Hopefully I’m wrong but this is probably the last road trip of the winter. If that’s the case, I’m thankful it was so productive. Started with some personal shooting, then a commercial shoot in Nevada, more personal shooting, and then some incredible snowboarding with friends in the San Juan’s. Really grateful for all of it, but also hate saying goodbye to winter. It’s never long enough. Or maybe I’m just greedy?
Kirstie Ennis
Fitness Photography - Los Angeles
Kirstie Ennis - GNC - General Nutrition Center
GNC - I AM UNBREAKABLE
Made a previous post with one BTS image from this shoot and wanted to follow up with some of the actual campaign images. Said it last time, but this was an incredible thing to be a part of. The still images were piggy backed on the video production with a very inspiring theme. GNC, the client, teamed up with former military people and Jay Glazer/his gym (Unbreakable in Hollywood) that made a line of supplements. The video would tell the story of these military veterans who had gone through some extremely tough patches in their life due to the experiences they encountered during service. Those physical and mental problems held them down for a time, but was later used as fuel for repair, ultimately putting them all in a better place. All along the way using fitness and community as the two major components of change. It was really moving to see these alphas in front of the camera being so vulnerable and honest. Something that is almost non-existent in todays world. The shoot involved 4 different athletes, but the images here are just Jay Glazer and Kirstie Ennis.
On ad shoots like this there is always a considerable amount of planning done ahead of time in order to get as much done as possible in a very limited amount of time. The video crew had a lot to get done as did I. So we had to work together, making slots for us all to get what we needed. Initially I planned on using all my strobes and having them set up to move in the second the video crew was done with a take. Nothing ever goes as planned though. It was immediately obvious that there would be no time for lighting set-ups on the go. The only option was to just shoot with available light. So all the images you see here were shot with video lighting. That’s part of what I love about commercial sets. You’re constantly solving problems and making decisions on the fly as they come up. You do your best in the beginning to plan, but “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”, as the great Mike Tyson once said.
Pasquale The Barber
Life has a tendency to take over. I don’t mean that as a bad thing, but it certainly has a natural way of pushing certain things to the side. Maybe it’s just priorities? Who knows. If the downtime caused by COVID has been good for anything though, it’s been a recalculation of what’s important and what isn’t. For me, I’ve been happy to unearth some projects from the archives that haven’t ever seen the light of day. This doc we did on Pasquale The Barber is one of those projects. It was so much fun in a lot of ways, one being that it’s my first time “directing” a video production. I use those terms lightly though because it was a very small personal production between myself and cameraman Jordan Valente. I’ve know Pasquale for years now, ever since photographing him at his shop for the 1st barbershop book way back in 2011(?). This video was shot in 2018, but got buried on a hard drive when life and other commercial projects took over. The only real downside of waiting so long to put this together is that “Pat” has since retired and moved into a senior home. Fortunately we were able to track down his son who was able to play the documentary for him on his computer at the facility. And I’m told he enjoyed it very much. Cheers to Pasquale and all the other old school barbers still carrying on the tradition.
Click here to purchase a copy of “Barbershops of America - Then and Now”
Kirstie Ennis
Kirstie Ennis - Athlete
Did some shooting for GNC a couple months ago. It was a lot of fun, but that’s probably not the right word for it. Motivating. Inspirational. Those would be more accurate. The images I shot were for both advertising and general Behind-The-Scenes stills to show what went into the production. Side note, this image made me go back into my archives and realize how much BTS I’ve shot over the years. Could probably be its own body of work. The premise of the “I Am Unbreakable” shoot was to highlight military veterans who have gone through more than your average amount of physical and mental battles as a result of their time served overseas, then overcame those battles and used it as motivation to put themselves in a better place. All of the people who participated were incredible. They were real and unafraid to be vulnerable. Seeing them in this state was, in a sense, refreshing. Not because I like to see people in pain, but because it’s actually rare for people to be so honest and real about their problems. The world today has been overtaken by the “Instagram effect”, meaning that everyone wants to paint a perfect picture of their life. It’s terrible and it’s fake. So to witness these veterans lay it all out there was great. I think everybody on set left after those two days feeling a lot better about life. Would love to be involved in more campaigns like this one. The BTS image you see below is one of Kirstie Ennis - a Marine who lost her leg while serving in Afghanistan. The image won’t be used for anything but I think it tells a great story.
