Picture perfect career
Work by NFL photographer shown at Pittsburgh gallery
That guy in the Dos Equis beer ads might be the Most Interesting Man in the World, but Michael Zagaris could well be a close second.
He was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night in 1968 when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and slipped on Kennedy无毛视频檚 blood. He lived with Peter Frampton and his wife in London for a while, and hobnobbed with George Harrison. He had a firsthand view of 1970s rock and roll decadence when he went out on the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
But even though Zagaris can happily regale you with tales about classic rock legends and political royalty, his first love and lifelong passion has been sports photography. He got his first taste of it when he was in high school when he would use discarded press passes to get onto the field at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco to snap photos of the 49ers. He eventually became the team无毛视频檚 official photographer and, as a result, took photos of gridiron legends who were part of the 49ers and the teams that opposed them. Zagaris was able to get up close to the likes of Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Franco Harris and Vince Lombardi when they were on the field or pacing on the sidelines.
According to Zagaris, 无毛视频淚 still love what I do.无毛视频�
His photos may capture the grit and sweat of the playing field, but they can now be examined in the tidier, more rarefied world of art galleries. The exhibit, 无毛视频淢ichael Zagrais: 60 Years of NFL Photography,无毛视频� is being presented at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust无毛视频檚 707 Gallery at 707 Penn Ave. It无毛视频檚 there to coincide with the NFL Draft, which gets underway in Point State Park and outside Acrisure Stadium Thursday.
While in Pittsburgh in late March, the 81-year-old Zegaris talked expansively about his work, which has also been captured in a book, 无毛视频淔ield of Play: 60 Years of NFL Photography,无毛视频� published in 2022.
无毛视频淚 just wanted to get on the field,无毛视频� he recalled.
That first happened when he was a teenager in the early 1960s. Seeing press passes that had been cast aside, Zagaris grabbed one, and decided to use it and bring his camera with him to an upcoming game. He wore appropriate attire, made sure he looked like he belonged and no one bothered him. The only time police grew suspicious, he told them he was working on a book and asked the officers to pose for him.
无毛视频淣ow, you无毛视频檇 be thrown out of the stadium and probably arrested,无毛视频� Zagaris said. 无毛视频淚 wanted to be in the show. If I couldn无毛视频檛 play in the league, I wanted to be the next best thing.无毛视频�
He played football and baseball in college, and worked in Kennedy无毛视频檚 Senate office. While attending law school at George Washington University, he helped out on Kennedy无毛视频檚 1968 presidential campaign. On the dais with Kennedy after he declared victory in the California Democratic primary, Zagaris was trailing behind Kennedy when the shots rang out.
无毛视频淚 thought they were firecrackers,无毛视频� he recalled.
Kennedy无毛视频檚 death a little more than a day after he was shot was a pivotal moment for Zagaris. He grew disillusioned with law school and politics, read Aldous Huxley无毛视频檚 无毛视频淭he Doors of Perception,无毛视频� dropped acid and dropped out. He snapped some photos at San Francisco rock concerts when the likes of The Who and the Grateful Dead were playing at venues like the Fillmore West and the Winterland Ballroom, and when he showed Eric Clapton some of his work while they were sharing hashish, the guitarist was so impressed he told Zagaris he should move to London and be part of the city无毛视频檚 rock scene.
It was there that he stayed with Frampton and his then-wife, Mary Lovett. Though Frampton无毛视频檚 commercial breakthrough was still a handful of years away, he was acquainted with most of the key players in British music, including Harrison.
无毛视频淕eorge was my favorite Beatle,无毛视频� Zagaris noted. 无毛视频淟ike so many other people, they无毛视频檙e just people who just happen to be good at what they do. They无毛视频檙e just people.无毛视频�
He eventually migrated back to California, where he finagled his way into snapping more photos of San Francisco 49ers games. By 1973, he was the team无毛视频檚 official photographer, and attained a similar role for the across-the-bay Oakland A无毛视频檚 in 1981.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檇 played baseball and football all through college,无毛视频� Zagaris said. 无毛视频淲e were all the same age. It was just like young guys going out and playing. I didn无毛视频檛 feel any separation.无毛视频�
Over the years, his work was seen by readers of Time Magazine and 无毛视频 Illustrated. All told, Zagaris snapped images at 34 Super Bowls and 12 World Series.
The realms of both sports and popular music have changed seismically since he first aimed his camera at quarterbacks and guitar slingers six decades ago, Zagaris acknowledges. 无毛视频淚t was a different world,无毛视频� he lamented. 无毛视频淣othing was corporatized, the way it is now.无毛视频�
Nevertheless, Zagaris isn无毛视频檛 interested in putting away his camera and watching games purely as a spectator.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 still doing it,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l listen to my body and I无毛视频檒l keep doing it as long as it无毛视频檚 fun.无毛视频�
无毛视频淢ichael Zagaris: 60 Years of NFL Photography无毛视频� will be at the 707 Gallery through Nov. 8. For information, go online to trustarts.org.