• COLORADO
  • MASSACHUSETTS
  • MICHIGAN
  • OKLAHOMA
Sensi Magazine
Sensi Magazine

Socially Acceptable

The Green Future

The Faces of Cannabis

Through his lens, Chris Vicari captured the personalities of California’s cannabis farmers and leaders as the industry was shucking off old stereotypes about the plant and the people who grow it for a living.

byDoug Schnitzspahn
January 25, 2022
in Feature
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Photos by Chris Vicari

When photographer Chris Vicari fist began shooting portraits of personalities in the cannabis space, he had to build trust with his subjects. After all, cannabis had just become legal in California, where he was working for Green Flower Media, which was on a mission to help the nascent industry present itself as a professional business, and growers were skeptical. “A lot of them would tell me to just shoot their shoulders,” he says. “It wasn’t working.” 

But Vicari, who had previously worked on creating the images for a video game of the Deadliest Catch, wanted real connection to capture images of business people and industry pioneers who had been treated with scorn as cannabis tired to shake off the stigma of stoner culture and illegality. So he focused on what mattered most to the people he was photographing: their work in the field and passion for the plant.

“I wanted to make sure that there was a connection to the land with everybody I shot and completely ignored any kind of stigma or preconceived ideas about cannabis growers,” he says. “I just wanted to show them as salt-of-the-earth people who are out there working hard. I wanted them to look smart. I wanted them to look badass. I wanted them to look respectable.”

The success of that approach shows in Vicari’s up-close-and-personal images of personalities including farmer Swami Chaitanya and industry leader Steve Deangelo, who had devoted themselves to cannabis when it was still heavily stigmatized. Vicari’s portraits reveal the human, hard-working side of an industry just beginning to gain mainstream acceptance.

“Towards the end, people started trusting me,” he says. “We were really embedded with this group of people who were the leaders of their industry. And I got an all-access pass to their lives.”

This gallery highlights Vicari’s work for Green Flower and captures the vibe of an industry in the process of gaining respect.

Tags: Chris VicariGreen Flower MediaSteve DeAngeloSwami Chaitanya
Previous Post

Socially Acceptable

Next Post

The Green Future

Check These Articles Out

Cover Stories

Pot + Belly

Cover Stories

In the Sky with Diamonds

Cover Stories

Get Psyched – Olivia Mannix & Felicity Pharma

Feature

Allman Family Revival Celebrates the Music with West Coast Tour

Feature

Justice is Deserved

Load More

LATEST ISSUES | CLICK BELOW

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Current Month

Date

Title

Post Date

february, 2023

Is this event cannabis friendly?

All

Cannabis Prohibited

THC Friendly

Sensi Market

All

California

Colorado

Florida

Illinois

Massachusetts

Michigan

Missouri

National

Nevada

New England

Oklahoma

Puerto Rico

Past and Future Events

All

Only Past Events

Only Future Events

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Pink glowing mushrooms coming out of the ground

Mush Love: Fungi’s Naughty Side

Foraging for Magic

The Hempire Collective’s Family Roots

Sensi Oklahoma Launches with Epic Sensi Night Party (Pics)

Call to Action: Home Cultivation for Medical Marijuana Patients and Caregivers in Pennsylvania

Zwiski Foundation launches Rescue Soup

GreenMarketReport.com: Chronic Relief Telethon For Feeding America

Cannabis Companies Find Creative Solutions to Keep Business Going During COVID-19

Pot + Belly

In the Sky with Diamonds

Get Psyched – Olivia Mannix & Felicity Pharma

Promotional Feature: Happy Labs Dispensary is bringing the happiness factor to Oklahoma City.

Instagram Facebook Twitter Youtube

QUICK LINKS

  • About Sensi Media
  • Events
  • Support
  • Submit Digital Assets
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Refund Policy
  • Contact Us

SENSI STATE MARKETS

  • COLORADO
  • MASSACHUSETTS
  • MICHIGAN
  • OKLAHOMA
Christopher Foltz

© 2020-2021 Sensi Media Group

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured
  • The Life
  • The Buzz
  • The Scene
  • Sensi Markets
    • Colorado
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Oklahoma
  • Events
  • Latest Issues
  • Issue Archive
  • Login

© 2020-2021 Sensi Media Group

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
X