Montana Cowboy Photographs

Montana Cowboys through the Lens: Fine Art Prints of Grit, Sky & Tradition

Big Sky Moments & Cowboy Spirit—For Fans of Yellowstone and Real Ranch Life

When I pull up to a Montana ranch with a camera, I'm looking for more than a scene—I’m looking for something true. That first breath of morning air, the way the horizon stretches. Montana cowboys move quietly, with wear on their boots and stories in their hands. They don’t need an audience. Their work—reining, branding, riding out—isn’t performance, but it carries power anyway.

I shoot what feels real: cowboys leaning into saddle leather at sunrise, the sky turning cold and blue above mountain ridges, or riders rounding up cattle under heavy clouds. Moments like that—untouched, gritty, alive—feel like they echo what Yellowstone fans see onscreen: raw Western landscape, ranch life, sweeping skies, authenticity. The Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby plays the role of the Dutton Ranch in the show, but what draws me to Montana is seeing the same rhythm of life behind the scenes.

My prints are made from those moments. Limited edition, archival prints that hold light, dust, sky, and sweat. If you’ve ever watched Yellowstone, the beauty in close‑ups of ranch gear, the way a horse’s muscle works in motion, the golden glow on barn wood—these are the same details I chase. Montana isn’t just setting; it’s character.

Whether you want to hang a Montana cowboy print above a fireplace, in a lodge, or a room that tastes of the outdoors, there’s a piece here for you. A silhouette, a dusty trail, a cowboy’s hat brim catching last light—these aren’t just photographs. They’re windows into a life rooted in land, season, purpose.

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Small Town North Carolina Barbershop

Granville Barbershop, North Carolina

A Traditional American Barbershop Documented Through Photography

The Granville Barbershop in Grannville, North Carolina is the kind of place that has quietly served its community for decades. No branding overhaul. No attempt to modernize what already works. Just a steady rhythm of haircuts, conversation, and routine that has outlasted trends and redevelopment cycles.

These photographs were made as part of my long-term documentary project, Barbershops of America — an ongoing effort to photograph traditional barbershops across the United States before they disappear. Shops like this are not just businesses; they are cultural fixtures that anchor small towns and neighborhoods.

Why Traditional Barbershops Matter

Traditional barbershops play a unique role in American life. They are spaces built on trust and repetition — places where people return month after month, year after year, to see the same barber in the same chair.

In small towns especially, barbershops function as informal community centers. News is exchanged. Silence is respected. Generations overlap. These are the kinds of everyday environments that rarely feel important in the moment, yet become deeply significant once they’re gone.

Photographing these spaces is about preservation, not nostalgia — recording them honestly, as they exist, without staging or intervention.

The Story

These photographs were made during a drive home to upstate NY for Christmas. The owner was very skeptical of my intentions at first but agreed to let me photograph his shop. During my time there I had some fun interactions with customers, but he never said much. As far as history goes, the shop opened in the 1940’s, and prior to that it was an African American movie theater!! How’s that for Southern?

As with most old shops, the relationship between proprietor and those in his chair was easy, fluid, and quite candid. At one point an older gentleman sauntered in with his head down, dropped a gift on an empty chair, turned back toward the door and said “well, gotta go”. That was it. No interaction. Never even lifted his head up to make eye contact. The barber didn’t seem surprised, nor did he skip a beat on the haircut in progress.

Took about a half hour until I was pleased with the pictures made. Afterward I gave the barber a card and thanked him for the hospitality. He stopped cutting, grabbed a few coins off the back bar, placed them in my hand and in an almost too good to be true accent said “take these two qwwwaaaaaaaatehs back to that machine and get you a pop. I’ll bet you haven’t had a 50 cent pop in yeeeeaaaaaaahs.” Sure enough, there were ice cold sodas coming out of a vintage Coca Cola machine against the back wall. Can’t tell you the last time I even had the desire for a soda, but I wasn’t about to turn that one down.

Interactions like these are what keep Barbershops of America going. Talking to people that give you a very definitive sense of place is gratifying, educational, and fun. Hearing about the shops history in such a dialect not only tells you where you are in the world, but also where you aren’t. I love that.

Continue exploring documentary barbershop photography in the Barbershops of America series

Barbershop Photography Gallery

Barbershop Photo Book/Prints

Another Barbershop Photo Essay

Contact me directly about barbershop photography licensing for your editorial and commercial projects -rob@robhammerphotography.com

The interior of Granville Barbershop reveals layers of personal history, from worn barber chairs to walls filled with service flags and memorabilia.

A working barber trims a longtime client inside a traditional North Carolina barbershop, where routine and familiarity define the space.

The storefront of Granville Barbershop in Granville, North Carolina, a long-standing fixture of the town’s Main Street.

Inside the shop, haircuts continue as they have for decades—unhurried, familiar, and grounded in routine.

A handmade walking stick rests beside a customer, a small detail that hints at the personal histories carried into the shop.

Editorial Cowboy Photographer

Professional Western / Cowboy Photography Services — Magazine & Commercial Assignments

Capturing Western Stories with Depth

The largest cattle ranch in the Southwest was the backdrop for one of my feature assignments with Western Horseman Magazine. But what that experience taught me goes far beyond one location—it’s proof of what I can bring to any ranch, any story, anywhere.

When a magazine or brand hires me, they don’t just get photos. They get someone who knows how to work in remote country, navigate ranch protocols, gain trust, and produce visuals with authenticity, emotion, and technical quality.

On the Diamond A shoot, I captured wide scenes, close portraits, action frames—each image crafted for storytelling. I’ve licensed those images, seen them published, and held to deadlines and narrative needs. This is the kind of work I’m ready to do for your next piece: whether a feature story, coffee table spread, hospitality branding, or campaign that needs real Western grit.

Let’s talk about your project. I can help with:

• Editorial assignments (magazine features, online storytelling)

• Licensing imagery for publications or brand use

• Commissioned ranch photography for hospitality, books, or design

Scroll through the Diamond A images below and imagine what we could do together for your next Western story and get in touch if you’d like to collaborate - rob@robhammerphotography.com

You can also view a selection of fine art cowboy photography prints or more from cowboy series

Original article from the magazine:

A crew of 5 leaves the corrals at a trot, heading out to gather a pasture that only ends at the morning sun hovering above the horizon. It feels like watching a fleet of sailboats gracefully catch wind from harbor into the open ocean, getting smaller and smaller until they melt into the sea. There’s no telling when or if they’ll ever return. Such is life for cowboys on the Diamond A Ranch outside of Seligman, Arizona. At 725,000 acres it’s the largest in the southwest and aptly nicknamed The Big Boquillas. 

