Wyoming Cattle Ranch

Wyoming Cowboy Photography

American West

A cowboy gathering cattle on a ranch outside Laramie, Wyoming. Cowboy Photographer Rob Hammer.

Wyoming cattle drive

Wyoming is a land rich in rugged beauty, where open plains meet towering mountain ranges, and the cowboy way of life still thrives. One of the most iconic images that evokes the spirit of the American West is that of a working cowboy on a Wyoming cattle ranch. These photos not only showcase the breathtaking landscapes but also the hard work, dedication, and heritage that define ranch life.

A cattle drive on a large ranch in Wyoming by cowboy photographer Rob Hammer.

Cowboys moving cattle on a ranch in Wyoming

A cowboy lets his horse drink from a pond during a long cattle drive on a ranch in Wyoming by cowboy photographer Rob Hammer.

Black and white cowboy photography print

Cowboys herd cattle on a rugged section of open ranch in Wyoming by cowboy photographer Rob Hammer

Wyoming cowboys

The Gunsmith

Always blows my mind to think about the simple act of talking and where it can lead. A while back I stopped in Laramie, Wyoming to say hi to a barber I’ve known there for a few years. Afterward while walking Mojo around town I came upon a gunsmith shop (not this one) a few blocks off the main street. A gunsmith at work is something I’ve been wanting to photograph, so we popped in and introduced ourselves. That interaction didn’t result in the desired outcome but it was still informational/entertaining. The owner didn’t want to be photographed for a variety of reasons. Some of them valid. The rest were…….irrational??!! The somewhat brief conversation consisted of his opinion on the world today and how “you can’t even go to Denver anymore because everybody is getting shot.” He asked if I had a gun and was upset to hear that I only kept it in my truck. “That’s not good enough. You have to keep it on you! That’s when they get you, when you’re getting out of your truck !”. I’m not disagreeing that the world is a sort of a disaster, but it also seemed like his thoughts were that of a person who might not ever leave their small town. Maybe I’m wrong?! And no disrespect to small towns. They are my favorite. Afterward I asked if there are any other gunsmiths in the area. He replied with very vague information about a guy that possibly works out of his house on a dead end street down near the highway. So I went looking and somehow found the place only recognizable by small stenciled letters “Gun Shop Parking” on the chimney bricks near the front gate. Otherwise the house was totally nondescript and didn’t show any other signs of life. A knock on the door confirmed nobody was home. Not a big deal. It was on my radar for the next trip through Wyoming.

Click HERE to see more from my “At Work” series.

Happy New Year

People started writing off 2020 back around July or August and you can’t blame them for that. It’s been a shit show of a year filled with plenty to complain about. Where does that get you though? I’m certainly not impervious to complaining. I do plenty of it and am trying to be better in that category. 2020 beat up on me just as much as it did anyone else, but I made a conscious effort to be as positive as possible about making the best of a shitty situation. This last year was the slowest I’ve ever been commercially. Anything that was on the table got taken off because of COVID. Still though, there is plenty to be thankful for. Aside from the obvious things like health, family, and friends, I’m quite proud of the fact that I put out 2 books last year. Most photographers go their whole career without publishing once. Why, I’m not sure? And this isn’t me gloating in any way at all. I’m really proud of the books, but there’s also a million things I would change about both of them. At a certain point though, you have to let go. Mistakes are inevitable. You do your best to catch them beforehand, but once it’s printed, it’s there forever. You just have to move on and be happy with the fact that you put something out into the world during a time when most people just mailed it in. There is no such thing as perfect, so don’t abuse yourself for falling short of it. I fuckin hate that word, actually. And think it’s the most abused/overused one in the English language. It makes me cringe any time I’m out in public and someone uses it as a place holder for the fact that they can’t come up with anything else to say. 2020 was the opposite of perfect, yet we’re going to see as time goes on that a hell of a lot of good came out if it. I’m personally very excited for that. The bullshit will never stop. So it’s up to us to look through it and create something positive.

This was the first time I wasn’t able to go home (upstate New York) for Christmas to be with family. Wasn’t going to argue with my mother who was nervous about us traveling across the country and getting COVID, but I also wasn’t going to just sit around San Diego twiddling my thumbs. So Emily, Mojo, and I decided to take a road trip up to Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. It was a great trip. Normally it takes a while to digest a trip to know who much fun it was. I can already feel it on this one though. That part of the country really please me, to say the least. Lot of images to come.

Click here to see images from my America series.

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Winter

I love winter, which is ironic because one the main reasons for leaving New York was the weather. Not sure you can really say that have a proper winter though? Either way, I love it, but more specifically I love snowboarding. Can’t get enough of it. A few years ago I used to take the camera out with every time I got on the board, then I noticed the more I got into it, the more the camera stayed in the bag. This was a big problem for me, because there was always that feeling of missing out on a lot of incredible shots. Then I started thinking about it and realized it’s ok. I’m totally obsessed with photography, but snowboarding is the one thing that I feel ok about putting the camera down for. It’s my time to just check out and not be totally concentrated on making images. Everyone should have their thing, right? Yes. It’s very important and necessary for everyone to check out of whatever it is that they do for a living, regardless of how much they love it. The below shot was made during a recent drive from Denver to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The camera still comes with me on trips, but it seems like I only end up making images of the in-between times, which is also really fun.

Click here to see more of my adventure images.