Leucadia Barbershop

Best Barbershop in North County

San Diego Barbershop

Spent some time back in San Diego last month and finally got around to photographing Emiliano Zermeno at his new Leucadia Barbershop location - a five minute drive from the house I lived in for 7 years. Funny concept when you think that this project encompasses all 50 states!

Last time I saw him was during COVID when they were forced to give haircuts in the parking lot outside. As you can see he has tattoos up to his chin. We talked a bit about his interactions with tourists coming into the shop that aren’t used to seeing people covered in tattoos. Emiliano is very kind person, but first impressions can be misleading, so sometimes it’s necessary to go the extra mile to make people feel welcome.

The shop has strong family history that began when his parents opened up in 1996. Like so many long time barbershops that have to deal with landlord issues, they unfortunately had to vacate that location recently, but that led to the beaut that he’s in now. A place that is a direct reflection of the barber himself (skateboarder) and the southern California culture he grew up in. It’s obvious when talking to him that family is a huge part of his life. As is continuing on what his parents worked so hard for. He’s also part of the Uppercut Deluxe crew, so you know his cuts are top tier. Head over to his shop’s website to learn more, and if you’re looking for a great haircut in north county San Diego, Leucadia Barbershop is the spot.

Click HERE to check out my photography book of barbershops in all 50 states of the USA.

And there are barbershop prints from this series available HERE. For all other print inquiries please contact me directly.

Photograph of Emiliano Zermeno - owner of Leucadia Barbershop in San Diego, CA

Emiliano Zermeno - San Diego Barber

Photograph of the neon sign in the window at Leucadia Barbershop in Encinitas, CA

Leucadia Barbershop - San Diego, CA

Photograph of hand painted writing on the door of a barbershop

Good Haircuts - Bad Advice

Best barbershop in North County San Diego

Best barbershop in north county San Diego

Photograph of skateboards hanging on the wall at a barbershop in San Diego, CA

Black and white photograph of a barbershop in San Diego, CA

Black and white photograph of a neon barbershop sign

Barbershop in Encinitas, CA

San Diego Barbershop

Traditional Barbershop in San Diego, CA

Johnny Lovato’s Barbershop

Back in 2011 I began photographing traditional barbershops as a way to preserve a dying piece of American culture and cornerstone of every local community. These relics were all going away due to the barber passing on, retiring, or being pushed out of their shop to make way for a higher paying tenant. Last week I drove by Johnny Lovato’s Barbershop in San Diego and was sad to see that it had changed hands, been gutted, and reopened as a soulless salon. No offense to the current owner, but it’s sad to see decades of memories stripped away. A barbers shop is his second home and a place that he’s spent a life forging relationships and community. And that’s what this body of work is all about - documenting these time capsules so their legacy can live on. These photographs are from 2011 when Johnny was still cutting and later in 2019 when his son had taken over. I remember Johnny being a very kind person. He loved the bird in his shop and got a lot of enjoyment from feeding it Cheetos.

If you’d like to support this project you can do so by purchasing a copy of my photography book on traditional barbershops in all 50 states of the USA.

And contact me directly if you’d like a photography prints of any barbershops from this series.

Photograph of a traditional barber in San Diego, CA

Johnny Lovato's Barbershop - Point Loma, CA

Old school barbershop in San Diego, CA

San Diego Barbershop

Photograph of a barber feeding his pet bird in San Diego, California

Johnny Lovato - Barber

Portrait of a San Diego barber

Portrait of a San Diego barber standing behind his chair

Photograph of a rotary telephone inside an old school barbershop

Rotary phone in a traditional barbershop

Photograph of a barber sitting in his chair

Photograph of an old school barber in San Diego, CA

Traditional barbershop in San Diego, CA

Photograph of a customer getting their hair cut at a barbershop in San Diego, Ca

University Club - San Diego

University Club - San Diego, California

Recently had a great opportunity to present some of my cowboy photography to members at The University Club in San Diego, California. Sitting on the 34th floor of the Symphony Towers, the club has the best view in all of America’s Finest City! It was a pleasure just being up there, but even more so presenting work along a couple other photographs that I’m lucky to call friends - Nick Nacca and Gary Allard as well as APA San Diego. It was a great night all the way around. The three of us had fun presenting our work and everyone in attendance was very engaged during and after. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share!!