“Don’t hire him if his wife isn’t there for the interview” says Sarah Kieckhefer to her husband Rick - owners of the Diamond A. She knows it takes a special breed to work this kind of spread and deal with such solitude. If the wife shows up sight unseen on day 1 and realizes her camp is 3.5 hours from the nearest town with a grocery store, it doesn’t matter how handy the cowboy is, they won’t be staying long. The land itself is owned by the Navajos and was leased for 32 years by the legendary Harvey Dietrich, who hand picked Rick in 2018 as his successor. The Kiechkefers already owned their fair share of ranches, including the K4 outside Prescott, which has been in the family since his great grandfather started it in1941. So Rick didn’t jump at Harvey’s offer until he said “you know, they aren’t making any more land”. A hard fact to argue for anyone looking to grow, and it’s not everyday that a ranch of this size falls in your lap. So he accepted the full lease in 2021, increasing his acreage overnight by roughly the size of Rhode Island. 

The diverse charisma of the Diamond A is something to behold. From its large sections carpeted in Juniper and Cedar trees that will eat up cattle, horses, a cowboy, and his dogs, to the Cataract Plains, where you can see for 50 miles. Oh, and its northern border collides eloquently with one of planet earth’s greatest icons - The Grand Canyon! But make no mistake about it, The Diamond A is a real cowboy outfit. Everything they do is with cows and horses. There is no oil money like most in Texas. Rick and Sarah still live on the family ranch, so it’s no surprise that they continue the dying tradition of pulling a wagon for the Diamond A’s spring and fall works. Rick’s pedigree doesn’t stop at ranching, as he spent a handful of years rodeoing in the NFR (2001-2006), before shifting focus back to the K4 with mom+dad. Then spreading his wings further with the purchase of a few other leases and a feed yard near the Mexican border. Sarah spent all of her years earning stripes as a barrel racer and rancher as well. The perfect team. And while the Diamond A alone boasts 8,000 head of mother cows, he insists they are in the people business. Knowing amongst all else that it takes the right people, and treating people right. When they took over, culture at The Big Bo needed a major shift,  which was no small task, but as Rick says “Ranching is passion driven. If you don’t have passion then you’re in the wrong business, because it’s a tough son of a buck”. Under prior leadership, communication between crews was abysmal. Cowboys didn’t talk to the water guys, that didn’t talk to the mechanics, and around in a circle. Rick says “I want more of a family. The whole ranch is all of our ranch”. So they dove in deep to find the right personnel and currently employ 12 full time cowboys living at 7 different camps. Two of which (Heath Denell and Ben Pat Kimball) are the sons of cowboys that previously held tenure at the Diamond A.  Being so remote, the crew might not hear from the boss for days at a time, so they are expected to be self starters, but also given the freedom to make their own decisions. Tell a guy with a family he has to camp out on the ground for a month straight, and he’ll soon be looking for another job. As long as he gets it done, the cost of a little more fuel is worth the rub to keep people happy.  The Kiechefers aren’t afraid to hire women either if they come as a team. Josh Halko (cow boss) and Heather (Dufek) Halko came down from Montana in November of 2021 and have overseen 300,0000 acres worth of pasture ever since. “Sarah and Rick have been amazing. They treat us like family” says Heather. She also adds that their job is to cowboy, nothing else. “We are given guidelines and our country, and expected to work it the best way we know how. We’re never micromanaged.” The Halko’s recently gave birth to twins (Quirt and Roan). A joyous yet stressful time for any couple without any nearby help. Even worse for a cowgirl in the middle or nowhere that can’t saddle. So Heather was worried about losing her string of horses as well as her job. She assuredly kept both.

Water is the common denominator for all ranches, so the whole crew will always pray for rain. This outfit is set up a bit differently though, with 400 miles of underground pipeline and a handful of holding tanks peppered evenly across the land. Nevertheless,  genetics were changed by bringing down heifers from Montana and the Dakotas that would be more tolerant of Arizona’s weather conditions. The horse program also needed help, which Sarah was thrilled to execute. “I always tell people that I’m cow crazy and my wife is horse crazy,” says Rick. Without four wheelers or helicopters, you need a lot of great horses to cover a ranch of such grandeur. Rick again adds “We go pretty hard. It’s big country. It’s tough. The days are long. We don’t work cattle for 3 weeks out of the year. We work em’ 8 months out of the year.” Owning the historic bloodlines of Driftwood Ike, you can bet they have implemented a great plan for continuing to breed the appropriate horses. And have already attracted some big names to their own Legacy Ranch Horse Sale. 

Sarah will be the first to tell you that her husband’s greatest asset is progressive thinking. He always gives a considerable amount of his already overflowing days and nights to what will be best for the ranch 1, 5, 10, and 20 years from now. He knows that you need to diversify in order to survive, so he took cues from Dietrich about meat packers suppressing the industry and making record profits, while the producers remained handcuffed. Unfortunately Harvey passed on Christmas Eve of 2020, but the building blocks were already in place to “write their own story”, dedicating 20% of production to boxed beef. And after a few years of figuring out all the moving parts, their gourmet products can now be found in such restaurants as the 5 star - Orange Sky and Phoenician in Phoenix as well as the Royal Palms and Sanctuary in Scottsdale. They’ve even attracted famous chefs like Chris Bianco that want to collaborate because they believe in the story and the product. If that sounds glamorous, think again. Only the middle meats of each cow can be sold to a restaurant, so ranchers need an outlet for the remaining 75%, or they’ll soon be out of business. And, if you can’t  deliver a year round supply, your partners will find someone who can. The Kiechefers want to grow their boxed beef sales to about 30-40%, but the main goal is to be better every day in every aspect of their business through efficiency. And the best way to achieve that in their mind, is having people that want to be there. People that feel ownership and pride in the ranch. Ricks says “the most important thing is that it’s those guys this year, those guys next year, and it’s those guys the year after making the decisions”.

Western photography for magazines and brands

Editorial photography services for the cattle industry

Cowboy photographer for editorial and commercial assingments

Fly Fishing - Crested Butte, Colorado

Crested Butte, Colorado Fly Fishing Photography

San Juan Mountains

Crested Butte, Colorado is hands down one of my favorite places to go fly fishing in the country. It’s just one of my favorite places period. Combine the stunning views with their mountain town culture and access to all sorts of fly fishing, and the place is hard to beat. Summertime anywhere in the San Juan mountains will seduce you whether you’re aware of it or not. The images are from a recent backcountry fly fishing trip with friends to a small creek that shall go unnamed for obvious reasons. There is plenty of easy fishing access around around Crested Butte on the Taylor River, East River, and Gunnison River, so blowing up such a remote spot like this would cause me to lose sleep. Just looking at these photographs is FOMO inducing. Can’t wait to get back out there.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography.

