Green Lens Studios is delighted to introduce the launch of our new membership scheme for photographers.
Green Lens Membership gives you a new way to get regular access to our beautiful studio at reduced rates. The Green Lens membership provides a fantastic opportunity for photographers to use the studio 2 days per month for only £250 (if you sign-up before the end of November). Be a part of a special photographic community and find motivation for your artistic practice.
We only have a few spaces available for our membership scheme so if this sound like something you are interested in, please get in touch with Evgeniy at info@greenlenstudios.com to find out more.
It’s time to celebrate! Our 5th year anniversary is right around the corner…thus it is obvious we need to throw a get together for our awesome clients, partners, supporters and friends. This event will be held right here at the source, Green Lens Studios is excited to play host for the evening of August 5th, at 7:30pm.
What is a party with out music, drinks, and entertainment? We are thrilled to share an amazing cellist (check wonderful Lisa Watchorn’s hypnotising “I’m alive” below) as well as fun and spunky drinks from Fentimens, an ecofriendly soda pop company (Their drinks are botanically brewed and delicious! Yeay!) Our goodie bags are sponsored by our partner and biggest in UK renewable energy supplier, Ecotricity, and also full of lovely ecofriendly goodies, of which nobody will want to miss!
We can’t wait and hope to CELEBRATE WITH YOU ALL on the 5th August!
Lost Property is an amazing accessories brand that is striving to limit their environmental impact. Their tactics are true to tradition and they utilize discarded and salvaged fabrics to create useful but unique accessories. This London based brand uses the finest fittings as apart of their production process. Also the company incorporates vegetable tanners rather than harsh chemical tanners for their items. We loved them shooting at Green Lens and can’t wait to see their newest Fall collection!
Come What May, We're Riding All the Way!
To support this year’s Bike Week taking place 13-21st June, what better way is there for celebrating the joy of a bike ride than by cycling along with friends in a sunny afternoon?
We are, thus, organising a fun ride on the 14th of June, in a tradition of Green Lens' season bike ride up the Liver Lee to Broxbourne. Our aim is to promote everyday cycling and to help build on the momentum gained within the national-wide Bike Week campaign, where more than half a million will ride their bikes to increase awareness on the health, social and environmental benefits that this alternative means of transportation, brings about.
We will hop on our bikes at 12:00 am to reach the final destination at 3 pm. We will have a great opportunity of exploring St Augustine's Church near Broxbourne - a beautiful Grade 1 listed church with many fascinating stories from history and points of special interest - and enjoy a delicious picnic/pub lunch at the Crown Pub, after crossing the finish line.
Our meeting point, Green Lens Studios, located at 4a Atterbury Road, N4 1SF, will be opened from 11:00 am on the day to warmly welcome all of you, happy cyclists, who fancy joining us in this adventure.
We are taking our role as the first sustainable photographic studio in the UK seriously (fun) and we’d be thrilled having as many of you as possible embarking on a sustainable living as well! Cycling everyday is an easy way!
Check out our Facebook event to keep yourself in the loop with the latest details.
On the 20th of November Green Lens Studios will be showing an exhibition by Jane Orrell. Carbon Footprints is a series of multimedia based drawing, print and film based works, made by Liverpool based artist Jane Orrell. Following a twenty year career in the healing arts of holistic massage and yoga practice she uses this experience to produce large-scale artworks.
Her work seeks to reconcile the spiritual with the human body form and the digital media. Inspired by meditation, the artwork 'becomes itself' as her practice unfolds. Her practice is underpinned by experimenting with the transient, be that in its controlled yogic forms or in a more abstract exploration into the mark making process.
Vivienne Westwood joined us at Green Lens Studios to film the End Ecocide campaign video. She spoke inspiringly about the movement:
Who are we? We are human beings. We fight each other, we kill each other, we don’t care how we treat every life form on the planet, it’s something we just make use of. We are losing our humanity, our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of other people.
We face the biggest problem that the human race has ever faced which is that we’re in the process of destroying the planet and ourselves and everything on it. I don’t believe in the whole of the universe there happens to be another planet like this. It’s a complete accident. The accident is so special that most scientists would think it’s impossible for it to exist anywhere else even if the universe is endless.
Here we are at this point in time and we are not taking this seriously at all. The problem that’s caused it all is the problem we’re still dealing with. We’re still dealing in killing we’re still dealing in exploiting all the earth for personal gain.
That’s what causes war. All our wars are caused by exploiting the land for cheap labour and for the treasures that are in the ground of it and now we’re exploiting even the very top soil.
