Fly Fishing - Crested Butte, CO

Taylor River Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing Photography - Colorado

Sometimes you think the sun is going to help with the cold and on certain days is does. For all the rest of the days, it’s easiest to just accept the fact that you won’t feel your hands again until you get back to the truck. At which point you’ll need to put a koozie around your beer just so they don’t get any worse. Thankfully this wasn’t one of those. It’s only the middle of October but that doesn’t matter. If you spend time in the mountains then you know an early summer morning can feel oddly similar to winter. It’s got to be part of that whole love/hate thing.

It’s safe to assume that most western fly fisherman, in the beginning at least, are only concentrated on the rainbow trout. It’s put up on a pedestal. The trophy. The goal. Won’t deny having those same feelings, but that’s all changed over time, as everything does. Now, in my opinion, brown trout are king. Their colors and markings are really special.Now, In the name of transparency this isn’t my fish, but my friend caught it while I was shooting. Which means I was sort of catching it vicariously through him. That’s the only way I’ve found to calm the urge to set the camera down and replace it with a fly rod. It’s a vicious cycle that I’m trying to be at peace with. On the scale of problems, it’s a good one to have. Snowboarding is the only thing I do that absolutely won’t involve a camera unless it’s the one on my phone. Fly fishing on the other hand is a constant battle.

Good times on the Taylor River that day.

Click here to see more of my Fly Fishing photography

Roadside Meditations

Been shooting a “new” series for quite a while now and at this point the working title is Roadside Meditations. The title could change, but the series certainly won’t. If the words don’t make things obvious, the subject will be an array of findings from my time on the road. Isn’t that what I’ve been posting about for years? Yes, but this is different. These images won’t focus on the small broken down towns, barbershops, or basketball hoops. Instead they will show, if I’m at all successful in this pursuit, how I feel while on the road. More precisely how certain places or stretches of road make me feel.

More to come. Lots more.

San Francisco Photography

No need to go on and on about my obsession with San Francisco as it’s been well noted here in the past. However, it will be an ongoing project with updates, so I decided to give this thing it’s own gallery here on the site. Shooting has been fun and beyond that I started working with a professional photo editor to whittle down the edit into something that feels cohesive. In the past one of the bigger mistakes I’ve made among a lot of others, is waiting too long to get eye balls on a series to hear about what if anything is making sense. No more. For this and every other series I’ll be gaining outside/unbiased feedback from a professional. The collaboration is really fun as well as educational.

Click HERE to see the edited gallery of my San Francisco Street Photography

American Road Trip

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

Venice Basketball League Photos

Venice Basketball League Photos

Basketball Culture Photography - Prints - Wall Art

There’s always free entertainment going on in Venice Beach, especially so when the VBL finals are going down. It’s a show from beginning to end. The games were very physical and fun to watch as was the dunk contest. Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace and Steve Francis were both there to judge and Compton Av performed at half court before the championship game. As usual I’m more interested in what’s happening around the court than the actual game when it comes to photos. So if I’ve done my job correctly this set of images will give you a feeling for what it’s like to be there.

Click here to see more basketball photography from my American Backcourts series

Contact me directly for prints of these images for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

American Motels

It’s interesting how bodies of work tend to grow on their own over time. Motels have never been a goal or “to do” while on the road but I’m endlessly attracted to them. Not exactly sure why either. Maybe it’s their place in American culture or because of all the time I’ve personally spent in them? The images here were made as recently as last month all the way back to 2015. And the memories they give me are fun to experience again. Some of the places I stayed in and others were just a walk/drive by. During my time as a photographer, I’ve had the pleasure of staying at some of the nicest hotels in the country while shooting for clients, but also some of the worst of the worst. Both are memorable for different reasons. Always an experience though. That’s probably what I like about them. More to come from this series.

Side note: The second to last image here was made in 2015 in Gila Bend, AZ. Drove by this place last week and the hotel almost completely bulldozed.

