You should know, I don’t do anything half ass. If we say we love these places we enjoy so much, we should take care of them. And if I claim to be a ‘Leave No Trace Aware Photographer,’ I’m gonna make sure I live up to that.
I infuse Leave No Trace principles into both my personal and business practices and that means…
I pick up trash on elopement days.
When one of my couples started picking up trash with me, I thought that was pretty damn cool. Brian even carried a pair of soggy boxers from the bottom of a steep trail to the top. It was then that I realized the power of just doing it. I had picked up a few things and slipped them into my bag and then Brian and Summer started doing the same.
When we found the soggy boxes, I grabbed a stick to handle them with (ew). Brian promptly took the stick from me and said, “I’ve got this one.”
I knew I had to take a picture. It was too good not to take the photo. That picture has stuck with me. Just because this was a special day didn’t mean that we couldn’t pause for just one second to take care of the earth we love so much.
If you can’t tell yet, this matters to me. It matters to you too, because unless you plan on getting one of Elon’s rocket ships, this planet is all that we’ve got.
So I decided to start a record of everything my couples and I pick up. My hope is that this blog reminds you that even picking up one piece of trash helps get us closer to the flourishing planet we all want to live on for many years to come.
I’ll be picking up trash on your elopement day, I hope you will be too.
Leave No Trace Friends,
If you want to leave more about Leave No Trace, visit their website.
2022
August 29th, 2022: Megan & Colin help clean up the black sand beaches in Iceland
October 5th, 2022 – Jill and Amanda make sure not to leave behind any rogue flower petals