Fly fishing in Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fisherman wading up a river in Crested Butte, Colorado

A fly fisherman climbing over a pile of trees and branches on the side of a river outside Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fishing a picturesque stream in the San Juan Mountains

Cans of Coors Banquet chilling in river water during a fly fishing trip in Colorado

Catching trout on a backcountry stream in Colorado

Backcountry fly fishing in Colorado

A fly fisherman netting a trout in a small stream surrounded by canyon walls in Colorado

Fly fisherman laughing after a fun day on the river in Crested Butte, Colorado

Fly fishing wading boots and wading socks drying on a tree

East Coast Photography

Small Town America - Photography

Road Trip - American Culture

Cross country road trips have been a constant in my life for the past 12+ years, particularly in late December driving from San Diego, CA to upstate NY to visit family for Christmas. This year though, it was significantly shorter as we are currently living in North Carolina. If you want advice on the most soul sucking drive in the USA, it’s I95 from Raleigh to Albany. Avoid it at all costs. I did it once in a straight shot due to a severe lack of time and will never do it again. As a photographer you’re much better off committing to the many backroads that will get you to the same place while also delivering a much better experience. Here are a few images from PA and NY. Pennsylvania has always been a fascinating state. There is a sadness to a lot of the towns, particularly in the rust belt, but they are all undeniably American. Plenty of towns in America could be anywhere in America, but the majority of Pennsylvania makes you acutely aware that you are in a place.

Click here to see more of my American Photography

Union Cemetery - Hudson Falls, NY

Pittston, Pennsylvania

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Edwardsville, Pennsylvania

Pittston, Pennsylvania

Pittston, Pennsylvania

Hudson Falls, New York

Historic Montana Cattle Ranch Photographs

The Historic OW Ranch | Cattle Country & Cowboy Life in Montana

The OW Ranch sits in the Hanging Woman Creek valley near Decker, Montana, and isn’t just another working cattle ranch. It’s a place with roots stretching back to the late 1800s, a landscape that helped define the cattle era of the American West, and historic buildings that still convey the rhythms of ranch life over a century later.

This collection of photographs is a visual study of ranch work, historic place, and the people who carry on traditions first shaped here more than 130 years ago.

A Ranch with Deep Historical Roots

The OW Ranch began its life in the late 19th century as the headquarters of the influential Kendrick Cattle Company. Cattleman John B. Kendrick purchased land along Hanging Woman Creek in southeastern Montana in 1889 after working his way north on cattle drives. Over time, he enlarged the ranch, making it one of the most productive cattle operations in the region.

Kendrick’s success here wasn’t just agricultural—it helped shape his life beyond the ranch. He later became Wyoming’s governor and then a U.S. senator, a journey that began with hard work on the open range and culminated in national influence.

The ranch headquarters became the family’s home and the heart of operations, with stone and wood buildings constructed in the early 1890s that still stand today.

Cowboy Life Then and Now

Montana ranching in the late 1800s emerged from the wider sweep of the open range cattle era, when long cattle drives, scattered grasslands, and cowboy labor defined the industry. Ranches like the OW weren’t just land holdings—they were working communities. Cowboys rode miles of range, repaired fences, tended cattle, and lived together in bunkhouses and corrals built for utility and resilience.

On my visits to the OW, that continuity of work and companionship was palpable. Cowboys still saddle up early in the morning, saddle horses in historic barns, and gather in spaces that look much like they did over a century ago. Beyond that though, the OW crew, led by Gabe Clark, had a very cohesive and friendly chemistry that doesn’t always exist on other ranches. It was obvious from watching them that they all truly enjoyed not just their work, but also working with each other.

Historic Buildings & Landscape in Alpine Light

The physical environment of the OW Ranch—its barns, bunkhouses, corrals, and fences—carries stories as deeply as the people who work them. Many of the ranch’s original stone structures were carefully preserved or restored, preserving their historic integrity while still serving functional purposes.

In photographing these buildings and the land around them, I wasn’t chasing staged scenes. I was documenting the living legacy of ranch architecture shaped by purpose rather than picturesque design—the shadow of a doorway at dusk, weathered wood grain, corrals softened by decades of dust and sun.

Part of Montana Cattle Ranch History

Montana’s ranching history began in the mid-19th century as settlers, miners, and cattlemen pushed westward, driving herds into open valleys and grazing lands. Early open range ranching was grueling; harsh winters, predators, and long drives were part of the land’s reality.

By the time John B. Kendrick established the OW Ranch, the industry was transitioning toward more managed ranch systems with fenced ranges, larger holdings, and a new blend of tradition and enterprise. The OW Ranch became a touchstone of that era, linking the open range past to a more sustainable working ranch future.

From Historic Legacy to Contemporary Ranching

In the decades since Kendrick’s family ultimately sold portions of the ranch, stewardship of the property has continued to blend tradition with thoughtful preservation. Owners and caretakers have worked to maintain the historic buildings while sustaining a working cattle operation on tens of thousands of acres of foothills, creek bottom meadows, and open range.

Part of what makes these scenes so compelling through a photographic lens is the sense that time and labor are written into every surface—the worn boards of a barn door, the corrals where cattle gather, the early morning mist over an empty pasture. Those visual elements resonate not just as rural beauty, but as historical continuity.

Licensing Images from the OW Ranch

Photographs from this series documenting the historic OW Ranch are available for editorial and commercial licensing. The work is well suited for magazines, publishers, Western and outdoor brands, museums, and organizations looking for authentic imagery of working cattle ranches and cowboy life in the American West. Licensing options range from single-image editorial use to broader commercial campaigns, with access to an extensive archive that captures ranch work, historic structures, and the lived landscape of Montana cattle country.

View More Cowboy Photography

This Montana cattle ranch series is part of a much larger, long-term body of work documenting working cowboys and ranch life throughout the American West. If you’d like to see more from this ongoing project, you can explore the full archive, available prints, and related stories below.

→ View the full Cowboy Photography Gallery
→ Browse available Fine Art Cowboy Prints
→ Read another ranch story: life and work at the Spanish Ranch in Nevada

OW Ranch - owned by Jim Guercio

Black and white photograph of two cowboys roping cattle on a ranch in Montana

Authentic cowboy photography

Fine art photograph of cowboys branding cattle in Montana

Portrait of two Montana cowboys in an old wood barn in Montana - Matt Clark and Gabe Clark

A cowboys horse grazing in an open landscape

Jar for ear tagging

Cowboys drinking Coors Banquet Beer in the cookhouse at the OW Ranch

Photograph of a cowboy branding cattle in Montana

Cowboys trying to wrestle down a calf

Fine art photograph of a cowgirl at work on a ranch in Montana

Photograph of two cowboy sitting in their truck on a cattle ranch in Montana

Black and white photograph of cowboys branding cattle in Montana

Cowgirl walking her house out of an old wood barn

Cowboys drinking beer on a ranch in Montana

Dog eating food from a cowboys plate

Cowboy culture photography

Wood horse corrals at the OW Ranch - Montana

Lake George Nature Photography

Lake George Landscape Wall Art

Adirondacks in the Fall - Prints

Feeling very grateful after spending the entire month of October in the Adirondacks, more specifically in Lake George, NY. And what a time it was to be there with the fall foliage in all it’s glory. After living in a place essentially without seasons (San Diego), it was refreshing to be around all that color. I did some shooting for a regional magazine which required a lot of hiking around the lake up Pilot Knob Trail, Black Mountain Trail, and Cat Mountain Trail. The main focus was to shoot hiking, but of course the surroundings were so inspiring that I had to make some landscape photographs along the way. Can you call these landscapes?? I suppose they are more abstract nature photographs.