Click here to see more of my American photography

Fly Fishing Photography

Alaska Fly Fishing

It’s a shame that I’m not better with words to accurately describe the experience of fly fishing in Alaska. Never done it down in South America, so I can’t compare, but nevertheless Alaska is on a whole different level than most places you’ll ever experience. A lot of the reason for that is the remote locations you go to fish that are only accessible by float plane. The plane rides alone are worth the price of admission, but they also let you know just how isolated you are from the rest of the world. I love Alaska. More to come from this trip soon…

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography

American Backcourts

Currently at an interesting crossroads with the American Backcourts series as I’m thinking about another edition of the book. There are a lot of things I’d like to improve on, but there is also a lot of new content that’s been shot over the past year or so that I’d like to include. However, my style of shooting has changed a bit since the first printing, which means that a lot of the new stuff might not gel with the new work. A lesson only recently learned by working with several professional photo editors on a couple other long term projects. Seems like an obvious concept, right? Not so much when you’re emotionally biased toward your own work. It causes you to be blinded about what’s best for the series as opposed to satisfying your own selfish needs. Moving on. These two were shot on last months cross country road trip. The first is in west Texas and the second is in eastern New York somewhere.

Click here to buy a copy of American Backcourts

Western Photography

Cowboy Photography - American West - Cattle Ranching

Maybe it’s the nostalgia? Maybe it’s the hats? I don’t know. However you spin it though, I appreciate everything going on in the pictures here. To really boil it down though, there are a couple factors that turn me on to this culture and lifestyle. First is the freedom. Cowboys/ranchers/farmers. Whatever you want to call them. They work their asses off, but they do so on their own terms, not someone else’s. They freelance, like me. I always say that if I’m not exhausted, dirty, or bloody by the end of a shoot, then chances are it wasn’t that much fun. And I wouldn’t dare to compare the work I do in a day to that of a cowboy, but I certainly connect with it. Another part is their “work” hasn’t changed that much since the old days. Sure there are more laws and guidelines, especially in California, but the bones of it is pretty much the same. And there’s a lot to be said for that, especially since everything else in the world changes minute by minute, and not usually for the better. The simplicity of their trade is another parallel to draw. That’s not to say that what they do is easy, because it certainly isn’t. Quite the opposite. With photography everyone is so focused on gear, gear, gear. Gotta get the latest and greatest piece of gear. Gotta light this with 12 strobes or it won’t look good! Admittedly, I was guilty of that in the past too. At a certain point though, I realized that was all about false impressions. Yes, your equipment needs to be at a certain level to operate as a professional, but that doesn’t mean you constantly need to be upgrading. Having a better camera doesn’t make you a better photographer. Hell, if you know what you’re doing, you could make an entire career with one camera and one lens. So you don't need that new 150 megapixel Medium Format bullshit. Fun to play around with? Yup. Not what matters though. Focus on making images not on the gear. That’s what I mean by simplicity. Location is the last thing I’ll mention. In general, the places where these people live and work is also something I connect with. Living in San Diego has a lot of pluses, but I’d much rather be out in the mountains or the country. It feels more like home and fits my personality/interests much more. Along with the location comes a certain type of attitude or lack there of. City people and country people are just different. No way around it. I prefer the later.

What a day this was with Spencer and Jessica of the Anderson Cattle Company (click to buy some of their beef) and their crew. Really grateful to have documented the work done by these folks. Not only was it fun, but also incredibly impressive. Watching the control they had over their horses and the way they used them as vehicles was a pleasure. That goes for the women too. They can rip. At the end of the day I asked one of the guys how long it took until he was comfortable with that sort of environment. To which he replied that you don’t, really. “Controlled chaos”. You just get use to the controlled chaos, he said. A very fair and accurate way to describe that type of event.

Something well worth noting in my opinion is that none of the people you see in these pictures were paid to be there. They are all friends of the Anderson’s and volunteered to work their asses off in the hot sun. A favor that is always returned over and over again throughout their lifetimes. On this day they helped on their ranch, but next time the Anderson’s will be the one’s lending a hand. The way life should be.

One of my favorite photographers of all time is William Albert Allard. He made a great deal of photographs in the American West documenting the lifestyle and I’d argue that nobody has ever done it better. In one of his books he talked about time spent on a ranch with some cowboys in Nevada. He asked one of the guys if he was ever afraid of being replaced by a machine. “Bill, they just ain’t come up with nothin’ yet that’ll take as much abuse as a cowboy”.

Follow along with the Anderson’s on IG @2aranchwife

More Western Cowboy Photographer here

Colorado Fly Fishing Photographer

11 Mile Canyon Fly Fishing - Colorado

Nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains not far from Lake George, Colorado - 11 Mile Canyon is a breathtaking destination that attracts fly fishing aficionados with its crystal-clear waters, stunning scenery, and abundant fish species that offer an unforgettable experience for anglers.

