KJZZ Phoenix Radio

Basketball Photography Exhibition

So happy to see/hear this interview by Mike Brodie on KJZZ Radio in Phoenix with Western Spirit Museum’s exhibition coordinator Henry Terry. They discussed my American Backcourts photographs which will be on display their at the museum in Scottsdale until mid April 2025. It’s so fulfilling to see this project getting recognition after shooting it for 13+ years, so please click the LINK if you’d like to listen to their conversation.

And you can shop the fine art basketball prints from this series HERE

Interview with Mike Brodie of KJZZ Phoeniz

KJZZ Radio interview with Western Spirit Museum’s exhibition coordinator Henry Terry.

Western Spirit Museum

Photography Exhibition - Basketball

Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Incredibly thrilled to announce a new exhibition of my American Backcourts series at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. Not only is it a honor for me, but I also see it as a big win for the sport of basketball to be featured this way in a western museum. I love the American West so much and have been working on this basketball photography series all over the country for about 13 years now. So to have the game celebrated in place where most people never associate the two, is quite gratifying! If you’re in the area, please stop by to see the show as well as the other incredible exhibitions they have throughout the museum. I particularly enjoyed seeing William Matthews work in person. I’ve been a fan of his for a while now and have enjoyed seeing his work in books, but nothing compares to seeing it in real life.

More from the press release:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., August 22, 2024 –  Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West announced today the opening of the upcoming exhibition Rob Hammer: American Backcourts, which will be on view from August 26, 2024, through April 13, 2025. This exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the New West by showcasing the distinctive relationship between basketball and the Western United States through the lens of acclaimed photographer Rob Hammer.

 

American Backcourts presents a stunning collection of images that capture the essence of basketball in the West—where the sport, though not traditionally associated with the region, embodies the pioneering spirit that defines the American West. Over 13 years and 300,000 miles, Hammer has traversed the Western United States, documenting rustic and makeshift basketball courts that tell the stories of resilience, ingenuity, and the enduring love of the game.

 

Inspired by a photograph of NBA legend Larry Bird’s childhood hoop in French Lick, Indiana, Hammer’s journey reveals how even the simplest setups can nurture greatness. His work showcases the raw beauty of handmade hoops crafted from whatever materials are at hand, placed in environments as diverse as the Western landscape itself—on dirt, grass, clay, and gravel. These images reflect the love of basketball and the resourceful and indomitable spirit that has come to define the West.

Click here to check out limited edition basketball prints from this series

Photography exhibition of Rob Hammer's basketball series at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona

Photography exhibition at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona

The number one western museum in the USA

Basketball - Mammoth Lakes, California

Basketball Culture Photography

Basketball Art Prints - Winter

The other day I received a basketball image request from a client which caused me to dig through the archives of the American Backcourts series. It was staggering to see how many images I’ve made of basketball hoops all over this country. The digging also brought up a lot of good memories that were a great reminder of why the series still continues today. The images you see here are from this past winter in California and Wyoming.

Contact me directly about fine art basketball hoop prints for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Basketball Hoop - Freedom, Wyoming

Mammoth, California

Mammoth, California

Mammoth, California

Basketball Prints

It’s not about size!!


Just added a new limited edition set of basketball prints to my web store. Instead of going bigger, this is a smaller more intimate batch of prints at 5”x7” in a set of 10 in a limited edition of 25. The thing I’m most excited by though, is this is all new work that was not published in the American Backcourts book! Thank you so much to everyone that bought a book or print during the Thanksgiving sale.

Click here to purchase prints


American Basketball

Basketball Hoop Photography - Sports Culture

You’d think that working on a series for an extended period of time would make it easier? Like practicing a sport, hobby, or any skill you strive to be better at. It’s quite the opposite though. As time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to find scenarios that fit the bill, because the bar keeps rising. In this case we’re talking about basketball hoops. Unless a hoop is better or more unique than what I already have, then it gets passed by. So this past trip only produced 2 images that I’m really happy with. More importantly though, after 10 years, it’s still fascinating to see where the game of basketball pops up. It’s everywhere.

Click here to buy a copy of American Backcourts

Basketball Culture Photography

Basketball Hoop Photography - Culture

Communication Arts Photo Annual - Award Winning Photos

Competitions have become one of the many shams in the photography industry. Today is seems like there are as many competitions as there are Starbucks, and they all prey on people, promising “exposure” that will lead to a world of endless possibilities. What they really are is a bullshit way for companies to rake in a boatload of money on entry fees. Communication Arts on the other hand, has a long standing reputation for high quality and publishing the most inspiring work of the year in their Photo Annual. So I’m honored to have my American Backcourts images included in this years pages along with breathtaking work by incredible photographers.