Contact me directly about Lake George wall art. All of my images are available as prints in varying sizes for your home, office, or commercial space.

Fine art nature photograph in Lake George, NY - Adirondacks

Lake George Nature Photography - Adirondacks

Lake George Nature Photography Prints

Fall foliage in Lake George, NY - Nature Photography

Nature Photography - Lake George, NY - Adirondack Prints

Black and white nature photography - Lake George, NY

Photography Books - American Culture

American Photography - Documenting Traditional Barbershops

American photography as a genre is hard to define, especially when it comes to art collection and fine art photography. The term is so broad and leaves plenty of room for interpretation. One of my longest running series Barbershops of America fits into that category. Although it’s only been recently that I realized what’s been put together with this series is as much American photography as it is a historical document of a niche piece of American culture. And it occured to me the other day that getting a haircut is just a bonus to the experience you receive from being in a traditional barbershop. Grateful to see this project getting some exposure on Creative Boom and The Eye of Photography.

Click HERE to purchase a copy of Barbershops of American or HERE to purchase fine art prints.

Arizona Cattle Ranch

Cowboy Ranch Life in Arizona — A Working Ranch Photo Essay

Photographing a Working Cattle Ranch in Rural Arizona

Arizona ranching doesn’t look the way most people imagine it. There are no dramatic mountain backdrops or postcard moments waiting around every corner. Most days are quiet. Dry. Spread out. The work blends into the land in a way that feels almost invisible unless you slow down enough to notice it.

These photographs were made on a working cattle ranch in rural Arizona. No staging. No recreations. Just day-to-day ranch life as it happens — early mornings, long distances, and a rhythm that hasn’t changed much because it doesn’t need to.

Ranch work in Arizona is shaped by the environment more than anything else. The land dictates the pace. Heat, dust, and long distances through dense brush are part of every decision, and nothing happens quickly unless it has to. You feel that right away when you’re there.

What struck me most wasn’t any single moment, but how steady everything felt. Horses saddled without ceremony. Gates opened and closed out of habit. Work done without commentary. It’s not dramatic, but it’s real — and that’s what makes it worth photographing.

Ranching in Arizona Isn’t Romantic — It’s Practical

A lot of imagery of the American West leans hard into nostalgia. This place doesn’t ask for that. Ranching here is practical and stripped down. The landscape doesn’t allow for much excess.

The cattle are moved when they need to be moved. The horses are tools as much as companions. There’s very little separation between work and daily life, and no sense that anyone is trying to preserve an image for the sake of outsiders. It simply exists.

That honesty is what drew me to photograph here.

The K4 Ranch

The photographs in this series were made at K4 Ranch, a working cattle operation where ranching still follows the land rather than trends. Like many ranches across Arizona, it operates quietly, without much outside attention, doing the same work it has for generations.

Places like this don’t always make headlines, but they form the backbone of ranching culture in the Southwest. They’re also disappearing faster than most people realize.

Why Photograph Places Like This

I’ve spent years photographing working cowboys and ranches across the American West, and the more time I spend in places like this, the more important it feels to slow down and document them honestly.

Not to turn them into symbols — but to show what’s actually there.

These photographs aren’t meant to romanticize ranch life or explain it. They’re simply a record of people working, land being used, and traditions continuing without much concern for being noticed.

Arizona Cowboy Photography Prints

Photographs from this Arizona ranching series are available as museum-quality fine art prints. Each print is produced in small editions and made to live with — not just be scrolled past.

View available cowboy photography prints

This story is also part of a larger, ongoing project documenting real working cowboys and ranch life across the American West.

View the complete cowboy photography gallery

A cowboy’s revolver

Brady and Marianne Clark - Cowboys

Horse corrals on the K4 Ranch in Prescott Arizona

Brady Clark - Cowboy

Photograph of used horseshoes sitting in a bucket on a cattle ranch in Arizona

Cowboy riding through thick brush

Ropes from King’s Saddlery hang on a cow skull on the K4 Ranch in Prescott, Arizona

Working Arizona cowgirl - Marianne Clark

Photograph of a roping dummy on a cattle ranch in the American West

Rick and Sarah Kieckhefer - Arizona cattle ranchers

A cowboy’s shoeing station for his horse on a cattle ranch in Arizona

Arizona cowboys getting on their horses before a day of work

Cowgirl feeding horses

Horses running free on an Arizona cattle ranch

World Champion Cowgirl

Saddling a horse on the K4 Ranch in Prescott, AZ

Arizona cowgirl riding her horse through rough forest

3 legged cattle dog

Duck Decoy Carver Photographs

Zach Benson: Duck Decoy Carver

The world of waterfowl hunting gets smaller the closer you look at the people who shape its culture. Among duck decoy carvers, the group of artists working at the highest level is even smaller.

Zach Benson belongs in that company.

Based in upstate New York, Benson is known throughout the waterfowl community for carving one-of-a-kind decoys that blur the line between hunting tools and fine art. Each bird begins with cedar trees harvested from his own property. The wood is milled and stacked in his barn where it dries for nearly a year before the carving begins. From there every detail—from the posture of the bird to the layers of oil paint—is done by hand.

The result is a decoy that feels alive.

The Art of Hand Carved Duck Decoys

Many duck decoy carvers begin the same way Benson did: by necessity. While still in college he wanted a spread of decoys to hunt over, but couldn’t afford one. So he started carving his own.

What began as a practical solution slowly turned into a craft.

Over time his work developed a distinct style. Benson’s birds rarely sit in the stiff, symmetrical poses common in competitive carving. Instead they feel animated—often caught mid-movement, heads turned, bodies leaning forward as if reacting to something happening on the water.

They have attitude.

It’s a style that collectors immediately recognize.

Why Zach Benson’s Decoys Stand Out

Early on Benson competed in major carving shows like the Clayton Decoy Show and the Oregon Waterfowl Festival. These competitions are famous in the decoy world, but they also come with strict judging rules.

For Benson, those rules quickly became limiting.

Instead of chasing ribbons, he decided to focus on carving birds the way he saw them in real life—ducks with personality, movement, and a little bit of edge. Today he still attends the Clayton show each year, but not to compete. Like many respected carvers, he simply brings new work and shows it informally to collectors moving from room to room.

It’s a very different kind of marketplace.

