diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 15eea1a7..ffb3fa35 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ Installation
 
 ### 6. Optional configuration
 
-- `NEXT_PUBLIC_PRO_MODE = 1` enables higher quality image storage
+- `NEXT_PUBLIC_PRO_MODE = 1` enables higher quality image storage (will result in increased storage usage)
+- `NEXT_PUBLIC_BLUR_DISABLED = 1` prevents image blur data being stored and displayed (potentially useful for limiting Postgres usage)
 - `NEXT_PUBLIC_GEO_PRIVACY = 1` disables collection/display of location-based data
 - `NEXT_PUBLIC_IGNORE_PRIORITY_ORDER = 1` prevents `priority_order` field affecting photo order
 - `NEXT_PUBLIC_PUBLIC_API = 1` enables public API available at `/api`
diff --git a/src/components/ImageBlurFallback.tsx b/src/components/ImageBlurFallback.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d34c1fc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/ImageBlurFallback.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { BLUR_ENABLED } from '@/site/config';
+import clsx from 'clsx/lite';
+import Image, { ImageProps } from 'next/image';
+
+export default function ImageBlurFallback(props: ImageProps) {
+  return (
+    // eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/alt-text
+    <Image {...{
+      ...props,
+      ...BLUR_ENABLED && props.blurDataURL ? {
+        placeholder: 'blur',
+        blurDataURL: props.blurDataURL,
+      }: {
+        placeholder: 'empty',
+        className: clsx(
+          props.className,
+          'bg-gray-100/50 dark:bg-gray-900/50',
+        ),
+      },
+    }} />
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/components/ImageLarge.tsx b/src/components/ImageLarge.tsx
index 10ed1abf..927fb64e 100644
--- a/src/components/ImageLarge.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ImageLarge.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { IMAGE_LARGE_WIDTH } from '@/site';
-import Image from 'next/image';
 import Link from 'next/link';
+import ImageBlurFallback from './ImageBlurFallback';
 
 export default function ImageLarge({
   className,
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ export default function ImageLarge({
   src: string
   alt: string
   aspectRatio: number
-  blurData: string
+  blurData?: string
   priority?: boolean
 }) {
   return (
@@ -24,13 +24,12 @@ export default function ImageLarge({
       href={href}
       className="active:brightness-75"
     >
-      <Image {...{
+      <ImageBlurFallback {...{
         className,
         src,
         alt,
         priority,
         blurDataURL: blurData,
-        placeholder: 'blur',
         width: IMAGE_LARGE_WIDTH,
         height: Math.round(IMAGE_LARGE_WIDTH / aspectRatio),
       }} />
diff --git a/src/components/ImageSmall.tsx b/src/components/ImageSmall.tsx
index 9822b02f..5c8cfec8 100644
--- a/src/components/ImageSmall.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ImageSmall.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { IMAGE_SMALL_WIDTH } from '@/site';
-import Image from 'next/image';
+import ImageBlurFallback from './ImageBlurFallback';
 
 export default function ImageSmall({
   className,
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ export default function ImageSmall({
   src: string
   alt: string
   aspectRatio: number
-  blurData: string
+  blurData?: string
 }) {
   return (
-    <Image {...{
+    <ImageBlurFallback {...{
       className,
       src,
       alt,
diff --git a/src/components/ImageTiny.tsx b/src/components/ImageTiny.tsx
index cbed91bc..ac1cbff3 100644
--- a/src/components/ImageTiny.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ImageTiny.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { IMAGE_TINY_WIDTH } from '@/site';
-import Image from 'next/image';
+import ImageBlurFallback from './ImageBlurFallback';
 
 export default function ImageTiny({
   className,
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export default function ImageTiny({
   blurData?: string
 }) {
   return (
-    <Image {...{
+    <ImageBlurFallback {...{
       className,
       src,
       alt,
diff --git a/src/photo/PhotoForm.tsx b/src/photo/PhotoForm.tsx
index cd9a50a5..a25fdc0b 100644
--- a/src/photo/PhotoForm.tsx
+++ b/src/photo/PhotoForm.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import {
   isFormValid,
 } from './form';
 import FieldSetWithStatus from '@/components/FieldSetWithStatus';
-import NextImage from 'next/image';
 import { createPhotoAction, updatePhotoAction } from './actions';
 import SubmitButtonWithStatus from '@/components/SubmitButtonWithStatus';
 import Link from 'next/link';
@@ -22,6 +21,8 @@ import {
 } from '@/utility/date';
 import { toastSuccess, toastWarning } from '@/toast';
 import { getDimensionsFromSize } from '@/utility/size';
+import ImageBlurFallback from '@/components/ImageBlurFallback';
+import { BLUR_ENABLED } from '@/site/config';
 
 const THUMBNAIL_SIZE = 300;
 