Swami's - Surfing
Swami’s Surfing - Wall Art - Photography Prints
Garry Winogrand said “everything is photographable” and nobody should argue with him. A lot of photographers get caught up in their “niche” or what ever it is their clients expect from them. That’s fine, but it’s also a very limiting. They think that showing other work with different subject matter will turn off their clients and “followers”. And that’s one of the major problems I have with the photography industry. It wants everyone to fit into a category and play by the rules of that particular category. If you’re a commercial shooter then you can’t shoot editorial. And a photographer that shows in museums/galleries can’t shoot for commercial clients because it will cause the fine art world to lose respect for their fine art work. Bullshit. Shoot whatever the fuck you want and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Even if you play by all the rules, you still won’t win everyone over. Not even close. So photograph whatever turns you on and it will eventually attract the right people. Take a look through my website and you’ll see quite a variety of subject matter. Everything from the most famous professional athletes to obscure street scenes without any people at all. How are they all connected? They aren’t. It’s just what I enjoy shooting. Everything on my website is in some way directly connected to my life and lifestyle. What I shoot isn’t for everybody, nor do I want it to be. Either way, I show up 110% on every shoot whether that’s for a client or for images that won’t ever come off my hard drive. I love photography and making images of everything.
For the better part of the last 15 years San Diego has been my home. You would think that at some point surfing would be added to the list of regular activities, but it hasn’t, and probably won’t. In fact, I don’t have much draw to the ocean aside from its obvious beauty and calming effects. As a dedicated backcountry snowboarder though, I have a large appreciation for the sport of surfing and the obvious parallels between the culture and lifestyle of the two sports. So when it comes to photography, it doesn’t matter to me that I don’t surf. There are aspects that draw me to photograph the sport. Like the images you see below. Are these images that my clients want to see or expect from me? No. Do I plan on pursuing assignments in the surf world? Definitely not. But Swami’s is an iconic surf break and I enjoyed making these and think of them as the kind of images I like to see coming from the world of snowboarding. So there has to be a crossover.
Contact me directly to purchase Swami’s surfing prints for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com
AMERICAN BACKCOURTS - FINE ART PRINTS
There is no greater compliment to a project than when a person decides to hang an image on their walls. Buying art for your wall is a commitment and an expense, so it makes me extremely grateful when my image(s) is chosen out of all the other options in the world. It’s also satisfying to think about the personal connection to people across the world. Even though I may never meet most collectors in person, it’s fun to think about my images in their homes and the joy they receive from looking at them on a daily basis.
Click here to grab a fine art print from American Backcourts for yourself
FINE ART HORSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Starting new projects is so exciting. It’s also one of my downfalls. I don’t like being behind a computer, always preferring to be out in the field creating images. Which means that I don’t do enough marketing, emailing, social media, cleaning my disaster of an office, etc. I can’t help making images though. It’s addicting. After publishing America Backcourts I had no intention of stopping that series, but also wanted to wanted to start something else. The problem that I’ve learned over the years though is you can’t force a series. It has to find you or it has to come naturally. That’s the only way it sticks. You can’t shoot something because it will get likes or because you think it will do well commercially. You have to love it. As it stands now, Horses appear to be my next thing. Maybe not just horses, but the lifestyle and culture that surround them as well. I grew up in New York close to Saratoga Race Track. “The August Place To Be” as they say. Love the track. Still do and am fortunate enough to now live near Del Mar Race Track. The atmosphere around tracks is great, but the horses are the thing that tie it all together for me. That’s where my affection for horses started, but now I like the “working” aspect of horses even more. The way they are used on ranches and for transportation is especially interesting. As much as love the action though, there is something really special about the still shots. The quiet moments, like this one. If you can’t feel more relaxed by looking at an image like this, then there’s something wrong with you.
Stay tuned for more horses……
ROAD TRIP
Just back from another US road trip. Most days I think Colorado is my favorite place in America but Wyoming is now competing for the top spot. Been spending a lot of time there during all seasons over the past couple years and it just gets better the more I explore.
Side note: the first part of 2020 was quite limiting (and frustrating) for travel and rightfully so. Things have really picked up though. Most years I do about 35k+ miles of road travel throughout the USA, but it’s looking to be a heavier 12 months if things keep up at this rate.