If you want one of his birds, you usually have to be paying attention.

Duck Hunting, Art, and Waterfowl Culture

Decoy carving has always lived at the intersection of hunting and folk art. The best decoys are functional, but they also carry the personality of the person who carved them.

Benson’s work fits squarely in that tradition.

His birds are hunted over, collected, and displayed by people who appreciate the deeper culture of waterfowl hunting. The same culture that wakes hunters before daylight, pushes canoes through marsh grass, and keeps traditions alive across generations.

Photographing Zach in his shop felt like documenting that entire world in miniature—the smell of cedar shavings, the quiet focus of carving, and the transformation of a block of wood into something that looks ready to swim.

Related Work

If you’re interested in waterfowl culture and duck hunting photography, you may also want to see:

• My full duck hunting photography collection

• The short film “Carved in the Chapel” we produced with Benelli about Zach Benson and his life in the waterfowl world.

Famous duck decoy carver Zach Benson

Zach Benson at work in his shop painting duck decoys

Benson with his dog Bo, waterfowl hunting in a marsh in Upstate, NY

One of a kind duck decoys

Hand carved and painted duck decoys

Boots O'Neal

Boots O’Neal - Cowboy - 6666 Ranch - Texas

Being a photographer has been a great pleasure and an even greater adventure. It’s taken me to some outstanding parts of the earth and allowed me to photograph some of the most famous athletes on it. “Who is your favorite?”, has always been a common question. Until recently that was an impossible question to answer. Now my final is abundantly clear - it’s the legendary Texas cowboy Boots O’Neal. Boots is a 90 year old cowboy on the iconic 6666 Ranch. A more inspiring human you will not meet. To learn more about him continue reading this piece I wrote that was originally published with Wrangler.

View More Cowboy Photography From The American West

Tom Moorhouse - Texas Cowboy

Fine Art Cowboy Prints

Branding Season at the 6666 Ranch

The photographs above are just one piece of a much larger story. Branding season at the 6666 Ranch is a coordinated effort and well oiled machine run by first class cowboys.

→ See the complete 6666 Ranch branding photo series

Boots O’Neal on his horse working cattle in the corrals at the 6666 Ranch

Boots O’Neal and the Tradition of Ranching in West Texas

Imagine for a moment, waking up in the hospital with 12 broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken vertebrae, and a bleeding brain. Now imagine that pain at 82 years of age. Cal Ripken Jr. was Major League Baseball's “Ironman”. Earning the nickname after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Put those end to end and you’ve got over 7 years of straight baseball. An astonishing stat and impressive feat only possible for a human made from the toughest stock. No offense to Mr. Ripken, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the Texas legend - Boots O’Neal, who's been horseback for the better part of the last 75 years. Despite the aforementioned injuries, piled on a lifetime of other broken body parts, the now 90 year old cowboy shows no desire whatsoever to retire. You’d think someone that’s lived in such a way would have a face much resembling their saddle that’s endured as many miles. Instead, O’Neal’s is endearing, and fixed with a perpetual smile that causes you to do the same. The kind of guy that inadvertently makes you a better person just by being in his presence. 

While we’re on the stat train, let’s dole out a few more just to drive the point home, what an outlier he truly is. The average retirement age in America is 62. The average age of death is 78. And a cowboy will normally take home about $31,466 a year. At a time in life when most folks are either dead or in a nursing home, Boots wakes up every morning with excitement to saddle a horse and work cattle alongside fellow cowpunchers that could be his grandkids. People just aren’t built like him anymore. Not a partier, but it would be safe to put O’Neal in the Keith Richards class. Immortal freaks, in the most beautiful way possible. 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Cowboys in general are a strand of human unlike the rest of us. Born not made. And from birth, it was obvious O’Neal created a category all his own. Growing up in the 30’s he was one of 8 children living in a home without running water. The bathroom was an outhouse, and the bath, a tub filled with water and placed next to the kitchen oven, door open for heat. After 3 or 4 of the kids took their turn, that water was tossed outside to calm down the dust. He was never much for school. The only thing he excelled at was boxing, but usually just looked forward to running off the bus and into the barn to saddle a horse, only coming in when his mother hung a white sheet on the clothesline - their version of a dinner bell. 9th grade was as far as he cared to go, leaving home in August of 49’ at sixteen to cowboy for the JA ($90/week). That job found him on the wagon, sleeping in only a bedroll 6-7 months at a time. A lifestyle that fit him just fine. 

Before we go any further, it would be appropriate to define what makes a real cowboy. The loud mouth sporting a big black hat getting in drunken bar fights makes for good movies, but that’s about it. According to the man himself, a real cowboy is polite. Smooth. Talks gentlemanly to ladies and is good under fire. Dusty Burson (32) - foreman on the Four Sixes and close friend to Mr. O’Neal said it best - “What’s a cowboy? Well, they’re good people. Honest. They do what they say they’re gonna do. If they tell you they’ll be there to help, they’ll be there, and they’ll stay to the end.” If that statement made its way into Websters, the following words should read “also see Boots O’Neal”. 

Boots O’Neal branding calves in the early morning on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal’s custom spurs

After the JA, he continued punching cows in different places including a quarter century stay at the Waggoner Ranch. All the while racking up a collection of buckles and saddles from bronc riding in rodeos all over the country. Word is he’s still pretty sticky. A wife (Nelda) also came into the mix as did a daughter (Laurie). Despite being opposites, Boots and Nelda remained in love for 44 years until her passing. She was a proper lady that enjoyed being in town but fully supported his innate need for open country. As their relationship grew, his career did along with it. The 50’s’ found him in Korea with the Army, where he stared out at vast foreign valleys, daydreaming about them filled with 1000 steer, and wondering why in the world they didn’t have any. After two years he was back on a ranch working hard to become a Peace Office and Brand Inspector at a time when cattle were still shipped by railroad. Along with the coveted title came a doubled salary, new clothes, fancy truck, and expense account. A novelty quickly erased by jealousy every time business on a ranch forced him to watch cowboys ride away on horses while he sat in a truck headed back to the office. “I just wanted to punch cows” he said. So he gave back a job that most in the industry would kill for and reclaimed his true love, working cattle from the back of a horse. 

Love is what it takes because the life of a cowboy asks a lot of a person, physically and emotionally. “ Even when I know tomorrow is gonna be a bad deal, and they’re predicting snow, and the wind coming out of the north blowing, and we’re gonna ride straight into it in the morning, I just look forward to getting out there and freezing my tail off” says O’Neal. How many 90 year olds have you ever heard say something like that? Burson again offers some insight - “he wakes up thinking I’m going to be happy today. He doesn’t let circumstances dictate happiness.” Dusty was the one who found the 82 year old O’Neal alone in a pasture, after the horse wreck that would have ended any mortal man. Even if it didn’t put him in the ground, the pain alone would cause a rational person to take a brush with death as a sign and say, ok, it’s been a good run. Burson visited him in the hospital shortly after and recalled the nurse asking why he kept lifting his left leg up in the air. Obviously, it was to keep the mobility of toeing a stirrup. “That’s how bad he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up” says Burson. 6 weeks later, he was back on that same horse and continues riding him today.  

