Western Lifestyle Photographer

Capturing Authentic Western Apparel in Action

Photographing Real Cowboy Gear at Work

It’s no secret that the daily life of a cowboy is demanding. Early mornings that start in the saddle, turn into late nights, all while dealing with the country’s harshest weather and big, wild animals that have an opinion. So the gear they choose to wear has to be just as tough as they are. Through the lens, we highlight real cowboys in real western apparel that holds up to the rigors of ranch life, offering a vivid, authentic showcase perfect for brands looking to demonstrate the quality and style of their products.

Our photography captures working cowboys on the legendary Silver Spur Ranch in Colorado as they gear up in rugged western apparel, blending traditions with contemporary fashion. From the intricate designs of the leather boots to the timeless durability of denim shirts and wool jackets, each piece is tested by the true dnecessities of cowboy life. It's here, among the dust and cattle, where western brands can see their products come alive, telling a story of authenticity, resilience, and style that truly resonates with their target audience. Let's collaborate to bring the essence of your brand to life in settings that inspire and appeal to your customers - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Click here to view a gallery of my authentic cowboy photography

Black and white photograph of a cowboy roping a cow on the Silver Spur Ranch in Colorado

Silver Spur Ranch - Colorado

Photograph of a real cowboy

Western lifestyle photography

Photograph of a cowboy putting an ear tag on a calf

Calving season on a Colorado cattle ranch

Photograph of a cowboy riding his horse through thick brush and trees on a cold winter day

Cowboy gear photographer

Photograph of a cowboy carrying a baby calf on a cold winter day

A cowboy caring for a newborn baby calf

Photograph of a cowboy wearing authentic Western apparel and leather medicine saddle bags

Black and white portrait of a Colorado cowboy

Photograph of a cowboy disposing of a dead calf

Authentic cowboy photography

Photograph of a cattle herd in a foggy pasture

Cattle herd

Photograph of a cowboy on his horse looking for cattle in thick brush

Colorado cattle ranch

Black and white photograph of a working cowboy in Colorado

Black and white cowboy photograph

Photograph of a cowboy bottle feeding a baby calf

Bottle feeding a baby calf

Photograph of a cowboy counting ear tags on the back of a pickup truck

Cowboy counting ear tags

Photograph of a Colorado cowboy on his horse

Colorado cowboy riding his horse through thick country

Fly Fishing - Crested Butte, Colorado

Crested Butte, Colorado Fly Fishing Photography

San Juan Mountains

Crested Butte, Colorado is hands down one of my favorite places to go fly fishing in the country. It’s just one of my favorite places period. Combine the stunning views with their mountain town culture and access to all sorts of fly fishing, and the place is hard to beat. Summertime anywhere in the San Juan mountains will seduce you whether you’re aware of it or not. The images are from a recent backcountry fly fishing trip with friends to a small creek that shall go unnamed for obvious reasons. There is plenty of easy fishing access around around Crested Butte on the Taylor River, East River, and Gunnison River, so blowing up such a remote spot like this would cause me to lose sleep. Just looking at these photographs is FOMO inducing. Can’t wait to get back out there.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography.

Summer fly fishing near Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fishing in Crested Butte, Colorado

Photograph of two friends fly fishing a small creek in Colorado

Fly fisherman wading up a river in Crested Butte, Colorado

Photograph of a fly fisherman climbing over a pile of logs along a stream

A fly fisherman climbing over a pile of trees and branches on the side of a river outside Crested Butte, Colorado

Photograph of a fly fisherman casting in a beautiful section of stream near Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fishing a picturesque stream in the San Juan Mountains

Photograph of beers cooling off in a pool off on the side of a stream in Colorado

Cans of Coors Banquet chilling in river water during a fly fishing trip in Colorado

Catching trout on a backcountry stream in Colorado

Backcountry fly fishing in Colorado

A fly fisherman netting a trout in a small stream surrounded by canyon walls in Colorado

Fly fisherman laughing after a fun day on the river in Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fishing wading boots and wading socks drying on a tree

Doug Monson - Western Charcoal Artist

Best Western Charcoal Artist - Fine Art

Doug Monson is a western charcoal artist that lives in Afton, Wyoming in the Star Valley. While his his entire life has been dedicated to art, it wasn’t until recently that full time success became a reality. Nowadays you can find his beautiful charcoal drawings of cowboys and wildlife hanging in his own Western Skies Gallery, Jackson Hole’s oldest fine art gallery - Wilcox Gallery , and in the homes of fine art collectors all over the world .

