How Andis Clippers Licensed Images from the Barbershops of America Project
Most commercial photography assignments begin with a creative brief. This one started with a personal project.
For more than 15 years, I have been photographing barbershops across the United States as part of Barbershops of America—an ongoing documentary project focused on preserving a disappearing piece of American culture. What began as an excuse to meet interesting people and spend time in traditional barbershops eventually became a photography book, museum exhibitions, and a visual archive spanning all 50 states.
Along the way, the project also attracted the attention of companies within the barber industry, including Andis Clippers.
Why Brands Connect With Documentary Photography
The barber industry is built on authenticity.
For companies like Andis, the history of barbering matters. The people who use their products every day care deeply about the culture, traditions, and communities that surround the trade.
That is one reason documentary photography can be so valuable. Rather than creating an idealized version of barbering, documentary work shows the real environments where the craft takes place—the shops, the barbers, the customers, and the personalities that give the industry its identity.
Over the years, Barbershops of America has documented hundreds of shops ranging from century-old neighborhood institutions to the newer generation of traditional barbershops helping shape the future of the trade.
An Andis ProFoil advertisement pairs a Barbershops of America barber portrait with the brand’s campaign around real tools and barber culture.
From Personal Project to Industry Recognition
One of the most rewarding aspects of long-term projects is watching them take on a life of their own.
The photographs from Barbershops of America have been featured in books, exhibitions, magazines, and industry publications. As the project grew, brands within the barbering world began reaching out because the work reflected the same values that attracted them to the industry in the first place.
Andis Clippers licensed several photographs from the project for use in advertising and marketing materials, helping connect their products to the culture and heritage of barbering that inspired generations of professionals.
For me, the collaboration was meaningful because it demonstrated something I have long believed: personal projects often create opportunities that could never be planned in advance, and I’m proud to see my images become of barbershop advertising history.
The Value of Long-Term Photography Projects
When I first started photographing barbershops, there was no business plan attached to it.
The goal was simply to document an important piece of American culture before it disappeared.
Years later, the project has led to a published book, relationships throughout the barber industry, licensing opportunities, museum exhibitions, and countless friendships with barbers across the country.
That is one of the hidden benefits of long-term documentary work. The photographs become more than individual images. They become a body of work that companies, publications, museums, and audiences can connect with on a deeper level.
Andis Clippers used this Barbershops of America photograph in a campaign focused on real barber shops, real tools, and the culture of the trade.
Barbershops of America Continues
Today, Barbershops of America remains an ongoing project.
Many of the shops photographed in the early years have since closed their doors, making the images an increasingly important historical record. At the same time, a new generation of barbers is redefining what a traditional barbershop can be while still preserving the sense of community that has always made these spaces special.
Whether the photographs are exhibited in a gallery, published in a book, or licensed by brands like Andis Clippers, the mission remains the same: documenting the people and places that keep barber culture alive.
Continue Exploring Barbershop Culture
Interested in seeing more from the project?
→ View the Barbershops of America gallery
→ Shop the Barbershops of America book and prints
→ Read more stories from traditional barbershops across the United States
→ Contact me regarding editorial or commercial licensing - rob@robhammerphotography.com
Andis licensed this Barbershops of America image for an advertisement connecting its clippers with the real shops and people behind barber culture.