Meet Bobby Wheat
Celebrating the 12th Anniversary of his gallery in the local heart of Las Vegas, local Bobby Wheat is a Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Master of Photography, a Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) Certified Sommelier, and the Gold Standard for innovation within the photographic medium. He has produced collections and pieces for patrons across 5 continents from fortune 500 CEOs to PGA tour members, and his work has been recognized and featured by the leading names in art and luxury from Robb Report to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Exclusively analogue, combining the unparalleled resolution and authenticity of large-format FILM with the world’s finest photographic developing techniques and the most exclusive edition sizes you will find anywhere in the art world, Bobby's large-scale photographic works abound with complex narratives told through minimal and meditative imagery bordering upon surreal.
The 1982 Vintage
The great vineyards of Europe produce a vintage for the ages, and in Oklahoma City, a wee little lad named Bobby Joe Wheat is born.
2002 | New Horizons
On a 7000-mile road trip with his Father and Uncle throughout the Western United States and Canada, Bobby learns to meter light which for the first time gives him creative control over a photographic result. The new horizons to explore and the limitless ways to tell their story become an obsession that would never release its grasp on Bobby’s future.
2002 - 2004 | Odd Jobs and Big Dreams
Working as a full-time musician and part time at a wine bar in Oklahoma City, Bobby and Haley begin to make plans to start their life together and go west.
2004 | Committed
Bobby marries his high school sweetheart and the love of his Life, Haley (the best decision he’s ever made) and on their honeymoon, they spend nearly a month camping in a car exploring the Wild West (one of the worst decisions he’s ever made)
While not ideal for a honeymoon, this experience would solidify their destiny.
2005 - 2008 | Go West
“We had no clue what we were doing, but it worked out pretty well.” - BW
At the age of 22 and 21, Bobby and Haley take jobs as an electrician and Spanish teacher and move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Working 4 10-hour shifts per week in this pristine valley Bobby would use his time off each week to fine tune his craft over nearly 4 years and acquire the means (through fortunate market timing) to eventually open his first gallery. After buying a 500 sq. ft. condo on a stated income loan, Bobby uses his newfound construction skills in combo with Haley’s passion for design (and a maxed out credit card) to DIY remodel and flip their first of several homes.
Bobby is introduced to medium and large format film through mentors Scott Mckinley (of National Geographic) and David Brookover (Brookover Gallery). This analogue approach would go on to define his entire career.
2008 | Raising the Stakes
With the birth of their daughter, Eisley, and having grown tired of the long Wyoming winters, Bobby and Haley move to Las Vegas both receiving jobs as educators, Haley teaching Spanish for Faith Lutheran High School, and Bobby teaching 4th grade at Linda Givens Elementary School.
“Eisley changed everything. The best way to provide the highest and best for her was to commit to doing at the highest level what I know I was placed on earth to do.”
2011 | Burn the Ships
“If you are not willing to take a monumental risk on yourself, you can’t expect anyone else to do the same.” - BW
After spending more than a year seeking gallery representation for his work to no avail, In April of 2011 at the age of 28, Bobby opens his first gallery in Tivoli Village, Las Vegas with only 25 images that he is proud enough to release to the public. After finishing out the 2011 school year, Bobby resigns from his 4th Grade Teacher position with the Clark County School District, committing himself entirely to making his artistic vision succeed.
2011 - 2014 | Building Momentum
“In the early years, I had no pedigree, no clientele to start with. We succeeded by serving our community with humility, gratitude, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. And also quite a bit of luck.” - BW
With the commercial success of several images - including Summer Blues, Colors of June, and Goodnight Moon - to help keep the gallery afloat in its infancy, Bobby begins to slowly build a following while at the same time expanding his body of work to include a variety of locations that appeal to a broader clientele.
2014 | New Digs
In October of 2014, with the three years of profit from his Tivoli Village Gallery, Bobby once again goes all in and opens his new Downtown Summerlin location leading to one of the first “big breaks” of his career. The popularity of the new development brings a massive influx of new patrons boosting his market presence to new heights and garnering enough sales to pay off his new gallery’s startup costs within the first two months of opening.
