Many photographers know firsthand the great deals they can score by purchasing used cameras and lenses, but an oft-ignored benefit of used photography marketplaces like KEH is their circularity. The more pre-owned cameras and lenses people buy and sell, the less equipment that sits useless or, worse yet, ends up in landfills. KEH’s partnership with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons demonstrates the power of photo gear circularity.
Full disclosure: While this story is not sponsored or endorsed in any way by KEH, it is worth noting that KEH is PetaPixel‘s preferred pre-owned gear partner.
Atlanta-based KEH became the official camera gear provider for the Atlanta Falcons football team last year, and helped the team switch over to Sony cameras and lenses ahead of the 2024 NFL season. As part of that switch and the photo gear partnership, the Falcons earned the KEH Circular Economy Partner award this past weekend.
“Since 1979, we’ve been on a mission to keep photo and video equipment in circulation and out of landfills. Every camera, lens, and accessory that gets traded in becomes part of our KEH Certified™ collection, ready to inspire the next photographer or videographer,” KEH explains. “The numbers speak for themselves: we’ve kept hundreds of thousands of cameras from becoming e-waste, putting them back into the hands of creatives who can give them new purpose.”
The KEH Circular Economy Partner award recognizes and celebrates organizations that actively practice sustainability, and KEH awards it to its partners who “demonstrate a genuine commitment to keeping photography and video equipment in circulation through their business decisions and equipment choices.”
As longtime participants in KEH’s trade-in programs, the Falcons organization has traded in over 200 pieces of gear, including cameras and lenses.
“KEH has helped elevate our photography by allowing us to trade in old gear for upgraded cameras and lenses, giving us the tools to capture some of our best work,” says Brandon Magnus, director of photography at AMB Sports and Entertainment, a subsidiary of AMBD Group LLL that oversees the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta United FC MLS club. “Just as important, through KEH’s Circular Economy Partner program, our retired equipment is given a second life instead of ending up as waste — reflecting our commitment to doing what’s right for the environment.”
Although the Falcons are uniquely positioned to trade in vast quantities of gear due to their organization’s size and photo/video needs, KEH notes that anyone can support a circular photo gear economy by trading in their gear and considering purchasing used equipment for their photo needs.
“Have gear sitting in your closet that deserves a new adventure?” KEH asks photographers. “Every camera, lens, or accessory you trade in keeps valuable equipment out of landfills and puts it in the hands of another creator who will love it as much as you did.”