Green Wedding Experts Blog

Seriously Creative Options for Imagery
Photography
Friday, October 8, 2010 - 11:12

Looking for environmentally friendly and creative ways of displaying images in your home and office? Look no further! Here are some great DIY photo project ideas for your green home, or as gifts for your friends and family.

Photo-frame Shadowbox

As you might imagine, I love photography but I always have trouble choosing which images to hang in our home. I like to change it up a lot to keep things fresh and exciting. That said, it seems wasteful to get new pictures framed, and then if I did, where would I store the other ones?

The solution I created is a sort of photo-frame shadowbox: Imagine a box of whatever size (it needn’t be very deep) with a picture frame on the lid and maybe a clasp to keep it closed. Now imagine having more prints in the box so that you could slide a new image into the frame whenever you felt like a change. This could be affixed to the wall like a shadowbox (a sort of display case that is hung on the wall) or placed on a counter, and would make for a lovely holiday gift! You could also take it a step further and update your photo-shadow box with the seasons by using seasonally relevant photographs and decorating the photo mats with items such as holly, fall leaves, snowflakes, or flower blossoms. Don’t forget to use archival-acid & lignin free materials in order to guarantee the long-term preservation of your images. 

Online Wedding Album

The online wedding album is a digital album with all the trimmings; great layout and images that are connected tastefully in a way that tells a story and communicates the excitement of the day. Before printing albums, photographers and album designers create a digital layout of the images. This does require some work but would be less costly (both fiscally and environmentally) than the physical album.

Online albums are a win-win in today’s society as families and friends become more and more separated in space, so these would make a great holiday e-gift for family!  If you feel the physical album is a must for you, the online version makes a great addition to your hardcopy, allowing you to share your images in their narrative format with loved ones both near and far.

Whether your album is online or in print, don’t forget to keep a safe backup – just in case.

 

seriously creative options for imagery

Photo Credit: Kiss My Flash Photography

 

DIY Digital Photo Album

If you are feeling crafty yourself and want to take things a step further, you might like working on a mixed media art piece incorporating your photographs. You can include important elements of the day such as the theme or wedding color, motifs from your stationery, lace, dried flowers or petals, paint, confetti or champagne/wine labels from the event. Check out this fabulously inspirational resource by Darlene Olivia McElroy (the collage goddess) to get your creative juices flowing.

If you are not sure you are up to the task creatively, you could always collaborate with an artist or graphic designer you admire to help you create your art piece. Remember though, whether working with an artist or doing this yourself there is no need to go out and buy lots of new supplies. You will probably find lots of great and perhaps more meaningful materials around the house already. For added inspiration, take a look at this fabulous mixed media work by Carol Owen.

Creative Display Ideas

These ideas can require a little extra legwork but if you are looking for a creative outlet this could be just the ticket. Consider Sunday treks through flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores finding and mix-and-matching different frames. Feel free to experiment by mixing different color, size and textures. Imagine bringing your treasures home and working on them: cleaning, perhaps sanding, painting and varnishing them (with no-VOC paints/stains of course.) Upcycling old frames for your wall displays is not just environmentally friendly, but often a fun conversation starter. A quick search on Etsy left me with tons of inspirational ideas, like Sidhe’s Boudoir’s chic upcycled collections or creative concoctions by Round The Bend Shop.

Be Proactive!

Ultimately, if you really want to be creative with your photographs, my suggestion is to get creative before they are taken because there is nothing more inspiring to display than a well thought out image. So here is a little bonus tip: If you are looking for a creative way to immoralize your winter wedding reception or holiday family reunion this year, consider an interactive photobooth. This is kind of like a traditional photo-booth where guests jump in and get their pictures taken but with an actual photographer providing feedback, direction and support. This can be done indoors or outdoors at almost any kind of event and you can customize the background, as you like. The results can be especially touching for important family occasions such as weddings, births, and even, with the right mindset, for funerals. People who are regularly very shy and closed in photographs can really open up with the right photographer and produce some beautiful images. Extra bonus: It is a wonderful form of entertainment too and guests often talk about it long after the event itself.

