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Take your photos to the next level — even if you’re on a budget.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1.
A flexible phone tripod that can bend around doorknobs, fences, furniture and more to ensure you always get the angle you need.
Promising review: “We loved having this on our vacation to Hawaii because we could get great shots of ourselves when no one was around to ask to take a picture! The flexible legs came in handy when there was a post or something to raise the camera up. Otherwise we left it straight and set it on the sand, etc. to get a pic. The remote works well from a pretty far distance, but it does need to be pointed toward the phone to work. You could always use the timer if the remote isn’t working. Overall very happy we had this with us!” —Heidi Brown
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
2.
A wireless remote control so you can take your own photos without having to turn on the timer, run, pose, and hope the photo was actually in focus.
Amazon, amazon.com
To pair this remote with your phone, simply turn on the remote and your phone’s Bluetooth, wait a few seconds for the remote’s name to pop up, and click! Compatible with both iOS and Android.
Promising review: “This Bluetooth remote works perfectly with my iPhone 7 to take photos and videos. It also works well with other photo apps (Snapchat, Instagram, etc). It’s small enough to hide in my hands from the camera and still be able to operate it!” —LRM
Get it from Amazon for $9.49+ (available in five colors).
3.
A fringe curtain perfect for photo backdrops at parties or any shoot that you want to feel fun and festive. With a strip of self-adhesive at the top, it’s *super* easy to hang on the wall.
amazon.com, Kayla Boyd / BuzzFeed
This is one of my favorite ways to transform a wall for photos because it’s so cheap and easy. I’ve used these fringe backdrops for birthday photos and DIY photo booths at parties. There are also different colors to choose from so it can fit the theme of your shoot or party decor.
Promising review: “I’m writing this review for the person who has been looking at potential photo booth backgrounds for hours. You’ve wondered if two-sided tape will hold sequined cloth to the wall (it won’t). You’re wondering if you could make a background yourself (you could, but seriously haven’t you got enough to do?). This is the answer. It sticks to the wall easily, looks fabulous in photos, and comes down quickly when the night is over without taking any paint with it. Plus it’s pretty stinkin’ inexpensive. I was in your shoes once. This is what I bought. It arrived on time. It looked great.” —Nora
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in 13 colors).
4.
A waterproof phone pouch so you can master the art of underwater photography… or at least not damage your phone when you want to take some poolside selfies.
Promising review: “This is an awesome pouch! I took it on a Carnival cruise and I used it in the pool and on the beach. It kept my phone dry for the entire trip! It took awesome pictures and videos, the sound quality from inside the pouch was AMAZING!” —Johnny Whiplash
Get it from Amazon for $5.99+ (available in two colors; compatible with all smartphones up to 6.8 inches).
5.
A pack of microfiber cleaning cloths that’ll rid your camera or phone lens of smudges and finger prints, to make sure your photos are coming out crisp and clear.
Amazon, amazon.com
Promising review: “My son bought an expensive DLSR camera and I asked if he needed anything to go with it. He looked for quite a while and these are the ones he chose. He especially liked the gray one because it helps with getting the right white balance as well as cleaning his lenses. He gave me two black ones and I use them for my phone, TV, glasses, and many other things. No lint and no streaking! These are great and will leave behind nothing but a clean surface.” —PattyT
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $5.99.
Promising Review: “I truly enjoy these lenses, and have repeatedly purchased them. For a clip-on phone camera lens, these are really good quality. If you cannot afford a fancy professional camera, but understand the basics of photography, I strongly suggest these for any amateur photographer or hobbyist. You can get some really detailed, close-to-professional quality shots. I’m obsessed with the macro lens in particular! I recommend and will buy again. And again. And again.” —Erynn Phillips
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+.
7.
An extendable selfie stick that connects to Bluetooth so you can snap pics at the click of a button. It’s compact and easy to carry around, making it perfect for traveling.
Amazon, amazon.com
Compatible with iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11, XS, XS MAX, Samsung Galaxy S10, S9, S9 Plus and more.
Promising review: “I was skeptical in the beginning but hands down this is the best selfie stick I own so far. So I wanted to write this to pass the thanks to the team who made this. It’s very sturdy. The grip is plastic and the folding rod is metal and very lightweight. The thickness is good for holding in your palm. Holds my Samsung Note 10+ firmly, so no scare there. I guess mine is the largest phone available in the market. So any other phone should fit fine. No lag in the Bluetooth connection. Setup took 10 seconds. Please note this does not come with rechargeable battery. You need to change the battery. The box comes with one extra battery also, so it is covered.” —Sourav Dasgupta
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
8.
