Mission

Greener Photography, a non-profit organization, actively seeks to mitigate the environmental impact of the photography industry by educating photographers, suppliers and the general public about the benefits of going green. The organization was founded by wedding photographer Thea Dodds and portrait photographer Dawn Tacker who were both looking to make their studios more environmentally-friendly. Finding the resources necessary for greening their businesses, however, proved challenging. Dodds and Tacker found themselves spending countless hours researching and sifting through information, often trying to decide what was truly an environmentally friendly option, versus a product or service just jumping on the “green” bandwagon.

“After we spent an enormous amount of time and energy doing the research to make our own businesses more eco-friendly, we realized that other photographers really could benefit from this information. If we could help other photographers more easily green their studios, we’d be not only be helping the photography community, but also the environment. That’s when Greener Photography was born,” said Tacker.

In the United States, there are over 155,000 professional photographers and 14,000 companies that generate over $7 billion in revenue. In addition, the consumer market accounted for approximately 100,000,000 digital cameras sold and an estimated 24 billion pictures taken and 16.5 billion pictures printed in 2008 alone. In just 10 years, online photo imaging has grown from a $10 million to $7.8 billion industry annually. These statistics translate into photography’s largest ecological footprint in its 200-year history, and positions Greener Photography to make a real difference.