Written by Kiss My Flash Photography

Kiss My Flash Photography is a Greener Photography certified business based out of Vancouver that is co-owned by Kat (Catherine McLaren) and Mause (Eugene Lin). Our clients split our work pretty evenly between wedding and commercial photography and we are a little bit different from your conventional wedding photographers in that we specialize in Green, Fusion (inter-ethnic) and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) weddings. Check out our environmental commitment in the Green Bride Guide Vendor Directory!

Kat is both a photographer and a bride to be (yay). She was born to Zimbabwean parents and grew up traveling the world. Her experiences with different people, places and cultures lead her to do a psychology degree, specializing in intergroup relations and conflict management. She has been shooting for a decade but has only recently taken her work to the professional level.

Mause is a Singaporean born Canadian with a diverse list of interests and skills ranging from audio-visual control systems to performance art. He has a degree in both Human Geography and Visual Arts and has taken three years of photography at Langara and Focal Point. He has been shooting professionally for over six years now. 

Keeping It Local: Photography
Photography
Friday, September 10, 2010 - 11:55

How can choosing your photographer be part of your “green wedding” plan? Just find one right in your own backyard. 

 

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.”

-T.S. Eliot

Bride and Groom Holding Hands

Photo Courtesy: Abigail Seymour

In recent years, it has seemed as though the further your photographer had to travel to be at a wedding, the more exclusive he or she -- and in turn, the bride -- was. It’s become a custom to “fly in” many aspects of a wedding: the band, the makeup artist, and very often, the photographer. As glamorous as this might sound, the resources used by anyone who has to travel to your wedding, including your photographer, might very well cancel out many of the other green choices you are making.

I am humbled to have been that photographer “flown in” on occasion over the years, but as much as I have loved the families I worked with, the travel took its toll on me and on my efforts to have minimal impact on the environment. I have recently made a commitment to only book weddings within a 60-mile radius of my home in central North Carolina. I want to “bloom where I am planted,” and that means truly being part of the local community by sticking around more, and it also means referring my colleagues for non-local weddings.

Bride Modeling by Windowpanes 

Photo Courtesy: Abigail Seymour

Travel is inherent to any wedding, since all of our lives and families are so spread out – we rarely live in the same town anymore, let alone the same state. While one would never imagine planning a wedding and not including loved ones who live far away, it’s not absolutely necessary for your service providers to pack their bags and their 3oz carry-on containers for your Big Day! If your photographer lives in California and needs to fly to your wedding in Louisiana, for example, he or she will end up using one ton of CO2 emissions, or 62 times that an average day in an American household. According to onetonco2.com, it takes 40 years for one tree to offset one ton of CO2. There are lots of sites you can peruse to calculate the projected footprint of your wedding and then consider purchasing carbon offsets (Terrapass.org, carbonfund.org).

If you are interested in expressing your green wedding philosophy throughout your choices, then consider keeping everything local, including your photographer and other service providers. Here’s how:

WHERE’S WALDO?

It is not uncommon for a photographer’s physical location to be downplayed on his or her website -- the contact number might be toll-free and the words “available for travel worldwide” be prominently displayed. Be sure to find out exactly where he or she is located -- even if travel is not an obstacle for them, it could de-green your wedding in an instant.

SEARCH GLOBALLY TO FIND LOCALLY

You can search for local photographers in a number of excellent online resources, and my two favorites are Greenerphotography.org and ISPWP. Both are prestigious associations wherein the photographers must apply and be approved by a panel of peers. In both cases you are able to sort by state and city. Do keep in mind, though, that even if a photographer is listed under South Carolina, for example, he or she might actually be based in Oregon. Not only might there be a hefty increase in the price for travel (sometimes even twice the price of the top package), but any efforts you are making in other areas to plan a green wedding will be completely negated by that person’s cross-country flight or four-hour drive to your wedding.