Boots O’Neal talks with chuck wagon cook Charlie Ferguson on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Seems like it came naturally for Boots, but don’t get it twisted, any good cowboy is a student of the trade. Always figuring out a way to get it done better without asking for recognition. All of the best cowboys Boots ever knew and patterned himself after, accomplished unthinkable feats even Taylor Shariden couldn’t script, in the middle of nowhere with only a few people to witness. Another friend and Texas icon Tom Moorehouse (72) is quick to point out “I’ve known Boots almost all my life, and anything I’ve got to say about him is good”. From the outside you might think that cowboying is a physical game. Only for the young. Not so. Sure, you need the gumption to handle extreme physical abuse and relentless weather that doesn’t end after an eight hour shift. But Moorehouse says the thing that separates Boots from the rest is that he’s a “keen observer”. He continues “my dad used to say a real cowboy is somebody that pays attention. Now that doesn’t sound like a good story, but that’s the truth.” There is so much that can go wrong when you’re working with 2,000+lb animals and navigating remote unforgiving terrain. One mistake could mean the end. 

We’ve already established that Boots is an enigma, but for arguments sake, let’s say he got lucky? Somehow the body that’s been broken more times than anyone can count, managed to miss the big one. Even with luck, longevity like his doesn’t just happen. And living on a wagon, eating ranch food, wouldn’t make any blueprint for “healthy living”. Cowboys require hearty meals to get them through their overly demanding lives. So It should be no surprise that beef has made its way to Boots’ plate just about every day for the past 90 years. Along with the beef came biscuits, gravy, and potatoes. Breakfast was peanut butter and syrup sandwiches. All of which goes against everything you’ll read from the so-called nutrition experts. Although pinto beans, prunes, and raisins are foods he now tries to consume regularly along with said beef. The fresh fruit and vegetables he also concentrates on just wasn’t a thing back then.”It wasn’t until I got up in years that I ever worried about putting something bad in my body.”  A chuckle was the only answer given when asked about exercise, but “I’ve never been short on sleep” says O’Neal. Which he believes has been the holy grail to his success. For as long as he can remember, even as a young buck, he’d turn in early, ensuring 8-9 hours of shuteye every night. These days he says “it takes me longer to rest than it does to get tired”, but it becomes obvious shortly after meeting him, that modesty is one of his many virtues. He’ll try and claim that he can’t do this, that, or the other. Then he slips into the saddle and the truth is revealed. “It takes a whole crew to keep me going”, he says. Again, modesty perfected. Perhaps his days aren’t spent aboard wild broncs, but he always gets the job done with grace, and his expertise couldn’t be matched anywhere in the world. Ironic for a guy who’s never considered himself very smart. What Boots has can’t be taught. He’s got a PHD in punching cows. Anybody will tell you he’s on the Mount Rushmore of the cowboy universe, but who the hell else could be up there with him? Is there another human that’s punched cows for almost 8 decades?  “It’s amazing what all he’s got stored up inside him that someone oughta have recorded” Dusty says. A lot of people with such knowledge and history can become high and mighty. Not Boots. He’ll let you mess up, then suggest, in a non degrading way, how to do it better. He knows we’re all in this thing together.

Boots O’Neal offloading his horse from a trailer on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal roping calves on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

If you think about the human condition and what we’re all after, one of the key ingredients is professional happiness. Everyone wants to spend their waking hours doing something they love. Why is that goal so elusive, so rare? A million dollar question. Even harder than finding that happiness, is keeping it. Somehow Boots O’Neal has managed to do it at one of the most physically demanding jobs on the planet and continues today at a very high level. Maybe the how doesn’t really matter. Maybe we should just use Boots as inspiration to be better humans. The iconic Four Sixes has been his home for the past 26 years. Panhandle, Texas is the closest town to their northern division where we met. The town sign fittingly reads “People of Pride and Purpose”. Just like the dictionary, there might as well be a picture of Boots next to that slogan. He figured IT out and still can’t get enough. He doesn’t need to work in a monetary sense. He wants to work, although it’d be a stretch to hear him use a four letter word like that. Even on a rare day off, he doesn’t look forward to a hobby or a vacation. Instead he’ll watch a rodeo on television or sit in a chair outside his bunkhouse apartment to watch the remuda come in. A sight he says, of 50 horses all running together, is one that most people will never get to see. Bob Dylan wrote a song on this very topic using only 17 words:  

“All the tired horses in the sun…..”

The guy has done it all, taken the beatings, and asked for more. He’s been inducted into every Hall of Fame a cowpuncher could possibly be associated with. Somehow that doesn’t seem enough of an honor though. Boots should be everyone's hero. He’s a national treasure and outstanding human being.  We should all strive to accomplish in our own lives what he has in his. Burson says “Yeah, he’s a cowboy, but he wants to be one tomorrow too”. If more people had that attitude, the world would be a better place. 

We were just about done talking when Boots’ story paused abruptly . A mischievous smile came to his face and the words stopped flowing. His attention fixed on one of the guys in a nearby corral working a young horse that was fixing to blow up. The grin stayed as he reminisced “I rode a lot of bucking horses in years past. I could get on a horse like that, just gather that thing up, and he’d be 3 feet in the air when I got that right stirrup”. Boots is a Christian. If he weren’t, and followed a religion believing in reincarnation, he says that’s what he’d want to come back as, a bucking horse. At 90 years young he knows precisely how good his life has been and isn’t scared of the inevitable. In a very matter of fact way he spoke about his funeral, being buried in the cemetery on the Four Sixes, and the speech by his friend Joe Leathers. When asked what he hopes Joe will say, Boots paused then replied humbly with a far off stare ”He was an honorable man. Done what he said he would. And didn’t mistreat his horses” 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Boots O’Neal on his horse at sunrise on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

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American Road Trip Photography

The Great American Road Trip - Photography

When are you supposed to say enough is enough and move on to another subject? Roadside Meditations was published a few months back, which would (should?) be the logical line in the sand stating ok, you did the thing, now try something else! And a person smarter than myself would probably do that! History thus far does not comply. My long term personal project are just that, personal. So I might partially focus on a new subject, but I’m always on the look-out for images that fit the older projects too. It’s not intentional. It just is. I love these projects and can’t help myself.

Click HERE to purchase a copy of Roadside Meditations or contact me directly to inquire about prints of my American road trip photography.