A camera tripod, because it’s lightweight with adjustable-height, you can securely lock your camera in, and you can tilt and swivel, giving you a sturdy, yet moveable base to capture your photos and videos. Plus, it comes with a carrying case.
Amazon, amazon.com
Promising Review: “This is a well-made piece of equipment. It can be set at one foot high or a little over three feet high or anywhere in between. It can hold a camera, I understand, as it has a universal nut to attach almost all currently made equipment to the platform with that nut. I use it to record live music in mid-sized rooms. It has a leveler on it and a bubble in a tube, which seems totally superfluous to what most people would use this for. I mean we are not leveling footings for high tech equipment! But the inclusion of the leveler says something about the attention to design: It’s well designed, easy to use, handy, quick, and made of good material that will last even though the fittings and connections are plastic. It also comes with a carrying case, which makes it easy to carry and protects its fine parts in transit. And it is exceedingly inexpensive; I paid less than fifteen dollars for it.” —Guthrie McIllhennon
Get it from Amazon for $17.49.
9.
A reliable SD card for shooting and uploading all of your content with ease.
Amazon
These cards are built for harsh conditions — they’re temperature-proof, waterproof, shock-proof, and x-ray-proof.
Promising Review: “Works like a champ. I bought this specifically for the faster transfer rates. Not so much for the camera side — but rather for transferring the photos to the computer. I can tell you it works as expected. While I don’t regularly fill these guys up, it was a bit annoying having to wait 15+ minutes for all the files to copy over. Now wait times are regularly in the three- to four-minute range. On the camera side, I shoot a lot of video, and never notice any buffering issues.” —Jim Elmer
Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in five memory capacities).
10.
And a water-resistant memory card case that holds 12 SD cards, has a snap-on lock, and comes with a carabiner so you can attach your case to a strap or camera bag.
Promising Review: “Every photographer should own this! I don’t know how I lived without this for so many years. I can finally transport my cards properly and with the confidence that they will be safe. Hasn’t disappointed yet, build quality feels sturdy and it closes fine.” —Maria Fernanda Gonzalez
Get it from Amazon for $8.49+ (available in six designs).
11.
A five-in-one collapsable light reflector with a gold, silver, white, black, and translucent surface to help you achieve the perfect lighting for your shot, whether you want something dark and moody or bright and cheery. It also has a handle, making it much more convenient to hold in position.
Amazon
Promising Review: “You don’t realize you need the handles until you don’t have them. As a photographer, I have a few reflectors in different sizes/brands depending on the price they were, but this one I use the most. Your hands don’t get as fatigued holding this as they do holding one without the handles, if that makes sense. If I’m working alone, it’s much easier to hold the reflector and camera at the same time too. Good quality zippers, grips and material.” —TheBoss
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in three sizes).
12.
A comfy padded camera strap with handy accessory pockets (great for your SD cards or microfiber cloths) and quick release buckles that’ll help you add some personality to your camera and allow you to carry it around with ease.
Promising Review: “I am in love with this strap! I have been on the lookout for a nice simple strap, with a quick release and simple design. I love how there are four pockets. I plan on using these for extra SD cards, and my lens caps. They fit really snugly in there. No chance of them falling out. I love the material, it’s super comfy and soft! The edges are not scratchy like the original strap that came with my camera.” —Gabrielle
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in 14 designs).
13.
A clip-on LED selfie light so you never have to worry about if a location has crappy, dim overhead lighting. Simply clip this over your phone’s camera lens, choose your brightness, and snap your ~glowing~ selfie.
Amazon, amazon.com
Promising review: “Right out of the box it was easy to use and I was taking amazing pictures with my iPhone like I never had before. A lot of power in a tiny package; it’s easy to slip into my purse or pocket and I take it with me everywhere my phone goes so I’m always ready to grab the perfect shot. Love it!” —Allison C.
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
14.
Or a ring light with an adjustable tripod stand and cellphone holder guaranteed to be any aspiring influencer’s most prized possession. It can be used for filming videos, taking photos, and even doing makeup when you find yourself suffering from a severe lack of natural lighting.
