Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone - Olympics

Gold Medal - World Record - Hurdles

American Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been putting on quite a show at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. If you saw her performance last night in the 400m race, then you know why people are calling her the GOAT! There wasn’t another runner even close to her at the finish line when she took home another Gold Medal and set a new world record! Making America proud!!

I shot these photographs of Sydney a few years back while she was training on the track in Los Angeles and they are available for commercial licensing, editorial licensing, and wall as fine art prints / wall art. Contact me directly to inquire rob@robhammerphotography.com

Portrait of Sydney McLaughlin Levrone

Photograph of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone training

Sydney McLaughlin Levrone smiling

Portrait of Olympic Champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone training on a track

The Photographic Journal

Basketball Photo Essay - The Photographic Journal

Southern California Basketball Culture

Over the past couple years I’ve been quietly working on a series of photographs about the unique basketball culture that exists in Southern California. It’s been an incredibly fun project and a huge contrast to the American Backcourts photographs of hoops from far off places all across the country. So it’s great to see the series featured on The Photographic Journal - a website that puts together beautiful photo essays. Click HERE to check it out.

Basketball Never Stops

Basketball during Covid-19

It’s hard getting people to stop playing basketball. They will find a way. These image are from a court in south east San Diego during Covid that were shut down for obvious reasons. Still though, people wanted to ball and wouldn’t let anything stop them. Hard to get angry at that. They climbed the fences, went through the holes, whatever it took. So the city had to take further measures. No doubt they were only temporary solutions. Basketball never stops.

Click here to pick up a copy of American Backcourts

Colina Del Sol - San Diego

Colina Del Sol - San Diego

Basketball hoop with a chained padlock on it - San Diego, CA

Basketball hoop with a chained padlock on it - San Diego, CA

High-Impact Paddleboard Photos for Editorial & Commercial Use

Stand Up Paddleboarding with Impact: Strobe-Lit Action Photography

There’s a specific kind of energy you get when mixing outdoor sports with studio lighting. This shoot with a competitive stand up paddleboarder was all about that tension and blending the natural flow of water with bold, strobe-lit drama.

We planned it like a commercial shoot: sunrise location, multiple lighting setups on the water, and a focus on strong, clean compositions that would work well in both advertising and editorial contexts. The result? A set of images that feel athletic and raw, but also controlled and brand-ready.

This wasn’t a spontaneous session. It was lit like a campaign, and that’s exactly the kind of work I love doing. Whether you’re looking to license images from this shoot or want to plan your own production, I’m always open to collaborations where sport meets style, so please reach out if you’re ready to plan your next campaign photo shoot - rob@robhammerphotography.com

 

Canelo Alvarez - Boxing Photography

Portraits of Canelo Alvarez - Boxing Champion

Over the course of my career, I've had some great opportunities to shoot with some world class athletes. All of them impressive in their own right, but not many who compare to Canelo Alvarez. When he goes at the heavy bag, he's going %110. It's like he only has one speed. And the sound his gloves make when they connect is amazing. We shot for quite a while, so it was really cool to feel and hear the rhythm of his routine. He's very vocal during the whole thing. Without a doubt, the most intense and intimidating  153 lb. person I've ever been around. Really cool guy, and a pleasure to shoot with. He couldn't have given more to the day if we asked him to. It was all out there. 

A couple of my favorites from the Everlast ad campaign. 


Boulder, Colorado-Trail running

If you live in Boulder, Colorado, then chances are you spend some time outdoors. It's a town that's just as famous for being active, as it is for marijuana. Which seems kind of contradictory, but whatever. I've been a fan of Boulder (and the rest of Colorado) for a long time now. So on my last visit, I made it a point to shoot some trail running. Red Rocks Trail is a cool spot with a great backdrop for this type of thing. The shoot was a lot of fun despite having one Elinchrom strobe shit out on us about 3 minutes in. Luckily, I also had some brand new Broncolor gear that I was testing. Huge fan of it, by the way. Looking like the Elinchrom's will be taking a backseat. These first three images were lit with strobes. The last one is all natural light. All shot on the Nikon D810. 

 

Pacific Crest Trail Running Photographs for Editorial and Commercial Usage

Trail Running on the PCT - California

The Pacific Crest Trail isn’t an easy place to work — which is exactly why I chose it. For this shoot, we hiked deep into the backcountry of California to create a series of trail running photographs that feel as real as the places themselves. Everything was intentionally staged — but we kept the pacing, effort, and conditions as close to the real thing as possible. No fake sweat, no glossy setups, just actual runners moving through rugged terrain at the golden hour.

The goal was to make images that show what it really feels like to run in big, wild spaces — and to do it in a way that’s clean, brand-ready, and still grounded in authenticity. We focused on moments that show both the solitude of the trail and the sheer scale of the California backcountry — the runner always just a small part of the larger landscape.

If you’re a brand, magazine, or agency looking for this kind of imagery, or something tailored to your own vision, I’d love to talk. I’m always open to planning location-based shoots that strike the right balance between grit and polish, especially when the story involves movement, gear, and the outdoors.

You can license images from this series for editorial and commercial usage, or we can plan something from the ground up. Either way, it starts with the right trail - rob@robhammerphotography.com