Click HERE to pick up a copy of American Backcourts

American Basketball Culture

Basketball Hoop Photography - American Sports Culture

10 years into this series and it’s still just as much fun documenting the sport of basketball as it was initially. It’s always interesting to think about the games played on hoops in different parts of the country. It’s also enjoyable to see the images and realize that each one was an experience in itself to make. The first photo here in Primm was taken on a day so windy that I had to brace myself with one leg five feet in front of the other. You can see how the net is being pushed backwards. The second shot is from a high school gym in the middle of a remodel. Door was wide open and not a sole in sight. The hoop in Santa Rosa is actually one I photographed 10 or so years ago under completely different conditions. That image from all those years ago is in the book. Crazy how a location so random can be unintentionally revisited. And shocking to see that there is still a chain net hanging from the rim. The last image was made on a road I’ve driven a hundred times and never noticed before.

Click here to grab a copy of the book

Basketball Hoop Photography

American Basketball Culture - Wall Art - Photography Prints

When you’re a kid the “golden arches” of McDonald’s are a beacon. Recognizable anywhere at any time of day or night. You can see them without even looking. It’s probably been 15 years since I’ve eaten at McDonald’s but it comes to mind every time I work on this project. Weird correlation? Probably, but basketball hoops have become very similar to those famous arches. A shape so distinctive that my mind subconsciously registers it and tells me to hit the breaks. American Backcourts the series has been going on for about 10 years now, yet even after publishing the book it’s a subject that never seems to get boring.

Click here to see more basketball photography from the American Backcourts series. And contact me directly with all print inquiries for your home, office, and commercial space.

Reverse Magazine - France

The good people at Reverse Magazine in France did a 14 page spread interview about my photography. It’s strictly a basketball magazine but they were also curious about my celebrity athlete, barbershop, and America series. The interview is all in French obviously, so the English version is posted below.

Check them out on line at Basketsession.com

What made you want to become a photographer in the first place?

Certainly wasn't common sense. Photography was always a hobby as a kid. Even going on trips with friends in high school I would buy a grip of disposable cameras to document everything and couldn't wait to pick them up from the pharmacy when we got back. That desire to take pictures never went away as I got older. During and after college there was a long string of meaningless jobs that made me miserable. And somewhere in that misery it became obvious that photography was the only thing I loved doing and the only way I'd ever want to earn a living.

What was the first picture that really made an impression on you?


Really hard to say. Seems like I've been ingesting photographs since my grandparents got me a subscription to Sports Illustrated at 5, but William Eggleston's "Guide" was the first time a book of photographs ever made me say "what the fuck" out loud.


Are there other photographers that have had a major influence on you?

There isn't enough room in this article to list all the photographers that have and continue to influence me. In fact, it wasn't until developing a serious photo book habit that I feel like my photography started to take hold. Before then it was sort of like I was making images I thought people/brands/magazines wanted to see. If you want some names though, here are a few (in no particular order): William Eggleston, Joel Sternfeld, Stephen Shore, Walter Iooss Jr, William Albert Allard, David Allen Harvey, Fred Herzog, Dan Winters, Alex Webb, Andy Anderson, Martin Parr, Gary Land, Saul Lieter, Dennis Hopper, Michael Muller, Neil Leifer, and on and on and on.

Where does your love for basketball come from?


My mother and her parents. They are from Boston and we used to spend a lot of time at their house growing up. The only TV they had was one with a rabbit ears antenna, so in order to actually watch the Celtics games, you had to spend the whole time dancing with the antenna. Eventually we gave up and just listened to all the games on the radio. Looking back it was such an incredible experience that I'm really grateful for.

How did the whole "American Backcourts" idea come about?


This is a continuation of the last answer. In Boston and my grandparents house at that time (mid to late 80's), there was no way around being a Larry Bird fan. He was it. The admiration that whole city had for him rubbed off on me and my parents got me his book "Drive" for Christmas one year. I'd be lying if I said I could remember a lot of the writing, but there was a picture inside of his childhood hoop that blew me away. I just didn't understand. How could "Larry Legend" get his start on a broken down old hoop barely hanging on a barn in a dirt driveway in the middle of Indiana? As a kid from a small town in upstate New York I always thought that the pros only came from the inner cities and were afforded all the best of everything. So that picture, to me, told a better story than the writing ever could. As time went on and travels continued, I kept wondering about other hoops and the stories they could tell.

How did you go about finding all those hoops and courts?

There was no blueprint whatsoever. In the beginning I wasn't even looking. They just started to present themselves during cross country road trips and I would make pictures of them but never really thought much of it. Years went by and it struck me that there was this body of work that had unintentionally built itself. After digesting a lot of the photos I started to get obsessed and it eventually became The focus of my road trips. 10 years later and I'm still sniffing them out. Doubt this project will ever stop.

What's crazy is that, even though there are no players in your pictures, they tell a story. Was that the whole idea?