Its wild to look back and see how certain parts of your life come together. I make it a point to do as much backcountry snowboarding in Jackson Hole, WY as possible. The terrain and snow quality is just top notch. This past winter we were up there during a particularly cold storm which got down to -30 for 3 days in a row. The excitement overtook me, as it often does, and I forgot to treat my diesel pickup truck with the proper chemicals that would keep it from freezing. So, it froze. Literally. To the point that it was towed to the dealership in order to thaw out in their heated garage. Aside from costing a lot of money to fix, it also kept me in Jackson for longer than expected. My friends went out riding while I dealt with the truck, leaving a large portion of the day open. So I walked around town to all of the famous galleries like Wilcox Gallery, Horizon Fine Art, Gallery Wild, Heather James Fine Art, Altamira Fine Art, and Brookover Gallery, to name just a few. Jackson Hole has a LOT of fine art that can keep just about anyone happy for days at a time. I’d been meaning to tour the galleries anway, in hopes of finding a place to sell some of the work from my photography series on Cowboys. So having that day was an unwanted blessing in disguise. And the inspiration you can get from seeing so much great work can be addicting for any kind of artist.

By the time my truck was ready I was in a rush, which caused me to take the quick way home instead of taking several days sniffing around for photographs. The “quick” route took me through Afton where I stumbled upon Western Skies Gallery. Still having the gallery bug I went in and was greeted by Doug Monson, who I soon learned was a charcoal artist and the gallery owner. Upstairs above the gallery is his working studio. I was in awe of the space and asked if it would be ok to make some photographs while he was working. Doug obliged and we would up spending an hour or two just hanging out talking while he drew and I made photographs. I had no idea what would happen with the images, but was inspired by the space and his work. A few weeks later it occured to me that it would be fun to write an article on Monson, and here we are 10 months later with a feature in Western Art Collector Magazine!

Western charcoal artist Doug Monson at work on a drawing in his Afton, Wyoming studio.

Doug Monson drawing a cowboy with charcoal at his studio in Afton, Wyoming

The beautiful fine art of western charcoal artist Doug Monson

Duck Decoy Carver - Zach Benson

Famous Duck Decoy Carver

The world of waterfowl hunting is a niche that gets ever smaller when you start looking at world class duck decoy carvers. Like any fine art, the elites are in narrow company. Zach Benson is in that group. He began carving in college out of not being able to afford a decoy spread to hunt over. Years later he is known the world over for his one of a kind works of art. The process starts by harvesting cedar trees from his own property. That wood is then milled and laid to dry in his barn. After about a year it’s ready to use, at which point he hand carves each bird, then lays layer upon layer of oil paint.

WHAT MAKES A WORLD CLASS DUCK DECOY?

Early on Benson competed in shows like the Clayton Decoy Show and the Oregon Waterfowl festival. Both of which were great learning experiences, but he quickly learned that they came with too many rules. Art of any kind is subjective, but awards weren’t necesarily given to the best decoy, rather to the one that followed the rules. It did leave any room for creativity. The “winners” were birds that checked every box. So competing didn’t last long for Benson. He wanted to create art, not cookie cutter ducks. Now, the look he is so famously known for is an angry duck in an uncommon position. His ducks have attitude. They are one of a kind. So you’ll still see him year after year at the Clayton Decoy Show in Ohio, but not on the competition floor. Like a lot of other carvers, he shows newwork out of his hotel room - where people are encouraged to walk around room to room with a beer in hand. Aside from that, you have to follow Zach on Instagram, where he is very low key, sharing new work in his stories. And if you wait to long on purchasing his latest piece, it will already be gone.

Check out the article below which was published in the most recent issue of Wildfowl Magazine. You can also learn more about him from the VIDEO we made a short while back with Benelli.

Photograph of the best duck decoy carver

Famous duck decoy carver Zach Benson

Syndicate Barbershop - Long Beach, CA

Best Barbershop in Long Beach, California

Syndicate Barbershop - Photography

Walk around any city or town in America and you’ll see far too many permanently closed doors from COVID. A lot of business’ couldn’t deal with the financial stressors and effects from COVID. Syndicate Barbershop in Long Beach, CA isn’t one of them, thankfully. In fact, they just celebrated 20 years or haircuts in the best way possible. With a block party. I’ve always loved Syndicate and proudly displayed their facade on the cover of version 2 of Barbershops of America. It’s a great shop that fits perfectly within the funk of Long Beach. And the turnout for the party was also quite fitting. People watching at it’s finest. This was the first REAL party I’ve been to since before COVID began and it will be a tough one to beat. Tim did it up right. Check back in another 20 years and hopefully I’ll be posting photos from their 40 year anniversary!

Click here to grab a copy of Barbershops of America

Fly Fishing The Colorado River - Photography

Colorado River Fly Fishing

Bunch of random images from a fly fishing trip on the Colorado River. Great times out there. Can’t wait to get back. It’s no secret that fly fishing is a relaxing sport, but it still not lost on me the effect a river can have on your brain. No matter how much time you spend out there, where it’s 30 minutes or 3 days, you’re a different person afterwards.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing/adventure images.