American Road Trip - USA Photography

The Open Road

Photography and the Great American Road Trip

The library of road trip photographs is starting to get out of hand. And as usual, I’ve been slacking on sharing images. So here is a selection made over the past couple years in Iowa, Utah, Nevada, Virginia, and California. Taking these trips is so much fun, and equally as fun is going back through the images after not having seen them for quite a while. It’s sort of like reliving each trip again and putting yourself right back in each of these places.

Click here to see more American photography

Click here to pick up a copy of Roadside Meditations

Sunset on a country road in Iowa

Sunset on a country road in Iowa

Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System

Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System

Dense forest in Virginia

Virginia

Abstract fine art photography

Virginia

Driving through the Eastern Sierra Mountains near Mammoth, California at sunset

Eastern Sierra - California

Abstract fine art photography

Upstate New York

A truck kicks up dust as it drives down a country road at sunrise in southern Iowa

Iowa

The Utah landscape - photo

Utah

Abstract fine art photography

Iowa

Country road in Virginia

Virginia

The capital building in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Sunset on train tracks going through farmland in southern iowa

Iowa

The Open Road - Photography

American Road Trip Photography

There’s been a hold up with the delivery of Roadside Meditations from Germany, so the release date is looking more like early to mid December. Instead of using this blog post to vent, it seems like a better opportunity to share some new work from the series. They were made over the past two months during two separate road trips to Wyoming and Arizona while working on the new cowboy series.

Looking at these photographs now, there is certainly a calming meditative nature to them. The thing that stands out though, is they aren’t something I could have or would have made 6 months or a year ago. That’s called progress, isn’t it? They aren’t landscapes. So what are they? Not sure you really need to classify them at all. If they are pleasant to look, provide a documentation, or education, that’s what’s important.

Will keep you all posted with updates on the new book as soon as possible.

Utah fine art photography. A beautiful landscape in a rural part of Utah.

Utah

Fine art landscape photos made in a beautiful remote section of Utah, USA.

Utah

Utah Fine art landscape photos by Rob Hammer

Utah

Fine art photo of the California desert. Black and white desert photo.

California

California Desert Road Trip

Road Trip Photography - America - Travel - California Desert

It’s interesting how certain places can grow on you that at first didn’t seem so appealing. And light seems to be one of the biggest determining factors of that in my opinion. It doesn’t have be traditionally beautiful light either. It just has to be interesting light. Or, maybe light that you understand how to work with? That knowledge is part of growing as a photographer. Most people focus so much on that “perfect” light that occurs during a sunrise or sunset, but beautiful images can be made at all times of day if you know how to work under different conditions. Even midday sun can transform a scene from completely forgettable to “I can’t wait to come back here”.

Click here to shop the Roadside Meditations book

Contact me directly about prints of my American road trip photography for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography

Mountains in the California desert along Highway 395. American road trip photography by Rob Hammer.

American road trip photography

American Photography. Back roads near the desert town of Mojave, California. American road trip photography.

California desert - Mojave, CA

Wall art  of Joshua Trees growing in the California desert. Desert vibes photo.

Mojave Desert

A sky filled with clouds behind a windmill farm in Mojave, California. Alternative energy photos.

Windfarm in Mojave, California

A desert landscape along Highway 395 near Lone Pine, California. Desert Vibes.

California desert near Lone Pina

Windmills in the desert near Mojave, California. Alternative energy photos.

Mojave, CA

Photo of a small town in the California desert

Road Trip Photography

A train going through the small desert town of Mojave, California

A train going through the desert town of Mojave, CA

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.

American Road Trip Photography Book

The Open Road

Photography and the American Road Trip

The new book went to press today in Germany! We’ve been working on it for quite some time now, so having forward progress on a physical product feels great. I’m really proud of the work and excited to be able to share it with everyone. Depending on shipping, the books should be here in the middle of October. Follow along on Instagram @robhammerphoto for more frequent updates.