Yes. Exactly. There's a lot to be said for photographs of courts filled with people, but there are only a small handful of photographers who shoot that really well, and I certainly wasn't focused on that aspect. The hope is that my images of empty courts are strong enough to make you think about what's happened there. Who has played on that court? Was there another Larry Bird like story that started there? Maybe they remind you of a court you played on as a kid? Or they just make you want to get back out and play if it's been too long since you last picked up a ball. One thing I love about the game is that it doesn't matter how far you went in your career. You can still have fun playing. So those "backcourts" are such a special place because they house so many great memories and experiences that people can carry with them throughout their whole life.

What was the most surprising hoop you found?

Don't know how to answer that as they have all come with their own unique experiences. The one in Idaho filled with deer skulls is up there though. Probably won't find another like that in my life.

You also had the opportunity to shoot Kobe, what was that experience like?


Was lucky to shoot him twice and both were great experiences. During the short time I was able to spend with him I learned that he was a professional in all aspects of his life. Meaning that he strove to do the very best he could do no matter what the task was. He took it seriously and wanted to be great at it. The first time was probably the most nervous I've ever been on a shoot, but it turned out well. Something worth noting is that he showed up ALONE for both shoots. Arrived on his helicopter, but he was alone. One aspect of commercial photography of famous athletes that really turns me off is that they are always surrounded by a squad of people trying to protect and speak for them. Which means that there are far too many opinions and egos in a room already filled with opinions and egos. It's very harmful to the process of a photoshoot. So to have someone like Kobe show up alone was refreshing. My experience is that the athletes are usually very cool and open to collaboration, but the people surrounding them don't allow for that to happen. Which makes for a sub par final product. Two heads are better than one. So if you can get the athlete personally involved, then the outcome will always be better. Kobe was very willing to talk.

Was it how you envisioned it to be?


One of the best lessons to be learned as a photographer is that it's never how you envision it to be. Have a well thought out plan, but also don't be so stubborn or egotistical to see that the immediate circumstances have presented a better (different) way. That doesn't have as much to do with the Kobe shoots as it does with my general attitude toward life and one I would like to have adopted 15 years ago.

When it comes to athletes and sports, you seem to be drawn to the most extreme ones. Whether it's weightlifters and cross fit specialists, MMA fighters like Michael Chandler or mountain climbers and snowboarders. Why is that?


There are a lot of factors at play on this one. It partially has to do with a previous answer about being turned off by the bullshit involved with celebrity. I still do it and enjoy some of it, but have also really grown to appreciate real people that like to work their ass off. Often with a celebrity athlete you're lucky to get 5 minutes with them. So you're waiting around all day just to get 5 minutes. I'm old enough now to not give a shit about famous people. I respect the hell out of them for who they are and what they've accomplished, but it's just not my style any more to build a career photographing them for 5 minutes. There's this thought that keeps coming to my head about photography - "at the end of the day if I'm not exhausted, bloody, or tired, then chances are the shoot wasn't that much fun." So I want to be right in there with people as they are doing what they do. Whether that's a professional athlete, MMA fighter, fly fisherman, hunter, snowboarder, etc. I want to work my ass off to document the experience they are living. 5 minutes of fake isn't worth fuckall. A while back I did a shoot with Canelo Alvarerz for Everlast. He was on the rise then, but not nearly as successful as he is now. We had a lot of time with him and everything was set up and ready to go before he arrived. His English was not good and my Spanish is even worse, but we could communicate well enough. So I explained what I wanted him to do for the photos and he immediately responded that "I am not an actor". He had no interest in fake punches on a heavy bag. All he knows is how to go 100%. So he did and it shows in the photos because he is actually working. Love him for that. And to this day he's still the most physically intimidating person I've ever shot. Shaq is what, 7'2"? Canelo is 5'9', but the sound of his gloves hitting the bag was like a jackhammer going into concrete. There's a realness to photographs when you are shooting someone that is fully engaged as opposed to faking it for the camera. The real thing wins every time.

How did you get to work with someone like Kirstie Ennis? What did you take from that experience?

That was a fantastic experience and Kirstie is such an inspirational human. Got hired by an agency for a GNC shoot in collaboration with the Unbreakable Gym in Hollywood. The focus was military veterans that are members of the gym who use physical fitness/training as a means to overcome the mental (and physical) trauma caused by war. For anyone who doesn't know Kirstie's story, please look her up. She's a champ. I think the entire crew left the shoot that day so inspired and grateful after hearing her and all the other vets spill their guts to the camera. Listening to these Alphas talk about how broken they were, the emotional pain they went through, and ultimately how they built themselves up afterward, was really special. We live in a world now where everyone wants to paint a perfect picture of their lives. Instagram has a lot to do with that. Either way, people don't want to show or talk about what's wrong. They just want to take pictures of themselves drinking on the beach in some exotic location to show how awesome their life is. It's all bullshit though. Kirstie and the other vets threw it right out there for everybody to hear and see.

You also did two other really interesting projects. One with Nick Ansom ("Survival Hoops") and the other being a book about barbershops ("Barbershops Of America"). How did those come about?


