How to Be a More Eco-Friendly Photographer
Photography is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and creative careers out there. It can afford you opportunities in the art, marketing, and consumer product industries.
However, it can be difficult trying to incorporate sustainability and eco-friendliness into your daily job tasks.
Fortunately, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this post.
Tips and tricks on how photographers can be more environmentally conscious
1. Get high-quality equipment
One of the easiest ways to be a more eco-friendly photographer is to invest in durable high-quality gear. This will keep you from having to replace equipment or parts quickly, reducing the amount of waste you produce.
While it may cost you more upfront, it will definitely save you money in the long run.
And if you can’t afford brand new high-quality gear, consider getting something secondhand. You can easily find these on websites like KEH Camera and MPB.
2. Only buy what you need
In this age of social media, it’s easy to end up comparing yourself to other photographers that are living a more luxurious lifestyle. This can make you buy expensive equipment that you don’t need or even tickets to destinations that you didn’t need to visit in the first place. Ultimately, this is bad for not only the environment but also your pockets.
So before you buy something in the name of growing your photography career, ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
3. Conserve electricity
If there’s one thing photographers are known for, it’s having a lot of equipment that uses power. That’s why one of the best ways to be more eco-friendly in this profession is to conserve electrical power.
You can do this by turning off your equipment once you’re done using it and not leaving any electronics on the socket after it’s already full.
The latter is a particularly good way to prevent phantom energy and save yourself money when it comes to electric bills.
4. Avoid interfering with nature
If you ever photograph nature, be careful not to wreck it or irrevocably interfere with it.
Even if you’re not cutting down trees or purposefully wrecking nature, you could be unwittingly breaking branches or leaves as you go about your creative process. So be wary of your actions and be gentle.
Another important thing to keep in mind when working in nature is to avoid littering.
To avoid this, carry a container where you can store all your waste until you get home to recycle or dispose of it. Remember to use reusable bottles and cups for your beverages as well.
Also, keep in mind that a lot of natural sites like national parks have rules that keep you from interfering with their ecosystem. So always follow them even when you don’t understand them.
5. Swap your disposable batteries for eco-friendly ones
Disposable batteries usually end up in landfills where they start releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. These include cadmium, lead, and mercury. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use rechargeable batteries instead.
These batteries not only last for longer, but they are also recyclable. While they are a bit more expensive upfront, they save you more money in the long run.
6. Only print when necessary
To avoid paper waste, don’t print any photos or documents that you don’t need. Also, consider getting recycled paper and using eco-friendly supplies.
Such supplies include:
- Plant-based inks
- Cotton camera bags
- Waist belts made from plant-based materials or recycled plastic
7. Conduct a carbon audit
One of the best places to start when trying to be a more eco-friendly photographer is to get a carbon audit of your business.
This will let you know how much energy you are using daily and help you figure out how to reduce this amount and keep your emissions low.
Ultimately, this allows you to figure out how many carbon offsets you need to buy to make your business carbon-neutral.
8. Plant trees
Another easy way to be an eco-friendly photographer is to plant trees.
You can even have a service option where people can pay for you to photograph them and then plant a tree on their behalf.
9. Tax yourself
An innovative way to be more eco-friendly is to tax yourself to offset your environmental footprint.
You can then donate these “taxes” to an environmental cause like climate change.
10. Try to avoid tourist-prone locations
While it’s exciting to visit a popular tourist attraction, it’s more eco-friendly to visit areas that don’t get much traffic.
This is because places with a lot of traffic usually end up damaged by air, land, and noise pollution. As such, they are in greater need of rest from time to time.
Another thing to keep in mind when visiting different areas is that it isn’t advisable to geo-tag your exact location on social media. Doing this can attract a lot of people to the area at once and cause further environmental damage.
So instead, you can tag the country or state it’s in.
11. Document environmental pollution and damage
One of the easiest ways to use your photography as a tool for advocacy is to use it to document what happens when we don’t take care of the environment.
You can do this by taking photos of the effects of climate change or the instances where people have littered or damaged the environment. This can trigger others to take action.
12. Teach others your ways
Since you can’t save the environment by yourself, you should teach other photographers what you have learned about operating more sustainably.
You can do some webinars about it or even offer one-on-one advice.
13. Be sustainable with packaging
To avoid waste, reuse packaging like bubble wrap or cardboard boxes. You can even cut them into smaller sizes to fit what you’re packaging.
You can also look into using zero-waste materials like clothing and curtains, especially second-hand ones.
Final thoughts
When it comes down to it, there are many ways that you can be a more eco-friendly photographer – it’s up to you to explore!
