Meet Rhys Harper

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhys Harper.

Hi Rhys, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Southeast Oklahoma, and I was adopted on my first birthday into literally the best family a person could imagine. I remember the first time I ever saw my parents! I grew up as a very creative kid in a family full of medical professionals – I think there’s something like seven nurses, two doctors, two pharmacists, and my dad was a veterinarian for 30 years, sold his practice, and became a physician assistant! Although my parents are amazingly supportive of all my career choices, I definitely felt pressure to get a degree and really struggled with school because I’m just not the kind of person that learns well in a traditional school environment. I studied photography at Parsons in NYC, and I have worked as a creative director and communications/marketing/development officer with a number of nonprofit organizations and companies as a consultant and on staff – I have always had a real knack for business and marketing, which is a HUGE part of what I do now. Last Fall, I took a marketing job with a local dispensary, and the first thing they asked me to do is promote their social media account. I knew that I needed to create better content for it and immediately fell in love with the world of macro cannabis photography after finding the work of other canna photographers on Instagram. I immediately realized that it was not even remotely the same kind of work as all of the weddings, documentaries, and film work I had been doing for so many years.

When COVID hit in March, my wife’s weddings and my weddings were all canceled. I suddenly found myself in a position where I needed to figure out how to create a new kind of career, and because the cannabis industry is an essential business and I fell in love with canna macro photography – I invested a ton into macro gear, studio lighting, and exquisite concentrates and spent two solid months doing nothing but sleeping, eating, and breathing macro photography. I have been making regular trips to Denver to photograph some of Denver’s finest dank so that I could network and build a presence for myself in Colorado. I actually love to travel – 6 hours is a pretty quick drive for me and I have a mobile studio. My wife and I have officially decided to move both of our businesses to Colorado in the coming year! We are so excited! This brings us to now – I am officially a full time cannabis creative!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even remotely. I actually believe we all have obstacles and challenges, and these hurdles truly shape the people we become. To be human is to be fallible, and we all experience suffering and make mistakes. I don’t know why some people experience more than others, but what I do know is that I need to try to be a more loving and kind person in the short time we have. I love the cannabis industry because I feel there are a lot of people in the canna community who know this and embody it. Cannabis has so much potential in our society, and I know I’m right where I need to be.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most people know me as a cannabis photographer – but I’m a seasoned creative professional, an Emmy-nominated photographer + filmmaker, and most importantly, a business development consultant who helps my clients meet ambitious business goals, grow their audiences, raise their brand’s value, become influencers, and more – all using art as my business development tool. In addition to almost 20 years of creative experience, I also hold over 15 years of marketing, sales, and business development experience. Two of the most important things to me are providing real value to my clients, and that they are seeing a return on their investment and meeting their business goals. I strongly believe that in this digital age, where the business is conducted on social media, it’s not enough to be present if companies want to stand out. Consistent, fresh content that showcases a company’s current line of products is absolutely essential. And with the millions of cannabis photos on social media platforms like Instagram, companies have to set themselves apart from the crowd with imagery that makes a user immediately stop scrolling – you have about 2.7 seconds to catch someone’s attention on social media, and I help people do that and more by creating epic cannabis content. What sets me apart from other cannabis creatives is, I am not just a photographer. I am a creative professional and business consultant and offer a whole host of items for clients to choose from. I prefer to work with retainer clients because ROI for my clients is so important to me and at a minimum, I suggest a three month contract start. Often, people inquire and ask me what I charge per photo. I rarely charge per photo unless someone wants to license a single image that I’ve already created. Because of the nature of the industry and the constant need for updated content, I prefer to provide my clients with a beautiful, full gallery instead of just a few images.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
This is honestly my favorite part of this new direction – this industry, while already huge, is just in its infancy. I’m not a cannabis expert, and I have only been in the industry for a little over a year, but I feel like we just see the tip of the iceberg regarding how big this industry will be. I think it could be the next oil and gas industry. There are already a lot of cannabis creatives out there, but having come from the wedding industry, it feels different to me. There are a lot of people creating cannabis content, but the number of cannabis photographers who are creating highly specialized and styled macro photographs at a very high level is relatively small. I believe I’m offering something very niche in this industry, and I’m not trying to replicate what other cannabis photographers are doing. I’m pairing very specific services together that help my clients reach their business goals. I feel I’ve entered this industry at the perfect moment, and I’m in a great position to grow with it.

Contact Info:

• Email: rhys@rhysharper.co
• Website: www.artofcannabis.co
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/artofcannabis.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artofcanna.co/

Image Credits
Rhys Harper