Personal projects are the greatest thing any photographer can do for themselves. I learned a long time ago that it's crucial to spend as much (if not more) time on your personal projects as it is on the commercial work. People can see your heart in the personal work, which organically connects you with like minded people. That's exactly what happened with Nick. He's a rad cat. Loves ball. We were introduced by a mutual friend - Dan Peterson of Project Backboard - another guy doing awesome things in the basketball world. For those who don't know, Nick is the leader and mind behind Venice Ball and the Hoop Bus. When COVID hit, all the hoops in Venice were locked up, so nobody could play basketball. Nick started making these beautiful hoops completely out of junk and hung them up all over the alleyways in Venice for people to ball on. It's a very unique piece of basketball culture (and art) that I hope will be remembered for a long time through the photographs we made together.


As for Barbershops of America, that's another personal project still going after 10 years. Loved them since I was a kid. Saw early on that they are a special place for guys to hang out, an integral piece of the communities they are in, and most importantly, a cherished but overlooked piece of American culture. The old traditional shops are quickly going away as the barbers pass on, retire, or get kicked out of their shops by a landlord making way for a higher paying tenant. That's really sad to me. There is no way to replicate a business that's been operating in the same shop for 50+ years. Nor can you put a value on the friendships/relationships that have been built in a place like that. So I set out to document as many as possible before they disappeared. 3 years later I had done so in all 50 states of the USA and continue it today. That project has led to some many great relationships with people and brands all over the country.

What is so special about barbershops?


What isn't special about barbershops? Unfortunately now there are as many new barbershops as there are Starbucks. Most of them are chop shops that will go away in quick order when the owners realize you can't just open the doors and expect to make a quick buck without actually caring about your customers. Real barbershops are about far more than a haircut. Leaving looking good is almost a bonus. The experience you get at a real shop is something you can't get anywhere else in the world. The laughter. The smells. The people. That's what matters. The barbershop is a place you go alone or with friends to see a guy who has become your friend after years and years of service. You know each other well and look forward to each subsequent visit. It's a place of comfort. You know that you're free to say what you wish during your 45 minutes in the chair. Or you can just sit on the side and drink a beer, not ever getting your haircut. Everybody is equal in the barbershop. Doesn't matter if you're a billionaire or a broke college student. Everybody gets treated the same. The barbershop is a great equalizer.

Do you feel like, in some way, you're telling America's story through your work?


Guess I'd have to agree with that. Although the concept only registered in the last year or two. I love America and am extremely lucky to see it in a way that most won't. 30k-40k miles a year on the road for 10 years will give you a whole new appreciation for a country and the people you share it with. Hopefully I can get added to that list of influential American photographers one day because of the way I've presented it.

You've travelled all around America, what has been the most interesting or the most enlightening trip so far?


That's a really hard thought to even wrap my head around. The experience as a whole is something I'm still trying to make sense of. Learning in the traditional way of schooling is something I've never been good at. Horrible actually. The road has been a great teacher though. If I were better with words, I'd make it a life goal to use them to explain all I've learned out there so that others could also learn from it. Overall though, it's that people are for the most part, good. All the preconceived ideas and stigmas you have about the different parts of America are probably equally wrong as they are right. Are there shitty people out there? Absolutely. Tons of them. But there are a lot more good people than there are bad. And most of those people are happy to have you, help you, or just to chat for a few minutes. Travel's great gift is its ability to change you. Before all my roadtrips, I thought that the "locals" would run me out of town with guns and burning torches. That's a bit dramatic, but you get the point. My experience has been the exact opposite, minus a few shady encounters. If you're good to people, then most of them will be good to you. Doesn't matter where you're from. If you're a Snake Oil salesman, then you're going to get treated like one. Last week I had a conversation with a couple buddies in Colorado about Texans. They are always complaining about how loud, rude, and arrogant the Texans are that they encounter in Colorado. In my opinion, that's a classic case of some bad apples ruining it for everybody else. Texas has a bad reputation for exactly what my buddies described and I won't deny that those people exist. However, Texas has grown to be one of my favorite places in the country to visit and photograph because of the people/culture. I've spent a lot of time in the small towns and country of Texas, and can say that the people are some of the warmest, most welcoming, and helpful I've ever met. This past July I was on the road headed back to Cape Cod to visit family and went through Texas to get my fix of BBQ, while also looking out for hoops to photograph. A wrong turn put me on the side street of a high school gymnasium with an open door. I had no intention of photographing an indoor basketball court but took it as a sign. Went in and introduced myself to the guy inside who was coaching a couple kids. This was a Sunday on a holiday weekend. After explaining what I do, he invited me (and my dog Mojo) right in. Showed me around. Took us to the big gym where the games are played, turned on the lights and scoreboard, and left me alone to photograph the place for as long as I wanted. Afterward he brought Mojo and I into his office where he shared boat loads of information about all the oldest and historical highschool basketball gyms within a two hour radius, gave me some of their teams branded clothing, and sent me on my way with his phone number to call if I ever needed anything else. En route to the BBQ joint I stopped at one of the gyms he recommended. It was closed and the campus was deserted. After some searching I found a lady working in the bus garage and told her what I was trying to do. She stopped working to call everyone in her cell phone that could possibly get me into the gym. It didn't work, but she sure tried. About 100 miles later I found a hoop attached to a tree in someone's front yard in the middle of nowhere so I stopped and asked permission to photograph it. The front door was open. Not unlocked. Wide open. A woman came to the door and was happy to oblige. Moments later I was outside making pictures and saw her drive away. Front door was still wide open, and from all I could tell, nobody else was home. Not another person for miles and miles. That's Texas. That's America.


