CALLING all professional and amateur photographers – this year’s Photographers for the Environment Photo Site Clean Up Day will take place across the country this weekend.
Christian Fletcher set up the event last year as a way of getting photographers together to help secure the future of the natural environment.
“I wanted to encourage photographers and their family and friends to not overlook rubbish lying around when we go out shooting,” he said.
“We have some beautiful places around the country to photograph but most of them will have litter of some kind.
“As users of the environment we should be leaders in its conservation.
“It all starts with small gestures that can grow into a movement.”
Fletcher said anyone could get involved.
“You do not have to be a photographer, anyone who can pick up their iPhone and take a shot is welcome,” he said.
“It is just a way to get like minded people together and build a strong community.”
He said participants should choose a location they want to shoot and the time of the day they want to shoot it, and to then set aside one hour to get dirty and collect any rubbish they can find at that location.
“When they are finished I want people to photograph the rubbish they have collected and then also photograph the landscape at that location,” he said.
“The images are then uploaded to the Photographers for the Environment Facebook page and their own personal pages.
“By sharing these images on social media it will hopefully grow the idea.”
Last year photographers collected rubbish from locations in South America, London and all over Australia including Sydney, Melbourne and even Karratha.
“Some of Australia’s top photographers got their hands dirty last year leading groups of keen photographers,” Fletcher said.
“We even had a teacher from a primary school take their students out to collect rubbish in their local area – that was just brilliant.”
The event runs from July 2-3. For more information search for Photographers for the Environment on Facebook.