Amazon, amazon.com
It features three lighting modes and comes with a remote compatible with most smartphones.
Promising review: “This light is very bright. It perfectly brightens my background for both photos and videos. I use this to create video tutorials for my clients and the lighting is perfect. I love the size of the ring. It holds my phone with case easily and is very sturdy. My only negative is that it is ‘top heavy’ with my phone in stand, but as long as it is not knocked it is very sturdy. It is lightweight for me to carry if I would so choose.” —Cathy Wilson
Get it from Amazon for $23.98.
15.
A plain white backdrop, because you can never go wrong with a simple, clean photo background. You’ll be using this again and again for headshots, flatlays, conceptual shoots, and more.
Promising review: “This worked great for my in-home photo shoot for my daughter’s first birthday. It was wrinkle-free after about five minutes in the dryer and hung flat with a bit of tacks. Will be using for many shoots in the future.” —SuperHorton
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
17.
A pack of 72 photography idea cards to help you flex those creative muscles and practice taking pictures of all types of different things.
Amazon
Promising review: “Just getting into photography or stuck in a rut like me? These cards are great ideas to get creative. Each card has a different prompt on it for what you’d photograph. I like to take a week with each card and make it a project. I felt like I was stuck in a rut doing nothing creative and these really helped me open my eyes again. When I was done with the cards I handed them off to a photographer who was starting to learn and it really helped her to learn to focus on certain things or look at them from another angle. I really highly recommend these to all kinds of photographers.” —Mary
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
18.
A mini photo shooting tent with LED lighting and six backdrop options perfect for taking high-quality photos of small items. This will especially come in handy if you’re working on your product photography.
Amazon, amazon.com, amazon.com
Promising review: “This is the perfect size light box for photographing my jewelry at my desk. The box snaps together and you plug the light into a USB. The lights are bright. It is flimsy, but it’s made out of plastic, not brick and mortar. I definitely think it’s worth the price. I used my iPhone 7 Plus to take the photo and enhanced the brightness on my camera app. I think the photo came out perfectly.” —Carol R
Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in four designs).
19.
A set of six heavy duty muslin clamps to hold backdrops in place so you don’t have to worry about them falling off or moving around too much while you’re in the middle of a shoot.
Promising review: “These little guys are very strong and sturdy, they do what they are supposed to do. Very reliable, I am pleased.” —Yarico Cochrane
Get it from Amazon for $7.89.
20.
A camera bag with plenty of space to carry your new DSLR and extra lens. It’s padded to keep everything nice and safe inside, it has two smaller side pockets, and a removable shoulder strap.
Promising review: “This bag fits my camera, 18-55mm lens, and 55-300mm lens perfectly. It has a Velcro adjustable strap in the inside that allows me to adjust the fitting so everything fits. I have already used this bag and can say the quality is great. The inside material is soft and will not scratch anything. It also has padding everywhere which is a nice feature. The zippers on the side can fit a few things here and there, such as memory cards. The zippers also feel like they’re not great quality material, however, still rather strong. The strap they provided is plenty strong with the bag and strap has survived plenty of motorcycle rides, sometimes hitting 80+ MPH.” —Juan L.
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in two sizes).
Amazon
Promising review: “Works great! Practically lined itself up! Love it. Extra sticker could be used to write on or you can use the slim leftover rectangle for scrapbooking. Very cute, many designs and patterns. Good for summer, food, love, and autumn pics.” —Girl #27
Get a 120 sheets from Amazon for $8.99.
22.
A photo album perfect if you still find joy in having physical copies of your lovely photos. The album holds up to 200 4×6 photos and has space to jot down a note next to each one.
Promising review: “This photo album has a sturdy construction with a nice plastic covering to protect the cloth binder. The pages accommodate 4×6 photographs nicely, with either two horizontal per page, or one vertical per page. Room is available to write a memo next to each photo. Pages are securely bound in the spine. In all, a very good product for the price.” —Salina Breeze
Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in 13 colors).
23.
Or a Chatbook — a physical photo book you can easily fill up with photos from your social media or computer. You can customize the size, color, and pages with minimal effort and then you’ll receive this perfect keepsake in the mail, filled your favorite pictures.
Chatbooks
Get it from Chatbooks for $10+ (available in softcover or hardcover, three sizes, and three colors).
You convincing everyone you know to let you take their photo:
Paramount Pictures
Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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