Western Road Trip Photography

American West Road Trip Photography

The American road has a way of pulling you back. Long stretches of highway through Nevada and Utah feel endless, but in that repetition there’s a rhythm. Old motels with fading neon, empty casinos standing against the desert sun, and roads that cut straight through the silence — these are the kinds of places I stop for. Photographing them isn’t about chasing a postcard view; it’s about capturing the way travel really feels out here. The grit, the solitude, and the strange beauty of what’s left behind. Many of these kinds of photographs found their way into my book Roadside Meditations, a collection built from years behind the wheel documenting the overlooked corners of America.

Why the Open Road Keeps Calling
There’s something about the freedom of the highway that never wears off. It doesn’t matter how many miles I’ve logged — each trip feels new. With every mile marker comes the possibility of something unexpected: a forgotten town, a roadside diner, or a stretch of desert that feels infinite.

Nevada’s Overlooked Beauty in Photographs
Nevada isn’t just casinos and flashing lights. Once you get off the interstate, the state opens up into a landscape of wide valleys, mountains in the distance, and towns that feel frozen in time. Photographing here means noticing the quiet — the old gas stations, fading billboards, and roads that seem to go on forever.

Utah Road Trip Photography and Timeless Highways
Utah is a different kind of dramatic. The land rises and folds into formations that feel older than time, and the towns tucked between them hold their own stories. Photographing here means chasing light across red rock, watching storms roll over plateaus, and pulling over just to breathe in the silence.

From the Road to the Book: Roadside Meditations
This series of photographs is part of a larger body of work I’ve been building for years — a meditation on the American road. Many images similar to these live in my book Roadside Meditations, which gathers together the motels, highways, small towns, and wide-open spaces that define what it feels like to drive across America. It’s less about where you’re going and more about what you see along the way.

Click here to shop my road trip photo book - Roadside Meditations

Click HERE to see more of my American Road Trip Photography.

Rainforest Photography - Canada

Vancouver Island Rainforest Photographs - Available for Licensing

Although the camera allows me to earn a living, I still consider it a hobby as well. A few weeks ago Emily and I took a last minute trip to Vancouver Island. We hung out in Victoria for a few days, then drove up to the small surfing town of Tofino (more on that in the next post). All along the way there is so much to see, including rainforests. We took a couple casual strolls through them, camera in hand, without any expectations or plans to shoot. Now, I’d never classify myself as a “nature” or “landscape” photographer. I’m just a photographer. Meaning that making pictures pleases me. Pictures of anything. Doesn’t matter if the images will ever be seen, published, or licensed. The act alone is reward. Especially when it comes to subjects like the rainforest.

These images started as a personal exercise — a way to slow down in a wild place. But now they’re ready for more. They’re available for editorial stories, branding campaigns, environmental projects, or any usage that needs the mood of the forest. If your publication, website, or brand needs deep, organic, forest imagery, these frames might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Why Rainforest Scenes Move Me

Walking through that mist, the light filters through layers of green, and every inch of the forest feels alive. There’s a kind of tension between heaviness and delicacy — shadows sinking, moss clinging, trunks reaching up. That’s the energy I’m drawn to: quiet, moody, layered. Scenes that feel like science fiction than they do reality.

What You’ll See Here

In this gallery, you’ll find images of:

  • Mist hanging in giant trees

  • Ferns and undergrowth reaching for light

  • Mossy trunks with saturated texture

  • Forest floor patterns, play of dark & light

  • Close details and wide forest frames

Licensing Use Cases & Options

These images can be used for:

  • Editorial spreads (nature magazines, travel publications)

  • Environmental and conservation campaigns

  • Branding, outdoor, or wellness companies needing forest imagery

  • Website hero images or content visuals

  • Marketing materials for resorts, lodges, national parks

Licensing options vary depending on region, duration, usage medium (print, digital), exclusivity, etc. Every project is different, and I’m happy to craft a usage license that fits your needs.