Colorado is known for its breathtaking mountain ranges, lush forests, and serene lakes. The backcountry canyon section of the South Platte River offers a unique opportunity to escape the crowds of fisherman, immerse yourself in nature, and find solitude on the water. Fly fishing in these remote areas not only allows you to connect with the environment but also gives you access to wild, untouched fisheries teeming with life.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing images

Syndicate Barbershop - Long Beach, CA

Best Barbershop in Long Beach, California

Syndicate Barbershop - Photography

Walk around any city or town in America and you’ll see far too many permanently closed doors from COVID. A lot of business’ couldn’t deal with the financial stressors and effects from COVID. Syndicate Barbershop in Long Beach, CA isn’t one of them, thankfully. In fact, they just celebrated 20 years or haircuts in the best way possible. With a block party. I’ve always loved Syndicate and proudly displayed their facade on the cover of version 2 of Barbershops of America. It’s a great shop that fits perfectly within the funk of Long Beach. And the turnout for the party was also quite fitting. People watching at it’s finest. This was the first REAL party I’ve been to since before COVID began and it will be a tough one to beat. Tim did it up right. Check back in another 20 years and hopefully I’ll be posting photos from their 40 year anniversary!

Click here to grab a copy of Barbershops of America

American Road Trip

Fresh off another lap around America as is the custom this time of year. Last year being the exception of course because of COVID. Spent plenty of time on the road in 2020, but wasn’t able to go back east to be with family on Cape Cod for the first time in I don’t even know how long. Made this year extra special. These trips are so important to me. Not just because I’m able to see family, but also because the time alone out on the road allows the head to clear and leads to so much growth as a person and as a photographer. Some days it feels like you drove 1,000 miles and didn’t come up with a single picture that’s worth a damn. There’s been times I’ve gotten all the way to the east coast and questioned whether I made a single image I’d be proud to share. That in itself is a lesson worth learning. Just knowing that it’s so hard to mentally process what you’re seeing and what you’ve made out of it. The amount of visual stimulation received from 15-20 hours a day on the road is incomprehensible. All the while making decisions on what is and what isn’t a photograph. That’s part of what I love about it though. The not knowing. Not having a plan but trusting that you will find what you’re looking for regardless of what you feel at the time. That’s fun. Reacting to the environment around you which is constantly changing. For me there is nothing more invigorating.

People always ask if I have a plan or a route for these trips and the answer is no. The only thing that is generally guaranteed to be on the agenda is food. BBQ, specifically, which will determine the direction but not the route. This time it was Texas BBQ. Kreuz Market in Lockhart. They’ve been slinging world class smoked meat since 1901. It was a great stop in both the food and photo category as they allowed me to hang out for a bit to make some images before standing in line for 45 minutes to eat. Other than that, the trip east was wide open.

If you look at the map of my route, one direction is much different from the other. That’s because 3 commercial shoots came up last minute that I couldn’t turn down. So the trip west was cut much shorter than expected. Not ideal but it’s happened before and will surely happen again. Knowing that you have to cover 3,000+/- miles in such a limited time can be quite stressful. Mostly because you know it leaves very opportunity to explore and make images. My experience though, is that this actually leads to great you wouldn’t otherwise be presented with. Try as I might, bee-lining it across the country just isn’t possible. I’m too taken with things that come into my vision and am forced to make images of them. This is great, but it also consumes a lot of time. On the last day of travel before the first shoot I needed to drive 22 hours straight in order to arrive on set at the designated call time with just a little extra left for a couple frames and a shower to freshen up. So I drove through the night which put me in the Nevada desert as the sun was rising. Most people think of Nevada as a fly over state or that place where Vegas lives. I’ve truly grown to love it there photographically. It’s so interesting. Especially out in the middle of nowhere, which is where I found myself at sunrise and wound up making my favorite image(s) of the whole trip. Another lesson learned. Thank you, road.

Check back soon for images from this trip

Click here to see “America” images from previous trips.

Bull Sale - Nevada

Bull Auction - Western Photos - Nevada - Bull Sale

Cattle Ranching - Culture - Photography

Been spending a lot of time up in Nevada outside of Lake Tahoe for a commercial client, but it’s grown into a lot more than that. I really enjoy the country up there and have taken to photographing various aspects of it. Not the land so much, but everything that goes along with it. The ranches, horses, people. etc. One morning I was shooting with a girl who owned a couple wild mustangs (will be posting those images soon). We finished shooting by about 9 am, so I had the rest of the day to kill, with the commercial shoot following the next day. Was pretty beat from not sleeping much the night before, so I pulled off into the local firehouse parking lot to make a tailgate sandwich. That’s where the day took a turn. Two guys in a truck rolled up and asked if I knew where the bull auction was. We talked for a minute or two, and next thing you know I was at the bull auction. Figured why the hell not? It’s a world completely foreign to me, so why not check it out. I have no plans on buying a bull, but it sure sounded like a fun event to photograph.

