There is certainly a method to the madness of a true Bay Area original, the San Francisco 49ers official team photographer known as ‘Z-man.’
“I’ve always approached what I do, not so much as a photographer or even an artist, but as an actor,” Michael Zagaris told me in a recent interview at his studio.
Years ago while covering the 49ers, I saw Zagaris emerge from the showers in the locker room at Candlestick. I couldn’t exactly wrap my brain around why the official photographer was moving around the team’s inner sanctum just like one of the players.
Here’s what I didn’t know. Z-man has a history of melting into the scenery that he is documenting. Music, art, fashion, sports and politics have provided the canvas for a man with unusual vision who becomes one with his subjects.
After years on the road shooting music tours for the likes of Rolling Stone magazine, Zagaris found a champion in 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh who gave him unlimited access to Camelot.
“I went to Bill right after he became head coach,” said Zagaris. “I knew his background. I just had a feel for him and I knew he was more than a football coach. He was a historian and a man of letters. He was an archivist and I really had a feeling something special was going to happen and I said, ‘I want to document this.’”
Zagaris did just that by immersing himself into the world of the 49ers while helping create the mythology of a dynasty via his unique backstage pass.
Sports
He's been San Francisco's official photographer since the '70s. Bill Walsh had said the photo with he and Joe Montana kneeling and drawing up a play was his favorite.
I hope you enjoy my take on the Z-man’s story.
Photo Credit: 'Walsh and Montana', Copyright Michael Zagaris.