Bishop, CA
Snowboarding is a very selfish act of mine. Aside from photography it’s the thing I love doing most in the world and the only activity where I allow myself to put the camera down. Went up to the Mammoth Lakes this past week to take advantage of the huge dump of snow they finally got and did a couple days of backcountry riding. The camera stayed in the bag except for the trip there and back. Made these two images just outside of Bishop, CA. Happy with them and happy to have made them. The snowboarding leaves me feeling extremely fulfilled, but I’d still feel guilty about being on the road without making any frames at all.
FINE ART HORSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Was up in the Lake Tahoe area a few weeks ago for a commercial shoot and happened on some incredible weather going over the pass into Nevada on the way to our location. No matter where I go for a client, setting aside time to shoot for myself is always very important. On this particular day there were just a few spare minutes before we started filming, but I made the most of it. This scene was actually adjacent to the set. Not sure when it happened, but I’ve got a thing for horses, and have started turning my camera toward them more and more. Got quite lucky with the birds flying overhead but love the way this frame turned out. If it weren’t for them this frame would be lacking.
Southern California Street Photography
There’s a long list of things that need improving around here, but organization and editing should be pushed to the top of the list. Although it’s certainly a plus having TOO MUCH imagery in my archives. Creating the images is fun, and sitting at the computer isn’t horrible, although my attention span for it needs help. So what happens is I build these series to the point where editing them down to a usable/publishable body of work is daunting. Overwhelming really. And if there’s one valuable thing I learned from publishing “American Backcourts”, it’s that you should leave the editing to a professional. Collaborating with a professional photo editor is priceless. We’re not talking about someone who edits each file in Photoshop or Lightroom, we’re talking about someone who can unemotionally create a cohesive body of work with your images. They aren’t attached to the work and will give it to you straight. The good ones will anyway. As of right now, I’ve probably got 2-3 more books sitting in my archives. If I was smart, I’d sit down with an editor ASAP to help sort it all out. This street photography series has been going on for about 5 years now. It started in one neighborhood near our old place in San Diego and has expanded all the way up to San Francisco. Sometimes I just walk around my neighborhood with a camera for fun, and then there are the walks during down time on out of town commercial shoots. Regardless of the situation, I get a lot of satisfaction from this style of shooting, and need to stop procrastinating on the archive.
American Road
Despite the pandemic I’ve still been able to spend a solid amount of time on the road over this past year. Especially since August, making several trips out to Colorado, then the last one out to Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Very grateful for that. During the meat of the lockdown cabin fever definitely became a thing, at which point I realized it was the longest stretch of time I had spent in San Diego since moving here back in whatever year that was. 2008-ish? That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there also isn’t a ton here to scratch my many itches. If anything it reaffirmed how much I value time on the road. It’s really special being out there. Last November I made this image outside of Moab, Utah. A place I’d highly recommend to anyone who has never been and wants to feel like you’re on another planet. Like almost every halfway decent image of mine, it took walking away for a while to realize what it was. Once it really sunk in though I became very proud of it. 6 months ago I wouldn’t have had the eye or ability to create an image like this. It tells me that I’m not only advancing as a photographer, but also that my style is changing a bit. Without a doubt my best fine art photograph of 2020.
The Broken Skull Sessions
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Broken Skull Sessions
Was back on set with Stone Cold during the Broken Skull Sessions last December when he interviewed Drew McIntyre. This wasn’t on the shot list or anything. Just playing around. It’s far from perfect, but I really like how it can give the viewer a look behind the scenes. Will definitely be doing more of these and working on refining them. Not just on set, but in all sorts of different situations. It’s fun. Sort of like a puzzle.
Click here to see some of my professional athlete photography
Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana Photo Gallery
American Photography
Butte is a fun name for a town. It’s fun to say. Where you going? Butte! Back in 2012 or 2013 I wound up in Butte while shooting for Barbershops of America, but didn’t get to spend much time there. Found a hell of a shop for the book with an all time character of a barber - “The Butcher” - Joe Bugni. Legend. If you want some free entertainment, go hang out with Joe for an hour at the Amherst St. Barbershop. Anyway, after leaving Joe’s it was late and I planned on getting a hotel. Went into the lobby of one of the few that are downtown and asked first to use the bathroom. The place was dead quiet without a sign of another person besides the girl behind the desk. She directed me downstairs, which I quickly saw was almost pitch black except for the almost extinct exit sign at the far end of the very long hallway. After searching for 30 seconds or so a very dim flickering bulb came on that barely illuminated the lifeless bathroom and a very strange feeling came over me. Not sure if it was a combination of the darkness and the unexplainable noises coming from the building, but I was scared out of my mind. That’s never once happened to me and I’ve been in some of the strangest places you could image. The feeling was so strong that I exited the bathroom and sprinted down the hallway for the exit and straight back to my car. Still to this day there is no explanation.
