Snowcat

Snowcat

Heilongjiang, China – 2024

“This portrait, taken in the heart of the Siberian winter, is elevated by the weather conditions at the time. On a clear sunny day, it would have been a decent image, but it is the falling snow and the flat light that deliver the needed mood and the sense of place.

I have been deliberating about photographing a Siberian tiger in the habitat that defines it for several years, but North China – where I took this image – had, until recently, been out of bounds for foreigners since Covid. Even now, it is not the most welcoming of places. It’s a long way from home, English tongues are rare and, in the winter, it can offer indecently low temperatures.

I recognised that I would need to allocate a good amount of time in the north to wait for the snowfall. Siberian winters are extremely cold, but it does not snow that often. There are many hours spent killing time in a hotel room but the accommodation is much more comfortable than it used to be. It is such a long way from home and there is little merit planning for a three-day visit anyway. It’s an odd job sometimes: I probably invested about 120 hours, including travel time, for two six second windows of opportunity.

On this trip I worked closely with the Chinese authorities and, in retrospect, this brief encounter was only possible because of the help of two or three extremely influential Chinese people. I am reminded that access is a key word in photography and this is normally achieved by investing in people. My charm offensive with my Chinese contacts was several months long. My team knows who they are and their stature within China, but no one else needs to know.

The question that I will be asked about this picture will simply be “how on earth did you get it?”. My answer would be two-fold. I was in a bespoke vehicle with a lower window opening, smaller than a tiger’s head, but larger than a camera lens. The second part of the answer is more important: it was by showing China and the Chinese some respect. Without that there was no chance. I know some people will criticise me for working with a country with a questionable record in conservation, but life is too short and I am an artist first and foremost.” – David Yarrow

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
  • Image Size: 56" x 83” in (142.24 cm x 210.82 cm)
  • Framed Image: 71" x 98” in (180.34 cm x 248.92 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
  • Image Size: 37” x 55” in (93.98 cm x 139.7 cm)
  • Framed Image: 52” x 70” (132.08 cm x 177.8 cm)

We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


    Pappy + Harriet's

    Pappy + Harriet's

    Pioneertown, California – 2024

    “There are few bars in the world that truly justify being labelled as cultural institutions: especially if they are marooned in a dusty, windy desert. But Pappy + Harriet’s, which has been hosting world class musicians in quirky Pioneertown on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park in California, can legitimately be tagged in that manner. Pioneertown is essentially a fake 1880s frontier town, but it is about as real as fake towns go.

    Founded in 1982, Pappy + Harriet’s has hosted many celebrated music acts taking time out from nearby music festivals such as Coachella and Stagecoach. Some are coming to simply chill and catch the vibe, but that vibe can then be so seductive that they end up performing impromptu on stage: McCartney, Sting, Robert Plant and Patti Smith have played here, along with rock bands such as the Arctic Monkeys and the Dead Kennedys.

    The crowd is a magical cocktail of cowboys, bikers, old-timers, creative artists and musicians and it is this assembly that has elevated a dusty old roadhouse into a joint whose status is secure. There is nowhere quite like it and it is a known destination.

    On the day I was shooting in Pioneertown, I happened to be speaking to an old friend who is the President of Live Nation’s European division and when he found out where I was, his voice was excited as if I was on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Much of the credit for the continued allure of this famed honky tonk must, of course, go to the founders – Harriet and her husband Claude “Pappy” Allen. He passed in 1994, but his keen artistic eye still stamps its authority on the interior details of the bar. That was important to convey in this image. After Pappy’s passing, the ownership changed hands a few times and now operates under the loving care of “J.B.” Moresco and Lisa Elin. I want to thank them for their kindness on the day of this crazy shoot. The joint is in good hands for another generation of lovers of life”. – David Yarrow

    AVAILABLE SIZES:

    LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
    • Image Size: 56" x 99” in (142.2 cm x 251.5 cm)
    • Framed Image: 99" x 114” in (251.5 cm x 289.6 cm)
    STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
    • Image Size: 37” x 65” in (93.98 cm x 165.1 cm)
    • Framed Image: 52” x 80” (132.1 cm x 203.2 cm)

    We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


      Frozen Mountain

      Frozen Mountain

      Spanish Creek, Montana – 2024

      “This photograph, taken in the Spanish Creek region, near Bozeman, Montana, is made by the 18-inch snowstorm that had died out only 12 hours previously. It was late February and locals said that this was the biggest storm of the winter: so we were fortunate to be on site and fully prepared. The snow cover here tends to be less substantial than up towards Big Sky and we needed that snow cover. Whilst there is no more important variable in our planning than rigorous attention to trusted weather forecasts, we sometimes have to acknowledge that luck plays a big role. This was a lucky day.