Go here to shop my fine art cowboy photography prints

Fine art photography at the University Club in San Diego

Photography presentation at The University Club in San Diego, California

Photograph of fine art photographers presenting work at The University Club in San Diego, California

Color photographs taken by Tim Hardy

Black and white photo taken by Rich Soublet

The Photographic Journal

Basketball Photo Essay - The Photographic Journal

Southern California Basketball Culture

Over the past couple years I’ve been quietly working on a series of photographs about the unique basketball culture that exists in Southern California. It’s been an incredibly fun project and a huge contrast to the American Backcourts photographs of hoops from far off places all across the country. So it’s great to see the series featured on The Photographic Journal - a website that puts together beautiful photo essays. Click HERE to check it out.

American Road Trip Photography

The Great American Road Trip - Photography

When are you supposed to say enough is enough and move on to another subject? Roadside Meditations was published a few months back, which would (should?) be the logical line in the sand stating ok, you did the thing, now try something else! And a person smarter than myself would probably do that! History thus far does not comply. My long term personal project are just that, personal. So I might partially focus on a new subject, but I’m always on the look-out for images that fit the older projects too. It’s not intentional. It just is. I love these projects and can’t help myself.

Click HERE to purchase a copy of Roadside Meditations or contact me directly to inquire about prints of my American road trip photography.

Photograph of a road going through a beautiful cattle ranch in Montana

Wyola, Montana

Landscape photo of the California desert

California desert

Photograph of a vast Wyoming landscape

Wyoming

Landscape photo of the California desert

California desert

Photograph of a train going through the landscape of Parker, Wyoming

Parker, Wyoming

California desert road trip photo

California desert

Photograph of plants in the California desert

California desert

Aerial Photograph of a road going through a desolate section of the California desert

California desert

Cowboy Photography - American West

American West - Cowboy Photography - Wall Art

Photographing cowboys in the American West has been so many adjectives. Just scrolling through images to make this blog post gives me even more appreciation for the work, life, and culture of these people. As of this writing I’ve been lucky to photograph on cattle ranches in Nevada, California, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. Which has been an education in and of itself, seeing all the differences from region to region. Not sure how long thing has been going on no, but the desire to continue only grows with each ranch visited. Certainly my favorite project to date.

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography and contact me directly to purchase wall art from the American Cowboy series. All of my images are available as prints for your home, office, or commercial space.

Sunrise photograph of two saddled horses with pogonip in the background

Fulstone Ranch - Bridgeport, California

Black and white portrait of a Wyoming cowboy

Dave Ennis - Wyoming Cowboy

Photograph of a cowboy working cattle in a chute

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Photograph of the clutter in a cowboys office in Idaho

Cowboy “Office” - Idaho

Photograph of Dwight Hill - Idaho cowboys

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo - Idaho

Black and white photograph of cowboys riding out into open range

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Photograph of Dwight Hill practicing with his horse in Idaho

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo -Idaho

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

Mammoth, California Photographs

Photography Gallery - Mammoth, California

Wall Art - Prints

The town and resort of Mammoth had was hit with a record breaking snow storm recently. Not sure what the final tally was, but it had to be well over 100 inches in the span of a week or so, transforming it into a winter wonderland. Emily and I took a trip up there just for fun. The resort was a shitshow and avalanche danger in the backcountry was far too high, so we didn’t even snowboard. Instead we just enjoyed the vibe of being in that much snow. It’s an incredible sight that brings out the best and worst in people. Some can’t help but be giddy, while others lose any amount of common sense they ever had. The first morning we walked out of our airbnb to a shovelfest in the parking lot. It was chaos. From one end of the lot to the other was nothing but people digging out their vehicles. Most of which were Tesla’s and BMW’s that had no business being there to begin with.

That day we rented cross country skis and literally toured around the empty sidewalks, which felt more like tunnels through a maze because the snow on each side was so high. Not my favorite activity, but it was a blast that day. Grateful to witness nature like that. What a time to be alive.

Contact me directly for inquiries about wall art of Mammoth Lakes, California. Prints available in multiple sizes.

