Did you know that your photographs—like the landfill-crowding disposable diapers we often hear about—will never, ever biodegrade?  "Two hundred years from now, the images on your photographs may have faded, but the plastic-based paper they are printed on will remain," explains Carlsbad-based professional photographer, Dawn Tacker. 

This surprising fact is one of many shockers concerning the large carbon footprint of photography that Tacker discovered as she strived to make her own family portrait business more environmentally friendly several years ago.

Discovering the damage mass-produced photographs and photographic equipment are doing to the planet—along with realizing the utter silence in her profession about this issue—led Tacker to co-found the first eco-conscious professional association for photographers worldwide, Greener Photography, in 2008. 

Tacker and her co-founder, New Hampshire-based wedding photographer Thea Dodds, now have a thriving professional organization with more than 150 members on four continents, who are all "greener" certified through an intensive process the partners created. They also have a 1,000-subscriber newsletter and the first and only clearinghouse of information on greener photography in the entire industry.

"When it comes to places to really get educated about eco-friendly photography products and processes, we are it," Tacker explains from her home office in Calavera Hills. "Nobody was talking about this before we came along."

It was on an online professional photography forum that Tacker and Dodds first connected in 2006, as they were each seeking Earth-conscious products to support their businesses—both of which focus mostly on picture-taking in natural settings and natural light. "We had the same questions, and for each question we tried to answer together, we realized there were 10 more questions," Tacker says.

Now, she and Dodds are actually creating the research that doesn't exist, by talking with manufacturers, scientists and printing experts about the environmental impact of photographic products and processes. "Our goal is to eventually influence the field on a broader scale, both on the demand side and the supply side," says Tacker, who calls herself a "a bit of a gearhead," enamored with cameras since she was 10 years old.

As a Carlsbad resident and parent, Tacker says she feels a deep connection to the natural resources of our city and coastline, and that living and working here has heightened her feeling of responsibility for protecting the Earth. "You think of things differently when you live amidst this natural beauty and are outside for your job all the time," she says. "You think about your footprint."

One of Tacker's biggest discoveries in the creation of Greener Photography is that "the issue of being an eco-friendly photographer is not black and white," she says, smiling at the pun. "There are shades of green, and every photographer, from the casual family snapshot-taker to a professional like me, can make a range of choices on that spectrum."

Tacker has this advice for casual photographers who want to be more eco-conscious:

1)  Print Less and Store Well.  Because each photo print has a large ecological footprint, think about whether you really will use a print before you make it, Tacker suggests. Be highly selective. Then, once you print a photo, take the steps to make it last forever (by using archival-quality materials and dark storage).

2)  Ask Questions.  Every purchase related to your photography allows you to make a choice on the green spectrum, within your means, Tacker says. Ask about eco-friendly manufacturing and printing processes, fiber-based paper, renewable wood frames, recycled mats. If they are not available (which they often are not to the average consumer), request greener options.

3)  Repair vs. Replace.  Don't buy a new camera every year, Tacker recommends; invest in fixing a broken camera instead. And if it is truly irreparable, remember that a camera is e-waste and needs to be disposed of responsibly.

More advice on eco-conscious photography products and choices can be found at greenerphotography.org.