Crafted by Hand: The Art of ML Leddy’s Cowboy Boots

Western History: Capturing Photographs of the Craftsmanship Behind ML Leddy’s Legendary Cowboy Boots

In a world racing toward efficiency, ML Leddy’s in Texas stands like an old oak, rooted in tradition, refusing to bend to the winds of mass production. Here, cowboy boots aren’t churned out by machines; they’re born from human hands, each stitch a testament to the maker’s skill and patience. The people who craft these boots are artists, though they’d never call themselves that. Their tools are awls and knives, not brushes or chisels, and their medium is leather that’s been carefully chosen, cut, and coaxed into something remarkable.

Photographing the process at ML Leddy’s is like stepping into a world where time slows down. Every detail matters here, from the first cut of a hide to the final polish of a boot. The craftsmen move with the quiet confidence of those who have done this work for years, their hands weathered but sure. The air smells of leather and dye, the kind of scent that seems to hold stories of cattle drives and dusty trails.

One of the most striking moments I captured was the carving of the intricate designs that make ML Leddy’s boots so distinct. The artisan bent over his workbench, focused entirely on the pattern he was etching into the leather. The light caught the curve of his hand, the fine lines of his face, and the swirling design that seemed to bloom under his blade. It wasn’t just bootmaking—it was poetry, written one cut at a time.

The photographs tell the story of more than just boots—they tell the story of a tradition. ML Leddy’s boots are built to last a lifetime, but they’re also built to carry a legacy. These aren’t boots you wear lightly; they’re boots that hold the weight of history, made for people who understand the value of something made to endure.

As the camera clicked, I watched a master shoemaker fit the heel onto the sole, his hands steady, his movements deliberate. The room was filled with the soft sounds of leather being worked, tools tapping, and quiet conversations between craftsmen. The rhythm of the shop felt as timeless as the boots themselves, a reminder that in this corner of the world, some things still take time—and are better for it.

What I love most about photographing ML Leddy’s is the connection between the people and the product. Every detail, every flourish, every stitch speaks to the care and dedication that go into each pair of boots. These are boots made by hands that know the land, by people who understand that quality isn’t something you rush.

ML Leddy’s cowboy boots aren’t just footwear; they’re works of art, each one as unique as the person who wears them. My photographs aim to capture the soul of this process—the grit, the beauty, and the undeniable pride that comes from creating something that will walk its own story into the world.

For anyone who appreciates craftsmanship, tradition, and the timeless appeal of the American West, ML Leddy’s boots are more than worth a look. And for me, as a photographer, they’re a subject that never runs out of stories to tell.

Go HERE to see more of my Western Photography And contact me directly if you’d like a photography print of ML Leddy’s - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Custom sign at ML Leddy’s in San Angelo, TX.

Wood boot lasts fill the shelves at ML Leddy’s

Alligator leather cowboy boots

Handmade cowboy boots

Stitching cowboy boots by hand

Measuring a boot last for handmade cowboy boots in Texas

Wood nails attach a boot sole at ML Leddy’s in San Angelo, TX

Handmade cowboy boots in Texas

The Vast Silence of the Llano Estacado: Photographs from the Edge of the World

Capturing the Spirit of the Llano Estacado: A Journey Through Texas’ Endless Plains

The Llano Estacado is a place you don’t stumble across; it’s a place you reckon with. One of the most iconic and least understood landscapes in the American West, this vast plateau of grass and sky sprawls across Texas and New Mexico, holding onto its secrets and daring you to listen. Out here, the land doesn’t beg for your attention—it demands it.

For a photographer, the Llano Estacado is both a gift and a challenge. It’s the kind of place where you can drive for hours and see nothing, but also see everything. The light plays games with the land, casting long shadows across red dirt canyons one moment and igniting the horizon with a blazing sunset the next. This is a place where distance feels infinite, where the horizon blurs into eternity, and where silence is louder than any city you’ve ever known.

I’ve spent days with my camera out here, trying to make sense of a landscape that refuses to be pinned down. In the Llano Estacado, every scene feels timeless. Windmills still turn against endless skies, lone ranch houses sit hunkered against the elements, and the remnants of old cattle trails whisper of a time when the West was wild. The photographs I take here aren’t just about the land—they’re about its resilience, its quiet strength, and its ability to hold onto history while shrugging off the future.