      I think that any portrait of a bull bison, in which this enormous and emblematic animal is perpendicular to the camera, must be more kinetic than a head on portrait, simply because there is no sense of engagement. The bison is behaving as normal and not reacting to my presence because I was hidden behind a rock. He may have smelt me but he did not see me.

      It’s the small things that can sometimes elevate a picture. In this case, it’s his eye detail and then immediately below his face, the blades of grass caked in frozen snow. There is an emphatic sense of the cold, which is what I always strive for in my bison work. A similar portrait shot in summer would lose zest and a powerful narrative. Fresh snow is certainly a photographer’s friend”. – David Yarrow

      AVAILABLE SIZES:

      LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
      • Image Size: 40" x 103” in (101.6 cm x 261.6 cm)
      • Framed Image: 55" x 118” in (139.7 cm x 299.7 cm)
      STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
      • Image Size: 30” x 78” in (76.2 cm x 198.1 cm)
      • Framed Image: 45” x 93” (114.3 cm x 236.2 cm)

      We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


        The Lodge at Vail

        The Lodge at Vail

        Vail, Colorado – 2024

        “The Lodge at Vail was the first proper hotel to operate in a resort that arrived at the Colorado ski party exceptionally late. The first stones of Vail were laid in 1962 making it the new kid on the block versus other Colorado ski towns such as Aspen, Breckenridge, or Steamboat Springs, which existed as 19th century mining towns prior to the establishment of their ski resorts.

        To begin with, the hotel was a “white elephant”, losing $100,000 every year until the faux Bavarian town matured into something of substance. But to borrow from Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come” and sure enough they came. The Lodge at Vail became the epicentre of a town that enjoyed growing popularity because of its abundant skiing and ease of travel.

        The facade of the hotel has not changed much for several decades and I thought I could use that as a backdrop, in much the same way we did at Badrutt’s Palace in St Moritz, Switzerland in 2023. That photograph – which lent on the glamour of the 1970s in the resort – was hugely popular. There was an element of James Bond to it coupled with intense femininity.

        The formula worked and so this became the prompt for my shot outside the Lodge. After all, Vail became a place to be seen fairly quickly and by the mid 70s it was in vogue. Bohemian glamour was as prevalent in Colorado as it was in the Swiss Alps, maybe even more so.

        Who better, therefore, than Alessandra Ambrosio – the Brazilian supermodel – to play the lead in this narrative. She has such presence and authority and is a joy to work with.

        We would also like to thank Austin Akers for the use of the beautiful 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing”. – David Yarrow

        AVAILABLE SIZES:

        LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
        • Image Size: 56" x 71” in (142.2 cm x 180.3 cm)
        • Framed Image: 71" x 86” in (180.3 cm x 218.4 cm)
        STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
        • Image Size: 37” x 47” in (93.98 cm x 119.4 cm)
        • Framed Image: 52” x 62” (132.1 cm x 157.5 cm)

        We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


          The Minturn Saloon

          The Minturn Saloon

          Minturn, Colorado – 2024

          “The railroad and mining community of Minturn – which dates to the 1880s – allows for some raw grit to saddle up to the shiny neighbouring resort town of Vail. The contrast between the two places is astonishingly stark, given that they are only three miles apart. Whilst Vail was styled by architects and designers on Alpine Bavaria, Minturn was styled by grizzly prospectors looking only as far as the next day.

          Vail was built 80 years after Minturn and when the contractors finished a day’s shift, they would head west to the Minturn Saloon. It was the place to go and 60 years on, despite some remodeling and ownership changes, it remains exactly that. All those who know Vail, know the Minturn Saloon. Rather like the Woody Creek Tavern in Aspen, it has fostered a strong patronage over the years and when the doors open at 3pm, the bar fills at a speed to suggest that this is a special and loved destination. As always it is the people that make the places and this bar attracts a rich variety of clientele.

