Down to the wire? Check out our picks for some excellent holiday finds.

Of course you haven't gone shopping yet. It's only Dec. 19. In an effort to take the simple route, most of the time creativity is factored out. How about gift cards? They may not be safe, since it seems stores everywhere are going out of business. Clothes? Eh, they probably won't fit. DVDs?

Dan Zamudio carries his camera in a gray ski cap, tucked between folds of frayed knitting. The camera once belonged to his mother. She died six years ago. His father found it and considered throwing it out until Zamudio snapped it up.