The Sierra Nevada Resort in Mammoth Lakes, California after a huge snowstorm

Sierra Nevada Resort in Mammoth Lakes, California

Schat's Bakery in Mammoth Lakes, California covered in snow after a massive snow storm

Schat’s Bakery - Mammoth, California

A massive winter snow storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Photograph of a record breaking snow storm in Mammoth Lakes, CA

A snowboarder walks down the street after a massive winter snow storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Streets covered in snow after a record storm in Mammoth Lakes, CA

A basketball hoop completely covered in snow after a record breaking winter storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Winter in Mammoth, CA

A car completely covered in snow after a massive winter storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Photograph of a car covered in snow after a storm in Mammoth Lakes, CA

Schat's Bakery and other local businesses covered in snow after a massive winter storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Snow storm in Sierra Nevada Mountains in California

A-Frame Liquor store covered in snow after a record breaking winter storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Liquor Store - Mammoth, California

Buildings covered in snow after a record breaking winter storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Photograph of a Mammoth California restaurant covered in snow

Mammoth Liquor Store covered in snow after a record breaking storm in Mammoth Lakes, California

Photograph of Mammoth Liquor covered in snow after a record breaking storm

San Francisco Photography

Street Photography - San Francisco

California Photo Gallery

Had another commercial shoot in San Francisco a while ago and planned a little extra time to play around in the streets. It’s always a fun way to relax and grow as a photographer. No idea what the bigger picture is for this ongoing series, but that doesn’t matter. Even if it’s just a personal documentation of the city, that’s ok too. This particular day got interesting about an hour in to the walk, when a women pulled up in her car and asked what I was doing. She didn’t like my simple answer and continued to disagree with everything that came after. So I went on my way, only to have her creep behind me for an hour, watching from a distance. At one point our paths crossed closely and her window was down, so I asked if she was having fun. She replied with an entitled grin as if she had cracked the case of the century, saying “I know what you’re after, mailboxes and garages”. I just kept walking. Eventually she couldn’t follow any longer after my path went through a park. People are funny. Did I handle the situation properly? Probably not. If there was a business card in my pocket it would have went immediately to her, but there was not. And her attitude was such shit, that it seemed like a losing battle to convince her of anything other than what she already had in her head. Moral of the story: always carry a business card to show Karen??

Click here to see more from my American photography series

Street photography from the streets and neighborhoods of San Francisco, California by Rob Hammer

San Francisco street photography

San Francisco street photography

San Francisco street photography

San Francisco Street Photography

San Francisco photography

San Francisco Street Photography

San Francisco street photography

Street Photography in San Francisco, California

Street photography - San Francisco, CA

Photography - San Francisco, California - Street Photography

San Francisco, CA

Street Photography - San Francisco, California

San Francisco, CA

Street Photography - San Francisco, California

Street Photography - San Francisco, CA

Street Photography - San Francisco, California

San Francisco street photography

San Francisco Street Photography

Street photograph of a San Francisco neighborhood

Street Photography - San Francisco, California

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Street Photography

Photo of a beautiful home in San Francisco

Street Photography San Francisco, California

San Francisco street photography

San Diego Botanical Gardens

Lightscape - San Diego Botanical Gardens

Christmas Light Show - Photography

The last few weeks haven’t seen much action with the camera, unfortunately. Instead the days have been filled with end of the year business nonsense that I don’t enjoy. Going for any amount of time without making images causes a bit of uneasiness, so I brought the camera for a walk through Lightscapes at the San Diego Botanical Gardens, and played around with some hand held long exposures. It confused a number of workers that we would actually walk to the event, instead of driving.

Lightscapes - San Diego Botanical Gardens
Holiday Light Show - San Diego, California
Lightscape - San Diego Botanical Gardens - Encinitas - Photos
Christmas Light Show - San Diego
Long exposure abstract light trail photographs
Lightscape - San Diego Botanical Gardens - Encinitas - Photos

The Open Road - Photography

American Road Trip Photography

There’s been a hold up with the delivery of Roadside Meditations from Germany, so the release date is looking more like early to mid December. Instead of using this blog post to vent, it seems like a better opportunity to share some new work from the series. They were made over the past two months during two separate road trips to Wyoming and Arizona while working on the new cowboy series.

