After his picture of a joint took off on social media, Antoine Vautherot knew that he needed to do something with the photos he was taking.
“I’ve always enjoyed making my joints very pretty and one day I took a picture which completely went viral, I really didn’t expect that at all,” said Vautherot who, months later, still can’t believe the reaction to his work.
Since moving to Vancouver from Australia six months ago, Vautherot (who originally hails from France) said the city has exceeded all of his expectations and made him believe that he might be able to combine his passion for photography and cannabis.
“I’ve always dreamed of being involved with the cannabis industry, and here in Vancouver was the first time that it was actually reachable and I could actually do it,” he said.
Unlike other places he’s lived, Vautherot said Vancouver is so much more accepting of cannabis culture.
“I’ve been living here for six months, and I can’t even remember how difficult it was before,” he said. “It’s better than I ever thought, I couldn’t have expected it to be that good. That’s the biggest difference with Holland, where you pretty much have that same access but it’s for tourists. Here it’s for the Canadians, it’s in the culture, it’s accepted, it’s the way it is.”
Vautherot’s photos, that he said are often mistaken as artisanal sushi by non-smokers, showcase the colourful and delicate combination of extract and dried cannabis, sometimes taking hours just to prepare the shots.
“If someone even moves the table you have to start all over again, so you literally have to spend four or five times building the same joint over read over again. I’ve literally spent whole evening rolling them up to get them ready for shooting,” he said. “Even having the joint in front of you, it doesn’t look as good. I take 150 photos, at least, and then I’m on my computer trying to find the best angle that works the most.”
Even with his images getting praised by viewers, Vautherot said he struggled to come up with a way of marketing them.
“I was thinking, I’d love to have a calendar with my pictures on it, I’ll do it next year, and then suddenly it popped up — why don’t we do a calendar for us that will start on 4/20,” he said.
Vautherot’s calendars have been quick sellers, with all of his initial stock gone within the last week the self-taught photographer has ordered another shipment that he plans to sell at the 4/20 event at Sunset Beach.
You can see more of Vautherot’s work on his website naturalganjaphotography.com.