There’s something raw about the Llano Estacado, something that gets under your skin. The wind is constant, carrying dust and memories of those who came before—Comanche warriors, Spanish explorers, and cattlemen who fought for a living in this unforgiving land. But for all its toughness, there’s a kind of poetry here, too. It’s in the way the light softens at dusk, the way a storm rolls in across the plains like the world’s slowest freight train, or the way a lone yucca plant stands defiant against the wind.

I photograph these moments not to tame them but to honor them. The Llano Estacado isn’t a place that conforms to you; it’s a place that changes you. And in every image, I try to capture a piece of that—the wildness, the solitude, the beauty that refuses to be anything but itself.

For anyone who loves the West, the Llano Estacado is a reminder of what it means to live with the land rather than against it. For me, it’s a place I’ll never stop returning to, camera in hand, chasing the light and the stories it holds.

If you’re drawn to the rugged beauty of the American West, I invite you to explore my collection of fine art photographs of the Llano Estacado. These images are more than landscapes—they’re testaments to a land that refuses to be forgotten.

Contact me directly if you’d like to purchase a print - rob@robhammerphotography.com

“It’s a long way, round the Llano Estacado” - Colter Wall

Llano Estacado - Texas 

Black and white photograph of a farm on the Llano Estacado 

Black and white photo of the Llano Estacado 

Photo of. a dust storm on the Llano Estacado in Texas 

Photo of roadside religious crosses on the Llano Estacado in Texas 

Photograph of a long dirt road on the Llano Estacado in Texas

Black and white photograph of a farm in the Texas panhandle 

Photograph of wind turbines on the Llano Estacado 

Boots O'Neal

Boots O’Neal - Cowboy - 6666 Ranch - Texas

Being a photographer has been a great pleasure and an even greater adventure. It’s taken me to some outstanding parts of the earth and allowed me to photograph some of the most famous athletes on it. “Who is your favorite?”, has always been a common question. Until recently, that was an impossible question to answer, now the final is Boots. Boots O’Neal is a 90 year old cowboy on the 6666 Ranch in Texas. A more inspiring human you will not meet. To learn more about him continue reading this piece I wrote that was originally published with Wrangler.

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography

Boots O’Neal on his horse working cattle in the corrals at the 6666 Ranch

Imagine for a moment, waking up in the hospital with 12 broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken vertebrae, and a bleeding brain. Now imagine that pain at 82 years of age. Cal Ripken Jr. was Major League Baseball's “Ironman”. Earning the nickname after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Put those end to end and you’ve got over 7 years of straight baseball. An astonishing stat and impressive feat only possible for a human made from the toughest stock. No offense to Mr. Ripken, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the Texas legend - Boots O’Neal, who's been horseback for the better part of the last 75 years. Despite the aforementioned injuries, piled on a lifetime of other broken body parts, the now 90 year old cowboy shows no desire whatsoever to retire. You’d think someone that’s lived in such a way would have a face much resembling their saddle that’s endured as many miles. Instead, O’Neal’s is endearing, and fixed with a perpetual smile that causes you to do the same. The kind of guy that inadvertently makes you a better person just by being in his presence. 

While we’re on the stat train, let’s dole out a few more just to drive the point home, what an outlier he truly is. The average retirement age in America is 62. The average age of death is 78. And a cowboy will normally take home about $31,466 a year. At a time in life when most folks are either dead or in a nursing home, Boots wakes up every morning with excitement to saddle a horse and work cattle alongside fellow cowpunchers that could be his grandkids. People just aren’t built like him anymore. Not a partier, but it would be safe to put O’Neal in the Keith Richards class. Immortal freaks, in the most beautiful way possible. 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Cowboys in general are a strand of human unlike the rest of us. Born not made. And from birth, it was obvious O’Neal created a category all his own. Growing up in the 30’s he was one of 8 children living in a home without running water. The bathroom was an outhouse, and the bath, a tub filled with water and placed next to the kitchen oven, door open for heat. After 3 or 4 of the kids took their turn, that water was tossed outside to calm down the dust. He was never much for school. The only thing he excelled at was boxing, but usually just looked forward to running off the bus and into the barn to saddle a horse, only coming in when his mother hung a white sheet on the clothesline - their version of a dinner bell. 9th grade was as far as he cared to go, leaving home in August of 49’ at sixteen to cowboy for the JA ($90/week). That job found him on the wagon, sleeping in only a bedroll 6-7 months at a time. A lifestyle that fit him just fine. 

Before we go any further, it would be appropriate to define what makes a real cowboy. The loud mouth sporting a big black hat getting in drunken bar fights makes for good movies, but that’s about it. According to the man himself, a real cowboy is polite. Smooth. Talks gentlemanly to ladies and is good under fire. Dusty Burson (32) - foreman on the Four Sixes and close friend to Mr. O’Neal said it best - “What’s a cowboy? Well, they’re good people. Honest. They do what they say they’re gonna do. If they tell you they’ll be there to help, they’ll be there, and they’ll stay to the end.” If that statement made its way into Websters, the following words should read “also see Boots O’Neal”. 

Boots O’Neal branding calves in the early morning on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal’s custom spurs

After the JA, he continued punching cows in different places including a quarter century stay at the Waggoner Ranch. All the while racking up a collection of buckles and saddles from bronc riding in rodeos all over the country. Word is he’s still pretty sticky. A wife (Nelda) also came into the mix as did a daughter (Laurie). Despite being opposites, Boots and Nelda remained in love for 44 years until her passing. She was a proper lady that enjoyed being in town but fully supported his innate need for open country. As their relationship grew, his career did along with it. The 50’s’ found him in Korea with the Army, where he stared out at vast foreign valleys, daydreaming about them filled with 1000 steer, and wondering why in the world they didn’t have any. After two years he was back on a ranch working hard to become a Peace Office and Brand Inspector at a time when cattle were still shipped by railroad. Along with the coveted title came a doubled salary, new clothes, fancy truck, and expense account. A novelty quickly erased by jealousy every time business on a ranch forced him to watch cowboys ride away on horses while he sat in a truck headed back to the office. “I just wanted to punch cows” he said. So he gave back a job that most in the industry would kill for and reclaimed his true love, working cattle from the back of a horse. 

Love is what it takes because the life of a cowboy asks a lot of a person, physically and emotionally. “ Even when I know tomorrow is gonna be a bad deal, and they’re predicting snow, and the wind coming out of the north blowing, and we’re gonna ride straight into it in the morning, I just look forward to getting out there and freezing my tail off” says O’Neal. How many 90 year olds have you ever heard say something like that? Burson again offers some insight - “he wakes up thinking I’m going to be happy today. He doesn’t let circumstances dictate happiness.” Dusty was the one who found the 82 year old O’Neal alone in a pasture, after the horse wreck that would have ended any mortal man. Even if it didn’t put him in the ground, the pain alone would cause a rational person to take a brush with death as a sign and say, ok, it’s been a good run. Burson visited him in the hospital shortly after and recalled the nurse asking why he kept lifting his left leg up in the air. Obviously, it was to keep the mobility of toeing a stirrup. “That’s how bad he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up” says Burson. 6 weeks later, he was back on that same horse and continues riding him today.  

Boots O’Neal talks with chuck wagon cook Charlie Ferguson on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Seems like it came naturally for Boots, but don’t get it twisted, any good cowboy is a student of the trade. Always figuring out a way to get it done better without asking for recognition. All of the best cowboys Boots ever knew and patterned himself after, accomplished unthinkable feats even Taylor Shariden couldn’t script, in the middle of nowhere with only a few people to witness. Another friend and Texas icon Tom Moorehouse (72) is quick to point out “I’ve known Boots almost all my life, and anything I’ve got to say about him is good”. From the outside you might think that cowboying is a physical game. Only for the young. Not so. Sure, you need the gumption to handle extreme physical abuse and relentless weather that doesn’t end after an eight hour shift. But Moorehouse says the thing that separates Boots from the rest is that he’s a “keen observer”. He continues “my dad used to say a real cowboy is somebody that pays attention. Now that doesn’t sound like a good story, but that’s the truth.” There is so much that can go wrong when you’re working with 2,000+lb animals and navigating remote unforgiving terrain. One mistake could mean the end. 

We’ve already established that Boots is an enigma, but for arguments sake, let’s say he got lucky? Somehow the body that’s been broken more times than anyone can count, managed to miss the big one. Even with luck, longevity like his doesn’t just happen. And living on a wagon, eating ranch food, wouldn’t make any blueprint for “healthy living”. Cowboys require hearty meals to get them through their overly demanding lives. So It should be no surprise that beef has made its way to Boots’ plate just about every day for the past 90 years. Along with the beef came biscuits, gravy, and potatoes. Breakfast was peanut butter and syrup sandwiches. All of which goes against everything you’ll read from the so-called nutrition experts. Although pinto beans, prunes, and raisins are foods he now tries to consume regularly along with said beef. The fresh fruit and vegetables he also concentrates on just wasn’t a thing back then.”It wasn’t until I got up in years that I ever worried about putting something bad in my body.”  A chuckle was the only answer given when asked about exercise, but “I’ve never been short on sleep” says O’Neal. Which he believes has been the holy grail to his success. For as long as he can remember, even as a young buck, he’d turn in early, ensuring 8-9 hours of shuteye every night. These days he says “it takes me longer to rest than it does to get tired”, but it becomes obvious shortly after meeting him, that modesty is one of his many virtues. He’ll try and claim that he can’t do this, that, or the other. Then he slips into the saddle and the truth is revealed. “It takes a whole crew to keep me going”, he says. Again, modesty perfected. Perhaps his days aren’t spent aboard wild broncs, but he always gets the job done with grace, and his expertise couldn’t be matched anywhere in the world. Ironic for a guy who’s never considered himself very smart. What Boots has can’t be taught. He’s got a PHD in punching cows. Anybody will tell you he’s on the Mount Rushmore of the cowboy universe, but who the hell else could be up there with him? Is there another human that’s punched cows for almost 8 decades?  “It’s amazing what all he’s got stored up inside him that someone oughta have recorded” Dusty says. A lot of people with such knowledge and history can become high and mighty. Not Boots. He’ll let you mess up, then suggest, in a non degrading way, how to do it better. He knows we’re all in this thing together.

Boots O’Neal offloading his horse from a trailer on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal roping calves on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

If you think about the human condition and what we’re all after, one of the key ingredients is professional happiness. Everyone wants to spend their waking hours doing something they love. Why is that goal so elusive, so rare? A million dollar question. Even harder than finding that happiness, is keeping it. Somehow Boots O’Neal has managed to do it at one of the most physically demanding jobs on the planet and continues today at a very high level. Maybe the how doesn’t really matter. Maybe we should just use Boots as inspiration to be better humans. The iconic Four Sixes has been his home for the past 26 years. Panhandle, Texas is the closest town to their northern division where we met. The town sign fittingly reads “People of Pride and Purpose”. Just like the dictionary, there might as well be a picture of Boots next to that slogan. He figured IT out and still can’t get enough. He doesn’t need to work in a monetary sense. He wants to work, although it’d be a stretch to hear him use a four letter word like that. Even on a rare day off, he doesn’t look forward to a hobby or a vacation. Instead he’ll watch a rodeo on television or sit in a chair outside his bunkhouse apartment to watch the remuda come in. A sight he says, of 50 horses all running together, is one that most people will never get to see. Bob Dylan wrote a song on this very topic using only 17 words:  

“All the tired horses in the sun…..”

The guy has done it all, taken the beatings, and asked for more. He’s been inducted into every Hall of Fame a cowpuncher could possibly be associated with. Somehow that doesn’t seem enough of an honor though. Boots should be everyone's hero. He’s a national treasure and outstanding human being.  We should all strive to accomplish in our own lives what he has in his. Burson says “Yeah, he’s a cowboy, but he wants to be one tomorrow too”. If more people had that attitude, the world would be a better place. 

We were just about done talking when Boots’ story paused abruptly . A mischievous smile came to his face and the words stopped flowing. His attention fixed on one of the guys in a nearby corral working a young horse that was fixing to blow up. The grin stayed as he reminisced “I rode a lot of bucking horses in years past. I could get on a horse like that, just gather that thing up, and he’d be 3 feet in the air when I got that right stirrup”. Boots is a Christian. If he weren’t, and followed a religion believing in reincarnation, he says that’s what he’d want to come back as, a bucking horse. At 90 years young he knows precisely how good his life has been and isn’t scared of the inevitable. In a very matter of fact way he spoke about his funeral, being buried in the cemetery on the Four Sixes, and the speech by his friend Joe Leathers. When asked what he hopes Joe will say, Boots paused then replied humbly with a far off stare ”He was an honorable man. Done what he said he would. And didn’t mistreat his horses” 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Boots O’Neal on his horse at sunrise on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Contact me directly if you’d like a print of Boots O’Neal - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Texas Barbershop

Lockhart, Texas Barbershop

Photography - Prints - Wall Art

Not sure what the trigger was, but it hit me the other day that I never post updates about Barbershops of America. It’s been over two years since the last book came out and so much has happened since then. What an incredible journey this project continues to be. I’m really grateful for it. Even with all the other series in the works, I can’t seem to keep myself out of barbershops.

The image here are from Raymond’s Barbershop in Lockhart, TX. For those of you that live in the BBQ world, you know Lockhart is Mecca. And honestly, that’s the only reason these images exist. During a cross country trip a few years back, the BBQ itch needed to be scratched. After overdoing it at Smitty’s, I stumbled up Raymond’s with some heavy meat sweats. That’s just how the road goes though. Some days you search and search and search without finding a damn thing. Other days it just falls in your lap with a side of brisket.

Click HERE to pick up a copy of Barbershops of America .

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

Raymond's Barbershop - Lockhart, Texas

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ROAD TRIP

THE BAD:This past week was the first time in a while since I’ve been on this particular route through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The findings were not good economically. It was hard to see so many familiar small town restaurants and hotels closed, boarded up, or in the process of being demolished. Maybe the timing was a coincidence, but you have to wonder if it was all the result of COVID? Either way it’s a shame.

THE GOOD: Road trips are always so much fun, educational, and therapeutic. This one had me shooting on a cattle ranch (The Four Sixes) in the Texas panhandle where I met some great people and had a hell of a lot of fun shooting with them. Will be a while until I can post those images. So for now you can click HERE to see more of my Cowboy photography.

Texas Road Trip

Kreuz Market - Lockhart Texas

Texas BBQ - Photography - Food Culture

Kreuz Market - Lockhart - Texas BBQ Trail

If you know BBQ, then you know Kreuz Market. They’ve been slinging world class BBQ since the early 1900’s in Lockhart, Texas. Which, some say is the BBQ capital of the world. Anyone that would argue otherwise is just a moron. In the span of a square mile (give or take) you can go to 3 top shelf BBQ joints with a handful of others also in the area. Aside from Kreuz, you’ve also got Smitty’s and Black’s. I’d personally vouch for all 3.

The list of photo books in my collection is vast and growing at an alarming rate. All of them are special to me for different reasons, but there are always a handful that any photographer/collector will keep going to back to over and over again. 2 of them for me are Wyatt McSpadden’s books on Texas BBQ. They are a beautiful documentation of the historic BBQ institutions all around the state. I’ve been obsessed with BBQ for quite a while not, but Wyatt’s books taught me a lot about the culture and where to focus my trips in order to get the best smoked meat. Obviously, Kreuz’s Market is on his shortlist.

Click HERE to see more from this ongoing series.

Roy Perez - Legendary Texas BBQ Pitmaster

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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

Texas Basketball

New York Basketball

Smitty's Market

Best BBQ in Lockhart, TX

Smitty’s Market

I love BBQ. Everything about it. The smell. The taste. The smoke. The buildings. The pits. The process. Even the meat sweats. There really isn’t anything about BBQ I don’t like. Even take a lot of enjoyment out of the different sides that each place serves. Since I started road tripping X amount of years ago, there really hasn’t been a single one that didn’t involve BBQ in some way. That usually means eating it, but I’ve also began documenting it whenever possible, which obviously leads to eating afterward. Win win. Smitty’s down in Texas is as beautiful a BBQ joint as you’ll find anywhere. When you work up a mental picture of old school Texas BBQ in your head, Smitty’s is probably it, or damn close. Their pit room is the kind of thing I see in my dreams. Mouth watering smells, heavy smoke, and dark bricks that have been crusted over from cooking with fire for years and years. Smitty’s is the real deal. Love how the chopping block which was once a flat top is now worn in from endless hours of cutting and serving meats. I could hang out here forever……if there weren’t so many other good BBQ joints to explore.

FYI: If you visit Smitty’s get the sausage.

Contact me if you’d like a print for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

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