Looking at these photographs now, there is certainly a calming meditative nature to them. The thing that stands out though, is they aren’t something I could have or would have made 6 months or a year ago. That’s called progress, isn’t it? They aren’t landscapes. So what are they? Not sure you really need to classify them at all. If they are pleasant to look, provide a documentation, or education, that’s what’s important.

Will keep you all posted with updates on the new book as soon as possible.

Utah fine art photography. A beautiful landscape in a rural part of Utah.

Utah

Fine art landscape photos made in a beautiful remote section of Utah, USA.

Utah

Utah Fine art landscape photos by Rob Hammer

Utah

Fine art photo of the California desert. Black and white desert photo.

California

California Desert Road Trip

Road Trip Photography - America - Travel - California Desert

It’s interesting how certain places can grow on you that at first didn’t seem so appealing. And light seems to be one of the biggest determining factors of that in my opinion. It doesn’t have be traditionally beautiful light either. It just has to be interesting light. Or, maybe light that you understand how to work with? That knowledge is part of growing as a photographer. Most people focus so much on that “perfect” light that occurs during a sunrise or sunset, but beautiful images can be made at all times of day if you know how to work under different conditions. Even midday sun can transform a scene from completely forgettable to “I can’t wait to come back here”.

Click here to shop the Roadside Meditations book

Contact me directly about prints of my American road trip photography for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography

Mountains in the California desert along Highway 395. American road trip photography by Rob Hammer.

American road trip photography

American Photography. Back roads near the desert town of Mojave, California. American road trip photography.

California desert - Mojave, CA

Wall art  of Joshua Trees growing in the California desert. Desert vibes photo.

Mojave Desert

A sky filled with clouds behind a windmill farm in Mojave, California. Alternative energy photos.

Windfarm in Mojave, California

A desert landscape along Highway 395 near Lone Pine, California. Desert Vibes.

California desert near Lone Pina

Windmills in the desert near Mojave, California. Alternative energy photos.

Mojave, CA

Photo of a small town in the California desert

Road Trip Photography

A train going through the small desert town of Mojave, California

A train going through the desert town of Mojave, CA

California 395

An image that fits nicely into my “Roadside Meditations” series/book but I never paid much attention to it until today despite making it in June of last year. Funny how that works. If you live in Southern California and like the mountains, then the 395 is part of your life. I’ve personally been traveling this road for 12+ years now and always find something new to love about it. Normally that comes with the changing light as is the case with this image. If memory serves, I was in the middle of doing an 8.5 hour drive from Tahoe to San Diego when this scene presented itself and forced me to pull over. Something about the light, lines, color, and textures that really add up.

San Francisco Photography

No need to go on and on about my obsession with San Francisco as it’s been well noted here in the past. However, it will be an ongoing project with updates, so I decided to give this thing it’s own gallery here on the site. Shooting has been fun and beyond that I started working with a professional photo editor to whittle down the edit into something that feels cohesive. In the past one of the bigger mistakes I’ve made among a lot of others, is waiting too long to get eye balls on a series to hear about what if anything is making sense. No more. For this and every other series I’ll be gaining outside/unbiased feedback from a professional. The collaboration is really fun as well as educational.

Click HERE to see the edited gallery of my San Francisco Street Photography

Venice Basketball League Photos

Venice Basketball League Photos

Basketball Culture Photography - Prints - Wall Art

There’s always free entertainment going on in Venice Beach, especially so when the VBL finals are going down. It’s a show from beginning to end. The games were very physical and fun to watch as was the dunk contest. Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace and Steve Francis were both there to judge and Compton Av performed at half court before the championship game. As usual I’m more interested in what’s happening around the court than the actual game when it comes to photos. So if I’ve done my job correctly this set of images will give you a feeling for what it’s like to be there.

