Green Photography
Well, "going green" has been all the rage lately, and somewhere along the way, Lisa and I got a little swept up in it, too. Lisa's been an avid plastic recycler for years, admonishing me whenever I absent-mindedly tossed something out that could go in our weekly recycling pickup. In turn, I've been increasingly aware of the impact of wasting energy has on both the environment, not to mention our wallets.
So far we've swapped out 2/3 of the lights in our house with compact fluorescent bulbs. CF bulbs use about 1/4 the electricity as regular (incandescent) bulbs, and pay for themselves many times over, not only in electricity savings, but the long life of these bulbs. (Side note: I'm currently building some photographic lighting units that use daylight balanced CF bulbs, so stay tuned for more news about that down the road.) One more advantage to CF bulbs? Since they use less electricity, they generate less waste heat, which in turn saves you money on air conditioning in the summer! Win-win-win!
I've also taken to using some hypermiling techniques to reduce the amount of gasoline I use when I drive. CleanMPG.com has tips & discussions about ways to save gasoline when you drive, but if you want the cliff notes version, make sure your tires are inflated to at least their recommended PSI, don't speed, don't accelerate if you think/know you're going to have to slow down at a stop sign/traffic light coming up, and if you're at a long stop light or in a traffic jam, turn the engine off until you're able to move. There are more ways, but doing most of these ought to increase your fuel economy by 10% or more, and who doesn't want to save at the fuel pump these days?
It's FMP's goal to reduce our net energy usage by 50% within 3 years. A lofty goal, for sure, but one that's within reach. Right now, we're exploring solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, and geothermal options to offset/reduce our carbon footprint. Two other options that aren't going to work for our site are wind turbines & micro hydro, but if you're lucky enough to live somewhere that these are an option to you, I heartily recommend you take advantage of them.
But going green isn't just about using less (net) energy, it's also about being friendlier to the environment. Since we began in 2003, Forever Moments Photography has been 100% digital-based. Our cameras no longer use film, so there are no harmful chemicals being used for developing. Our proofing is digital & ink based, so again, the harsh chemicals that have been a part of the photographic process are eliminated at this stage as well. The only point we use prints containing silver are for enlargements & album prints.
New this summer, however, we will start offering giclée archival ink/pigment based prints in addition to traditional silver gelatin. Details to follow, but please leave comments in the meantime.
So far we've swapped out 2/3 of the lights in our house with compact fluorescent bulbs. CF bulbs use about 1/4 the electricity as regular (incandescent) bulbs, and pay for themselves many times over, not only in electricity savings, but the long life of these bulbs. (Side note: I'm currently building some photographic lighting units that use daylight balanced CF bulbs, so stay tuned for more news about that down the road.) One more advantage to CF bulbs? Since they use less electricity, they generate less waste heat, which in turn saves you money on air conditioning in the summer! Win-win-win!
I've also taken to using some hypermiling techniques to reduce the amount of gasoline I use when I drive. CleanMPG.com has tips & discussions about ways to save gasoline when you drive, but if you want the cliff notes version, make sure your tires are inflated to at least their recommended PSI, don't speed, don't accelerate if you think/know you're going to have to slow down at a stop sign/traffic light coming up, and if you're at a long stop light or in a traffic jam, turn the engine off until you're able to move. There are more ways, but doing most of these ought to increase your fuel economy by 10% or more, and who doesn't want to save at the fuel pump these days?
It's FMP's goal to reduce our net energy usage by 50% within 3 years. A lofty goal, for sure, but one that's within reach. Right now, we're exploring solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, and geothermal options to offset/reduce our carbon footprint. Two other options that aren't going to work for our site are wind turbines & micro hydro, but if you're lucky enough to live somewhere that these are an option to you, I heartily recommend you take advantage of them.
But going green isn't just about using less (net) energy, it's also about being friendlier to the environment. Since we began in 2003, Forever Moments Photography has been 100% digital-based. Our cameras no longer use film, so there are no harmful chemicals being used for developing. Our proofing is digital & ink based, so again, the harsh chemicals that have been a part of the photographic process are eliminated at this stage as well. The only point we use prints containing silver are for enlargements & album prints.
New this summer, however, we will start offering giclée archival ink/pigment based prints in addition to traditional silver gelatin. Details to follow, but please leave comments in the meantime.
posted by Jeff Zawrotny at
9:33 AM
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