@@ -97,16 +98,18 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
   const url = formData.url ?? '';
 
   const updateBlurData = useCallback((blurData: string) => {
-    setFormData(data => ({
-      ...data,
-      blurData,
-    }));
+    if (BLUR_ENABLED) {
+      setFormData(data => ({
+        ...data,
+        blurData,
+      }));
+    }
   }, []);
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-8 max-w-[38rem]">
       <div className="flex gap-2">
-        <NextImage
+        <ImageBlurFallback
           alt="Upload"
           src={url}
           className={clsx(
diff --git a/src/photo/form.ts b/src/photo/form.ts
index 6e243165..ea7219b4 100644
--- a/src/photo/form.ts
+++ b/src/photo/form.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {
   MAKE_FUJIFILM,
 } from '@/vendors/fujifilm';
 import { FilmSimulation } from '@/simulation';
-import { GEO_PRIVACY_ENABLED } from '@/site/config';
+import { BLUR_ENABLED, GEO_PRIVACY_ENABLED } from '@/site/config';
 import { TAG_FAVS, doesTagsStringIncludeFavs } from '@/tag';
 
 type VirtualFields = 'favorite';
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ type FormMeta = {
   readOnly?: boolean
   validate?: (value?: string) => string | undefined
   capitalize?: boolean
+  hide?: boolean
   hideIfEmpty?: boolean
-  hideTemporarily?: boolean
   hideBasedOnCamera?: (make?: string, mode?: string) => boolean
   loadingMessage?: string
   checkbox?: boolean
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ const FORM_METADATA: Record<keyof PhotoFormData, FormMeta> = {
   blurData: {
     label: 'blur data',
     readOnly: true,
-    required: true,
+    required: BLUR_ENABLED,
+    hideIfEmpty: !BLUR_ENABLED,
     loadingMessage: 'Generating blur data ...',
   },
   url: { label: 'url', readOnly: true },
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ const FORM_METADATA: Record<keyof PhotoFormData, FormMeta> = {
   iso: { label: 'ISO' },
   exposureTime: { label: 'exposure time' },
   exposureCompensation: { label: 'exposure compensation' },
-  locationName: { label: 'location name', hideTemporarily: true },
+  locationName: { label: 'location name', hide: true },
   latitude: { label: 'latitude' },
   longitude: { label: 'longitude' },
   takenAt: { label: 'taken at' },
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ const FORM_METADATA: Record<keyof PhotoFormData, FormMeta> = {
 
 export const FORM_METADATA_ENTRIES =
   (Object.entries(FORM_METADATA) as [keyof PhotoFormData, FormMeta][])
-    .filter(([_, meta]) => !meta.hideTemporarily);
+    .filter(([_, meta]) => !meta.hide);
 
 export const convertFormKeysToLabels = (keys: (keyof PhotoFormData)[]) =>
   keys.map(key => FORM_METADATA[key].label.toUpperCase());
diff --git a/src/photo/index.ts b/src/photo/index.ts
index bef1ae1b..1a06ec6c 100644
--- a/src/photo/index.ts
+++ b/src/photo/index.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export interface PhotoDbInsert extends PhotoExif {
   id: string
   url: string
   extension: string
-  blurData: string
+  blurData?: string
   title?: string
   tags?: string[]
   locationName?: string
diff --git a/src/site/SiteChecklistClient.tsx b/src/site/SiteChecklistClient.tsx
index fb940901..e69b363d 100644
--- a/src/site/SiteChecklistClient.tsx
+++ b/src/site/SiteChecklistClient.tsx
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export default function SiteChecklistClient({
   showFilmSimulations,
   showExifInfo,
   isProModeEnabled,
+  isBlurEnabled,
   isGeoPrivacyEnabled,
   isPriorityOrderEnabled,
   isPublicApiEnabled,
@@ -270,6 +271,16 @@ export default function SiteChecklistClient({
           higher quality image storage:
           {renderEnvVars(['NEXT_PUBLIC_PRO_MODE'])}
         </ChecklistRow>
+        <ChecklistRow
+          title="Image Blur"
+          status={isBlurEnabled}
+          isPending={isPendingPage}
+          optional
+        >
+          Set environment variable to {'"1"'} to prevent
+          image blur data being stored and displayed
+          {renderEnvVars(['NEXT_PUBLIC_BLUR_DISABLED'])}
+        </ChecklistRow>
         <ChecklistRow
           title="Geo Privacy"
           status={isGeoPrivacyEnabled}
diff --git a/src/site/config.ts b/src/site/config.ts
index bb7f8212..8ced3013 100644
--- a/src/site/config.ts
+++ b/src/site/config.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ export const CURRENT_STORAGE: StorageType =
 // SETTINGS
 
 export const PRO_MODE_ENABLED = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_PRO_MODE === '1';
+export const BLUR_ENABLED = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BLUR_DISABLED !== '1';
 export const GEO_PRIVACY_ENABLED = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_GEO_PRIVACY === '1';
 export const PRIORITY_ORDER_ENABLED =
   process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_IGNORE_PRIORITY_ORDER !== '1';
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ export const CONFIG_CHECKLIST_STATUS = {
   showFilmSimulations: SHOW_FILM_SIMULATIONS,
   showExifInfo: SHOW_EXIF_DATA,
   isProModeEnabled: PRO_MODE_ENABLED,
+  isBlurEnabled: BLUR_ENABLED,
   isGeoPrivacyEnabled: GEO_PRIVACY_ENABLED,
   isPriorityOrderEnabled: PRIORITY_ORDER_ENABLED,
   isPublicApiEnabled: PUBLIC_API_ENABLED,