Bring Your Brand to Life with Cannabis Photography

In marketing, the old saying holds true: a picture is worth a thousand words. Humans respond to visual stimuli – and an evocative photo is a far more powerful storytelling tool than a wall of even the most eloquent text could ever be. In this article, we’ll cover cannabis photography, and how it can elevate absolutely any cannabis brand – plus, our guide to the best photographers serving the cannabis and CBD industries.

Why Professional Cannabis Photography is Essential

First impressions are crucial for any brand trying to stand out, and this is doubly true in the highly competitive nascent legal cannabis industry. High-quality images can truly make the difference between your brand coming across as legitimate, trustworthy, and high-caliber versus cheaply thrown together and fly-by-night. Even if the luxury market isn’t your target, don’t underestimate the necessity of high-quality marketing photos.

Not only do pictures tell a story about your brand and what you have to offer, but they also give novice cannabis consumers (and those who like planning ahead) clear expectations about your products or location. Pictures are an instantaneous way to catch and keep people’s attention. Great photos can even inspire other senses (such as smell, taste, and texture) to come alive in the viewer’s imagination, piquing a craving that they’ll associate with your product.

Where is Cannabis Marketing Photography Used?

The most common placement of cannabis and CBD marketing photos is on your company website. But other placements to consider include social media, blog posts, printed brochures or flyers, in-store signage, magazine spreads, and billboards. Photos can be especially helpful for brands trying to build a social media presence. Many popular social networks disallow cannabis-related text, making photographs an excellent storytelling tool that won’t break the rules and get your account banned.

Who Should Hire a Cannabis Photographer?

Virtually every single cannabis and CBD business out there can benefit from hiring a professional cannabis photographer, including:

• Any cannabis, hemp, CBD, or ancillary business with a website and/or social media presence
• Any company that produces, manufactures, distributes, or retails its own cannabis products
• Dispensaries, cannabis tour buses, and other businesses with a physical location that potential customers or clients may visit
• Cannabis lifestyle bloggers, podcasters, and influencers

Types of Cannabis Photography

• • Product Photography – High-quality cannabis product photography is crucial. This can include still-life or 360-degree images of products or packaging and macro photography of cannabis buds.

• • Lifestyle Photography – Lifestyle photos reflect your brand’s image and company culture, including the types of customers you want to appeal to or the iconic scenery of your location.
  • Business Photography – In a similar fashion to lifestyle photography, business photography is a great way to showcase your facility or your staff in action. Dispensary photos can ease the nerves of cannabis novices. Likewise, if you have staff that customers or clients will be interacting with on-site, photos can humanize your brand, building comfort and rapport before they even set foot on your premises.

• Headshots – Headshots are another great way to build consumer credibility, showcasing the founder, CEO, and other notable people behind your brand.
• Stock Photography – Stock photography is a less-expensive source of ready-made photo content. While many cannabis photographers offer beautiful stock photographs, it’s important to remember that these images can also be purchased and used by multiple other companies and organizations. Whenever possible, it’s better to opt for original photos to set your brand and products apart. However, stock photos do have their place, and can be a terrific and inexpensive accompaniment to blog posts or used as podcast covers.

Cannabis Videography

Video content is another highly-effective way to get your customers’ attention and evoke positive feelings about your brand. Many professional cannabis photographers and marijuana marketing firms also offer videography services. Here are some of the most effective ways for cannabusinesses to utilize video marketing.

• • Landing Page Videos – These videos are prominently placed on a website’s homepage, greeting visitors with information about your company’s values, mission, and products or services.
  • Social Media Content – If your company maintains a presence on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or any other video-heavy social networks, high-quality produced video content is a must.
  • Customer Testimonials – Customer testimonial videos create an atmosphere of trust for potential new customers as they research your product or service.
  • Event Coverage – Whether you’re hosting, vending, or sponsoring events, a well-produced video highlight reel is a superb way to show your customers what you’ve been up to and increase your brand’s clout.