          Part of the saloon’s appeal was that it was directly accessible by skis, by car, by foot and by horse and it therefore became something of a vortex at the end of the day. By the 1970s, the Minturn not only attracted cowboys, builders and miners, but the new bohemian hipster crowd from over the hill.

          I am always drawn to the visual contrasts afforded to a filmmaker when a wild frontier destination is fused with glamour. This was the premise for this story. I saw a chance to play with the cold winter light that day and the result works pleasingly well in colour.

          Alessandra Ambrosio is one of the leading models in the world and it was a pleasure to work with her. She certainly killed her look and showed why she is at the top of her game. We would also like to thank Austin Akers for the use of the beautiful 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing.” – David Yarrow

          AVAILABLE SIZES:

          LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
          • Image Size: 56" x 71” in (142.2 cm x 180.3 cm)
          • Framed Image: 71" x 86” in (180.3 cm x 218.4 cm)
          STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
          • Image Size: 37” x 47” in (93.98 cm x 119.4 cm)
          • Framed Image: 52” x 62” (132.1 cm x 157.5 cm)

          We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


            Code Red

            Code Red

            Minturn, Colorado – 2024

            “The railroad and mining community of Minturn – which dates to the 1880s – allows for some raw grit to saddle up to the shiny neighbouring resort town of Vail. The contrast between the two places is astonishingly stark, given that they are only three miles apart. Whilst Vail was styled by architects and designers on Alpine Bavaria, Minturn was styled by grizzly prospectors looking only as far as the next day.

            Vail was built 80 years after Minturn and when the contractors finished a day’s shift, they would head west to the Minturn Saloon. It was the place to go and 60 years on, despite some remodeling and ownership changes, it remains exactly that. All those who know Vail, know the Minturn Saloon. Rather like the Woody Creek Tavern in Aspen, it has fostered a strong patronage over the years and when the doors open at 3pm, the bar fills at a speed to suggest that this is a special and loved destination. As always it is the people that make the places and this bar attracts a rich variety of clientele.

            Part of the saloon’s appeal was that it was directly accessible by skis, by car, by foot and by horse and it therefore became something of a vortex at the end of the day. By the 1970s, the Minturn not only attracted cowboys, builders and miners, but the new bohemian hipster crowd from over the hill.

            I am always drawn to the visual contrasts afforded to a filmmaker when a wild frontier destination is fused with glamour. This was the premise for this story. I saw a chance to play with the cold winter light that day and the result works pleasingly well in colour.

            Alessandra Ambrosio is one of the leading models in the world and it was a pleasure to work with her. She certainly killed her look and showed why she is at the top of her game. We would also like to thank Austin Akers for the use of the beautiful 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing.” – David Yarrow

            AVAILABLE SIZES:

            LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
            • Image Size: 56" x 70” in (142.2 cm x 177.8 cm)
            • Framed Image: 71" x 85” in (180.3 cm x 215.9 cm)
            STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
            • Image Size: 37” x 47” in (93.98 cm x 119.4 cm)
            • Framed Image: 52” x 62” (132.1 cm x 157.5 cm)

            We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


              Russian Roulette

              Russian Roulette

              Crested Butte, Colorado – 2024

              “The most authentic old saloons of the Wild West should still evoke a sense of unease in any first-time visitor. Even if it is only fleeting; the vibe should be territorial and uncompromising. All eyes are on the visitor and those eyes are menacing and judgemental. Of course, these days, it is all for show and friendships are soon made, but there is an overriding sense that bad things did once happen here. It would be very disappointing to enter a frontier bar to learn that nothing immoral had ever occurred under its roof.

              The lore of the American West would suggest that in the olden days, bars were loosely governed and behaviour was unpredictable. Life was cheap, and entering a bar at the wrong time could be a fatal mistake. It was Russian Roulette and the default position was to be armed and wary.

              This tableaux is a giddy ode to these saloon bars dotted around frontier towns in the Wild West. It was taken in Kochevar’s Saloon, in the old mining town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The walls of Kochevar’s – which include a century old roulette table – are a rich museum to the American west. If those walls could talk, they would no doubt tell many a story of character rich women, gambling feuds, drunken outlaws and cowboy capitalists. It was a place singularly characterised by the disposable moral fibre of its clientele.

