Jon Sienkiewicz

A friend showed me a Father’s Day gift list published by venerable Vogue and on it was a pair of socks from Thom Browne for $150. Not to be a lowbrow, but I would think that for $75 a foot they could at least learn how to spell colors. If I put $150 socks on my feet I’m afraid that my other extremities would be jealous. Imagine what I’d have to pay for a hat, gloves and a jockstrap.

Dads and tools go together like crooked public servants and greasy bags of banknotes. Photographers tend to tote tools, too. Put it all together (minus the politician) and we just might have the perfect Father’s Day gift suggestion. And it comes from SOG, a company with a rich and venerated heritage.

Photographing flowers is a lot like cooking breakfast. Anyone can crack an egg, but can anybody eat the omelet without gagging? Here are seven brief but important tips every budding flower photographer should know.

Mom’s Day is Sunday the 13th and Dad’s is next month. In this era of extended multilayer family structures, gifting all of the parental figures in your life could run into some serious cabbage, so here’s a rundown on some useful and thoughtful items that won’t drain the ATM. And if Mother’s Day slipped your mind—there’s still time to give something more meaningful than a Whitman Sampler from the 24-hour drug store.