Not sure if that really answers your question. If not, I'd have to say the cumulative experience is what it's all about. Not any individual trip.

Who's the person or the event that you would dream of shooting?


That list is even longer than the one of photographers who have influenced me, but I don't have a lot of interest in just making a portrait of someone. I'd rather hang out with a person or people for an extended period of time to tell their story or the story of something specific going on in their life. Fly on the wall kind of stuff that takes the viewer behind the scenes into real life, not just what you see on TV. Near the top of the list of dream events to photograph is the Iditarod in Alaska. The whole thing from start to finish. "Barbershops of the World" is also a dream. In the people category, I'd love to hang out with a number of NBA guys as a fly on the wall, but don't have anyone specific right now. Maybe a single player or team for the duration of an entire season. The writer Hunter S. Thompson would have been great to shoot like that, but he's gone already. Actually Sturgill Simpson would be my top choice. He's such a talented musician with a brutally honest attitude toward the music industry and life in general. He's not afraid to call out all the scumbag executives that try to take advantage of musicians and artists. A top tier bull rider would be fun to shadow for an entire rodeo season. Those guys are interesting to me and they live a lifestyle unlike anyone else.


What is the most difficult thing to capture when shooting?


People as they are. The camera does weird things to people because they know they are being photographed so something in their head inevitably changes. You have to really work to get someone when their guard is down.

What is the picture that you're the most proud of?


There is no single picture, but I am very proud of being able to hang out and photograph my friends and later on turn those images into a check that pays bills or helps to support the next personal project. In 50 years hopefully I'm still making photographs that matter. Either way I know the celebrity shots made along the way won't mean anything to me, but the ones of friends and family will.

If you had to choose one picture (whether one of yours or somebody else's) to summarize what photography means to you, which one would it be and why?

There's a shot by William Albert Allard from the late 70's of a cowboy sitting alone at an old western bar in Nevada drinking a beer. Nobody else in the bar but him and there's a harsh late day light spilling in the open door. That one gets me every time for a lot of reasons. First because it's a beautifully gritty photograph. I'm enamored with those parts of the country and it shows this guy relaxing after a hard day's work of doing something that he loves. You can tell he's totally beat down but not unhappy. It's so American. He captured this piece of America that most people will never get to see or experience. That's why I love it. After typing that it makes me realize more of what I love about photography. Sharing experiences/places with people that are otherwise foreign and unreachable for them. Opening their eyes to something they probably know nothing about.

American Backcourts

Currently at an interesting crossroads with the American Backcourts series as I’m thinking about another edition of the book. There are a lot of things I’d like to improve on, but there is also a lot of new content that’s been shot over the past year or so that I’d like to include. However, my style of shooting has changed a bit since the first printing, which means that a lot of the new stuff might not gel with the new work. A lesson only recently learned by working with several professional photo editors on a couple other long term projects. Seems like an obvious concept, right? Not so much when you’re emotionally biased toward your own work. It causes you to be blinded about what’s best for the series as opposed to satisfying your own selfish needs. Moving on. These two were shot on last months cross country road trip. The first is in west Texas and the second is in eastern New York somewhere.

Click here to buy a copy of American Backcourts

Culture Brewing Company - Encinitas

Feels so good to see the world opening back up. Over the last week especially there has been so much life out on the street and in the local shops, restaurants, and bars. Grateful to have the opportunity to be social again while sharing some work from American Backcourts. So if you’re in San Diego during the month of June, stop on by Culture Brewing Company in Encinitas to check out some fine art prints while enjoying some delicious craft beer in the sunshine.

AmericanBackcourtsCulture.jpg

Basketball Never Stops

Basketball during Covid-19

It’s hard getting people to stop playing basketball. They will find a way. These image are from a court in south east San Diego during Covid that were shut down for obvious reasons. Still though, people wanted to ball and wouldn’t let anything stop them. Hard to get angry at that. They climbed the fences, went through the holes, whatever it took. So the city had to take further measures. No doubt they were only temporary solutions. Basketball never stops.

