Article by Tyler Curtis, Vice News

Marcus Gary “Bubbleman” Richardson makes his living photographing dank nugs and hash. Though he’s been passionate about weed since he was a teenager, Bubbleman’s spent his whole adult life working in Canada’s almost-legal weed industry. After moving to British Columbia in the 90s, he began working at the medicinal dispensary The BC Compassion Club, growing cannabis for terminally-ill patients. In 1999, he and his wife decided to start their own business selling Bubble Bags—plant essence extractors used to make bubble hash at home—and he needed to photograph the product in order to sell it online. This was the start of his two-decade passion (and side hustle) shooting the types of photos that make your average #weedporn snaps look like mere shake.

After shooting Bubble Bags and a few of his friends’ hand-blown glass pipes, Bubbleman “went a little bit deeper, and because of that I attracted like-minded people. These were people who wanted [to document]the best weed, but also had a little more vision.” Such people included weed advocates and contributors to publications like High Times, National Geographic, and Cannabis Now, all which have since featured his photographs of gorgeous, crystal-covered herb. I sat down with the Bubbleman to discuss life as a cannabis photographer, what makes his work stand out from the excess of weed porn that saturates the web, and how he’s managed to earn a huge online following and the respect of some of the country’s most vocal weed proponents.