How To Be A Green Photographer

Burr-keh

These days, everyone is trying to be more green. Chalk it up to the tireless efforts of today’s environmentalists, scientists, and politicians but the buzzword is GREEN!

Let’s take a look at a few steps you can take as a photographer to be more friendly to the environment. At worst you’ll probably end up saving a few bucks in the process.

frunza3_1500

Use rechargeable batteries

Using rechargeable batteries in your point and shoot camera can be a big saver. We can go through batteries faster than Mike Modano can skate. I highly suggest getting a good set of NIMH rechargeable batteries and learn how to use them properly. This isn’t just for the point and shoots though. These things need to go in your external flashes as well. In fact, my two Canon 580EX Speedlights have rechargeable batteries in them right now. While the investment may seem like more in the beginning, consider that newer hybrid rechargeable batteries by Sanyo called eneloop can be charged about 1000 times and have a slow discharge rate while also come fully charged right out of the box. Those will be the next set that I’ll be getting for sure.

Go local

Getting great photography doesn’t have to mean hopping in the car and driving 50 miles for inspiration. What can you find in your neighborhood to photograph? Try taking a walk in your local area for a week and looking for little things you may have missed. Besides, it’s a great way to get exercise, meet your neighbors, and open your creative thinking.

Be smart with your power consumption

This is all about your computer. I don’t turn of my Mac ever, but it does go to sleep rather quickly. Computers have advanced power settings that will allow you to turn off your monitor after non-use for a specified time, put the CPU to sleep, or any other configuration that works best for you. The environment will thank you and so will you wallet when the electric bill comes in.

Be a little picky with your prints

I may be preaching to the choir on this one but, consider only printing what you really want to hang, exhibit, or give away. I used to be really bad about printing more than enough. I’m more picky about it now. I can share my images on Flickr, and my Fine Art Print orders are only printed once ordered. If I have a print on one of my walls that is getting swapped out then I’ll offer it to a friend, family member, or business colleague (this is great advertising for your photography by the way). Use a good quality lab and calibrate your monitor to their printer’s standards so you’ll be dealing with less reprints. Use your lab’s FTP upload instead of mailing them in.

recycle bins

Recycle your gear

This involves your cameras, computers, printers, scanners, etc. Resell them through eBay or craigslist, donate to a church, school, worthy cause, or take advantage of your local area’s hardware recycling programs. Many recycle centers have drop offs for computer hardware for proper disposal so do your homework.

Don’t be a consumer

The advertisers will hate me for this one but, consider that you may not, in fact, really need to upgrade to that new Canon, Nikon, or Sony DSLR. If you buy smart you’ll save tons of hard earned cash by making your gear last. Invest your money where it’s gonna last longer. In your lenses. This way, you’ll only really feel the need to upgrade the body every 4-5 years or more. I’m still shooting with my Canon 30D and am not looking to the new 50D at all. Truthfully I’d be going to the new 5D but probably not for another year or so. This means I haven’t dropped any serious cash for gear in a while, and when I do, it will be considerably less than getting the camera as soon as it comes out. Besides, I’ll get to hear about bugs and other issues from the early adopters first so I’ll be able to make a more informed decision about my purchase.

Whether you fall into the global warming camp or not, consider that reducing the amount of energy you use may help to conserve the beautiful environment and animals that we, as photographers, love to capture.

Photographs:

Burr-keh by Ben Ivory

frunza3_1500 by codrinb

recycle bins by me

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9 Comments Already

Mike Palmer Said,

September 16th, 2008 @6:34 am

Great tips and Post.

beginning photography tips Said,

September 17th, 2008 @2:36 am

Everyone seems to be talking about digital photography because it’s fun, fast and less costly than we might think. It’s almost everywhere – in printed materials, in the news, and on the net. What makes digital photography a hit? Digital takes the fear out of photography because it lets us take as many pictures as we want. We can see right away if we got our desired image and delete the pictures we don’t like.