Click here to pick up a copy of American Backcourts

Colina Del Sol - San Diego

Colina Del Sol - San Diego

Basketball hoop with a chained padlock on it - San Diego, CA

Basketball hoop with a chained padlock on it - San Diego, CA

AMERICAN BACKCOURTS - FINE ART PRINTS

There is no greater compliment to a project than when a person decides to hang an image on their walls. Buying art for your wall is a commitment and an expense, so it makes me extremely grateful when my image(s) is chosen out of all the other options in the world. It’s also satisfying to think about the personal connection to people across the world. Even though I may never meet most collectors in person, it’s fun to think about my images in their homes and the joy they receive from looking at them on a daily basis.

Click here to grab a fine art print from American Backcourts for yourself

American Backcourts

Last week I listened to a podcast with Sturgill Simpson being interviewed by Rick Rubin. Rick is Rick. He’s a legend. And Sturgill is one of my favorite musicians. Not just because he’s extremely talented, but because he takes risks. Every album is different from the last which probably causes him to lose a lot of fans. During the interview Rubin asked if there were any major things that happened to him which greatly improved his career. His answer was great. He talked about a visit to Merle Haggard’s house where they met for the first time. At that point Merle was already a living legend and one of Sturgill’s heroes. Inside the house was the only Grammy Merle ever won. It was on the ground all banged up and scratched, being used as a door stop. At that point Sturgill knew that nothing mattered but the music and the awards don’t mean shit. Sure, awards bring attention to the music, but they don’t make it any better or worse. A turning point for him.

A long time ago I came to that same conclusion and let go of any desire or need to create images that I thought other people would like. It was the best move I ever made. From that point on there was a major change in my photography and the direction of my career. Those changes can cause a lot of short term stress, but ultimately worth it in order to achieve the long term goals. Working on a project like American Backcourts, which has now been going on for 9 years, you go through many different emotional stages. Along the way everybody wants to tell you what you should be doing. If I had a dollar for every person that said I needed to go to New York City to photograph all the famous courts there! While I appreciate their enthusiasm, we just don’t share the same vision. Much respect to those courts and their history, but that’s not what this project is all about. Besides, there are some guys who have been doing that and doing it damn well. If city hoops are your thing, check out Kevin Couliau and Thai Neave. They both do beautiful work. Ultimately, anyone in my position just wants to find a way to connect with other like minded people who will appreciate their book. So it felt great to have an interview/article on the front of the sports page in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Hoosier state. If ever there was a group of people who could appreciate my style of basketball imagery, it’s the Hoosiers. Dana Benbow did a great job with the article, and people really connected with it. Since the publishing a lot of people reached out saying how much they enjoyed it and my project. What more can you ask for? I’m really thankful for all the books headed to Indiana this week because I know the people who bought them think like me and will get a lot of joy from the content. Long live the personal project!!

Click here to grab a book for yourself or as a gift!

Click here to read the Indy Star article.

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What to know before publishing a photo book

Publishing Your First Photography Book

Why and How

Seems redundant to say that quarantine has been a trying time for everyone. My commercial business was shut down for 5 months straight. While stressful, it also became something I embraced because really, there’s nothing any of us could have done to change it. Commercial productions just weren’t possible, which isn’t an excuse to sit around and watch Netflix. For me it became a time to learn and soak up as much knowledge as possible, most notably on book publishing. I read a lot of books and blog posts, watched some videos, and attended a multiple online Zoom workshops. One thing that stood out from all of that was the question asking “why do you want to publish a book?” Everyone really seemed to emphasize that line. If you’ve followed what I do for any length of time, you know I’ve published a few books and have another one on the way. Then, why? After a lot of thinking I recognized how important that question and answer are for anyone wanting to publish a book of any kind. And I felt compelled to share exactly what my Why is as well as other thoughts crucial to the process. I’m a photographer, so my answers will be focused on that genre, but they apply to everyone.  What I offer here are just my thoughts. In no way do I have book publishing or the photography world “figured out”. Nobody does or ever will. Like anything, it’s constantly changing, so all we can do is stay on top of it and help each other out along the way.

1) SO, WHY DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH A BOOK?

I’ve spent countless hours inadvertently thinking about this one and the answer has become really clear - I believe in photography books. Every which way you can think of, I believe in them. There’s a very distinguishable line in my career that I credit all to photo books. It sounds dramatic, but I don’t mind saying that they changed my life. My collection has grown vigorously over the years, and if memory serves, the first one to alter my way of thinking and seeing is probably Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore. From there I went on to William Eggleston, who I’d say is one of my biggest influences. Then there was (in no particular order) William Albert Allard, Andy Anderson, Joel Sternfeld, Lee Friedlander, Joel Meyorwitz, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Walter Iooss, Fred Herzog, Saul Leiter, Alex Webb, Dan Winters, and the list goes on, almost forever. Each of their books are, in themselves, a master class on photography.  The point is that I didn’t understand what real photography was until spending countless quiet hours with myself and books by the masters. Just starting out, I was ignorant and hot headed, thinking my images were great and that I didn’t need anyone’s help. What an idiot. Studying photo books has taught me so much about what great photographs are and how to create a cohesive body of work. How to tell a story. What’s involved in pagination. How design factors in. There are so many elements that I can’t begin to think of them all, but it wasn’t until I studied the greats that my own photography actually improved at all.  Even beyond education, photography books just give me an enormous amount of joy. I love looking through them. They have an almost meditative quality that allows you to get lost inside the front and back cover. Every time I close a photo book I feel better than before it was opened.  

