IS DIGITAL GREEN ?

Back in the 90s I worked at Universal Studios Hollywood. I would need to arrive at work 30 to 40 min before my "call time," sometimes bussed from the back lot through movie sets and production crews just to get to wardrobe. You would think I was an actor but I just was an amusement park worker. After going through security I would finally reach wardrobe and dress the part of your department. For me it was the photographers. We were issued 35 mm Nikon cameras and deployed to various areas of the park with a "ticketer" (person who hands you film and the guest tickets ). My normal area was the tram with another photographer and ticketer team. Tram after tram pulling in, sometimes four at a time with only four feet between these massive transports and us. As soon as the tram stops off we go.The guest gets on, and from behind the character (Frankenstein, Dracula, Mummy, Phantom etc.) grabs them, pulls them toward me, and click. As fast as we could go, grab click, grab click, grab click, grab click, in a one second rhythm with roll after roll of film being loaded. Keep in mind only 15% of the photos would sell. So 10 photographers would take anywhere from 1000 to 4000 each depending on there area. 30000 shot, processed, and printed daily 365 days a year.I remember seeing huge trash bags of prints just being thrown in the trash. Gallons of chemicals dumped. Even before digital was an option, and green was cool I felt this waste was not right. Finally Kodak came to us with these funny looking Nikon cameras that were extremely awkward and heavy. They also incorporated dye sub printers so that only images that were sold were printed. So we said goodbye giant machines, gallons of hazardous chemicals, and tons of discarded paper. As we all know its is even evolving more smaller more efficient cameras rechargeable batteries etc... So in closing I must have to say without a doubt digital is pretty darn green. And thank you Kodak and all the engineers that made all this possible. See more backstage Universal Studios photos on facebook ;



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