The Highest Club

Tag: photography

  • How To Take Easy, High Quality Macro Photos Of Your Flower

    Whenever I get a new strain, one of my favorite things to do is take a whole photoshoot of it. I love using a macro lens for this, as it lets me see the flower in great detail. I really enjoy looking at the trichomes, and making sure there’s no visible mold or anything else that I don’t want to smoke. Here are a few examples of photos that have made people say “How are you taking these pictures?!”

    I’ll break down my process for taking these pictures in a few simple steps:

    1. Use a Macro Lens attachment for your phone. I got This Cheap Macro Lens, and I love it. It’s super simple, just snaps right on to your phone camera, and suddenly you can take amazingly close, detailed pictures of almost anything.
    2. Make sure your environment is well-lit. It will be basically impossible to take decent pictures if the lighting in your area isn’t great. I make sure to have my ceiling light on, and I also use This Hand-Held, Rechargable Light to make sure there’s a close light source as well. The sun is also a great option, if available.
    3. Clean your camera and lens attachment. These can easily get smudged, ruining the quality of all your pictures.
    4. Get close to the flower. You want the lens to be about 1-2 millimeters away from your subject. You’ll definitely see when it’s close enough.
    5. Focus, and take a lot of pictures. Always remember to tap your screen to get the object completely in-focus on your camera. In addition, I’ll take a bunch of pictures back to back, while moving the camera ever so slightly, just to make sure I get a bunch of good options to choose from.
    6. Enjoy your new macro photography hobby! Congrats, you’ve officially begun macro photography in the easiest, cheapest way I’ve found. If you’re anything like me, it will spawn an addiction!

    Hope this helps somebody. 🙂

  • Moldy Flower – A Discussion

    Moldy Flower – A Discussion

    So, you’re curious about mold in your flower. Whether you think your flower is contaminated, or you just want to know what to look out for, we got you covered.

    Let’s start with some basics. I will add plenty of reference pictures at the bottom of this page.

    What does mold on weed look like? How do I know if my flower is moldy?

    The flower may have a hay/grassy smell to it, rather than the classic skunky/gassy/fruity/earthy tones. There will usually be white/grey, cobweb type formations on it as well.

    While mold usually presents itself in these ways, it can also be present without showing the typical signs. In this case, you may want to look at the flower through a Microscope, or use a blacklight, if possible.

    Scroll down to the bottom of this page for reference pictures of moldy flower.

    Can My Dispensary Flower Have Mold?

    It absolutely can. While some states in the US are required to test for mold in the flower that they sell in licensed dispensaries, many states are not. Even in the states that are required to, mold can appear after testing, or the tests could be faked entirely.

    It’s always a good idea to ensure that your flower is clean & safe to smoke, no matter the source.

    Can you get sick from smoking or vaping moldy flower? What symptoms should I look for?

    Yes, you can. It may not be too likely, but you open yourself up to the possibility of serious lung or even brain infections and inflammations.

    Immediate symptoms may include sneezing, wheezing, congestion, runny nose, sinus pain or headaches. If you experience any of these symptoms, it may be time to toss that flower and grab some more.

    Can I make edibles from my moldy flower?

    I certainly wouldn’t. Even when the mold is killed by high temperatures, it leaves unsafe byproducts that you don’t want in your body.

    On a personal note, I make edibles frequently, and consider myself to have an iron stomach. I would never use moldy flower. I did once just to find out; let’s just say every dose involved a lengthy trip to the bathroom.

    Can I cut the mold off my weed?

    No, once the mold is present, there are spores all over and throughout the flower. The whole bag/jar is compromised by this point.

    Samples of mold in weed:

    None of these pictures are mine, by the way.