Bud Porn: Who's got the biggest?

When it comes to how the five senses perceive cannabis, the nose will always be king. However, the eyes are not far behind and are extremely important for finding flaws in your buds, such as mould, mites and other undesirable characteristics. Then, after analysing the overall health of the plant and its harvest, you will find vivid shades of violet, blue or scarlet, milky or amber trichomes, and rusty cinnamon-coloured pistils that can remind you of anything from a sunset to a snow-covered Christmas tree. Eyes help users see what all the beauty of this plant really is! And the ongoing legalisation that is spreading around the world has made 'Bud Porn' a key marketing strategy in the cannabis industry.

'Bud porn' is a term used to describe images of cannabis. Also known as 'green porn', it is based on showing photographs that focus on the unique characteristics of the plants. Beautiful varieties grown in incredible environments, towering weed bushes that look like pine trees or magnificent strains planted in pots that allow you to feast your eyes on the colours of their leaves and their sexy trichomes. But mostly buds, huge, fantastic buds, the bigger the better, sometimes shown in comparison to human arms or in front of the basic unit of measurement in bud porn: a can of soda (or a clipper lighter for those not so adept at growing).

These days, Instagram is home to a veritable cornucopia of weed pornography. Amazingly detailed images are available on thousands of amateur and professional accounts, and thanks to the democratisation of publishing made possible by the app, anyone with skill can gain an audience as a cannabis photographer.

Cannabis seed banks and, in general, any weed-related brand, also rely on these images to attract potential customers to their products through social networks, while canna influencers fill their walls with these photographs and, in general, every grower who is proud of his achievements doesn't hesitate to show them to the world to try and garner the recognition and applause of thousands of lovers of this plant.

Since 1974, when High Times magazine published its first centrefold on a marijuana plant in its autumn issue, hinting at a different and distant world, cannabis photography has come a long way, both technically and artistically, with the launch of a myriad of other publications dedicated to the plant, where the covers and centrefolds show cannabis as if it were a real top model. And with the marketing avalanche brought about by legalisation, and coinciding with the explosive growth of social media, a new day has dawned in the era of weed pornography.

Photography, an essential element in cannabis normalisation

Just as art pornography and food pornography have a niche on the internet and various social media platforms, cannabis pornography is becoming a big thing, as it could be the most prominent strategy in history to raise awareness and advertise cannabis products.

The spread of cannabis legalisation around the world means that more investors will be looking for ways to jump on the bandwagon, while at the same time companies will be looking for ways to market their products properly - what better way than to do this than with fascinating pictures of the plant and its processed products? It is time for the cannabis industry to improve its marketing strategies to appeal to a different audience, which could be younger, hipper or even a less obvious group of smokers and stoners.

It wouldn't hurt to appeal to people who don't have an existing connection to this market, bringing into the industry, for example, older adults in search of alternative medicine. These photographs invite users from all over the world to educate themselves about the plant, especially now that weed is legal in more and more countries and cannabis companies are popping up all over the place.

This is because cannabis photography can help make the industry look stylish, intriguing, complex and, most importantly, modern. With the right photographic skills and creativity, all aspects of the plant can be highlighted in a natural or man-made environment by the use of vibrant images.

The main goal of these photographs is to help consumers gain a deeper understanding of the plants just by looking at them. Of course, it is not every day that cannabis photographers choose strains worth immortalising, but when they do, it is always captivating. And it's even more special when these photographers can capture the real-life feel of these plants. Imagine the joy consumers feel when they grow a cannabis plant and it looks exactly as shown in the pictures.

High resolution - a new frontier for green porn

But all that glitters is not all green. Through the macro lens of photographers, whether professional or amateur, consumers can also zoom in and see the shiny, almost invisible elements on the surface of flowers because much of the weed pornography produced today focuses on the tiny mushroom-shaped glands known as trichomes, which produce THC and other cannabinoids. Only 50 to 100 microns wide, trichomes cover the surface of the cannabis flower in a translucent carpet. And through these images and other marketing strategies, cannabis is becoming a sensual and glossy subject. The stigma associated with cannabis is also gradually being dispelled by showing the most intimate parts of a plant as if they were jewellery.

In addition to photographs of cannabis buds, plants or trichomes, much 'Bud Porn' is also about photographing cannabis extractions such as hashish, solvent-based concentrates or even crystalline extracts. These products represent a growing part of the cannabis market, but their unique properties present new challenges for this type of weed porn. If it's hard enough to photograph a bud (and make it look stunning), imagine photographing a multi-faceted THC diamond with a surface like a mirror.

Because cannabis is more than just a green leaf, it is a plant with a wide range of colours and shades ranging from blood red to purple buds and trichomes that can reflect a rainbow. If this trend of bud pornography continues, the icon of the green weed leaf could be replaced by something more spectacular. And there is no denying that cannabis imagery works wonders in attracting consumers, as these examples of the most successful themes for showing the cannabis plant as the girl of our dreams: