Fine Art Basketball Hoop Photography Featured in Courtside Candy by Gestalten

Basketball Art + Culture Book - Courtside Candy by Gestalten

Where Streetball Becomes Sculpture

The basketball hoops I photographed in Courtside Candy weren’t made in factories or sponsored by brands. They were made by an artist (Nick Ansom), welded together in backyards, bolted to alleyway walls, and patched together with whatever materials were around; bike rims, plywood scraps, milk crates, rusted steel. In Venice Beach, this isn’t junk. It’s basketball art.

Each hoop reflects a specific personality. Sometimes playful, sometimes gritty, always creative. They’re part of a larger story about the culture of the game. These aren’t just functional backboards; they’re sculptures. And like all good art, they say something about the people who built them.

Venice Beach: A Legacy of Basketball and Creativity

Venice Beach has always been more than a postcard, it’s one of the most iconic basketball communities in the country. It’s where pickup games turn into performances, and where the court is as much a canvas as the chaos and mural-covered buildings around it.

Courtside Candy lives in that space between sport and expression. The hoops in this series represent the DIY spirit that runs through Venice’s streetball scene. They speak to resourcefulness, style, and the love of the game without any need for polish or perfection. In a place where surfing, skateboarding, painting, music, and basketball all collide, these hoops feel right at home.

About the Courtside Candy Book

The Courtside Candy book is a visual archive of this subculture, a historic collection representing the culture of basketball, celebrating the infinite ways the game has been translated into art by people all over the world.

Each piece unique on its own, but collectively, and along with the beautiful writing by Ben Osborne, the book tells a different and vitally important story about the games influence.

Click here to view and purchase available prints or contact me directly if you’d like a basketball print of any photograph not already listed.

Part basketball hoop, part sculpture. This Venice Beach alley setup is a reminder of how the game adapts to its surroundings

One of the many hoops that reimagine basketball as public art, photographed in the back alleys of Venice

Basketball hoop made from found materials, photographed as part of an international basketball art book

This photograph is part of a published series that explores the creative edge of basketball culture in America’s urban spaces

Equal parts sculpture and sport, this Venice Beach hoop transforms function into form, blurring the line between art installation and basketball court

From the streets of LA to the pages of Courtside Candy, these handmade hoops carry a different kind of history.

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

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

Basketball Photography Exhibition at the Western Spirit Museum

American Backcourts at Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

A Museum Exhibition from the Long-Term Basketball Hoop Photography Project

I was honored to exhibit selections from American Backcourts at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This exhibition meant a great deal to me, not only because it brought the project into a respected museum setting, but because it placed basketball inside a conversation where many people do not expect to find it: the American West. That tension has always been part of what interests me about this body of work. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve photographed basketball hoops in backyards, alleys, farms, deserts, small towns, and overlooked corners of the country, often in places where the game feels quietly woven into everyday life rather than presented as spectacle.

American Backcourts was on view at Western Spirit from August 26, 2024 through April 13, 2025. The show brought together photographs from across the West that reflect the resourcefulness, beauty, and persistence I’ve found again and again while working on this series. Handmade rims, weathered backboards, empty courts, and improvised places to play all become part of a bigger story about how deeply basketball belongs to American culture.

What I particularly appreciated about this exhibition was the setting. Western Spirit has built its reputation around art, history, and ideas connected to the West, so it was meaningful to see these photographs presented there. The show offered a chance to frame basketball not only as sport, but as part of the visual language of the region.

This exhibition is one chapter in the larger American Backcourts project, an ongoing body of work documenting basketball hoop photographs from across the United States.

To see more from the project, visit the main American Backcourts gallery.
For collectors, available works can be viewed on the basketball photography prints page.

American Backcourts on display at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the American Backcourts exhibition was presented.

Basketball Hoop Photographs

Basketball Hoop Photography - Small Town America

Someone recently shared the Netflix trailer with me for Rez Ball - a movie about a basketball team on an America Indian Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. Which got me thinking about this fine art basketball photography series I’ve been shooting for the past 13+ years. After driving 300,000+ miles all over the USA, I can say there isn’t a pocket of this country where you won’t find the sport, but nothing is more dense with basketball hoops then Reservations across the American West!

It’s been a while since my last post of basketball hoop photographs despite the American Backcourts series continuing. So here are a few images made during recent road trips. If you’d like to see photographs of basketball hoops on Indian Reservations, click HERE to visit the main gallery for this project.

And click HERE to purchase fine art basketball hoop prints for your home, office, or commercial space.

Basketball hoop in front of a dilapidated house in Upstate New York

Homemade basketball hoop on a telephone pole - Utah

Weeds growing through the cracks of an outdoor basketball court in Massachusetts

Fine art photograph of a basketball court on the Llano Estacado in Texas

Markings on an old barn where a basketball hoop once hung on a farm in West Virginia

Black and white photograph of a basketball rim hung on a tree stump with no backboard in Upstate New York

Photograph of an outdoor basketball court in a small Western Massachusetts town

Photograph of a basketball hoop on an old ranch in Colorado

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.

Basketball In Winter

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 Wall Art For Modern Interiors

Basketball Wall Art Ideas for Modern Interiors

Basketball doesn’t just belong in arenas. It shows up in driveways, alleyways, deserts, and small towns—places where the game exists without an audience. As wall art, these scenes bring a sense of quiet, structure, and familiarity into a space.

For those looking to add basketball wall art to their home or office, the question isn’t just what to hang—but what kind of image holds attention over time.

Why Basketball Works as Wall Art

At its simplest, basketball is a set of recognizable forms—a rim, a backboard, a painted line. When photographed outside of a stadium, those elements become graphic and minimal.

A single hoop against an open sky. A backboard weathered by years of use. A court fading into the landscape.

These images tend to work well as wall art because they balance:

• strong, simple composition

• texture and age

• a subject that feels familiar without being overly specific

They don’t rely on action or players. Instead, they create space—something that holds attention without overwhelming it.

Different Styles of Basketball Wall Art

Not all basketball imagery feels the same in a room. The setting and composition shift the tone entirely.

Minimal / Isolated Hoops
A lone hoop in an open environment creates a clean, understated presence. These pieces often work best in modern interiors.

Urban Courts and Alleyways
Layers of texture—walls, pavement, fencing—bring more density and detail. These images tend to feel more grounded and architectural.

Rural and Landscape-Driven Scenes
Hoops set against fields, mountains, or desert environments introduce scale and atmosphere. These often read as quieter, more contemplative pieces.

Graphic Light and Shadow
Reflections, silhouettes, and strong contrast push the work toward abstraction, where the subject becomes more about shape than place.

Basketball Photography as Fine Art

For over 15 years, this project has focused on basketball hoops found far from stadiums—mounted to barns, garages, telephone poles, and fading backboards in rural towns.

The photographs are not staged. Each one is discovered, observed, and documented as it exists. Together, they form a visual record of basketball as a constant presence in American life, regardless of location or scale.

This ongoing series has been featured in galleries, museums, on NBA TV, in iconic magazines like SLAM, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated, and international fine art books on basketball, reflecting the broader cultural significance of the work.

View The Full Project

Where to Find Basketball Wall Art Prints

For those looking to bring this work into their own space, a selection of photographs from the series is available as fine art prints.

View Basketball Wall Art Prints

For Collectors, Designers, and Licensing

These basketball hoop photographs are also available for editorial and commercial licensing. The work has been used by brands, publications, and media outlets looking for an authentic representation of basketball culture beyond the professional game.

For inquiries regarding larger installations, hospitality projects, or licensing, please get in touch - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Basketball hoop wall art for residential design

A basketball hoop reflected in a puddle on an outdoor court, creating a surreal, inverted scene. Available as a fine art basketball photography print for modern interiors and collectors.

A weathered basketball hoop standing against a dramatic sunset in rural America, captured as part of the American Backcourts series. Available as a fine art basketball wall art print for collectors and modern interiors.

A weathered wooden basketball hoop mounted to a utility pole, photographed in rural America as part of a long-term series documenting the overlooked places where the game is played.

A solitary chair facing a basketball hoop in a remote desert landscape, part of the American Backcourts series. Available as a fine art basketball wall art print.

Installation view from the American Backcourts series, a long-term project documenting basketball hoops across the United States, exhibited in gallery settings and featured in publications including SLAM and NBA TV.

Kansas City Basketball

Basketball Hoop Photography - Prints

Story Behind The Image

Of my many vices, BBQ is damn near the top of the list. Food in general is a big part of my life, but great BBQ is an especially large weakness. Many years ago while driving cross country, I stopped in Kansas City for some of their famous meat, and almost immediately complained to friends about the quality of that particular establishment. One of them recommended Arthur Bryant’s on Brooklyn Avenue. Ever since that trip AB’s has been a must stop anytime I’m within a couple hundred miles. They don’t miss. You know walking in there that they are going to take care of you. The place just feels right. Like walking into Madison Square Garden, you can feel the history. What the hell does this have to do with basketball? Nothing really, but if you’ve ever had a proper plate of BBQ, then you know the only thing that follows is immense satisfaction followed by meat sweats and a nap. So the ritual goes that I eat too much food, sparing the napkin full of scraps that are saved for Mojo who is (was) always waiting in the truck, drool already hanging several inches from his mouth. Poor bastard had to sit there while the smell of burnt ends and pulled pork wafts steadily in the window. After his treat we go for a long walk which turned into the same familiar route over the years. One of the regular sites is an abandoned school that I’ve made some mediocre images of. Viewing it from the outside always led to daydreaming of what the  gym inside looked like. As luck would have it, while walking by one year the plywood on a ground floor window was ripped off and the metal grate had been ripped open. That’s an invitation, right? Of course it is. Anyone that takes if for anything less is a fool. So I hopped in the window with a tripod, camera bag, and a headlamp. Kansas City summers are hot to say the least. Inside a sealed off brick building is something else altogether. It felt like you could chew on the air in there. Walking into the gym didn’t even seem real. My jaw must have drooped right to the floor. Couldn’t believe what a gift I was handed.  The whole room was all but gutted, yet the backboard still stood. I could have been happy in there for days. Still though it wasn’t a place to be for long. There were obviously people squatting and I didn’t have much interest in them knowing I was there. So after waiting waiting waiting for my lens to defog, a few frames were made, and I hit the road without any interactions between the squatters or the police. Moral of the story is eat more BBQ. 

If you’re a photography collector looking for basketball wall art, please contact me directly. All of my basketball hoop photography is available as fine art prints - rob@robhammerphotography

Communication Arts Photography Annual Winner

Award Winning Basketball Photographs

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

Communication Arts Photo Annual

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

Primm, Nevada

Minden, Nevada

Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Olancha, California

Basketball As A Global Language

Basketball Hoops in Europe

Street Basketball and Public Hoops Across European Countries

Basketball is often thought of as an American game, but travel quickly proves otherwise. While moving through cities and small towns across Europe, I began noticing basketball hoops tucked into courtyards, alleys, schoolyards, and public spaces—quietly integrated into daily life. These photographs document street basketball as it exists beyond professional arenas: worn backboards, improvised courts, and places where the game is played simply because space allows for it. What stood out was both the differences from home and the familiarity—evidence that basketball has become a shared, global language spoken in cities far from where the game began.

Basketball Culture Beyond the United States

By the time these photographs were made, I had already spent years documenting basketball hoops across the United States. That long-term work shaped how I saw the game elsewhere. In Europe, basketball didn’t announce itself with signage or formal courts; it appeared quietly—behind apartment buildings, beside schools, along the edges of public parks. The hoops were often worn, sometimes improvised, and clearly used. These weren’t destinations. They were part of the landscape.

Basketball as a Global Game

Basketball’s simplicity is what allows it to travel. A single hoop can turn almost any space into a court. In Europe, that adaptability felt especially apparent. Courts were smaller, surfaces uneven, and surroundings shaped by centuries of architecture rather than modern planning. Yet the game persisted, fitting itself into whatever space was available.

These photographs aren’t about organized play or competition. They focus instead on the presence of the game itself—how basketball exists even when no one is on the court. In that way, the hoops become markers of cultural exchange, evidence of how a game invented in one country has embedded itself into everyday life far beyond its origins.

What These European Hoops Reveal About Basketball in America

Seeing basketball in Europe reinforced something I had already been observing at home: the game belongs as much to ordinary places as it does to arenas. The same visual patterns repeat—bent rims, weathered backboards, courts shaped by their surroundings rather than by regulation. Basketball adapts to place, but it never loses its identity.

That realization continues to inform my ongoing work documenting basketball hoops across the United States. While the landscapes differ, the impulse behind the game feels universal. Basketball shows up wherever people live their lives, and the hoop often remains long after the players have gone—quiet, functional, and waiting.

An Ongoing Documentary Approach

This body of work exists alongside my long-term project photographing basketball hoops in America, where I continue to focus on rural towns, backyards, alleys, and overlooked spaces. Together, the images form a broader visual study of basketball as part of everyday life—one that crosses borders without losing its meaning.

Rather than treating these European photographs as a separate series, they function as context. They reinforce the idea that basketball isn’t confined to a single country or culture. It’s a shared language, expressed through place, architecture, and the simple presence of a hoop.

View More Global Basketball Hoop Photographs

American Backcourts - A long-term photography project documenting old, handmade, and overlooked basketball hoops found in small towns, rural yards, and quiet neighborhoods across the United States.

Vietnam Hoops - A photographic exploration of basketball hoops across Europe, where the game blends into historic streets, housing blocks, and everyday public spaces.

Venice Beach - A vibrant look at basketball culture in Venice Beach, California, where color, creativity, and public courts collide in one of the most iconic basketball environments in the world.

A basketball hoop stands in a small courtyard, framed by handmade brick and stone mosaics that blend public art and everyday basketball culture

A lone basketball hoop in a residential setting, photographed in black and white, highlighting the quieter side of European basketball culture.

A chain-net basketball hoop centered against a brick backdrop, highlighting durability and utility in European public courts.

A brightly colored basketball net hangs from an outdoor hoop, emphasizing the visual details that define everyday basketball culture in European cities.

Detail of a basketball hoop’s base, where metal, stone, and moss reveal the slow passage of time on an outdoor European court.

A straightforward view of an outdoor basketball hoop, photographed in black and white to focus on form, structure, and balance.

A red basketball backboard stands out against brick architecture, showing how outdoor courts are embedded within everyday European neighborhoods.

Seen through the rim of a basketball hoop, a church steeple rises in the background, placing the game within the architectural fabric of a European town.

A metal basketball backboard seen through fencing, reflecting the layered infrastructure common to many public courts across Europe.

Viewed through layers of fencing, an outdoor basketball hoop emphasizes access, separation, and the realities of shared public space.

A handmade wooden backboard with a bright orange rim highlights the improvised, personal nature of informal basketball spaces.

A basketball hoop at dusk, surrounded by fencing, captures the subdued atmosphere of an outdoor European court after daylight fades.

A solitary basketball hoop sits on a moss-covered outdoor court, reflecting the quieter, weathered character of many European public playing spaces.

A chain-net hoop framed by city windows, underscoring how basketball courts exist within dense European urban environments.

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.

Missouri

Tennessee

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Iowa

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.

