Michael Zagaris (born February 22, 1945) is an American sports and rock and roll photographer known for his work on the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco 49ers, and the 1970s Rock & Roll scene.
Early life and education Born in Chicago, Michael Zagaris moved to Modesto, California as a toddler. Before 7th grade, in 1957, he moved with his family north to Redding, California and attended St. Joseph School. While living in Redding, Zagaris boarded at Bellarmine College Preparatory and later returned to attend Enterprise High School. Zagaris played both baseball and football while attending Shasta College, where his skills as a wide receiver of the football team earned him a scholarship to George Washington University. Zagaris graduated from George Washington University in 1967 and enrolled in Santa Clara Law School. In Law School, Zagaris worked as a speechwriter for Senator Bobby Kennedy. Zagaris' whole life changed when he witnessed Senator Kennedy's assassination.
Rock & Roll Photography After dropping out of Law School after one year, Zagaris began to embrace his photography hobby, finding ways to get on the field at 49ers games and backstage at concerts. While reviewing some of Zagaris' photos after a concert, Eric Clapton advised Zagaris to pursue photography as a steady gig. Throughout the 1970s, Zagaris would photograph some of the popular bands of all time, including The Grateful Dead, The Clash, Blondie, The Who, and Tom Petty.
Sports Photography While in high school, Zagaris used to take discarded press passes from the field at Kezar Stadium and use them to gain access to the field to take photographs of the San Francisco 49ers. After years of finding his way onto the field, the 49ers made Zagaris the official team photographer in 1973. In 1981, Walter Haas bought the Oakland Athletics and Zagaris was brought in as their official team photographer. In the years since, Zagaris has photographed 34 Super Bowls, 12 World Series, and 14 MLB All-Star Games. His sports photography has graced the covers of Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated. Zagaris' sports photography is famous for its intimacy, as he gives the viewer a rare look behind the scenes in the clubhouse and the locker room to see a different side of the team.
Books
Filmography Year Title Self Crew Notes 2004 NFL Films Presents 1 episode: "Michael Zagaris" 2000-2006 ESPN SportsCentury 3 episodes: "Billy Martin: Part 2," "Tom Brady," "Terrell Owens" 2007 Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who documentary (archival material) 2012 All the Years Combine: The DVD Collection documentary (archival material) 2013 I Am Divine documentary (archival material) 2014 They Shot the Rock and Lived by the Roll documentary 2017 Long Strange Trip documentary (archival photographs) 2018 If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary (archival materials) 2019 Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall documentary 2020 ICON: Music Through the Lens 6 episodes 2021 PLUM: A Baseball Life documentary 2021 Count Me In Netflix documentary (archival material) 2023 San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time MGM+ documentary (special thanks) 2026 Gold Rush AMC documentary TBD Zagaris documentary by Scott Duncan Films
Personal life Zagaris has lived in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco since 1973, with his girlfriend Kristin Sundbom.Michael Zagaris, RockPaperPhoto.com. Their son Ari Zagaris is an actor.Ari Zagaris, IMDb.com. Chris Isaak babysat Ari.
While growing up in Redding, Zagaris played sandlot baseball at Buck Martinez's house and American Legion baseball for the 1963 Redding Tigers, managed by Joe Hatten, with future major leaguer Bill Plummer and Gene Parent, father of Mark Parent.The joy of day baseball in The City, ManginPhotography.net.
References
External links Official Instagram
Michael Zagaris Album Photography - Discogs Michael Zagaris Album Photography - All Music