Bride and Groom Kissing

Photo Courtesy: Abigail Seymour

WORD OF MOUTH

If you are working with vendors who are in sync with your green efforts, they will be able to refer you to similar-minded photographers in your area.

READ THE SMALL PRINT

Instead of noticing who might have the largest ad in your local wedding publication, take a look at the photo credit beneath the photos -- chances are that the “photo by” person is someone local, who is obviously sought after by the editors and worthy of checking out.

In my opinion, the nicest thing about choosing a hometown/local photographer for your wedding is that one of your neighbors will have photographed your wedding, and will be there to document the rest of your lives as a family.

Further reading:

http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/04/flying-airplane-carbon-footprint

 

Written By: Abigail Seymour,  Abigail Seymour Photography

Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Abigail Seymour is a wedding photographer focused on attracting and working with local couples who want to minimize their wedding's carbon footprint. While she misses the excitement of traveling, her self-imposed 60-mile radius for weddings has given her more time to spend with her husband, two kids, two dogs and five chickens. Read about Abigail's Thoughts on Being Green

Printing Green
Photography
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - 10:29

The first time you see your wedding photographs is an extremely exciting time! You will re-experience moments and see things you didn't even know happened on your wedding day. These photographs are one of the most valuable things you will have for the rest of your life. So now what? How do you responsibly print, preserve and enjoy these amazing images?

Store Images Carefully
If you received your image on a disk, back them up! Disks are only rated to last 5-7 years, and backing up to a hard-drive is preferably because

  • It's reusable.
  • It has a longer shelf life (11-15 years)
  • It's recoverable if the drive is damaged, but data may be intact.

Also consider that disk such as CDs and DVDs are e-waste and should be recycled. The CD recycling Center recycles CDs for free!

Archive
An image is not archived until it is printed. Your photographer should help you print with a plan based on the following questions: Where are you going to hang them? What size and orientation? What other images could go together to turn your wall into a gallery? How will you frame these photos?

Print on Fiber Paper
Most photographs are printed on plastic, but this process is done with chemicals - yuck! Plastic cannot be recycled and will not last as long as natural fibers. In general, natural fiber prints have a much smaller chemical footprint. Examples include cotton, hemp, bamboo, canvas, etc. Many labs call these "giclee" prints. Ask your photographer for a "giclee" on cotton rag, they should help you.

wedding-album-eco-friendly

Image Courtesy of Authentic Eye Photography

Frame, frame, frame!
Frames don't just look, good they increase the longevity of your images. There are recycled frames made from reclaimed wood available- ask your photographer about these options. Images should be matted in the frame on acid-free mat board to prevent the photo from sticking to the glass. Light, heat and moisture are your photos enemies. Frames protect your photographs from these guys.

Make an Album
Albums are the best way to protect, preserve and enjoy your wedding photographs. Archival albums will last 200 + years. An album will hold all of your favorite photos rather then just hanging a selection on your wall. Ask your photographer for an album that is:

  • Manufactured domestically
  • Natural fiber covers such as canvas, hemp, silk, etc.
  • Shipped by ground
  • Archival glues
  • Acid-free paper

wedding_album_open
Image Courtesy of Authentic Eye Photography

The key to getting many of the best and lowest impact photographic products is to utilize the expertise of your professional photographer.  Wedding photographers certified by greener photography will be able to guide you through this process and make this stuff easy.  If there is anything to invest in after your wedding, it is in printing these memories in a way that will last many lifetimes.  So few things are truly heirloom items, your wedding photographs are something your great grand children will want to see.  If you have any further questions about printing and protecting feel free to contact the GP office for more information.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful time printing and displaying your wedding photographs!!

hula_hoops_outdoors

Written By Thea Dodds

Thea runs Authentic Eye Photography in New Hampshire, and co-founder of Greener Photography.

What Makes a Green Photographer?
Photography
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 17:54

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.

bride groom rings ceremony

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.

bride outdoors

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.

gustavo_fernandez

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.