Our whole system that’s caused it is not telling us this. They’re trying to avoid telling it to us because whoever is in charge, our rulers are still interested in making that last profit, for what, for what, for what?
If we converted to a green economy we would have a wonderful world, a world which didn’t need to exploit the earth. We could live beautifully, we could evolve into superior beings than we are. Instead of which we just keep on somehow doing the same thing.
Most of us don’t want this. We want a better world and I believe we really could have one. Anyway the idea that we’ve got here is that ecocide should be a crime. The crime of killing life in any way should be a crime. Ecocide is a way of killing all life on the planet eventually and so what we’re trying to do is to get people to acknowledge that it is a crime that can be legally enforced and that we can prosecute the people who wish to do this. They do it purposefully and for a profit, this is madness.
What I care about is the child that’s just been born. I mean we don’t want it to be blown sky high with a bomb, we don’t want something even worse probably to happen to it, but we’re prepared to do this, we’re prepared to just kill each other, to cut each others arms and legs off, just kill each other. Anyway why don’t we stop?
Even to constantly mention the word is really important. Ecocide, it means killing life. What I want to say is that there really are solutions that could be implemented very, very quickly. We could save the planet but nobody is really focusing properly and this film is a brilliant way because we’re trying always to get people to focus on the problem. Anyway our politicians are stupid and we have to do something about it.
Find out more about End Ecocide at www.endecocide.org
Green Lens is starting a new series of weekly morning yoga classes with Mayan Patel. Drop in at 9.30am on Saturdays to begin or develop your yoga practice.
Mayan style of teaching differs from many of Londons crammed yoga classes, where teachers are under pressure to quickly show exciting postures in a short time frame.
Mayan puts an emphasis on the basics of breathing, a vital building block for establishing a consistent and fruitful yoga practice of your own.
Whilst he is educated in traditional Ashtanga techniques, Mayan’s teaching also includes somatic and improvised movement practices.
He has trained with high profile teachers around the world and is RYT200 Yoga Alliance certified. We can’t wait to start classes with such an inspiring and experienced teacher!
We were recently visited by screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe Terry Gilliam for an interview by the Oscars Academy right here in the heart of sunny Haringey!
One of cinema's few uncompromising iconoclasts, we’re lifelong fans of Gilliam’s work here at Green Lens, especially his weird and wonderful animations from his early years in the UK. His cut out animations are, he says, the most simple and direct way for him to put out his ideas: the fascinating archive footage below reveals the secrets of those classic and hilariously creative Monty Python sketches.
We were excited to have Rella shoot their Late Summer Range here at Green Lens Studios recently. This fresh lifestyle brand produce ethical menswear with innovative designs by a host of young creatives. Each Rella collection is truly unique as every piece carries its own story, illustrated on the recycled swing tag on every item. Co-founder, Maryam Mazraei says:
"most of the designs particularly the Blue Bird and the Tiger Back Print are from Japanese art. There are also some different additions to the features of the clothing such as the material used for the neck is no longer rib but self fabric so it feel less constraining around your neck alongside keeping the length of the front the same as the back with the slits still on the sides."
The swing tags inform the buyers of the history behind the design of their purchase, for example the Darth Rella t-shirt (feature in this range with short sleeves) was created from an image of the 'Brixton Come Together' Festival in 2012, experimented with to create this mesmerizing kaleidoscopic pattern.
To find out more about the Rella brand follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
ARE YOU A BLOGGER WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH THE PACE OF ONLINE AND HAVE AN INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY, DIGITAL MEDIA, SOCIAL NETWORKING, AND ONLINE COMMUNICATION? THIS MIGHT JUST BE THE INTERNSHIP FOR YOU.
You will be involved in all aspects of generating content for the Green Lens Studios’ website (e.g. researching new content, staying up-to-date with the latest trends in contemporary photography and sustainable practices etc.) You will work together with the Online Editor to create a dynamic platform for the discussion of contemporary photography. You will also assist in managing Green Lens’ social media presence on well-established channels such as Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Pinterest. You are a native English-speaker and have excellent writing skills. You are enthusiastic, ambitious, flexible, and can work well independently as well as in smaller teams. Knowledge of HTM5 and WordPress would be an advantage.The internship is a full-time position for a period of six months. To apply, please send your CV, a brief cover letter, and any writing samples before Monday 1 September, to info@greenlenstudios.com
Before the days of cameras, drawing was all the rage. And still, the pencil has the power when it comes to learning how to see like an artist. The Green Lens Drawing Course kicks off on the 10th May, and covers still life, life drawing and a craft in a range of media. Suitable for all levels, it’s made up of five afternoon sessions – and you can find out more here:
A photographic exhibition by Homer Sykes, recording the site of the Olympic Park in 2006-2007
The Blue Wall was the surrounding wall that was erected to prevent access to the Olympic site in 2007. Photographs were taken from soon after the successful bid, known as “The Bid” was announced in 2006 up until the Blue Wall went up in 2007. No photographer was allowed inside the area from this moment on.