Street Basketball Art - Venice Beach

The Hidden Hoops of Venice Beach: Basketball Art in the Alleyways

Just a few blocks away from the oceanfront courts of Venice Beach, a different kind of basketball exists. Tucked into alleyways and mounted to the sides of telephone poles and back walls, these hoops are built from scrap wood, bent metal, and whatever materials happen to be on hand. They aren’t part of any official court or league—they’re improvised, functional, and entirely rooted in the creativity of the neighborhood.

These photographs document a series of handmade basketball hoops throughout Venice—objects that blur the line between sport, necessity, and art.

Basketball Hoops Built from Junk: Functional Street Art

Nick Ansom is at the helm of the Venice Basketball League. He is responsible for all the creative energy and growth that happens locally as well as across the country and overseas. If you haven’t seen what he’s done with the Hoop Bus, check it out. Very impressive. I linked up with Nick a while back because of our obvious shared interest in basketball. Yet another example of personal projects leading to fun outcomes/relationships. COVID was a strange time for the VBL because it literally couldn’t happen. The city put a device on all the rims that prohibited play. As the saying goes though, Basketball Never Stops. Instead of sitting around crying about it, Nick put his energy into another creative endeavor - Survival Hoops. Along with another artist friend Lori Powers, they started creating hoops out of junk. It started small, but after a while they had built and hung 100+ beautifully weird hoops all over the alleys of Venice Beach. About a month ago we linked up and documented their work. I really enjoyed seeing what they had created and am honored to be part of a piece of basketball culture. It would be easy to write this project off as someone just being bored and having time to kill during a pandemic. You would be wrong though. What they created is much bigger than that. It’s well thought out, deliberate, and has brought a lot of happiness not just to the people who have played on them, but also to the locals in Venice that walk by these hoops every day. And hopefully now it will be preserved in some kind of document for people to see years from now.

A Different Side of Venice Beach Basketball

Most people associate Venice Beach Basketball Courts with loud rowdy games, eccentric locals, and a constant flow of tourist spectators looking for a show. But the game doesn’t stop at the edge of the courts.

It continues in quieter places—out of view, away from the crowds—where the structure of the game is stripped down to its simplest form: a hoop, a ball, and a small piece of space to play.

These alleyway hoops reflect that side of basketball. Informal, resourceful, and entirely local.

Part of the American Backcourts Project

These photographs are part of a long-term body of work documenting basketball hoops across the United States. Over the past 15 years, the project has focused on the overlooked places where the game exists—rural driveways, barns, small towns, and improvised courts like these in Venice.While the settings change, the idea remains the same: basketball shows up wherever people find a way to build a hoop.

View the American Backcourts series

Collecting Basketball Hoop Photography Prints

A selection of these photographs is available as fine art prints, produced on museum-grade paper for collectors, interior designers, and spaces looking to incorporate basketball culture in a more understated way.

View the full Basketball Hoop Photography collection here

See More Venice Beach Basketball

While these alleyway hoops offer a quieter perspective, the main courts of Venice Beach remain one of the most iconic places to watch and play the game.

View from Venice Beach basketball culture and courts here

Survival Hoops - Venice Beach, California by Nick Ansom

DIY Basketball Hoop - Golden Girls Mural

Creative basketball hoop hung on a telephone pole in Venice, CA

Basketball hoop with LA Dodgers logo made with a bucket and wood

Basketball Hoop Art - Venice Beach

Basketball hoop made from bike parts

Art Hoop - Venice, CA

Venice Beach Alley Basketball Hoop

Surfboard basketball hoop - Venice Beach

Junk art basketball hoop

Artistic basketball hoop

Artistic homemade basketball hoop

Area 52

Black Lives Matter - Venice Beach

Alley basketball hoop - Venice Beach, CA

Venice Beach basketball hoop

Youth Basketball - Venice Beach

Milk crate basketball hoop

Basketball hoop made from an old wheelchair

Basketball hoop made from a Weber Grill

Nick Ansom and Lori Powers - Creators of Survival Hoops in Venice Beach, CA

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

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

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.

