Professional Photos of Marijuana: How Hard Can Weed Really Be?

Taking professional photos of marijuana can seem easy to outsiders who aren’t familiar with the detail that great marijuana photography requires. Many a wedding or food photographer has been taken down by a cultivation that overwhelms newbie photogs. As in all great photography, the devil is in the details and quality professional photos of marijuana require the skillful eye of an experienced marijuana photographer and connoisseur. Just this last weekend our team spent an entire day outdoors working with Shannon Dorn of Dope Foto in Las Vegas to capture the true essence of a new marijuana infused product that will be hitting Nevada dispensaries this week. Here are some tips to help you identify a credible professional marijuana photographer: 

MARIJUANA EXPERT: Your marijuana photographer should be familiar with the different stages of marijuana cultivation, the marijuana extraction process, and what the marijuana consumer will be purchasing. If they don’t know the basics of strain development move onto someone else. After all, experts seem expensive until you try an amateur. If you are a serious marijuana brand it is worth investing in the visual images that will determine if a consumer will make purchases of your product.  

UNDERSTANDS YOUR TARGET MARKET: A professional marijuana photographer will take the time to fully understand who your target market is and how they will engage with the brand. They should provide you with some example shots and give you a diverse portfolio of work they have created recently. If they are still bragging about a photo shoot they did five years ago, run! You want someone who understands the technology to create great photography today. Photography- like all creative industries- changes month to month, so relying on old school techniques and technology won’t get you the best visual product. 

LIFESTYLE EXPERT: I always look for a professional marijuana photographer who is dialed into the marijuana community and understands the detail of the marijuana lifestyle in each market. It doesn’t matter if you are in Denver, Seattle, or Las Vegas- there is a unique cannabis community and you want your brand’s photos to represent the community. For example: in Las Vegas the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign is over done. It’s the last thing you’d want in your marketing to our cannabis community because it’s so kitschy. You want to endear your brand to the local community, so they warmly embrace and want to share your images. 

If you find yourself in Las Vegas and are looking for a capable, trustworthy marijuana photographer we have worked with Shannon Dorn at Dope Foto several times with great success, so feel free to connect with her!