How to License / Commission

If you’re interested in using one or more of these photographs, here’s how to get started:

  1. Drop me a message (rob@robhammerphotography.com) with which image(s) interest you.

  2. Tell me how you intend to use them (print, web, social, campaign), geography, timeframe, and exclusivity.

  3. I’ll send you licensing terms (pricing tiers), and usage rights options.

These rainforest photographs are also available as fine art prints.

Bigleaf Maple tree draped in moss over a rocky riverbed — Vancouver Island rainforest photography available for editorial and commercial licensing.

Moss-covered limbs of a Bigleaf Maple stretch across a riverbank in the Vancouver Island rainforest — a timeless scene of the Pacific Northwest.

Western Redcedar trees with moss in Vancouver Island temperate rainforest — fine art forest photography available for licensing

Ancient Redcedars tower in the mist, their trunks draped with hanging moss, symbols of rainforest endurance.

Color photograph of exposed tree roots and ferns clinging to a riverbank in the Vancouver Island rainforest.

Roots spilling over the edge, holding fast to earth even as the river pulls away

Moss-covered Western Hemlock and Redcedar canopy in Vancouver Island rainforest — available for editorial and commercial licensing

Looking up into the moss-draped canopy of hemlocks and cedars in a dense stretch of temperate rainforest.

Vancouver Island rainforest with huckleberry and moss-covered Bigleaf Maple branches — nature photography available for licensing

Layers of rainforest vegetation on Vancouver Island, with huckleberry leaves in the foreground and moss-laden Bigleaf Maples in the background.

Western Redcedar tree beside a boardwalk in Vancouver Island’s temperate rainforest — available for editorial and commercial licensing.

A wooden boardwalk winds past massive Western Redcedar trees, their bark furrowed and dark with age.

Western Redcedar stump with moss and ferns growing in Vancouver Island rainforest — editorial and commercial licensing available.

A massive decaying Redcedar stump, now host to moss, ferns, and new growth — the cycle of rainforest life.

Western Hemlock and Redcedar trees with moss-draped branches in Vancouver Island rainforest — fine art forest photography for licensing.

The rainforest canopy of Western Hemlock and Redcedar creates a green cathedral above the boardwalk.

Western Hemlock and Redcedar trees covered in moss in Vancouver Island rainforest — forest imagery for editorial and branding use

oss-laden trunks leaning at wild angles, showing the raw, tangled growth of Vancouver’s coastal rainforest.

Western Redcedar forest on Vancouver Island, draped in moss and ferns — rainforest photography available for licensing.

Towering Western Redcedars rise from a carpet of green understory plants, their trunks textured with age.

Black and white upward photograph of moss-covered branches in the canopy of a Vancouver Island rainforest.

Looking up through the canopy, the branches weave a cathedral of moss

Moss-covered Western Hemlock trunks in Vancouver Island rainforest — temperate forest photography for licensing.

A dense stand of slender Western Hemlocks, each draped in green moss, creates a quiet rhythm in the forest.

Black and white photograph of moss-covered trees and ferns in an old-growth rainforest on Vancouver Island

Branches heavy with moss, bending like arms under the weight of time

Color photograph of moss-covered tree trunks and ferns growing on the forest floor in a Vancouver Island rainforest

Where giants stand, ferns and moss find their own quiet rhythm below

Roots tangled like fingers, gripping the ancient trunk in a slow-motion struggle

Roots tangled like fingers, gripping the ancient trunk in a slow-motion struggle


Road Trip Photography

California Highway 395

Goes without saying that road trips are one of my favorite things to do on the planet. It’s not often though, that I’m in the passenger seat and able to make images during the ride. Such was the case a few weeks ago on a trip to Bishop/Mammoth for some fly fishing (also a favorite).

There’s a stupid but true thing that people love to say in the mountains - “if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes”. Wish they had to dish out a dollar every time they said it. We encountered some typical mountain weather during out couple days there. Really hot during the day, then cold and stormy as hell at night. Not ideal when camping, but great for images. Love the tones in a lot of these shots.

Click here to see some of my ADVENTURE images.