Take Another Toke

The 60's were, well, different, very different! I got a call from an editor wanting a photograph of some marijuanna, a roach clip, and the Miami Herald, although I don't remember exactly why they wanted the paper in the photo. They didn't want people in it though. Nobody smoking The Evil Weed. No billowing clouds of smoke, no mellow looking contented smiles. And no, the client was NOT the Miami Herald.

The assignment was black & white, but I figured it might be a good stock shot to have on hand so I shot some slides as well. I already had the roach clip and papers but I went out on a search for some photogenic cannibus. I finally found some nice Jamaican weed that crumbled up nicely and had nice color. I decided to take the photos before picking the seeds out of it. My thought was that the seeds added an air of authenticity to the picture. I must have rolled twenty joints before I had the few that looked just right. I actually asked the dealer for a receipt, but all I got for my effort was a verrrrrrry strange look. I ended up listing "misc. props...$30.00" on the invoice and got reimbursed for the expense, no questions asked.

The editor was happy with the photo, and I had plenty of volunteers over the next few days to help me with the "burn the props" ritual. I really should have reshot it without The Miami Herald. I had several querries as to whether I might have some shots without the newspaper, and likely would have had a lot more stock sales if I had shot it without the paper. I did have a few though. It was shot by window light using a tripod, probably with a 90mm lens as I don't think I yet had the D.R. Summicron.