Kansas City Basketball

Basketball Hoop Photography - Prints

Story Behind The Image

Of my many vices, BBQ is damn near the top of the list. Food in general is a big part of my life, but great BBQ is an especially large weakness. Many years ago while driving cross country, I stopped in Kansas City for some of their famous meat, and almost immediately complained to friends about the quality of that particular establishment. One of them recommended Arthur Bryant’s on Brooklyn Avenue. Ever since that trip AB’s has been a must stop anytime I’m within a couple hundred miles. They don’t miss. You know walking in there that they are going to take care of you. The place just feels right. Like walking into Madison Square Garden, you can feel the history. What the hell does this have to do with basketball? Nothing really, but if you’ve ever had a proper plate of BBQ, then you know the only thing that follows is immense satisfaction followed by meat sweats and a nap. So the ritual goes that I eat too much food, sparing the napkin full of scraps that are saved for Mojo who is (was) always waiting in the truck, drool already hanging several inches from his mouth. Poor bastard had to sit there while the smell of burnt ends and pulled pork wafts steadily in the window. After his treat we go for a long walk which turned into the same familiar route over the years. One of the regular sites is an abandoned school that I’ve made some mediocre images of. Viewing it from the outside always led to daydreaming of what the  gym inside looked like. As luck would have it, while walking by one year the plywood on a ground floor window was ripped off and the metal grate had been ripped open. That’s an invitation, right? Of course it is. Anyone that takes if for anything less is a fool. So I hopped in the window with a tripod, camera bag, and a headlamp. Kansas City summers are hot to say the least. Inside a sealed off brick building is something else altogether. It felt like you could chew on the air in there. Walking into the gym didn’t even seem real. My jaw must have drooped right to the floor. Couldn’t believe what a gift I was handed.  The whole room was all but gutted, yet the backboard still stood. I could have been happy in there for days. Still though it wasn’t a place to be for long. There were obviously people squatting and I didn’t have much interest in them knowing I was there. So after waiting waiting waiting for my lens to defog, a few frames were made, and I hit the road without any interactions between the squatters or the police. Moral of the story is eat more BBQ. 

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Basketball Hoop Photography

American Basketball Culture - Wall Art - Photography Prints

When you’re a kid the “golden arches” of McDonald’s are a beacon. Recognizable anywhere at any time of day or night. You can see them without even looking. It’s probably been 15 years since I’ve eaten at McDonald’s but it comes to mind every time I work on this project. Weird correlation? Probably, but basketball hoops have become very similar to those famous arches. A shape so distinctive that my mind subconsciously registers it and tells me to hit the breaks. American Backcourts the series has been going on for about 10 years now, yet even after publishing the book it’s a subject that never seems to get boring.

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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.