2) IS IT ABOUT EGO? 

Without question, I’d have to say that in the beginning it is most definitely about ego. As a younger photographer there seemed to be something hanging over my head saying that you’re not a real photographer unless you publish a book. Sorta like an athlete that never wins a ring?!  Looking back, I see what bullshit that was. Nobody but you cares if you’ve published a book or not. So I’d say the first book was at least partially made because of ego. “Here’s the book I published. I’m a real photographer, right!?” After your first book launches you feel validated and your ego is stroked for a few days, but that quickly fades when you realize what a small percentage of the world gives a shit and how much work is needed to actually sell it. Ego aside, I was still really passionate about my barbershop project that became my first book, but the best thing I’ve done is to work on squashing the ego. Ego gets you nowhere. 

3) WHO IS IT FOR AND WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY? 

The first part sort of ties into the whole ego thing, just in a different way. Who are you making the book for? Take some time to figure that out and answer yourself honestly. If the answer is Your Ego, then the book is doomed from the beginning. If you actually have something to say though, then it has a fighting chance. I never realized how many books are actually out in the world until I started making my own. 8+ years later it still blows my mind how many books are published on a daily basis. So unless you have something to say that’s unique and has an audience, then it’s most certainly about your ego. “I’m an artist. Look at me and what I created”. Before you put forth a boatload of time, energy, and money be sure the book actually has some substance. Think about how and if it’s going to add or advance the world of photography. Think about what it will do for the subject you’ve focused on and that niche part of the world. Has your particular topic been done before? If so, what are you going to do differently and why are people supposed to care? My first book and project that I continue to work on is about traditional barbershops. Something I view as a beautiful but dying piece of American culture. I’ve always loved barbershops. It made me sad to see them vanishing, so I took it upon myself to document them before they were all gone. Almost 9 years later I’m on the 3rd edition of that book because I’ve continued to photograph shops in all 50 states of the USA. And now, looking back, a lot of the barbers in the book have already passed on. That’s sad, but I’m also grateful to have immortalized them in photographs. Wasn’t until about 5 years into the project that I realized the book is in a sense, a historical document. I’m proud of that. 

4) WHAT IS THE CONNECTION? 

What is the focus of your book and why are you focusing on it? How are you connected to it? Unless you have a strong personal connection, it won’t work. If you’re shooting something just for a book in hopes that it will make you famous or cause a steady stream of publicity, then you’re going to be very disappointed. If that’s your reasoning, then whatever small audience you manage to attract, will immediately know your intentions. It shows up in the work. The desire has to come from somewhere deeper than money. It has to be something you can’t not make. People can see the passion in your photos, or not. So make sure you think this through and produce a book that truly means something to you! 

5) WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT YOU AS A PHOTOGRAPHER? 

Every photographer goes through slow times whether they admit it or not. Doesn’t matter who you are. This business will be filled with highs and lows. If fact, you’re more likely to be hit with more lows than highs. So if that’s something you can’t handle, then this isn’t the business for you. There was a period where I was getting boat loads of commercial work. Some of it was really fun. The rest of it sucked and made me miserable, but it paid a LOT of bills. If you continue to take those suck jobs, all it will lead to is more jobs that suck. That was happening to me, which gave me a bad attitude and caused me to withdraw quite a bit without even knowing it. So work started to dry up. I mean really dry. During that time I did a lot of reflecting about what I wanted from my career. And just as important, what I didn’t want. That is a whole discussion in itself, but something I strongly encourage every photographer to do at least a couple times a year.  My answer was to focus on commercial work only where “I was a customer before they were a client”. Meaning that the company/brand sells a product that I already use or their message/goals fit directly with my interests/lifestyle. This goes back to your passion showing up in the work. If you’re shooting for a company, brand, or cause that you believe in, then it will show in the images. Otherwise, I decided the money just isn’t worth the headaches and drama of high maintenance clients. Life is too short. That’s not to say I have my pick of any shoot I want. Definitely not the case at all, but I also just don’t care that much about money. What does this have to do with books? Well, what do you do with your slow/free time? Commercial collaborations can be fun, but what does it all say about you as a photographer? Fast forward 10, 20, 50 years and think about what that commercial work will mean? Do you just want to be a hired gun or actually create something of your own? Ever hear older musicians talk about “owning their masters” or “buying back their masters”? If you’re not familiar, it means they, as opposed to the record company, own the music. It’s theirs forever to make money from. Which is a funny thing to think about. They made the music. Of course they should own it, right? Not if the labels get their way. Same goes for the photography industry. A photographer’s personal projects are far more important (in my opinion) than their commercial work. Enjoy the commercial work and do a great job for your clients, but you have to go farther than that. Create something that is a direct reflection of you and your life and that passion will organically attract other like minded people. Which in turn will organically attract commercial clients. Next thing you know, you’re getting hired to shoot something you love and would do for free. 

