Eco-Friendly Photo Tips

Filed in archive Eco-Friendly Weddings on April 18, 2007

One area of wedding planning that does not seem to get much attention in most "green" wedding articles is photography. With the amount of chemicals, film and paper used for an average wedding, it is definitely an area that could use some attention.

The first, and most obvious way to make a change is to pick a photographer who uses a digital camera. Digital photography eliminates the need for chemical development, and because you only need to print the ones you really want, you don't waste paper and ink on images that are not all that good. With today's technology, digital photography is as good if not better then traditional film photography anyway - and a good digital photographer who knows how to edit and enhance photos can do wonders with their computer as well!

Another not-to-friendly trend is the disposable cameras at the reception. These are a neat idea because it allows guests to show their view point: but it results in a lot of garbage, chemical processing and paper wasted on photos you don't really want! If you want to have cameras available, consider renting digital cameras instead. Digital cameras can be rented for as little as $20 each, which is not much more then what you would have paid for the cameras and developing anyway.

A few other random ideas:

- if you are doing your photography in a number of different locations, arrange for everyone involved to travel together. Less cars travelling from place to place means less emissions, less gas burned, etc. Don't forget to make sure the cars are off in between stops instead of sitting idling.
- Respect the area. A large majority of brides today have their photos taken at least partially outdoors. Be mindful of the environment, pick up litter if you drop any, and try to leave each space the same as you found it.