One of the most common questions I hear is, "What exactly is a "green photographer?"

A "green photographer" is one who uses renewable resources (environmentally sustainable) and is accountable for the human resource aspect of their activities (socially responsible). Being green requires developing an attitude toward sustainability and employing practices that can be incorporated into our everyday lives. Being a green photographer means changing the way you purchase, develop, produce, and provide products and services so you make a positive impact on the environment.

Think of the planet as a warehouse of goods. When you use the goods, you have to pay for them with money or fair trade. When you use the environment's resources, you have to pay the environment back to offset your consumption.

Going green involves determining how you impact the environment, your energy and water usage, and the amount of waste you produce. You will also need to review how you qualify the vendors you use and determine how they produce and provide you with products.

Being a green photographer can involve voluntary certification. Becoming a certified green business can be challenging and confusing, as there are no commonly defined standards. Each organization has its own requirements to qualify, all of which require going beyond achieving basic regulatory compliance and implementing additional measures to become green certified. Some organizations have a standard that they apply to everyone, while others are more flexible and adapt their requirements to particular lines of business. They all seem to have some common criteria with which they judge businesses, but it's important to know what those criteria are.

So what does all this mean for the bride? What should a green bride be looking for in a photographer? I recommend you visit with several photographers and ask them about their green practices. Do their practices resonate with their entire business model or are they just trying to impress you? Do they use digital cameras instead of film, reducing the left over harsh chemicals? Are they partnering with other local green business vendors to keep their production local?  For example, find out if they are using a local album company or if the albums the photographer offers are being shipped all the way from Italy. Ask if they are offering alternative green products, like recycled paper for their prints.  These are a few specific questions you can use to determine their level of commitment to the environment.

There is no definitive answer as to what makes a "green photographer," given there are no set standards. What's most important (as I tell all my brides) is the relationship you have with your photographer, who is the most important of all your wedding vendors. You may forget a lot during the fast pace of your wedding day, but the memories captured by your photographer are the heirlooms that will last you a lifetime. Finding the right relationship with a photographer you trust helps ensure that those heirlooms are as easy on the earth as possible.

Written By Gustavo Fernandez, a San Francisco based green wedding photographer
All photos courtesy of: Gustavo Fernandez

Gustavo is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International and Professional Photographers of America. At the start of his career, Gustavo did some second shooting for weddings before branching out on his own. He began as a self-taught photographer, and attends workshops and tradeshows to keep up with new developments in the industry. He has photographed weddings across the US and worldwide, including Maui, LA, Chicago, Phoenix, Florida, NYC, and the Dominican Republic. Gustavo committed to going green, both personally and professionally, after watching Al Gore's  An Inconvenient Truth premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. As a result, he has worked to earn the Green Certification by the Bay Area Green Business Program.