Click here to see more basketball photography from my American Backcourts series

Contact me directly for prints of these images for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Western Photography

Cowboy Photography - American West - Cattle Ranching

Maybe it’s the nostalgia? Maybe it’s the hats? I don’t know. However you spin it though, I appreciate everything going on in the pictures here. To really boil it down though, there are a couple factors that turn me on to this culture and lifestyle. First is the freedom. Cowboys/ranchers/farmers. Whatever you want to call them. They work their asses off, but they do so on their own terms, not someone else’s. They freelance, like me. I always say that if I’m not exhausted, dirty, or bloody by the end of a shoot, then chances are it wasn’t that much fun. And I wouldn’t dare to compare the work I do in a day to that of a cowboy, but I certainly connect with it. Another part is their “work” hasn’t changed that much since the old days. Sure there are more laws and guidelines, especially in California, but the bones of it is pretty much the same. And there’s a lot to be said for that, especially since everything else in the world changes minute by minute, and not usually for the better. The simplicity of their trade is another parallel to draw. That’s not to say that what they do is easy, because it certainly isn’t. Quite the opposite. With photography everyone is so focused on gear, gear, gear. Gotta get the latest and greatest piece of gear. Gotta light this with 12 strobes or it won’t look good! Admittedly, I was guilty of that in the past too. At a certain point though, I realized that was all about false impressions. Yes, your equipment needs to be at a certain level to operate as a professional, but that doesn’t mean you constantly need to be upgrading. Having a better camera doesn’t make you a better photographer. Hell, if you know what you’re doing, you could make an entire career with one camera and one lens. So you don't need that new 150 megapixel Medium Format bullshit. Fun to play around with? Yup. Not what matters though. Focus on making images not on the gear. That’s what I mean by simplicity. Location is the last thing I’ll mention. In general, the places where these people live and work is also something I connect with. Living in San Diego has a lot of pluses, but I’d much rather be out in the mountains or the country. It feels more like home and fits my personality/interests much more. Along with the location comes a certain type of attitude or lack there of. City people and country people are just different. No way around it. I prefer the later.

What a day this was with Spencer and Jessica of the Anderson Cattle Company (click to buy some of their beef) and their crew. Really grateful to have documented the work done by these folks. Not only was it fun, but also incredibly impressive. Watching the control they had over their horses and the way they used them as vehicles was a pleasure. That goes for the women too. They can rip. At the end of the day I asked one of the guys how long it took until he was comfortable with that sort of environment. To which he replied that you don’t, really. “Controlled chaos”. You just get use to the controlled chaos, he said. A very fair and accurate way to describe that type of event.

Something well worth noting in my opinion is that none of the people you see in these pictures were paid to be there. They are all friends of the Anderson’s and volunteered to work their asses off in the hot sun. A favor that is always returned over and over again throughout their lifetimes. On this day they helped on their ranch, but next time the Anderson’s will be the one’s lending a hand. The way life should be.

One of my favorite photographers of all time is William Albert Allard. He made a great deal of photographs in the American West documenting the lifestyle and I’d argue that nobody has ever done it better. In one of his books he talked about time spent on a ranch with some cowboys in Nevada. He asked one of the guys if he was ever afraid of being replaced by a machine. “Bill, they just ain’t come up with nothin’ yet that’ll take as much abuse as a cowboy”.

Follow along with the Anderson’s on IG @2aranchwife

More Western Cowboy Photographer here

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

American Street Photography

Street Photography - South Lake Tahoe - California

Another edition of making time to shoot for yourself. There’s a book title in there somewhere actually. Had some free time on a multi-day commercial shoot up in Tahoe recently and put it to good use walking around the neighborhoods making street photographs. Specifically these are from South Lake Tahoe which has changed quite a bit since my first visit there 10-ish years ago. Not my favorite ski town, but damn is it gorgeous. Unbelievably so. When you take the time to get out and see the lake and all that comes with it, you’re appreciation for the place as a whole completely changes. It’s not a town where you could spend a lot of time unless your days are spent recreationally doing any of the countless activities that the lake/mountains offer. All that said, I’m starting to love it there.

Click here to see more of my street photography

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

Street Photography - San Francisco

San Francisco Photo Gallery - Prints - Culture

Street Photography - San Francisco - California - Wall Art

Was back in San Francisco for a commercial shoot recently and made some time for some street shooting. Really love this city. Has it’s downsides like everywhere else, but damn is it an incredible place. The layers that show themselves as you explore are so much fun. And it’s got a texture to it unlike anywhere else in America. Already looking forward to the next trip.