Roadside Meditations - Kehrer Verlag

Just returned from the road to find the first copy of Roadside Meditations waiting quietly at home. Feels so good to finally hold a hard copy in my hands after the long (but fun) production process with Kehrer Verlag in Germany. Unfortunately the books aren’t for sale yet in the States, but I will be posting and talking much more about this when the time comes. Hoping to have them up and ready to sell on my web store in about a month. Check back here or Instagram (@robhammerphoto) for updates.

Fine art photography book Roadside Meditations by Rob Hammer and Kehrer Verlag.

European Basketball Hoop Photos

Basketball Hoop Photography - Europe

Over the past few years, I’ve been documenting basketball hoops throughout Europe—not the polished ones inside arenas, but the forgotten, improvised, and well-worn hoops you find in alleyways, apartment courtyards, village parks, and industrial edges of cities. These photos show the global reach of the game in its most local forms.

Each image carries the texture of its surroundings—cobblestone streets, Soviet-era apartment blocks, medieval stone walls, graffiti-tagged fences. The contrast between architecture and asphalt makes these hoops feel different from their American counterparts but no less soulful. They reflect how basketball adapts to the space it’s given, whether in a quiet plaza or behind an old church.

This series is available for editorial and commercial licensing, and it’s a great fit for brands or publications looking to tap into global basketball culture in an authentic, visually arresting way. Whether you're working on a story about international basketball, designing a campaign around street culture, or sourcing imagery for a global brand, these photographs offer a fresh take on the game—and its reach far beyond the NBA.

Interested in licensing these photos?
Please reach out for pricing and usage details. High-resolution files are available, and custom image sets can be curated based on your project’s needs - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Click here to see more basketball imagery from my American Backcourts series.

Kehrer Verlag

The first book I published was in 2012-ish with the first printing of Barbershops of America. but my relationship with books, photo books in-particular, goes back much farther. Hard to say when my collection really got out of control, although it’s not something I’ll ever apologize for because I can trace all of my significant growth as a photographer to the endless mesmerizing hours spent digesting work of the greats (and unknowns). That, and learning how ego is the enemy.

After self publishing the first book, my obsession with the project continued, as did the shooting. Which led to another self published book on the same subject. Again, shooting continued as it still does 10 years later. About a year and a half ago I published a 3rd barbershop book, this time with an actual publisher out of Pennsylvania. Around the same time also self publishing the American Backcourts book. So I’ve gained quite a lot of knowledge of the publishing world. Most all of that knowledge of course came from making infinite mistakes along the way. Grateful for every single one of them.

Fast forward to last November, I signed a contract with Kehrer Verlag in Germany for a new series with the working title of “Roadside Meditations - Travels through America”. I’ve long been a fan of Kehrer and the beautiful work they produce, so it’s an honor to now be on their roster. Photo books and the industry surrounding it has changed so much over the last 5+ years, and it’s my opinion that there are very few fine art photo book publishers out there doing things the right way for the right reasons. Making me even more grateful to be with Kehrer. The way in which this project/book deal came to be is a whole other story and one that has also taught me a great deal. Roadside Meditations is due out internationally in the Spring of 2022 and domestically in the Fall of 2022. I’m beyond excited about this and can’t wait to see what comes of it.

***This is a mock up of the book in Kehrer’s Spring Catalogue. The final design is still a work in progress.