Cannabis is undoubtedly one of the most uniquely beautiful plants in nature. And in a world where images have become everything (thank you, social media) taking pictures of cannabis has evolved just about as much as its legal status. Where weed was once illegal and pictures of the plant were displayed in counterculture mags like High Times, these days weed is legal in several states and there are images of it all over the internet. Anyone who grows weed undoubtedly enjoys taking pictures of their plants. Weed porn is on fire these days, with stunning images of cannabis all over Instagram. Want to learn how to take good pictures of your weed? Check out the following tips for taking pro-status pics of your pot.

Lighting is Everything

The right light will make your weed images pop. You might want to consider using a flash to bring out the fine details of your grow. Here’s the thing, though. While the flash will work great, in some cases it can make the lighting on your images too harsh. Soft lighting works wonders and can soften the shadows that are often captured when using a flash. You can use a sheet of white paper to bounce the light off your subject, creating a softer image that is much more appealing to the eye.

Outdoor lighting is a whole new game. The “Golden Hours” for taking outdoor shots are an hour before sunrise and an hour before sunset. Taking shots at these times of day will cast a golden glow on the images you capture. The light during these times is also typically very soft, which is exactly what you want to capture gorgeous images of your ganja garden. The hours just before sunset will also offer a warmer glow for your images as the sun begins to shift in the sky.

Think About Your Background

Are you growing indoors or out? Do you want to take pictures of your entire plant or just close-ups of those gorgeous dense nugs? The background of your picture is almost as important as the picture itself. If you’re taking pics of an indoor ganja garden, the last thing you want is all your equipment in your image. If this is what you’re going for, cool. But to make eye candy images, keep in mind that the whole shot needs to be super sweet. If you’re going for whole plant shots indoors, think about putting them against a white background to make your images really pop.

The background for outdoor grows is a different story. Here it’s just your plants in their natural environment doing their thing. You can typically get stellar shots in outdoor settings, granted your plants aren’t surrounded by a bunch of unappealing yard trash or other junk.

Keep Your Camera Steady

Great photographers know that keeping their camera steady is vital for getting great shots. While holding your camera in hand can work for good shots, using a tripod to keep your camera stable in one spot works even better. Tripods not only work great for keeping your camera steady so you can get good shots but also allow you to take shots from a variety of different angles.

If you’re using a smartphone, there are tripods made especially for them. They can be found easily online to fit anyone’s budget, making it easy to get those steady shots without shelling out a lot of cash.

Don’t want to invest in a tripod? You can still get steady shots by propping your camera or phone on a table, chair, or stack of books. You can use pretty much anything that will hold your camera steady and stable. This method can be hard to get good angles though, making the small investment worth your while if you want those clean, crisp images that make your weed look its best.

Use a Macro Lens For Close Up Pictures

All the closeup images you see of cannabis dripping with detail (and sticky trichomes) are taken with a macro lens. Using a macro lens allows photographers to get up close and personal with the subjects they’re shooting, bringing out the smallest details a normal lens would leave out.

If you’re using a decent digital camera, it likely has a macro setting. Using this setting will allow you to hone in on the finest of details of your plants. You can even get a macro lens for your smartphone, most of which are totally affordable.

Want to capture an image of the pistils as your flowers begin to bloom? A macro lens will help you get these super close up creative cannabis shots that would be impossible to capture without it. Get up close and personal with the alien-like world of cultivating cannabis that isn’t visible to the naked eye!

Edit, Edit, Edit

You can take the great shots you captured and make them even better by editing your images. With the advent of modern technology, there are countless computer programs and smartphone apps that will really bring your pictures to life. You can modify the lighting, shadows, depth, and color of your weed pics to make them as stunning as they deserve to be.

We recommend getting acquainted with Adobe Lightroom. Taking pics on your phone? There's also a Lightroom mobile app with all the tools you need for making a good picture great. Editing is the final touch of taking good pictures of your garden you can be proud of.