What a difference three years make when I put out my first Christmas buying guide on the Picture This! Photoblog. Used to be Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States), was the only time you could get amazing deals on everything from apparel to electronics. Now, retailers are putting out door buster deals throughout the month of November. Not to be left out, online retailers like Amazon and Dell have jumped in. This all makes for a great time of year to be looking for a new dSLR camera and accessories.

Books. In this age of the Internet, it seems funny to be recommending books each year. Photography books are hot sellers as digital photography grows each year. I do a lot of online research but a book is still a great way to become engrossed in a subject without distractions and when being online is not possible.

Scott Kelby released his third Digital Photography Book for those who already have the first two books. If you don’t have these books or know a phtographer in your life, there’s a new three volume box set available. These books, in short, concise one page per subject format, gives great tips and tricks to get the results of professional photographers. The books are easy to pack and carry, too.

As you know, I am a big fan of Joe McNally. His book, The Moment It Clicks, was a huge success and has inspired me in my quest to find special moments in my photography. This year, Joe came out with a book on using off-camera speedlight flashes. These flashes are a big mystery to most of us. Though it does focus on Nikon cameras and flashes, The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes, is another book to inspire you to learn how to use these speedlights in new and creative ways.

A book released earlier this year which I have not been able to read is Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David DuChemin. It’s been getting excellent reviews and is on my Wish List this year.

For more book recommendations from Barrie, Lisa and I, visit the AllEars Amazon Photography Book Store.

Each year I recommend some cool stuff for us dSLR photographers, this year I’m going to do it by using links to past articles which have links to the products I mention in them. Ready? Here we go!

If you are still using the kit lens or lenses that came with your camera, I recommend picking up a Nifty-Fifty which is a 50mm, f/1.8 prime lens. These lenses are great for learning how to use and control our cameras. Not to mention their value in getting dark ride photos at Disney and other themeparks. Another new lens from Nikon is the 35mm f/1.8 for DX (cropped) cameras which gives a more normal focal length.

One of the best lenses I have purchased in the past year was the Tokina 11-16mm Ultra Wide Angle. It has brought a whole new way I look at things at Disney and elsewhere.

If you are ready to do some serious night and low-light photography, a tripod is a must and I showed you how to plan for using one at Walt Disney World earlier this year.

To see the rest of our recommendations for photographic accessories, go to the All Ears Accessories Store.

I checked and all the links from my previous Christmas Gift Guides still work and will give you more great ideas for your photography gift giving needs.

1st dSLR Christmas Gift Giving Guide

2nd Annual dSLR Christmas Gift Giving Guide

Go luck if you venture out for Black Friday next week!