To shop basketball hoop prints from this series go HERE

Photographer Rob Hammer traveled all over America for 8+ years in search of old basketball hoops with a story left to tell. The result is a hard cover coffee...

Kobe Bryant

Today Kobe Bryant would have turned 42. What an incredible loss he was, not just to the basketball community, but the world at large. An icon that raised the bar for everything he did. Kobe was one of those people that expect to live forever. People like him don’t die??!! I feel very fortunate to have shot with him twice in my life, during a time that I was shooting a lot of professional athletes. This one was back in 2013. It’s impossible to every put your finger on your “favorite” shoot, but this one certainly will never be forgotten.

Click here to see more of athlete images.

Kobe Bryant

American Basketball Photography

Fine Art Basketball Photography Prints

I always think to myself that any photographer who really gives a shit will invest heavily in personal projects. That's not to say you have to spend a lot of money, but invest yourself. Shoot something that's just for you and let that project develop a life of it's own. You'll be glad you did.  I also think that a photographers personal project begins without even knowing it. In your own time you shoot what you're randomly and naturally drawn to. Then over time, a small collection or series of images comes together that you didn't even realize you were creating. The even greater part is over the same period of time, that body of work naturally grows followers of people with similar interests. Those people can be totally random, but they can also be commercial clients who want to buy your images or pay you to make something similar. That's a win on all levels. No longer are you searching for the right clients. Now the right clients are looking for you.

I don't care who you are, things can get slow from time to time. And what happens during those lows, is that you take assignments you're not right for. Maybe it's not your speciality, or maybe you just don't give a shit? Either way, you shouldn't have taken it because it always shows up in the work. Everyone who views an image can tell if it's right or not. When a photographer wants to make a great image he'll do whatever he can to make it. But when the interest isn't there, or they just took the job for the money, you can see it. I decided a long time ago that I'd rather be broke than take assignments that aren't right for me. I use to take them all the time, and it just led to bad relationships and bad images. Definitely not the kind of thing you want out in the world as a freelance photographer. So I started investing heavily in my own projects while also shooting commercially. And after years of building up different portfolios, all that work is starting to pay off. One of them in particular is starting to get really fun, The Basketball Hoops Project. Last February the project had it's first exhibition in New Orleans for NBA All-Star Weekend. And just recently I signed on with Fathom Gallery in Los Angeles. They will not only be sourcing shows for the project and selling prints, but also seeking commercial licensing. I'm really excited about this partnership, and look forward to seeing where it goes. 

Creating images for the right clients is always fun. For a company to choose you out of all the other photographers in the world is a great compliment. When your personal projects start to take flight though, that's the real reward. Hugh Hefner died yesterday. Calling him a legend would be an understatement. Among the many great things he's ever said, my favorite has to be "Life is too short to be living someone else's dream". 

Go out and create for yourself. 

I made this image back in April of 2011 during a road trip with my mother. At the time the Hoops Project wasn't even a thought. Yesterday though,  after stumbling on this,  it made me wonder if it was? 

Click here to see more of my basketball hoop photography

The Basketball Hoops Project

It never stops feeling good to see your personal projects advancing. Today my Hoops Project was featured on ESPN, which included a video narrated by Jalen Rose. Awesome. Go check it out at ESPN.COM. 

Emmanuel Mudiay

Emmanuel Mudiay just went #7 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, and is now the newest member of the Denver Nuggets. I had the opportunity to shoot with his last month in LA for Under Armour. If you pay attention to hoop, you've probably seen all his "Life changes after the draft" commercials. Funny spots.Anyway, he's a good kid, and was fun to shoot with. Seemed very mature for his age, and handled all of his responsibility well. These shots below are from the 34th St. Foot Locker in New York City. It's always cool to see your stuff used like this.