That inability to describe the situation is how I feel about Butte in general after this most recent trip. To be sure, I’m quite taken with the town in a very positive way. But I just can’t figure out a way to explain it with words. This also happened to me with the entire state of Texas until I read “Travels with Charley”, where Steinbeck hit the nail directly on the head. Butte is a unique place to say the least. It’s gotten a certain vibe. A tangible feeling about it that you won’t experience in other places. The history of the town is quite long, which is something you can look up on the internet, but that won’t do anything to replace the feeling of being there. We spent a couple hours roaming around, during which I cracked off some frames that I’m happy with. But in order to do the town justice, I’d like to spend a month there. Maybe I should? Butte is as American a town as you’ll ever find, and I’ll no doubt be adding a few of these to my ongoing “America” series.
Side note: if you find yourself in the area and like beer, stop into the Butte Brewery. Their german style Hefeweizen is one of the best I’ve had in the States.
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.
American Backcourts
Last week I listened to a podcast with Sturgill Simpson being interviewed by Rick Rubin. Rick is Rick. He’s a legend. And Sturgill is one of my favorite musicians. Not just because he’s extremely talented, but because he takes risks. Every album is different from the last which probably causes him to lose a lot of fans. During the interview Rubin asked if there were any major things that happened to him which greatly improved his career. His answer was great. He talked about a visit to Merle Haggard’s house where they met for the first time. At that point Merle was already a living legend and one of Sturgill’s heroes. Inside the house was the only Grammy Merle ever won. It was on the ground all banged up and scratched, being used as a door stop. At that point Sturgill knew that nothing mattered but the music and the awards don’t mean shit. Sure, awards bring attention to the music, but they don’t make it any better or worse. A turning point for him.
A long time ago I came to that same conclusion and let go of any desire or need to create images that I thought other people would like. It was the best move I ever made. From that point on there was a major change in my photography and the direction of my career. Those changes can cause a lot of short term stress, but ultimately worth it in order to achieve the long term goals. Working on a project like American Backcourts, which has now been going on for 9 years, you go through many different emotional stages. Along the way everybody wants to tell you what you should be doing. If I had a dollar for every person that said I needed to go to New York City to photograph all the famous courts there! While I appreciate their enthusiasm, we just don’t share the same vision. Much respect to those courts and their history, but that’s not what this project is all about. Besides, there are some guys who have been doing that and doing it damn well. If city hoops are your thing, check out Kevin Couliau and Thai Neave. They both do beautiful work. Ultimately, anyone in my position just wants to find a way to connect with other like minded people who will appreciate their book. So it felt great to have an interview/article on the front of the sports page in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Hoosier state. If ever there was a group of people who could appreciate my style of basketball imagery, it’s the Hoosiers. Dana Benbow did a great job with the article, and people really connected with it. Since the publishing a lot of people reached out saying how much they enjoyed it and my project. What more can you ask for? I’m really thankful for all the books headed to Indiana this week because I know the people who bought them think like me and will get a lot of joy from the content. Long live the personal project!!
Barbershops of America - Then and Now
Feeling really grateful for the press Barbershops of America has been getting lately. It feels good when people really connect with your personal work. Barber Evo Magazine ran an article and it was on the front page of today’s San Diego Union Tribune, which caused a number of really kind emails from people who read it. One in particular mentioned that the images reminded him of the shop he grew up in. Exactly the kind of emotional reaction I hope people will have when they look at the book.
What to know before publishing a photo book
Publishing Your First Photography Book
Why and How
Seems redundant to say that quarantine has been a trying time for everyone. My commercial business was shut down for 5 months straight. While stressful, it also became something I embraced because really, there’s nothing any of us could have done to change it. Commercial productions just weren’t possible, which isn’t an excuse to sit around and watch Netflix. For me it became a time to learn and soak up as much knowledge as possible, most notably on book publishing. I read a lot of books and blog posts, watched some videos, and attended a multiple online Zoom workshops. One thing that stood out from all of that was the question asking “why do you want to publish a book?” Everyone really seemed to emphasize that line. If you’ve followed what I do for any length of time, you know I’ve published a few books and have another one on the way. Then, why? After a lot of thinking I recognized how important that question and answer are for anyone wanting to publish a book of any kind. And I felt compelled to share exactly what my Why is as well as other thoughts crucial to the process. I’m a photographer, so my answers will be focused on that genre, but they apply to everyone. What I offer here are just my thoughts. In no way do I have book publishing or the photography world “figured out”. Nobody does or ever will. Like anything, it’s constantly changing, so all we can do is stay on top of it and help each other out along the way.