2016 | Among Masters
For the third time in 4 years, Bobby outscores his Vegas Strip contemporary 20 years his senior in the largest and most elite photographic competition on earth - the PPA International - and by extension becomes one of the youngest fine art photographers in history to be named a Master of Photography by the Board and Directors of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the world’s largest organized entity for Professional Photographers with more than 24,000 members from over 50 countries.
2016 - 2020 | A Style All His Own
“It’s better to fail in originality than succeed in imitation.” - Herman Melville
Having solidified his place as a leader among the world’s great names in Landscape Photography, and having grown tired of seeing the same trends over and over again in the world of fine art photography, it was time for Bobby to break from tradition into a style all his own. Determined to bring only innovative material into his gallery, Bobby would “86” any and all iconic locations from his travel schedule focusing (pun intended) solely on new subject matter.
While his approach remained strictly analogue, it was during this time that Bobby’s entire body of work would take a drastic turn towards modern minimalism, with abstract and reductive landscapes and in 2017 the birth of his iconic FILM NEGATIVES SERIES.
“I was grossly tired of seeing the same images in every gallery. So I went an unmistakably different direction not knowing if people would love it or hate it. Thankfully, they loved it.” - BW
2019 | ‘Wine’ Not?
As an artist and business man understanding the value of a life-long pursuit of learning, Bobby passes the Court of Master Sommelier’s 3-Part Certified Sommelier Exam just over a year after beginning an intense study regimen. This remains one of the most prized achievements of his career confirming how feats that at one time seem impossible are accomplished through strategic discipline and consistency over a long period of time.
“My life changed for the best when I stopped trying to be heard and started training to be someone worth listening to.” - BW
2020 NON ESSENTIAL
“The worst thing about excuses is not that they aren’t true, it’s that they don’t do a damn thing to help you even when they are.” - BW
In March of 2020, the Bobby Wheat Gallery is deemed nonessential by the powers that be forcing him to shut down for two months during peak season costing him nearly a third of his annual revenue. Determined to thrive despite unfavorable circumstances - and without taking so much as a dime in PUA, unemployment, or any other form of government assistance despite eligibility for all of it - Bobby switches gears allocating his entire annual marketing budget to new forms of social media advertising, and by year end, with the help of New Releases Renaissance and City Lights, the Bobby Wheat Gallery surpasses their sales figures of the previous year having recorded the highest summer and fall sales in the gallery’s history up to that point.
Post 2020 | Upward & Onward
Bobby started 2021 off with a bang celebrating the gallery’s 10-Year Anniversary with the release of his All-Time Best-Selling Vegas Pop Series. In August of 2021 the gallery surpassed the entire 2020 sales numbers and by year end recorded the most successful year in the gallery’s history culminating with the completion of Bobby and Haley’s new home in the Stonebridge Summerlin area.
Following the marquee release Friday Night Lights - commissioned by one of Las Vegas’ most prominent attorneys - along with new additions from the Sierra Nevada backcountry, 2022 has been another banner year, to date outpacing 2021 by nearly 20%.
Bobby continues to garner top-tier exposure both locally and internationally with the recent feature of his upcoming Northern Italy Collection on the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Instagram account as well as his classic image from Death Valley Fade to Blue - recently featured by the Official FujiFilm and subsequently becoming the #1- liked post in the history of FujiFilm’s Instagram Account.
Thank You,
Las Vegas
In December 2022, the Bobby Wheat Gallery was one of three winners for Best Art Gallery in the Vegas Review Journal Best of Las Vegas 2022. We are honored and so grateful for the city of Las Vegas, a city that rewards ambition and excellence regardless of pedigree. Thank you for choosing to Live Inspired.
12 YEARS!
Visit the gallery for a sneak peek at our 12-Year Anniversary Visions of Vegas theme featuring a series of Modern and traditional images from Las Vegas (Including Bobby’s newest release Stars & Stripes photographed while climbing the high peaks of Red Rock Canyon) as well as several pieces from the cities that have inspired our skyline.