Wyola, Montana

California desert

Wyoming

California desert

Parker, Wyoming

California desert

California desert

California desert

Vietnamese Basketball Photographs

Vietnam Basketball Hoops

Street Courts, Local Culture, and Basketball Photography from Vietnam

Basketball is often thought of as an American export — born in a Massachusetts gymnasium in 1891 and carried outward through schools, cities, and eventually professional leagues around the world. While traveling through Vietnam, I was struck by how naturally the game has taken root there, not as a spectacle, but as part of everyday life.

Across cities, towns, and quieter neighborhoods, basketball hoops appear in unexpected places: schoolyards, narrow streets, open courtyards, and community spaces where the game feels woven into the rhythm of daily life. This series documents basketball hoops in Vietnam as quiet markers of a global sport adapting to a local landscape.

Basketball Culture in Vietnam

Basketball in Vietnam doesn’t announce itself loudly. It exists alongside scooters, street vendors, and the constant motion of city life. In larger cities like Ha Noi, formal courts sit beside improvised spaces where a single hoop is enough to gather players at dusk. The game is played casually — pickup runs, after-school games, and neighborhood meetups — less about structure and more about presence.

What stood out most was how accessible basketball felt. You didn’t need a gym or a polished court. A hoop mounted to a wall or standing alone on cracked pavement was enough. These small courts and informal hoops reflect how basketball culture adapts when it travels — shaped by space, environment, and community rather than uniform design.

Vietnam Basketball Hoops as Photographic Subjects

As a photographer, basketball hoops have long fascinated me as cultural objects. In Vietnam, they become especially compelling. The hoops themselves often show signs of wear — rusted rims, faded backboards, uneven surfaces — but they feel purposeful, still actively used and cared for.

Photographing these hoops wasn’t about action or athletic performance. Instead, it was about the spaces around them: the architecture, the light, the way people move through the frame even when they aren’t playing. These images sit somewhere between travel photography, documentary work, and fine art basketball photography.

Each hoop tells a quiet story about place. They suggest where kids gather after school, where communities overlap, and how a global sport finds a local expression far from its origins.

Street Basketball Courts in Ha Noi and Beyond

Many of the basketball hoops in this series were photographed in and around Ha Noi, where dense urban neighborhoods create intimate court environments. Others were found while traveling through smaller towns and less-touristed areas, where hoops feel more isolated — standing alone in open spaces, waiting for players to return.

These locations reveal a side of Vietnam that isn’t always highlighted in travel photography. Basketball courts become landmarks, offering insight into daily routines rather than postcard views. They act as subtle entry points into understanding local culture through sport.

A Global Game, Seen Through Travel Photography

Basketball’s global reach is often discussed in terms of professional leagues and international competition. What interests me more are these quieter expressions — the places where the game exists without spectacle.

This project fits within my larger body of work documenting basketball hoops across different regions, from small towns in the United States to international locations like Vietnam. In each place, the hoop remains recognizable, but the environment reshapes its meaning.

Vietnam basketball hoops feel rooted, practical, and alive. They are not nostalgic relics, but active participants in daily life.

Prints and Licensing

These photographs are part of an ongoing documentary and fine art series exploring basketball culture through place.
Fine art prints of select images from this Vietnam basketball hoops series are available for collectors, and the work is also available for editorial and commercial licensing.

If you’re interested in prints, licensing, or learning more about this project, feel free to get in touch.

More Basketball Stories From Around The World

European Basketball - Basketball hoops photographed across European cities and small towns, showing how the game lives far beyond its American roots.

American Basketball - A long-term photography project documenting old and handmade basketball hoops found throughout the United States.

Hoop Prints - Select basketball hoop photographs available as fine art prints for collectors and interior spaces.

Vietnamese basketball hoop

Basketball hoop in Ha Noi, Vietnam

Hoi An, Vietnam basketball hoop

Basketball court in Vietnam

Colorful basketball court at a school in Vietnam

Black and white photograph of a Vietnamese basketball hoop

Photograph of an old basketball hoop at a school in a small Vietnamese town

Los Angeles River Fly Fishing

Los Angeles River Fly Fishing

Urban Fly Fishing for Carp - Photography

It’s hard for a lot of people who have never been in LA to believe that there is a river running through the city. Even harder to believe that said river actually holds fish and people are willing to stand in the water to try and catch them! Here is proof! This particular day was with my buddy Tyler Vanosdell of Mission Bay Fly Fishing and Lino Jubilado - aka the Mayor of Los Angeles River fly fishing. We had a great time, but it was one of those days on the water where you do everything right but it still doesn’t add up to anything. Perhaps that’s what keeps people coming back? Go pick up a copy of The Drake Magazine to read the article.

Click here to see more of my fly fishing photography

Los Angeles River Fly Fishing

Montana Road Trip

Talking highly about Montana is better left to the most lyrical of wordsmiths because I certainly can’t do that place any justice. Maybe that should be a personal goal? I’m fresh off the road after spending over a week in that glorious state and can’t wait to go back. This trip was particularly visual due to to the heavy winter snowfall that made everything greener than green. I’ve never been to Ireland, but the particular hue off grass felt more like something you could only see there. Check back soon to see images from the two cattle ranches I photographed, but don’t expect any images of trout. Those are only in my head.

Hanoi, Vietnam Photography

Hanoi Street Photography: Markets, Motorbikes, and Everyday Life in Vietnam

Hanoi moves fast. Not in the way of modern cities, but in layers—motorbikes weaving through intersections, street vendors setting up before sunrise, and entire neighborhoods unfolding on the sidewalk.

These photographs were made while walking through markets, alleyways, and main roads across the city, documenting everyday life as it happens—unposed and uninterrupted.

For brands, publications, and collectors looking for authentic Vietnam street photography, this work focuses on real moments rather than staged scenes.

Street Markets and Daily Life in Hanoi

Much of Hanoi’s life happens at street level. That’s where you want to me. Markets spill into the road, vendors work from low stools, and entire meals are prepared on the sidewalk.

Photographing here means working quickly and staying observant—moments appear and disappear in seconds. The goal isn’t to direct anything, but to let the scene unfold naturally. You have to become part of the city while also blending in.

Motorbikes, Motion, and the Rhythm of the City

Traffic in Hanoi is constant, but rarely predictable. Motorbikes move like a current, flowing around pedestrians and through intersections without stopping.

Capturing this requires anticipation—watching patterns, waiting for alignment, and shooting at the exact moment when chaos briefly becomes composition.

Everyday Moments on the Street

The best part about Hanoi is how normal the chaos feels. There’s so much going on everywhere, all the time, but somehow it just works. To see a city like that, in constant motion, is a treat. Sometimes you want to be in the mix, and other times it’s fun to just sit back and watch from afar, to really take in those candid everyday moments of real people going about their lives.

The people in Vietnam work hard. Really hard. Yet they always seem to have a smile on their face - a lesson we Americans should really consider.

