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 at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona

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

Photography presentation at The University Club in San Diego, California

Color photographs taken by Tim Hardy

Black and white photo taken by Rich Soublet

Road Trip Map

Mojo and I did it again. Another lap around the country filled with good times, foul weather, family, friends, and if all went even remotely well, a solid handful of images that I’m happy with. These trips never stop surprising me and hopefully they never do. Some days on the road you’ve got to scratch and claw to find just one decent frame. There were numerous times I asked myself “Is this America project done? Have I seen all there is to see?” Of course that’s complete nonsense. It was just frustration and exhaustion talking. A person could spend a lifetime traveling this great country and never see all it has to offer. The flip side is those days where you can’t seem to stop shooting. Those are a gift. You find that honey hole, you’re seeing really well, and the frames just start stacking up. That’s the best feeling in the world because you know it’s fleeting. You know it might not happen again for a couple days or 1,000+miles. There are so many factors at play that you can’t possibly pretend to know what’s going to happen out there. That’s the best part though. The not knowing. The hunt. It’s a drug.

Have a lot on the plate right now but will be going through this batch of images soon, so check back to see what I came up with out there.

American Road Trip

Iowa

American Road Trip

So grateful for this time on the road especially when it can incorporate the trifecta of shooting for a client, shooting for myself, and vacation time with Emily and Mojo. There really is nothing better. Our main destinations were Idaho/Montana and what a special time of year to be up there. The color and weather make you appreciate the seasons so much as people who live in southern California where we don’t get those drastic changes. Also made me realize how much I need to plan for this every year to shoot some fly fishing in locations surrounded by fall foliage. Maybe it’s just getting older (aka wiser), but that fall beauty was lost on me while going to school in Vermont where people would visit from all over the world. The “leaf peepers”. It makes a lot more sense once you start to pull your head out of your own ass. Check back soon for images from this trip.

Road Trip

One of my pet peeves is when people use the excuse of being “too busy”. They can’t do this or that because they are too busy. They can’t exercise because they “don’t have enough time”. Whatever it is, there’s an excuse. What people should say though, is that the particular thing you’re questioning them about “isn’t a priority”. That’s more accurate. Otherwise it’s just a bullshit excuse. I have so much work that’s been made over the past year+ that I’ve been meaning to post on the blog, but it hasn’t been a priority. Two posts down from this one is about an 8,000+ mile road trip I did and still haven’t posted about. Now I’m posting about another road trip, and who knows when I’ll get around to posting images from it? Another reason is because I’m trying to figure out the balance of posting/not posting images when they will be involved in something bigger than the blog. I’m currently working on a few book projects and would prefer to have a lot of the content fresh for the book releases. Is that wrong? Better to just post and get the imagery out there? Who knows. There is no right answer I suppose. Either way, my priorities have been in other places than the blog, but I’m trying to be better.