In 2006, searching again to record for posterity a neglected moment in time, Homer made it his personal project to explore the future site of the Olympic Park – soon to be encircled by a barrage of hype… and by the anonymous and blandly forbidding Blue Wall. There he discovered a curious mix of wildflower meadows alongside neglected sports fields, semi-derelict 19th c industrial buildings sprawling cheek by jowl with unidentifiable dwellings cloaked in ivy – an almost rural atmosphere emanating against all odds from the urban blight – as evidenced too by a pair of pensioners peaceably fishing side by side. These simpler times will not come again. They were… Before the Blue Wall.
The exhibition will be open
from July 12-July 25 2012, Mon-Sat 10am-6pm
Green Lens Studios is committed to spreading its message about sustainability and promoting the work of artists and designers who have green issues in mind. For this blog post we had a root through our bookshelves (and Google) to find a few memorable projects relating to green or environmental themes, especially those involving photography…
1. Chris Jordan – Midway
Chris Jordan’s series demonstrates the awful and deadly effects of ocean littering on seabirds, which die when they have ingested too many plastic objects, mistaken for food.
2. Antti Laitinen – Growler
Antti Laitinen’s art project is perhaps more light hearted. Behind the humour of the situation Laitinen created and documented, we think ‘Growler’ demonstrates an environmental message; that we cannot hope to simply restore or replace what is lost from the natural world.
3. Edward Burtynsky – Oil
Burtynsky’s photographs are a stark reminder of the extent to which our world depends on oil, and the way this shapes our landscapes.
4. Daniel Beltrá – Spill
Remember the BP oil disaster in 2010? Photographer Daniel Beltra made some striking images around the scenes, which were recently shortlisted for the Prix Pictet. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil gushed out into the sea at the Gulf of Mexico, over an 87 day period. Beltrá’s statement puts things into perspective: “Every day in the United States, we use four times the volume of the oil released into the Gulf.” – surely an unsustainable prospect.
5. Pieter Hugo – Permanent Error
http://www.pieterhugo.com/permanent-error/
Permanent Error is a sobering look at the harsh reality of the waste produced by Western digital & technological consumerism, and the people who work on vast dumping grounds in Ghana where many obsolete devices are eventually destroyed.
If you know any others we’ve missed, please feel free to send them our way!
Low-carbon technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and biomass boilers let you generate your own energy, saving money and reducing your carbon footprint in the process. What’s more, with government financial incentives available, it’s never been a better time to install. Find out more now!
There are lots of good reasons to use renewables. You will be:
- making use of secure, local resources
- reducing your dependence on non-renewable energy
- helping to keep the air clean
- helping to reduce the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases ( find out why your carbon footprint matters)
- creating new jobs in renewable energy industries
- saving and even earning money.
We are excited to note a fantastic partnership between Green Lens Studios and Ecotricity.
We feel inspired to the current changes being made in the innovation of energy use in Britain. We believe it is important to work with them in order to build new sources of Green Energy – from the Wind, the Sun and soon Sea - they call this turning “bills into mills”.
Ecotricty encompasses an innovative scheme that cuts the carbon footprint on a national level.
To celebrate our partnership, we are offering you 30 per cent off all Green Lens Studio services if you switch to Ecotricity. Just visit their website or call them on 08000 302 302 quoting GLS1 and they’ll do the rest for you.
We hope you will take the time to consider this proposal.
We are excited to announce a fantastic partnership between Green Lens Studios and Ecotricity.
We feel inspired to the current changes being made in the innovation of energy use in Britain. We believe it is important to work with them in order to build new sources of Green Energy – from the Wind, the Sun and soon Sea – they call this turning “bills into mills”.
Ecotricty encompasses an innovative scheme that cuts the carbon footprint on a national level.
To celebrate our partnership, we are offering you 30 per cent off all Green Lens Studio services if you switch to Ecotricity. Just visit their website or call them on 08000 302 302 quoting GLS1 and they’ll do the rest for you.
This article was published in Info 4 Outlaws, the official Just Do It newspaper. If you’re interested in seeing Just Do It, the acclaimed feature documentary about climate activism, then come to our screening on 26th March at Green Lens Studios.