• Educational Videos – Whether you share them on a YouTube channel, embedded within blog posts, or on your website’s “Resources” page, educational videos can go a long way in helping curious or trepidatious potential new customers feel at ease. Especially in the still oft-misunderstood cannabis and CBD industries, professionally produced cannabis educational videos can go a long way.
• Premises Tours – Another great way to build new customers’ comfort is a video premises tour. Whether you’re a cannabis grower, testing lab, or dispensary, a premises tour is a fun behind-the-scenes way to show visitors what your company’s made of.

Benefits of Using a Professional Cannabis Photographer

Professional Equipment

Despite recent advancements in smartphone cameras, there is truly no comparison when it comes to photos taken with high-grade equipment. In addition to DSLR cameras that capture crisp, vibrant, grain-free, high-definition images, professional photographers also have access to an arsenal of tools including tripods, lenses, lights, filters, reflectors, and backdrops that can dramatically increase the quality of an image. Some photographers even utilize drones, which can be especially useful for location shots.

Composition Expertise

Perhaps the greatest value of a professional photographer lies in composition expertise. Setting up the perfect shot is a far more intricate process than most may realize. From framing and angling the subject to creating the right lighting and contrast, professional photographers know what works (and what doesn’t) to create beautiful, engaging, eye-catching images.

Editing Skills

Even the most beautifully-shot photos require a little extra finesse to look their best. Professional editing is what turns great images into truly outstanding ones, and it’s another critical reason to enlist a professional cannabis photographer instead of attempting to DIY your photos.

Location, Prop, and Model Sourcing

An often overlooked aspect of marijuana photography is the sourcing of models, props, or even locations. Most professional photographers have a network of working models and favored shooting locations and can help you get the exact look you’re going for. Some cannabis photographers also shoot in a studio, which is ideal for product photos or headshots. Sometimes achieving the right vibe (particularly for cannabis lifestyle photography) might include sourcing additional props, such as outdoor gear (bicycles, skateboards, picnic baskets), luxe accessories, or whatever else fits the image of your target market.

Retainer Option

Furnishing your website, creating initial marketing materials, and getting pictures of your entire product catalog and staff headshots is a huge but necessary undertaking for a new (or rebranding) company. But photography generally shouldn’t be considered a “one and done” expense. While you certainly don’t have to redo your entire website spread every season, there will be occasions when updates are necessary, such as launching new products, renovating or opening new locations, and attending or hosting special events.

If your company maintains a social media presence or a blog, having a steady stream of interesting, relevant photos on hand is essential. Many cannabis photographers offer a retainer or subscription option, keeping themselves on call within specified parameters, and creating high-quality, on-brand visual content any time you need it.

Finding the Right Cannabis Photographer for You

Here are the essentials to consider when shopping around for a cannabis photographer:

• • Location – Naturally, your geographical location will affect the pool of cannabis photographers available to you. However, if your budget permits, a number of top cannabis photographers throughout the world are willing to travel to you.
  • Price – Photography can get pricey, but you really do get what you pay for and high-quality images are well worth the expense. Images are perhaps the most powerful marketing tool you have access to and can make the biggest lasting impression. Consider exactly what you need photos of and how much you can build into your budget for startup and ongoing photography services.
  • Field of Expertise – In the cannabis and CBD fields, working with photographers who understand the industry is crucial. From appealing to current consumer tastes to taking macro shots of cannabis buds, you need a photographer with a deep understanding of the story your photos need to tell. From there, ensure that whomever you hire is well-versed in the specific photo types you need, be it product photos, facility tours, headshots, or lifestyle shots. Also consider whether you’d prefer to hire a photographer a la carte, or have photography and/or videography services bundled in with other services from a full-service cannabis marketing company.

• Style and Portfolio – Any professional photographer worth hiring will be happy to share their portfolio with you. Additionally, they may also provide references from business or event websites featuring their work. Browsing a photographer’s portfolio is an excellent way to get a feel for their artistic style – and assess whether it’s a match for your vision.
• Reputation – A fantastic portfolio is only part of what makes a photographer worth working with. A reputation for being punctual, personable, dedicated to bringing clients’ individual visions to life, and getting photos back in a reasonable amount of time are all important considerations. Don’t be afraid to ask other local cannabusinesses for photographer recommendations. To aid your search, we’ve also included a list of the industry’s best cannabis, hemp, and CBD photographers, below.

The Best Cannabis Industry Photographers & Videographers