If I haven’t said this before, the camera is a passport. One of the many things I love about photography. It’s opened doors and taken me to places I never would have thought about. And the older I get, the more curious I become about interacting with and documenting other people and other cultures that are the opposite of my own. It’s so much fun to learn how other people live in different parts of the world. Sure, this part of Nevada is only 8 hours away from my home in San Diego, but it’s a different world. I used to be obsessed with the need to travel to far off countries in order to experience other cultures. Exotic travel is great, but there is so much culture right here in America that can easily be taken for granted.

I loved being a silent witness at the bull auction right from the start. The people were so inviting when I introduced myself and told them what I was doing. Everything about the event was stimulating. The sights, sounds, and smells. I’m from a small town in Upstate New York, and prefer to spend as much time as possible in the country/mountains, but have never seen anything like this in person. Hope to be showing you a lot more of this in the future.

Click here to see more of my Western photography

American Street Photography

Street Photography - South Lake Tahoe - California

Another edition of making time to shoot for yourself. There’s a book title in there somewhere actually. Had some free time on a multi-day commercial shoot up in Tahoe recently and put it to good use walking around the neighborhoods making street photographs. Specifically these are from South Lake Tahoe which has changed quite a bit since my first visit there 10-ish years ago. Not my favorite ski town, but damn is it gorgeous. Unbelievably so. When you take the time to get out and see the lake and all that comes with it, you’re appreciation for the place as a whole completely changes. It’s not a town where you could spend a lot of time unless your days are spent recreationally doing any of the countless activities that the lake/mountains offer. All that said, I’m starting to love it there.

Click here to see more of my street photography

Venice Beach Basketball Courts

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

There are plenty of people that would argue on either side, but regardless of which one you’re on, you’ll have to agree that Venice Beach is one of the street ball meccas of the USA? NYC obviously being the other. It’s my personal opinion that White Men Can’t Jump is the greatest basketball movie ever made. It takes place in a few locations around LA, but most notably Venice, and was certainly the thing that put Venice basketball on the map. The games that happen there today look a lot different, but I appreciate what’s happening either way. Nick Ansom is the one at the helm of the Venice Basketball League now. 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 it will be preserved in some kind of document for people to see years from now.

Follow the Venice Basketball League on IG @veniceball

Contact me directly if you’d like prints of these images for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Basketball hoop made from junk in a Venice Beach Alleyway

Survival Hoops - Venice Beach, California by Nick Ansom

Photograph of a basketball hoop made from a bucket and street sign

DIY Basketball Hoop

A creative basketball hoop in Venice Beach, California

Creative basketball hoop - Venice, CA

Photograph of a basketball hoop made from a blue bucket with the LA Dodgers logo hung on a palm tree in Venice Beach, California

Basketball hoop with LA Dodgers logo

A basketball hoop made from junk with a backboard painted to look like a watermelon

Basketball Hoop Art - Venice Beach

Photograph of a basketball hoop made from old bicycle rims in Venice Beach

Basketball hoop made from bike parts

Photograph of an artistic basketball hoop in Venice, Beach, CA

Art Hoop - Venice, CA

A basketball hoop made from an old computer in Venice Beach, CA

Venice Beach Alley Basketball Hoop

Photograph of a basketball hoop made from a surfboard and mop bucket in Venice Beach, CA

Surfboard basketball hoop - Venice Beach

Photograph of a basketball hoop made from junk car parts in Venice Beach, CA

Junk art basketball hoop

An artistic basketball hoop made from junk

Artistic basketball hoop

Home made basketball hoop

Artistic homemade basketball hoop

Photograph of a basketball hoop with Area 52 painted on the backboard

Area 52

Photograph of a one of a kind basketball hoop in Venice Beach, CA

Black Lives Matter - Venice Beach

Photograph of a colorful artistic basketball hoop in a Venice Beach alleyway

Alley basketball hoop - Venice Beach, CA

A unique basketball hoop made from common junk in a Venice Beach alleyway

Venice Beach basketball hoop

Creative basketball hoop made from a baby's car seat on a telephone pole above a "caution children playing" sign