Vietnam Street Photography for Licensing and Editorial Use

This body of work is available for licensing and editorial use, particularly for:

– Travel brands and tourism campaigns
– Editorial features on Southeast Asia
– Commercial projects needing authentic urban lifestyle imagery

If you’re looking for Vietnam street photography that reflects real, lived experience rather than staged travel imagery, you can get in touch here:
👉 Contact Rob

Street Photography Beyond Hanoi

While Hanoi offers an intensity that’s hard to match, similar moments unfold across other parts of the world in very different ways.

In central Vietnam, the pace shifts slightly—markets become more compact, colors more saturated, and the rhythm of daily life takes on a different feel. You can see that in this series of Hoi An images focused on vendor culture and street-level interactions: Hoi An market street photography.

In a completely different context, the game of basketball shows up in unexpected places throughout Vietnam. This project documenting Vietnam basketball hoops explores how the sport exists far beyond the United States, embedded into everyday neighborhoods and streets.

And in cities like Paris, street photography takes on yet another form—less chaotic, more observational—where small gestures and fleeting expressions define the frame. That contrast is explored further in this collection of Paris street photography.

Hanoi, Vietnam street photography

A woman rides her bike through the streets of Hanoi with a platform of bananas for sale

The streets of Hanoi, Vietnam

Caged chickens at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam

A woman preparing dead chickens to cook at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam

Fish for sale on the street in Vietnam

Shellfish for sale on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam

The Railway Cafe - Hanoi

Stock photograph of a woman selling watermelons on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam

A mom and three daughters riding a scooter through the busy streets of Hanoi, Vietnam

Shoe repairman on the street in Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam street scene photograph

Stock travel photography of Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam Street Photography available for editorial and commercial licensing

Textile vendor - Hanoi, Vietnam

Train Street in Hanoi, Vietnam

A Vietnamese woman carrying food on her bicycle to sell on the streets of Hanoi

Cowboy Photography - American West

Western Cowboy Photography

Photographing cowboys in the American West has been so many adjectives. Just scrolling through images to make this blog post gives me even more appreciation for the work, life, and culture of these people. As of this writing I’ve been lucky to photograph on cattle ranches in Nevada, California, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. Which has been an education in and of itself, seeing all the differences from region to region. Not sure how long thing has been going on no, but the desire to continue only grows with each ranch visited. Certainly my favorite project to date.

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography and contact me directly to purchase wall art from the American Cowboy series. All of my images are available as prints for your home, office, or commercial space.

Fulstone Ranch - Bridgeport, California

Dave Ennis - Wyoming Cowboy

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Cowboy “Office” - Idaho

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo - Idaho

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo -Idaho

Basketball In Winter

Winter Basketball Hoops in America

Winter changes everything.

Courts disappear under snow. Lines fade. Backboards freeze over. In most places, the game moves indoors.

But not everywhere.

Across small towns, backyards, and open spaces, basketball hoops remain standing through the winter—unused at times, but never gone. The photographs in this post are part of my ongoing American Backcourts series, documenting the places where the game continues to exist, even in the coldest months of the year.

A winter storm covers a basketball hoop in front of a mountain cabin

Basketball in the Off-Season

Winter reveals something different about these courts.

Without players, without movement, the focus shifts to the environment. Snow collects around the base of the hoop. Ice forms on the backboard. The court becomes quiet, almost suspended.

But the structure remains.

A basketball rim buried in a massive pile of snow in the Eastern Serra

When the Court Disappears

In many of these places, the court itself is no longer visible.

A driveway becomes a sheet of ice.
A dirt court turns to frozen ground.
A painted surface is buried under snow.

The only thing left is the hoop—marking where the game returns when the season changes.

A basketball hoops sits quietly above a pile of snow as a snowboarder shovels out his car

Why Winter Changes the Photograph

Photographing these hoops in winter isn’t just about weather—it’s about absence.

Without people, the images become more about space, stillness, and time. The hoop is no longer part of an active game. It becomes a marker of one.

A worn hoop standing in front of a red brick building, the court quiet and frozen until the season changes.

Part of the American Backcourts Project

These winter photographs are part of American Backcourts, a long-term series documenting basketball hoops across the United States that has been exhibited in fine art galleries/museums and published in iconic magazines like SLAM as well as fine art books about basketball culture.

→ View the full American Backcourts basketball photography gallery
→ Explore available basketball photography prints

View more basketball stories from small town America

A snow-covered court at sunset in a small town, where the hoop remains even as winter takes over the landscape.

Road Trip Photos - USA

Photography and the Great American Road Trip

Road Trip Photo Book

It’s a good thing most people only think of Las Vegas when Nevada gets brought up. Otherwise it gets thrown into the “fly over state” category. Staying that way would be just fine. The hoards can go elsewhere and leave the untamed beauty to the rest of us that truly appreciate it. Of the states many redeeming qualities, under populated ranks very high on the list. I’d argue it has everything, but that’s an obvious bias. The biggest draw is almost endless open roads, which is why it fits so nicely for my Roadside Meditations series. One of those places that really allows your mind to wander. Beyond that, it’s got sage brush, deserts, mountains, snowboarding, fly fishing, and cattle ranches. What more does a guy need? All joking aside, Nevada is a really special place. Another one that took me a while to understand or appreciate, but now the hooks are firmly planted. Desert mornings and evenings offer a vibe you can’t find elsewhere. It’s something about the light mixed with the color palette and textures of the landscape. I’ve spent many a night sleeping in my truck in Nevada, waking up to sunrises that rival any in the country.

Click here to pick up a copy of Roadside Meditations

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

Goodsprings, Nevada - Road Trip Photography

Goodsprings, Nevada - American Road Trip

Jean, Nevada - Road Trip Photography

Hawthorne, Nevada - American Road Trip Photography

Sandy Valley, Nevada - Travel Photography - America

Sandy Valley, Nevada - Road Trip Photo Book

Walker Lake, Nevada - American Photography

American Road Trip Photography

Carson Valley, Nevada - American Photography

Driving Through America

American Road Trip Photography

More from the road this winter. You never know what you’ll find out there, which is most of the draw. If you knew, what fun would it be? That’d be like fly fishing if you were guaranteed a catch every single time out. It’s about the hunt. The coyote image is a great example how the road always keeps you guessing. I only found them because of a pee break on the side of some desert parking lot in the middle of the Nevada desert. Parking lot is the only word available, because it didn’t seem a need for one. There was nothing around for miles and miles. Nevada desert. Which begs the question, why were the coyotes there? Clearly they were killed by hunters and placed carefully in that spot. It took effort to drag them from the kill location. Why not just leave them there? We’ll never know. Nor does it matter. Just the kind of thing you see on the road.

Click here to see more of my America series

Dave’s Pubb - Tetonia, Idaho

Lovelock Speedway - Lovelock, Nevada

Nevada desert

Mojave, California

Hawthorne, Nevada