1) SO, WHY DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH A BOOK?
I’ve spent countless hours inadvertently thinking about this one and the answer has become really clear - I believe in photography books. Every which way you can think of, I believe in them. There’s a very distinguishable line in my career that I credit all to photo books. It sounds dramatic, but I don’t mind saying that they changed my life. My collection has grown vigorously over the years, and if memory serves, the first one to alter my way of thinking and seeing is probably Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore. From there I went on to William Eggleston, who I’d say is one of my biggest influences. Then there was (in no particular order) William Albert Allard, Andy Anderson, Joel Sternfeld, Lee Friedlander, Joel Meyorwitz, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Walter Iooss, Fred Herzog, Saul Leiter, Alex Webb, Dan Winters, and the list goes on, almost forever. Each of their books are, in themselves, a master class on photography. The point is that I didn’t understand what real photography was until spending countless quiet hours with myself and books by the masters. Just starting out, I was ignorant and hot headed, thinking my images were great and that I didn’t need anyone’s help. What an idiot. Studying photo books has taught me so much about what great photographs are and how to create a cohesive body of work. How to tell a story. What’s involved in pagination. How design factors in. There are so many elements that I can’t begin to think of them all, but it wasn’t until I studied the greats that my own photography actually improved at all. Even beyond education, photography books just give me an enormous amount of joy. I love looking through them. They have an almost meditative quality that allows you to get lost inside the front and back cover. Every time I close a photo book I feel better than before it was opened.
2) IS IT ABOUT EGO?
Without question, I’d have to say that in the beginning it is most definitely about ego. As a younger photographer there seemed to be something hanging over my head saying that you’re not a real photographer unless you publish a book. Sorta like an athlete that never wins a ring?! Looking back, I see what bullshit that was. Nobody but you cares if you’ve published a book or not. So I’d say the first book was at least partially made because of ego. “Here’s the book I published. I’m a real photographer, right!?” After your first book launches you feel validated and your ego is stroked for a few days, but that quickly fades when you realize what a small percentage of the world gives a shit and how much work is needed to actually sell it. Ego aside, I was still really passionate about my barbershop project that became my first book, but the best thing I’ve done is to work on squashing the ego. Ego gets you nowhere.
3) WHO IS IT FOR AND WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?
The first part sort of ties into the whole ego thing, just in a different way. Who are you making the book for? Take some time to figure that out and answer yourself honestly. If the answer is Your Ego, then the book is doomed from the beginning. If you actually have something to say though, then it has a fighting chance. I never realized how many books are actually out in the world until I started making my own. 8+ years later it still blows my mind how many books are published on a daily basis. So unless you have something to say that’s unique and has an audience, then it’s most certainly about your ego. “I’m an artist. Look at me and what I created”. Before you put forth a boatload of time, energy, and money be sure the book actually has some substance. Think about how and if it’s going to add or advance the world of photography. Think about what it will do for the subject you’ve focused on and that niche part of the world. Has your particular topic been done before? If so, what are you going to do differently and why are people supposed to care? My first book and project that I continue to work on is about traditional barbershops. Something I view as a beautiful but dying piece of American culture. I’ve always loved barbershops. It made me sad to see them vanishing, so I took it upon myself to document them before they were all gone. Almost 9 years later I’m on the 3rd edition of that book because I’ve continued to photograph shops in all 50 states of the USA. And now, looking back, a lot of the barbers in the book have already passed on. That’s sad, but I’m also grateful to have immortalized them in photographs. Wasn’t until about 5 years into the project that I realized the book is in a sense, a historical document. I’m proud of that.
4) WHAT IS THE CONNECTION?
What is the focus of your book and why are you focusing on it? How are you connected to it? Unless you have a strong personal connection, it won’t work. If you’re shooting something just for a book in hopes that it will make you famous or cause a steady stream of publicity, then you’re going to be very disappointed. If that’s your reasoning, then whatever small audience you manage to attract, will immediately know your intentions. It shows up in the work. The desire has to come from somewhere deeper than money. It has to be something you can’t not make. People can see the passion in your photos, or not. So make sure you think this through and produce a book that truly means something to you!
5) WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT YOU AS A PHOTOGRAPHER?
Every photographer goes through slow times whether they admit it or not. Doesn’t matter who you are. This business will be filled with highs and lows. If fact, you’re more likely to be hit with more lows than highs. So if that’s something you can’t handle, then this isn’t the business for you. There was a period where I was getting boat loads of commercial work. Some of it was really fun. The rest of it sucked and made me miserable, but it paid a LOT of bills. If you continue to take those suck jobs, all it will lead to is more jobs that suck. That was happening to me, which gave me a bad attitude and caused me to withdraw quite a bit without even knowing it. So work started to dry up. I mean really dry. During that time I did a lot of reflecting about what I wanted from my career. And just as important, what I didn’t want. That is a whole discussion in itself, but something I strongly encourage every photographer to do at least a couple times a year. My answer was to focus on commercial work only where “I was a customer before they were a client”. Meaning that the company/brand sells a product that I already use or their message/goals fit directly with my interests/lifestyle. This goes back to your passion showing up in the work. If you’re shooting for a company, brand, or cause that you believe in, then it will show in the images. Otherwise, I decided the money just isn’t worth the headaches and drama of high maintenance clients. Life is too short. That’s not to say I have my pick of any shoot I want. Definitely not the case at all, but I also just don’t care that much about money. What does this have to do with books? Well, what do you do with your slow/free time? Commercial collaborations can be fun, but what does it all say about you as a photographer? Fast forward 10, 20, 50 years and think about what that commercial work will mean? Do you just want to be a hired gun or actually create something of your own? Ever hear older musicians talk about “owning their masters” or “buying back their masters”? If you’re not familiar, it means they, as opposed to the record company, own the music. It’s theirs forever to make money from. Which is a funny thing to think about. They made the music. Of course they should own it, right? Not if the labels get their way. Same goes for the photography industry. A photographer’s personal projects are far more important (in my opinion) than their commercial work. Enjoy the commercial work and do a great job for your clients, but you have to go farther than that. Create something that is a direct reflection of you and your life and that passion will organically attract other like minded people. Which in turn will organically attract commercial clients. Next thing you know, you’re getting hired to shoot something you love and would do for free.
6) IS IT ABOUT THE MONEY?
Anyone who has ever been through the process of publishing a book will tell you it can’t be about the money. Unless you’re wildly famous, making tons of money on advances and sales isn’t a thing. I’d like to go on for days about the +/- of publishing vs. self-publishing, but that will need to be a whole other rant on it’s own. Have experience with both and will share those thoughts another time. For now though, forget the money. If that’s your motivation then think now about another way. Make the book because you have to, and trust that it will lead to other things. This is all an add on to what I said in #4. Making a book on barbershops in all 50 states of the USA isn’t something any sane person would do, let alone expect to make money from. Still though, I had to make it. And what came of it? Yes, the books sold and continue to sell, but those margins are insultingly low. It’s what comes from the book that’s truly rewarding, both personally and financially. The book connected me with a massive group of good people all over the globe. That for me is reward in itself, but it also led to other things. As the circle grew, with it came commercial assignments and image licensing. And the best part, there is no selling involved. I don’t have to convince the client that I’m the right person for the job because they can see and feel my passion for the subject. If I was independently wealthy, I’d still be doing the same thing. I’d still work on the Barbershop project, The Hoops project, and all the others that are in the hopper. That’s how you should think about it. Make a book about something you’re totally passionate about and would do even if you knew it would never make you a dime.
FUN?
Your book should give something to the viewers, but it also needs to boil down to fun. If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?
Hopefully this will help you answer a few of the questions floating around in your head? Now you just have to figure out how the hell to actually sell your book….
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.
American Photography
American Photography
Colorado - Utah
Whenever possible I make it a point to take new routes even when the destination might be a place (like Denver) I’ve been a hundred times. That way it’s easier to be inspired by new sights. Occasionally though, when you don’t have a ton of extra time, you find yourself on a familiar highway just motoring from A to B. At this point I’d be confident in my ability to drive from San Diego to Denver with a blindfold on. Still though, it’s a world class stretch of road that should never be taken for granted. Keeping this in mind, I returned to places along the way that I’ve photographed before, while remaining open to things that might have been missed before. Happy with the outcome.
