Cigar Photography: A Look at the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club

Cigar World Artisan's Corner: Justin Hunter from Dead Leaf Breakfast Club

You only need three things to join the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club: a camera, an eye for photography, and a love of cigars. Founded four years ago during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club allows photographers with a passion for cigars (and cigar lovers with a passion for photography) the chance to smoke and capture some of their favorite brands on camera. The group boasts around 25 members — located in the USA and internationally — and members have produced photographs for brands like Crowned Head Cigars, Gran Habano, Les Fines Lames, Foundation Cigars, Black Label Trading Co., Hemmy's Finest Cigars, Elie Blue, Villiger Cigars, J.C. Newman, Drew Estate, and several others. 

For Justin Hunter, one of the group's [founders], though, the ultimate goal is for the group to dominate the cigar industry. He dreams of one day opening a copy of Cigar Aficionado to see only photographs taken by members of the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club. Hunter, of Jasper, Alabama, has had a penchant for photography for years. As a child and young man, he constantly took photos on his phone (he currently has around 70,000 assets on his smartphone), and he has previously worked for the publication Seventy-Eight Magazine. He was first introduced to cigars by a friend at Bible study. After a meeting one day, he was offered the Southern Draw Jacob's Ladder — a fitting smoke following Bible study but a rather powerful cigar for a newcomer. Despite that, Hunter fell in love with cigars and has been smoking ever since.

Eventually, he combined his two passions — cigars and photography — as a means to continue enjoying both. That's when he began to freelance with cigar brands and talk to other freelance photographers in the cigar industry. These friendly chats led to the formation of the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club, which now includes several dozen members worldwide. While the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club rarely comes together in person (they've only met up as a group once — at this year's PCA in Las Vegas), the members regularly share professional advice, news, tips, and, occasionally, projects with each other. They love to discuss their gear as well as cigars, and though their members come from varied backgrounds, they all share a passion for cigars and photography. Some supplement their work in the cigar field by photographing events such as weddings, concerts, and festivals. 

However, for Hunter, at least, the final aim is to eventually partner with some of the icons of the cigar industry like Davidoff, Fuente, and the renowned maker of cigar accessories, S.T. Dupont. Take a look through our gallery here to see previous examples of photographs taken by members of the Dead Leaf Breakfast Club. 

To learn more about Justin Hunter and Dead Leaf Breakfast Club, visit their Instagram page here.