and don't want you to specify what you want, it can be a disaster. I like the suggestions above.

Best,
-Tim

A nice Milwaukee pocket level,
A leatherman or similar multi-tool,
A nice pouch to keep exposed rolls (if one shoots roll film),
A leather camera strap,
A Stormy Kromer cap,
One of those new old Kodak film cases,
A nice LED head torch (handy to have one of those in the bottom of the camera bag, even if one is not a landscape photographer),

No...unless it is asking a sister to sew/repair a darkcloth or something along that lines. Asking for some bicycle stuff and perhaps sweater.

I wish I had a furniture-maker-type family member whom I could ask to refinish my poor old Ries legs for xmas. They are looking as old as my 66 year old ones.

My old iPhone SE works well with a level app

I love this flashlight https://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-ld...ed-flashlight/

I will buy the https://www.stormykromer.com/the-ori...my-kromer-cap/

I like a locking single blade folder

I found out where the family went in Florida, trying hard to NOT warn them about the rips tides right now

Maybe I just email, RIPTIDE SWIM SIDEWAYS, but I did figure that out in the Sea of Cortez, as nobody noticed 50 years ago

now I have to email the warning!

DONE!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tin Can

...

I found out where the family went in Florida, trying hard to NOT warn them about the rips tides right now

Maybe I just email, RIPTIDE SWIM SIDEWAYS, but I did figure that out in the Sea of Cortez, as nobody noticed 50 years ago

now I have to email the warning!

DONE!

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Heck -- we all knew that over 60 years ago when I began playing in the ocean -- but then "we" were the original beach bums of Southern California.:cool:

I would have surfed, but anything farther way than a foot is too blurry to make out. However, I learned to judge the waves and you don't need glasses bodysurfing! I miss it -- the water up here is just too dang cold.

Added -- Hitting the beach at Malibu, about 1959, give or take a year. The image was most likely a transparency made with a Rolleiflex with a 35mm insert, and a few decades later my sister sent the slide off to make the print.

Born raised MN, swam naked in lakes, ice skated on lakes in winter. Made water skies and the boat to ski.

Day after HS graduation drove beat up TR4 direct to LA top down all the way. Ran into the ocean and body surfed.

Was amazed that nobody worked in CA and grannies had fancy wheels on old cars. 1969