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.
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
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
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
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
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.
Chicago Nights
Chicago, IL USA – 2022
“There is a restaurant we know and love in Chicago’s Little Italy called Bruna’s. It’s a little bit of Siena stuck away in a quiet and unassuming residential street. We have filmed there before, partly because there is such a palpable sense of place and partly because the owner, Luciano, is now family.
We love familiarity with people and places, it allows us to focus on being creative immediately rather than spending time getting up to speed on new variables. Bruna’s is a little treasure trove and if the walls could talk, I am sure there would be more people serving time in Illinois prisons. This was once a mobster’s restaurant and the food is damn good. The chef’s could not afford to make too many mistakes.
So, into Bruna’s we brought The Stanley Cup, some famous Blackhawks and a Sports Illustrated Swimwear cover girl. What could possibly go wrong? We threw a little bit of snow into the mix, as I associate Chicago with the cold, and, after all, these are ice hockey players, not surfers.
I think it turned out rather well and everyone had the best of times.” – David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 52" x 101” in (132.08 cm x 256.54 cm)
- Framed Image: 67" x 116” in (170.18 cm x 294.64 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 72” in (93.98 cm x 182.88 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 87” (132.08 cm x 220.98 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 Border
Big Bend National Park, Texas – 2023
Big Bend National Park on the Texas/Mexican border is one of America’s least visited National Parks whilst also being one of its most spectacular. The issue is that it’s just not that easy to get to, even for Texans who consider a three-hour drive as a work commute. There is no commercial airport within a four-hour drive of Big Bend and those living near the entrance either appear to be in a cunning witness protection programme or auditioning for Breaking Bad. It’s all a bit sketchy down on the border.
To my eye, the most visually dramatic part of the park is the Santa Elena Canyon where the Rio Grande has shaped towering cliff faces worthy of such a storied and relevant National border line. There is no need for a wall when the canyon runs 1000 feet deep.
The problem with filming here and many, including the Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones have tried, is that it has to be an early start to get into the canyon pre-dawn and pre-tourists. I think we left our motel at 3 am.
There is something rather special about filming on the Rio Grande. We could cross back and forth into Mexico by wading out a few steps from the bank. I sense the proximity to the border makes for tough folk in this part of Texas and it certainly adds to a sense of belonging. As John Steinbeck said “Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all else, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 66” in (93.98 x 167.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 81” in (180.3 cm x 205.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 37” x 44” in (93.98 x 111.8 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 59” in (132.1 cm x 149.9 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.
Parts Unknown II
Durango, Colorado – 2023
When we shoot in the winter, weather plays a large part in our planning, but given the speed at which weather can change, it does not pay to be too prescriptive too far out from shooting days. But we continually check weather patterns and within 36 hours of a shoot, we tend to home in on a certain plan.
There are, I guess, four or five weather possibilities in the winter: melting snow and sunny, which is horrid; cold and sunny, which is better but restricts filming time; a snowstorm, which is exciting, but can impair detail or, ideally, the end of a big snow fall.
In the Rockies, I guess there are about a dozen days a year when a big storm passes through and clears, leaving behind a winter wonderland and kind gentle light. This is the film maker’s big opportunity, provided the props are in place and access is still possible. It is always challenging, but these are the days we wait for. They don’t come that often.
We know the Durango to Silverton steam train well and have built up a strong friendship with the owner Al Harper and his wonderful team of engineers in Durango. I sensed there was an opportunity at this jaw dropping location made famous by its appearance some 50 years ago in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We were in town and waiting as the storm system pushed through. It had lasted 36 hours and left 18 inches of new snow in the San Juan Forest that the old steam train cuts through.
We had to operate fast, as the light was picking up all the time and both teams worked quickly to get everyone in position early in the day. The Native American and the horse had the toughest job – that was no easy brief that day.
When I look at this photograph, I feel some sense of pride, it is a hell of a shot. But not pride in myself, pride in all the people that made it happen. A real team effort.
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: 46" x 37" in (116.8 cm x 93.98 cm)
- Framed Image: 61" x 52" in (154.9 cm x 190.5 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.
Rodeo
Rodeos are events for the community as much as they are events for the individual performers. No matter the riding skills and bravery of the competitors, they are only part of the story, not the story itself. The action is simply the reason for the gathering and it is ultimately the gathering that is remembered. Rodeos are a celebration of a way of life and are an integral part of Americana. Some States such as Montana, Texas, Wyoming and Colorado would lose much of their identity without these local gatherings.
When working on this idea therefore, I knew that a single frame would fail if there was not a sense of occasion and a wider context. This normally requires a wide-angle lens and this can work against capturing the action in an immersive and detailed way. The champion riders have a formidable skill set and my sense was that this should be celebrated as well.
To offer both context and detailed action within a ring, is a challenge and looking over scores of old rodeo images, most photographs tended to achieve one or the other, but not both. The only way I could see around the riddle was to work from a cage inside the ring and hope that the action would come close enough to my wide-angle lens. To work from outside the ring would leave any image very loose unless I was incredibly lucky.
In my mind photography is often about collaboration; it is indulgent to consider it to be a singular profession and the credit for this photograph goes to the nearby community and its rodeo team, as much as it does to the person behind the lens. Every single person played a role and that is why the image can be looked at for a long time. Some of the facial expressions are fantastic and there is a palpable sense of place.
I remain in awe of the bull rider that day; that is quite a skill to possess.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 42” x 103" in (106.7 cm x 261.6 cm)
- Framed Image: 57" x 118” in (144.8 cm x 299.7 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 30” x 74” in (76.2 cm x 188 cm)
- Framed Image: 45” x 89” (114.3 cm x 226.1 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.