Pretending the Problem Isn’t There Isn’t Going to Make It Go Away Either..
If you wanted to design the ultimate climate activist’s dilemma, you couldn’t do much better than aviation. Let’s face it: being able to fly to other countries is pretty damn cool.
But flying comes with a carbon price tag that we can’t afford to pay. The figures are truly staggering: a short-haul flight emits about a tonne of CO2. the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport – thankfully cancelled – would have emitted the same amount of CO2 as Kenya. You can leave the car at home and turn off your telly at the wall, but hop on a plane and all the good you’re doing is wiped out in the time it takes to call RyanAir and book a window seat.
If that isn’t enough to make you reach for the in-flight sick bag, how’s this: the complex mix of chemicals that pour out of a plane’s engines and the height at which they’re emitted has a multiplying effect scientists call radiative forcing. In layperson’s terms, it means you can take those emissions and double them to get the real-world climate impact.
Take radiative forcing into account and that round-trip flight to Australia costs you the same amount of CO2 as the average person in the UK emits in an entire year (and people in the UK fly more than in any other country on earth.)
The aviation industry wants you to think there’s a quick fix. We’ve seen aeroplanes running on algae; aeroplanes with solar panels on the wings and aeroplanes which look awesome on paper but which will never get off the ground. Unfortunately, none of them work.
Behind this blatant greenwash, the industry employs an army of lobbyists to push for more airports, bigger runways, to scupper environmental legislation and to make sure that it keeps receiving massive tax breaks from the government. Unlike any other form of transport, they don’t pay any tax on the fuel they use, and the massive public investment in airports acts as a huge subsidy too.
Research shows that its only 10% of the population taking 46% of the flights, so we should start by addressing those frequent business flyers and 4-times-a-year stag weekends in Barcelona. In the slightly longer term, there are a lot of tricky questions that we need to address in terms of the reality of the threat we’re facing and the role that air travel plays as part of it. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to go to the pebbly beach in Brighton, close your eyes and pretend you’re in the Bahamas, but pretending the problem isn’t there isn’t going to make it go away either.
The new infrastructure most airports need to increase their capacity makes them vulnerable to direct action when construction is going on. The 3rd runway at Heathrow was a done deal, but through a diversity of tactics the impossible has happened – expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted have all been cancelled. However, the Tories are quite happy to wave through expansion in places where they can get away with it. If one of them is near you, it’s almost certainly the biggest carbon emitter in the area. Manchester, Southend, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Bristol are all due to start construction projects soon. Get in touch.
Article published in Info 4 Outlaws the official Just Do It newspaper
Find out more at www.planestupid.com
We came across Thousand Suns doing a Google App key-studies for Google. We adored their products so much that we ended up photographing them all (see some below).
Solarpods are really great, here are our top 5 Reasons to Love this versatile, eco-friendly product!
1. First off has to be the creators of Solarpod, Thousand Suns’ ethical credentials. They’ve created a product that can run of only the solar energy yet rival gas guzzling generators. Even their production line is based in a small factory in France which provides work opportunities for people with disabilities.
2. The Solarpod is powerful and versatile, it contains a high performance lithium Iron Phosphate battery which is safe and environmentally friendly. It is fitted with a 400W inverter, a UK 3-pin socket, 2 USB ports and a 12V car socket. It can be charged either with solar panels or by plugging it directly into the mains. With a charging time of five to six hours the Solarpod can run a 40W TV for six hours or charge a smartphone 40 times.
3. Its sleek design makes it a compact and desirable object. The Solarpod has been described as a “unit that looks more like an Apple computer than a clunky diesel generator”. The unfoldable panels for charging the unit also come in a handy briefcase shape. The Solarpod is portable and practical enough to take it with you wherever you’re heading.
4. There are so many uses for the eco-friendly product. Thousand Suns said “The initial market was thought to be those who owned beach houses; it would be used to run things such as a small fridge or a TV”. Since then the potential for a variety of uses has become clear. Not just the environmentally conscientious but all those who might have limited or no access to the grid: from fishermen to festival goers, caravan users to campers. The Solarpod can be used in disaster stricken countries or for back up in rural areas with unreliable power supplies. It is great for running a stall at a market, trade show or exhibition or could be used to rent out power at a festival or on a cruise.
5. Last but certainly not least comes Solarpod’s little brother the Solarpod Buddy, a portable, pocket-sized solar charger for your personal gadgets, smartphones, MP3 players or GPS devices. You can plug into the USB port of the Buddy, which comes with a range of popular mobile phone tips (including apple) to attach to the charger cable.
To see some more examples of our product photography click here.
