Today, the world of fashion is revitalized as it seeks to confront the footprint that it has left on earth with the rise of eco-fashion.
Eco-fashion, or sustainable fashion, has caused many brands to shift how they approach the operation of their entire business — from manufacturing to marketing. As fashion is responsible for up to an alarming 10% of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe, brands strive to cut CO2 emissions by reducing overproduction and waste, supporting biodiversity, and making ethical sourcing and production choices.
In this new dawn in the fashion industry, photographers and influencers are key players. While not directly involved in the CO2-emitting production processes of clothes, they are critical messengers that give shape and form to the advocacies and sentiments of the industry. As eco-fashion continues to grow so too should the eco-fashion photographer and their models rise to the challenge. Here are some tips on how to incorporate sustainability into your work.
1. Invest in Highly Durable Equipment
Before becoming an eco-advocate, you first need to practice what you preach. As a photographer, one way to become more eco-friendly in your line of work is to invest in durable equipment that will last a long time. This reduces your carbon footprint (and saves you a lot of money!). To this end, mirrorless cameras are highly durable as they have fewer moving parts than DSLRs. Many of them also use electronic shutters which further reduce the chance of breakage. You can also use secondhand cameras to reduce e-waste.
2. Work with Sustainable Brands
As a professional photographer, it’s important to choose carefully which brands you partner with by making sure that their sustainability goals and practices align with yours. Fortunately, many smaller brands these days are incorporating sustainability into the very root of their businesses. This results not only in unique and dynamic designs that show up great in shoots, but will help you promote the eco-agenda as well. Be sure to incorporate eco-friendly jewelry in your shoots, which makes use of recycled materials and natural substances like nuts and clay to create unique pieces that represent sustainability.
To know which brands are genuinely upholding sustainable practices, check their story and mission, previous campaigns, and even their environmental, social, and corporate governance data report if it’s publicly available.
3. Incorporate Pre-Loved Clothes in Your Shoots
Other than being a sustainable habit, incorporating pre-loved clothes into your work helps you create standout and versatile looks for a cheaper price. You may even encounter vintage pieces no longer available on the market. Beyond this, renting pieces extends the life of clothes by up to 9 months, reducing their carbon, water, and waste footprints by around 20-30%. As attitudes towards secondhand clothing change, iconic brands like Valentino have also begun getting creative through giving their vintage pieces a second life, highlighting the glamor in vintage.
4. Capture the Production Process
One of the biggest challenges to sustainability is the lack of recognition for the abusive working conditions that many workers face in factories. But as a photographer, working with sustainable and ethical fashion brands may allow you to showcase what positive production environments look like by drawing focus to the workforce and the process behind the fashion you shoot. This image from Indigenous Designs highlights the artisans at the heart of their Fair Trade fashion production.
Not only does this help celebrate the people and the craft behind the clothes, but it also helps build consumer trust for the brand.
5. Make a Statement with Your Platform
If you’re going to work with innovative fashion produced with great sustainability, then you should match it with a concept that reflects its impact. This is what Stella McCartney did in 2017. Working with photographer Harley Weir, their campaign photoshoot drew attention to the waste generated by fashion. Don’t be afraid to get creative and incorporate striking novel elements.
Being an eco-fashion photographer can be a rewarding experience when you give purpose to your art. By incorporating sustainability in everything from your gear and partnerships to your art direction, you can effectively call attention to the beauty and vitality of eco-fashion.