6) IS IT ABOUT THE MONEY?

Anyone who has ever been through the process of publishing a book will tell you it can’t be about the money. Unless you’re wildly famous, making tons of money on advances and sales isn’t a thing. I’d like to go on for days about the +/- of publishing vs. self-publishing, but that will need to be a whole other rant on it’s own. Have experience with both and will share those thoughts another time. For now though, forget the money. If that’s your motivation then think now about another way. Make the book because you have to, and trust that it will lead to other things. This is all an add on to what I said in #4. Making a book on barbershops in all 50 states of the USA isn’t something any sane person would do, let alone expect to make money from. Still though, I had to make it. And what came of it? Yes, the books sold and continue to sell, but those margins are insultingly low. It’s what comes from the book that’s truly rewarding, both personally and financially. The book connected me with a massive group of good people all over the globe. That for me is reward in itself, but it also led to other things. As the circle grew, with it came commercial assignments and image licensing. And the best part, there is no selling involved. I don’t have to convince the client that I’m the right person for the job because they can see and feel my passion for the subject. If I was independently wealthy, I’d still be doing the same thing. I’d still work on the Barbershop project, The Hoops project, and all the others that are in the hopper. That’s how you should think about it. Make a book about something you’re totally passionate about and would do even if you knew it would never make you a dime. 

FUN?

Your book should give something to the viewers, but it also needs to boil down to fun. If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?


Hopefully this will help you answer a few of the questions floating around in your head? Now you just have to figure out how the hell to actually sell your book….

American Backcourts

Beyond excited to finally be sharing the forthcoming (November 15th-ish) book with everyone!! I could probably go on talking about this project for days, but the world doesn’t have an attention span for that, so I’ll try and keep it quick. Also know that I’ll be posting more about this in the coming weeks as the book comes closer to release. Even now sitting down to write this I’m not sure how to keep it short. The video itself probably best describes how I feel about basketball and this series that I’ve been shooting for the past 8+ years. Like most of my projects, I believe it was a “thing” even before realizing it. If you’ve followed “The Basketball Hoops Project” for any amount of time, you know this this was all inspired by a picture of Larry Bird’s childhood hoop. As a kid, he was my hero, and I just couldn’t understand how one of the greatest of all time could have grown up playing on a rusty old rim hanging on a dilapidated old barn in the middle of Indiana. I was certain that all the greats came from the inner cities and were afforded the finest facilities. That image of Bird’s hoop and the story it told never left my head as I got older and began traveling as a photographer. During those cross country road trips (with my dog Mojo) I would encounter hoops just like Bird’s and couldn’t help but stop to photography them, always wondering what stories they would tell. After taking the photos I didn’t give them much thought, as my main focus was on a different subject (Barbershops of America) altogether. Then time went on and people started responding to the Hoops images I would post on various social media channels, and I realized that a body of work had really developed. At some point, Hoops became the new focus and things started to snowball. Now, almost 9 years later, I’m just as obsessed with the project as I was then.

A few weeks ago I received the unbound proofing copy of the book, and couldn’t help but feel as though this is the most complete body of work I’ve every put out. And a lot of that has to do with the collaborations I entered into after understanding how important it is to hand over to control of the things you aren’t good at. Being honest about what you don’t know is an important trait in life. Is it pertains to this, the best thing I did was to work with an editor. A professional who understands the importance of giving it to you straight. Someone who isn’t emotionally connected to the project and will edit the images in a way that’s best for the project as a whole. Which often times, means saying bye to your favorites! This is a huge lesson for me, and one that I’m infinitely thankful to have learned. I also worked with a designer on this book to give it the visual attention it deserved. Again, knowing what I don’t know. I’m not a designer and can’t expect to make a book look good on my own. Trust in the professionals! There is no situation in life where it isn’t important to surround yourself with people who are smarter or better than yourself! It only raises you up to their level. I’m quite confident in my abilities as a photographer, but when it comes to editing and design, I’m very much an amateur.

There is a whole lot more to say about this project, but for now I hope you enjoy this teaser video. I think it says a whole lot about the game of basketball, and sums up why I continue to love this project. Stay tuned for more info about the book’s release.

**The book you see is a digital mock up as I have not yet received the hard copies. The text on the real thing looks slightly different.