There’s only one home for all of us — and that is planet Earth.
On June 5 every year, to encourage awareness and action towards protecting the environment, the United Nations celebrates World Environment Day. This day serves as a reminder to everyone that the natural world is key to our survival, and we must act now to protect it for ourselves and future generations.
Let’s chat about how we can continue to include more sustainable practices in our everyday lives, including our work. Keep reading to find out how you can make your photo and video shoots more sustainable and why it’s essential to do so.
Why Sustainability Matters
While COVID-19 has had an undeniable global impact on society, there have also been positive environmental changes that provide a sliver of hope for turning back the damages that nature has suffered from climate change. New York’s carbon monoxide levels (mainly from car transport) have reduced by almost 50% compared to last year.
Yes, these positive changes are music to our ears, but we know that COVID-19 is not the answer to tackling the climate crisis. At The Influence Agency, we do our best to make eco-friendly decisions. Tweaking the way we carry out daily tasks — like sustainable photoshoots and video shoots — can make a huge difference and ultimately allows the planet to heal and breathe.
5 Ways We Make Our Photo & Video Shoots Greener
1. Hit the Off Switch
Photoshoots always involve various gear that consumes energy. Turning off lights and other equipment during break times may not seem like it makes a huge difference at first, but imagine if every photo and video shoot on the planet were to be carried out this way? Turning this into a habit will pave the way for sustainable photoshoots to be the new standard.
2. Reduce Shopping
Reducing and reusing doesn’t just apply to recyclables. The Influence Agency team brings props from home to use during photo and video shoots as much as possible.
When it comes to props, we know how to get creative too! Instead of buying new display cubes once necessary for a shoot, we simply revamp the ones we already have by repainting them. With these easy tricks and a little DIY, we reduce the need for online shopping.
3. Reduce Food Waste
Food wastage leaves a massive carbon footprint behind. Every year, an estimated 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.
On set, not every food item gets consumed. To facilitate more eco-friendly photoshoots, we reduce food waste by sorting non-perishable goods into a “used” bowl. This way, we can reuse these undamaged items in their original packaging for future photo and video shoots. We can quickly do this with snacks like nuts, grains, and seeds.
As for the perishable items, the team takes home anything that can still be washed and eaten, like fruit and vegetables.
4. Reduce Plastic Waste and Water Usage
Across the globe, one million plastic bottles are bought every minute. To avoid contributing to this staggering statistic, everyone from the TIA team brings their reusable water bottle on set. This results in more eco-friendly photoshoots.
Additionally, when cleaning props, we use the dishwasher in the office kitchen as opposed to hand-washing. Energy-efficient dishwashers consume much less water and energy!
5. Reuse Paper
There are two sides to a piece of paper, and making use of the blank space on the flip side will put a massive smile on mother nature’s face. Paper waste accounts for approximately 26% of the total waste found at landfills.
One way that we ensure more sustainable photoshoots is by reusing paper backdrops multiple times for various clients. Not only does this reduce waste at landfills, but it also slows down paper production and deforestation.
How We’ll Do Better
Even though the #TIAteam is always looking for ways to carry out more sustainable photoshoots, there are still practices and additional measures that we could take to be better.
In the future, we plan to adopt the following eco-friendly habits:
1. Carpool to Photo and Video Shoots
In many ways, COVID-19 has made it harder to carry out sustainable photoshoots. Because of social distancing measures, carpooling to photo and video shoots is not a safe option.
However, with the country slowly opening up to a new norm, we anticipate that the TIA team will begin to establish safe transportation methods that lower our carbon footprint, resulting in more eco-friendly photoshoots.
2. Sustainable Photoshoots with Natural Lighting
Natural lighting reduces the need for lighting equipment. By leveraging the beauty — and the brightness — of nature itself, we’ll be able to reduce the overall energy consumption of our eco-friendly photoshoots.
3. Preparing Home-Cooked Meals
It’s a given that home-cooked meals are generally healthier for us – and ultimately, they’re more beneficial for the planet too! Home-cooked meals can be packed in lunch boxes and consumed with silverware from the office kitchen. This reduces the need for styrofoam or cardboard food containers and single-use plastic utensils.
Do Your Part for More Sustainable Photoshoots!
Becoming more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious is a process. We can all continue to do our part by educating ourselves on our actions’ impact on the planet. By carrying out more sustainable photoshoots, we’re helping the earth in its healing process. After all, a little goes a long way.
Start planning your photoshoots in a digitally effective and eco-friendly way with The Influence Agency! You can learn more about our custom brand photography services by clicking the link.