It is that time of year again when Amazon has its Prime Big Deal Days, and I have scoured the online shopping website for some of my favorite deals for photographers. 

Memory

Memory of all kinds has tremendously increased in price in the last year. With the deals on Amazon, saving even a few bucks can help in a purchase of this necessity for photographers. 

Sandisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD: I have a couple of these drives but purchased them before prices starting increasing. Although they are still considerably more than I originally paid about 18 months ago, any savings on hard drives is a win. Helpful tip: buy a hard case for hard drives to use while traveling.

Lexar CFXpress Type B 512 GB: This memory card is now up to 3600/3000 MB/s for read/write. That beats the current cards I have at 1750/1500 MB/s. I have been hesitant to buy cards this large, because if something goes wrong, that is a lot of data to lose. But if you do any video content on your camera, these larger cards are the way to go, and it is best to get as fast of a read/write speed as possible. Helpful tip: buy a multi-card wallet to securely carry and store your memory cards. I like the Think Tank Pocket Rocket Wallet, which comes in a variety of colors and card options.

Heated clothing

Many of my photography students know I enjoy the cold. I have been in extreme conditions and rely on heated clothing to keep me safe and warm when outdoors in excessively cold temperatures. I love the Ororo brand of heated clothing and recommend a few products:

- Women's heated vest: there are a few options with different types of shells and heating elements

- Heated hand warmer pouch: if you have challenges keeping your hands warm even with heated gloves, this is a nice addition to keep in the car

- Women's dual control heated jacket: this is great for even more warmth when photographing in places like Alaska in winter

- Women's fleece-lined heated pants: you would be shocked at how cold thighs can get when standing around waiting for pine martens to come down from a tree in winter

- Wool heated socks: I added this to my collection of heated clothing this year. I also have the synthetic socks but find that when the battery drains of energy, the socks provide little to no warmth. The wool helps solve that challenge. If you don't like having the battery on the sock, I also really like these wool socks from Carhartt. A general store employee in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, recommended them. If those guys say their feet stay warm working in the winter at the northern edge of North America, then I am sold. And they were right.

- Extra batteries: don't forget the extra batteries and a travel power charging station to keep all those batteries charged

Energy boosters

Neuro Energy and Focus Gum: This gum was recommended to me earlier this year. I do a lot of driving, and long days on the road can be tiring. This gum is a nice boost to get you through that last hour before reaching your destination. Helpful tip: save the plastic containers from other gum and refill it with this gum to keep it in the vehicle console. 

Books

I love books. I keep a large library of references that I use when I write, to learn about animal behavior and expand my knowledge about the history of an area. Here are a few I picked up in the last year that may be of interest to nature photographers and travelers. And remember that the holidays are coming. Books still make a great gift. 

- Peterson Reference Guide to Bird Behavior: Understanding What Birds Do and Why

- Yosemite Wildlife

- A Natural History of Trail Ridge Road

Random Photo Gadgets

As photographers, we all have items in closets and garages that we have collected over the years. There may be bags, mini tripods, ballheads...all kinds of items. Here are a few that may be of interest for specific types of photography. 

- SmallRig Bendy LED Light: great for macro photography

- Green Laser Pointer: Amazon no longer sells the one I use for night photography to point out features in the sky, but this one is similar and on sale for Prime Deal Days

- Pocket tripod: How about a tripod that fits in your wallet and holds your cell phone? Yup, it is true. This has been a handy item to have with me in a pinch.

- Camera cleaning kit: You can never have too many cleaning supplies and this one is on sale, so you save a few bucks too.

Have fun shopping to enjoy the photography!