Youth Basketball - Venice Beach

A basketball hoop made with a milk crate and wood backboard

Milk crate basketball hoop

Junk art basketball hoop in Los Angele, CA

Basketball hoop made from an old wheelchair

Creative basketball hoop made from old Weber grill parts in Venice Beach

Basketball hoop made from a Weber Grill

Photograph of the Survival Hoops creators Nick Ansom and Lori Powers

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

Culture Brewing Company - Encinitas

Feels so good to see the world opening back up. Over the last week especially there has been so much life out on the street and in the local shops, restaurants, and bars. Grateful to have the opportunity to be social again while sharing some work from American Backcourts. So if you’re in San Diego during the month of June, stop on by Culture Brewing Company in Encinitas to check out some fine art prints while enjoying some delicious craft beer in the sunshine.

AmericanBackcourtsCulture.jpg

Street Photography - San Francisco

San Francisco Photo Gallery - Prints - Culture

Street Photography - San Francisco - California - Wall Art

Was back in San Francisco for a commercial shoot recently and made some time for some street shooting. Really love this city. Has it’s downsides like everywhere else, but damn is it an incredible place. The layers that show themselves as you explore are so much fun. And it’s got a texture to it unlike anywhere else in America. Already looking forward to the next trip.

Advertising Fitness Photographer

Commercial Fitness Photography - Advertising

Fitness Photo Shoot - Workout - Health

A number of years ago I received a new assignment email from a long time client wanting some fitness photography. That’s not out of the ordinary, but their specific request was. They wanted some “bright and happy” fitness shots. My immediate response that I actually said out loud while reading the email was “why are you contacting ME?” Normally with advertising photography, clients/brands/art directors etc. are painfully specific about who they choose for a shoot. There’s a running joke/story out there about a food photographer who was showing his “fruit” portfolio to a client that needed his services. His work was exquisite. More beautiful images of fruit you could not find. The client loved what he did with apples, oranges, bananas, mango, kiwi, pineapple, etc.. After going through the whole portfolio though, she asked him “but can you photograph a yellow apple? Are you fuckin kidding me??? That sums up a lot of the photography industry . Most people aren’t capable of making the mental bridge and want a photographer to be so specific that they specialize in shooting “yellow apples” or whatever the fuck the case might be. I probably botched the story itself, but you get the point. Until receiving that email about a “bright and happy” fitness shoot, it was something that I’d never done. My style was always dark and gritty and probably the thing I was most known for. I thought, what the hell, let’s give it a go. So I took the assignment and ended up really enjoying it. Since then there have been a number of clients who have hired me to make images in a similar style for them. It’s been fun and I look forward to that change in pace/style from the dark and gritty. Currently working on a new gallery for the website of bright fitness images. Until then though, enjoy these shots which were made for a few different clients over the past year or so. They are a mix of indoor/outdoor and shot with natural light, strobed, bounced, diffused, etc, etc, etc


McKittrick Oil Field

A lot of people are under the impression that California is all sunny beaches, when really a great deal of it is made up of farms, desert, and desolate land like you see here at the McKittrick Oil Fields. To be honest, I had no idea that they even existed until stumbling on them a few weeks ago during a trip up to San Francisco for a commercial shoot. These images go into the “reaction” category, as this certainly wasn’t something I set out to photograph. Most of the images from my “America” series are that way. Although over time it’s become obvious that a factor which often attracts me is disruptions. This scene is a textbook example. The way these oil fields and all the equipment disrupt an otherwise natural and beautiful scene is shocking. It’s also a shame. Lot of money to made there though, so it’s not going to stop. Beyond the obvious things in the images though, scenes like this always make me curious about the lives of the people who work and live here.

To see more disruptions from my American series click here

Street Photography - San Diego

San Diego Photo Gallery

Trying to be better about posting more of all the different genres of my photographs here on the blog, and that includes commercial work. Here are some street photographs made in downtown San Diego over the past few months over several sessions. Still trying to pull this whole project together in a cohesive way. Not sure how to do that as the body of images has grown so large that I don’t even know where to begin. Way back in say 2015 when this series started I was calling it “The Lajolla Poject” because I only intended on focusing this series on the streets/neighborhoods of LaJolla. Now it’s spanned all the way up to San Francisco. Time for a long talk with a photo consultant.

Click here to see more from this project.