Rocco Basile is a longtime professional photographer and a prominent expert in fine art photography whose work has been frequently featured in galleries and international publications alike, thereby demonstrating a diverse professional skill set that includes landscape, wildlife, fine art, and portrait photography, not to mention the prolific work he has produced as a photojournalist.
As the founder of Rocco Basile Photography, Rocco has counseled many aspiring photographers and has offered an outlet through which these up-and-coming photographers can showcase their work to gallery audiences that often include some of the most renowned talents in the world of photography.
Although he chose Southern California for its idyllic natural surroundings as well as the high-minded environment in which the arts are so deeply valued, Rocco has always remained in touch with the unique perspective he developed while growing up in and around New York City. During his youth, Rocco had the advantage of living a short subway ride away from some of the world’s most astounding museums and art galleries, and he often made the brief subterranean trip with his camera equipment in tow. Rocco’s early exposure to the artistic culture and unique scenery of the five boroughs continues to influence his work as a photographer today, and he often advises aspiring photographers to work on becoming similarly attuned to the subtle thematic elements offered by their surroundings.
Also evident in Rocco’s work is his academic experiences at some of the most renowned institutions in the United States. After spending several years as a freelance photojournalist, Rocco attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied photography and the visual arts while also dabbling in filmmaking.
With an impressive portfolio from both his academic and freelance careers, Rocco was able to earn acceptance to the prestigious MFA program at the California Institute of the Arts. Upon graduation, Rocco accepted several photojournalism assignments that would allow him to see some of the locations that had long fascinated him, including Okinawa and Tibet. These assignments resulted in widespread acclaim, which ultimately allowed Rocco to found Rocco Basile Photography in such close proximity to his Santa Barbara home.
Rocco continues to take on intermittent freelance photojournalism assignments and enjoys being able to travel all over the globe while doing so, but it is his work at Rocco Basile Photography that brings him the deepest sense of personal and professional fulfillment. While Rocco Basile Photography does indeed host events in which Rocco’s own work is featured, the longtime photography expert feels most gratified by the opportunity to showcase the work of others while also teaching the craft to so many of the talented, up-and-coming photographers who visit the Southern California studio Rocco founded so many years ago.
