My Green Mission

Instead of sending out letters, invoices, and pages and pages of contracts, I changed it all to being paperless. For the last few years, as well as emailing you all, I have been using online invoicing and contracts, you can even sign them online rather than having to print them out.

This also ties in nicely with my mission of Making Photoshoots Accessible, as people can adjust the size of the font so they can read it easily. 

Because I’m always learning new techniques and ways to improve my photography skills, I read a lot of textbooks. Rather than buy these new, I try to get second-hand ones or do a book swap with fellow photographers.

I’m going to mention my love of confetti here as it feels right, but again, my favourite brands like Flutter Darlings are biodegradable and limit the packaging they use.

I offer online galleries with all of my photography packages, this is for lots of reasons; I can send high-res images around the world, it gives you lots of choices, and you can share images easily without trips to the post office to send USB sticks.

Don’t get me wrong, USB sticks are useful, but to get good quality ones I found there’s a lot of packaging when they’re sent me, and then I have to wrap them up in MORE packaging to send them to you. Whilst with an online gallery, no packaging is needed! 

Where possible, I’ll try to get refurbished equipment from a quality supplier such as Castle Cameras or WEX, or if it’s something I’ll only use on that one photoshoot, I’ll rent it from them instead of buying new.

Even my trusted camera bag is from eBay. 

As for backdrops for photoshoots, I search websites like Vinted or visit The Dorset Scrap Store to get fun fabrics to use and recycle. I don’t tend to use paper backdrops because you can’t reuse them. Sadly, this does mean I have to iron my fabric backdrops, and no one likes ironing. 

Things I need to improve

Lens wipes, I use so many of them, but each wipe comes individually wrapped! That’s a lot of waste, so I need to find a good swap.

I’ve tried, but truthfully, with the hours I work and the locations I shoot at, I can’t avoid driving. With that in mind, I’ve tried a few things to make it more efficient, by combining trips. For example, rather than one trip to a photoshoot and another trip to the supermarket, I’ll always try and combine my journeys. It’s not unusual for me to do the weekly shop after a shoot.

I even do this when I’m travelling the country, as luckily my family are dotted around everywhere. My parents live in Devon, my Sister in Sussex, my Aunt and Uncles live up north, I have friends in Ireland, and that’s just the start of it. Thanks to photoshoots and weddings that are a little bit further away, I’ve been able to tie them in with seeing people I don’t get to see as often as I would like. 

I am giving full credit for this idea to Mags & Louis, who in the middle of their Engagement Photoshoot on the beach, started picking up litter that had washed up. Because of them, I now always carry some biodegradable bin bags with me, that way if I spot some litter, I can pick it up and bin it.

When you shoot in as many beautiful locations as I do, you want to do your bit to keep them clean.

Like all photographers, I dream of one day owning a studio. The reality is that during wedding season, it would be empty, wasting energy to keep it warm and running. 

You’ll notice that I either shoot outside, at an event or wedding, or in a shared studio space.

When I need a studio space, I rent a space on an hourly basis and find one that specifically meets my client’s needs. For example, the Bad Hand Coffee Yoga Studio or the Brewhouse SouthBourne Event Space. 

Spend 5 minutes with me, you’ll know I drink a LOT of coffee and if I’m shooting the whole day, I will no longer buy snacks and single-use cups, all that plastic packaging drives me nuts. Instead, I’ll usually have a flask of coffee, a reusable bottle of water and some Tupperware (I love the collapsible kind) with a snack in.

I love exhibiting at wedding fairs, but there’s always the temptation to have brochures, leaflets, goodie bags, and, honestly, I don’t like the waste. 

Instead, I only hand out a business card that directs couples to a hidden page on my website which has an exclusive online brochure. This limits printing as I can easily update the online brochure rather than having to constantly reprint leaflets. 

The stand itself is styled using items from my home, fabrics from Vinted or Dorset Scrap Store, homemade craft projects like the macrame or bunting, and florals from local florists that I trust. 

I’ve mentioned a few bits already, but then there are some truly random items I do want to make changes to.

Tissues! I cry at weddings, you’d think I’d be over this, but nope, I still cry. Before Covid I was thinking about getting cotton handkerchiefs as I was using so many tissues, but since the pandemic, I’ve decided to hold off this one just for the moment. It’s still very much on my list, but safety first.

I’m very honest about how I’m not perfect, this is a journey and I still have a lot to learn. If you do have suggestions about how I can make Lotus Photography that little bit greener, please drop me an email.