Oakland Athletics ace pitcher Barry Zito certainly exudes the laid back Californian personality. The winner of the 2002 American League Cy Young Award grew up in San Diego in a family of musicians, pursuing interests of guitar, surfing, and yoga, taking snapshots all the while. Nowadays, he has gotten more serious with his photography since purchasing a Canon EOS 1D three years ago. In addition to his own exploration of photography, Zito has done assignments for Sports Illustrated, showcasing a player’s spring training experience. Recently we had a chance to ask Barry a few questions about his photography.
TakeGreatPictures.com (TGP): How did you get started in photography?
Barry Zito (BZ): I pretty much started about three years ago. Michael Zagaris, who is a photographer for the A’s and is a pretty well known sports photographer told me “get this body and start screwing around and checking it out.” So that’s what I did.
"This was after a game in Anaheim - the whole team was getting on the bus and I just took a self-portrait with my guitar on my back, about to get on a flight."
© Barry Zito
"That's my buddy Eric. I had just gotten my flash about a week earlier and was bouncing it off of different color poster board."
© Barry Zito
TGP: Is that the first camera you ever used?
BZ: Pretty much. I mean I had some point and shoots growing up and I would take tons of pictures around San Diego and going to college. But that was more your standard 35mm point and shoot, then go and get it developed at Thrifty’s just to have keepsakes and memories. But when I got this camera, I thought the whole digital thing was cool, because it gave me instant feedback as to how to play with an exposure, changing the ISO, experiment with metering, and so on.
"I took this when I had just gotten my camera so I was infatuated with the fact that I could get lots of light into the lens without a flash. I used a tripod and around 5-8 second exp. The building is the Palace of Fine Arts in SF."
© Barry Zito
TGP: So you prefer digital to film?
BZ: No, I would say I probably prefer film, but I think digital helps me learn more. Once I developed a strong base of knowledge from shooting digital, I started shooting more film. Probably the opposite of most people in that sense.
"That's my boy back in Hollywood. He was in this really cool house, kind of like a chateau. He's got this guitar and he can play every kind of 80's rock solo. He can just shred that thing."
© Barry Zito
"I was on a road trip to Fresno, bored in the backseat, so I just threw the camera on 30 seconds and used my phone to light up my face. The streak is my phone between putting my face in different positions. Came out looking like demons or something."
TGP: Do you have a film camera as well as your 1D?
BZ: I have a Canon EOS Elan 7N. My ex got me into shooting film and she explained a lot about it to me, which was really cool. It was just like a whole other world.
© Barry Zito
© Barry Zito
TGP: Are there any photographers you particularly admire or that you try to emulate?
BZ: Howard Schatz is a guy that I really, I love what he does. I had an opportunity to do a shoot with him in New York last year. He was really helpful and said, “If you ever need anything, just let me know.” I still haven’t taken him up on it, but since meeting him, I’ve studied up on his stuff.
"I loved how this one came out, because it was all wet outside. We were getting back on the bus in Chicago, Eric Chavez, Frankie Menechino and our third base coach behind him."
© Barry Zito
© Barry Zito
TGP: It seems like you try a number of different styles of photography, whether it is candids, landscapes, or abstracts – what kind of photography is your favorite to shoot?
BZ: Hmm... I don’t know. I like shooting people. I mean, I’m an extroverted person and I love capturing someone’s spirit through their eyes. But I don’t even like to say I’m a photographer. I just like to document my life and have experiences, some of which not everyone gets to enjoy and see, so I put it on film or digital. I’ve already got 7,500 pictures just from the past three years with so much random stuff. I’ll bring my camera with me to restaurants and bars and always have it on me because I never want to miss that shot.
© Barry Zito
"I anchored the camera against a cement ledge and tried to hold steady, I think it was around 1.3 sec or so. This was the same week that I had just gotten my camera, playing around with low light situations."
© Barry Zito
colin
19-12-2006
Stay in the Bay Barry!Renee Hillaire
03-04-2007
The photos are kinetic. That's my visceral reaction. You have a beautiful aesthetic, although unconventional, but that's you. In San Francisco, you have a home, but with the GIants you need to find yourself again. It's not just all the team. In the recent photo frenzy, it's like one of those flip-book animations where you look more and more drained with every photo. Take some time to run naked in the woods.Tania R...
08-07-2007
Barry, you seem to have accomplished So many things some of us could only dream about being able to do. When I'm in the city I use my little camera I always have on me to take photos of whatever I can, Sometimes it's all repeats. But if I had your time, your freedom, and most importantly your camera, I would be able to capture my life into picture like you seem to do. You do it like so many don't understand when it comes to photography. Most people don't understand that to some people as yourself, and even I, consider every moment in life is worth shooting. And you are so lucky to have the freedom, and wisdom, in being able to have advantage of the opportunity.D Ashcart
08-10-2007
Got to be candid here - I'd suggest that Barry keep his day job. These pictures are passable - kinda like the songs that people "compose" on Casio's.