              It was such fun to do this shoot and I thank Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio for playing the saloon girl with good energy: despite the nearby presence of a 1000lb bison”. – David Yarrow

              AVAILABLE SIZES:

              LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
              • Image Size: 56" x 76” in (142.2 cm x 193 cm)
              • Framed Image: 71" x 91” in (180.3 cm x 231.1 cm)
              STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
              • Image Size: 37” x 50” in (93.98 cm x 127 cm)
              • Framed Image: 52” x 65” (132.1 cm x 165.1 cm)

              We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


                Kochevars, Crested Butte

                Kochevars, Crested Butte

                Crested Butte, Colorado – 2024

                “Nestling in at 9000 ft and with only one road out in the winter, the former coal mining town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado is not mainstream. But what it lacks in accessibility, it makes up aesthetically. It is an amphitheatre of pristine, uncluttered grandeur that reminds me somewhat of the Dolomites in Italy. This is one hell of a location and well worth the trip.

                It is only 18 miles, as the crow flies, from Aspen, but by road in winter it is a 202-mile journey. Such is the nature of the topography in Colorado. I think it is rather appropriate that there is such a distance in winter between the most famous ski resort in the world and the small community that is now dubbed “The last great Colorado ski town” because they couldn’t be more different. At the last census, only 1700 people claimed Crested Butte as home, but it is a known known destination.

                What both places have in common, however, is a mining past and with that goes dive bars that have stood the test of time. In Crested Butte, the infamous watering hole is Kochevar’s, established by Jacob Kochevar back in 1886. He seemed an interesting man with a keen eye for what his customers were looking for – women.

                In its early life it was transformed from a brothel to a bowling alley, to a bar. Not many bars can lay claim to that level of adaptability at such an early stage in their history.

                But perhaps the bar is most famous for housing Butch Cassidy and the Wall Gang. Butch left his gun, which is now displayed proudly inside the saloon. No better place, therefore, to bring my bunch of morally impaired misfits.

                We did, however, acknowledge that the joint had history with femininity and what fun it was to bring one of the world’s most celebrated supermodels – Alessandra Ambrosio – to the bar at the end of the road”. – David Yarrow

                AVAILABLE SIZES:

                LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
                • Image Size: 56" x 88” in (142.2 cm x 223.5 cm)
                • Framed Image: 71" x 103” in (180.3 cm x 261.6 cm)
                STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
                • Image Size: 37” x 59” in (93.98 cm x 149.9 cm)
                • Framed Image: 52” x 74” (132.1 cm x 188 cm)

                We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


                  Mind Flowers I

                  Luca Cristiano


                  The Girl with the Feathered Hat - Color

                  The Girl in the Feathered Hat (Colour)

                  Monument Valley, Utah – 2023

                  “When this 1958 Testarossa arrived on set on the Arizona/Utah border, I was struck by its curvaceous beauty. Our initial leaning was to shoot head on and we did exactly that, but when I saw the car in profile, its length and ground hugging architecture was visually arresting. I knew that I had to play on this and where better to do this than in Monument Valley – John Ford’s favourite playground? He kept returning here as he knew he had found a topographic stage without equal. In his own words “it afforded him an extra character for free”.

                  John Ford was a stickler for horizons and camera angles. Anyone who watched the Fabelmans, specifically the last scene, will know what I am getting at.

                  I am a lucky man. To be filming with this car, in this most grand of settings, with the female powerhouse that is Brooks Nader, is like getting the first, second and third at the Kentucky Derby. When I set the shot up, I wanted to glorify the length of the car and the vista behind stirred the alchemy that gave us this celebration of life on earth.

                  It is a beautiful world. Ferrari gets it, John Ford got it and I am learning all the time.” – David Yarrow

                  AVAILABLE SIZES:

                  LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
                  • Image Size: 38" x 103” in (96.52 cm x 261.6 cm)
                  • Framed Image: 43" x 118” in (109.2 cm x 299.7 cm)
                  STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
                  • Image Size: 29” x 77” in (73.66 cm x 195.6 cm)
                  • Framed Image: 43” x 92” (109.2 cm x 233.7 cm)

                  We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.


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