By Christopher Yoshi
I. THE ASSIGNMENT: What It Means to Hold a Camera in History’s Face
In the hierarchy of journalism, the press photographer occupies a peculiar space—simultaneously essential and overlooked. They are the ones who freeze time, yet rarely have their own time frozen in memory. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with presidents and pop stars, in war zones and White House lawns, yet their names often vanish into photo credits too small to read.
Georgio Sabino III—known professionally as GS3—has spent more than two decades in this invisible space. His résumé reads like a cross-section of American life over the past 25 years: five presidents, three Grammy-winning artists on tour, two national championship teams at the White House, and a portfolio spanning everything from high-fashion runways to political conventions, from weddings on San Diego Bay to the Republican National Convention in his new hometown of Cleveland.
But this is not merely a profile. This is an examination of what the press photographer does—the physical labor, the psychological weight, the ethical tightrope—embodied in one man’s career. Because to understand GS3 is to understand the architecture of visual truth in an age of deepfakes and algorithmic distrust. The Composition!
II. THE MAKING OF A LENS: Education, Mentorship, and the Self-Taught Discipline
Sabino’s path was never linear. Born in Columbus, Ohio, he knew by seventh grade that he was an artist—not as a hobby, but as an identity. His high school years at Findlay High School offered one of Ohio’s most comprehensive secondary arts programs, spanning fashion design, interior design, jewelry making, and rigorous foundations in drawing, painting, and ceramics.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Kent State University in 1999, followed by a dual master’s degree through a collaborative program between Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art, focusing on Art Education. But the classroom was only part of the education.
Two mentors shaped his photographic philosophy. The first was Bern Webb, a British photographer who guided Sabino through the technical labyrinth of aperture, shutter speed, and light—largely through trial and error. “I taught myself everything I know about photography,” Sabino has said. “I learned about aperture, shutter, and light through trial and error, and I credit Bern Webb for helping me along the way.”
The second was John Isaac, an award-winning photographer for the United Nations who photographed Audrey Hepburn and Michael Jackson. Isaac’s words became Sabino’s north star: “It’s not about the camera—it’s about the image. Capture the image!”
This distinction—between the tool and the result—is foundational to press photography. The camera is merely a conduit; the photographer is the interpreter. Isaac, who documented humanitarian crises and celebrity alike, understood that the image is not the subject but the argument about the subject.
Influenced by Isaac and guided by Webb, Sabino set a bold goal: to shoot every image as if it were a magazine cover. That discipline led to publication in iconic outlets such as JET and Ebony magazines—publications that, for generations of Black Americans, were not just entertainment but documentation of a people’s existence.
III. THE NEWSROOM FLOOR: GS3 as Press Photographer
Sabino operates his own firm, GS3 Photography LLC, but his work has appeared under the mastheads of City News USA, The Call and Post (Don King’s newspaper), and The Real Deal, a Cleveland-based publication. He has also submitted work to Essence magazine, including for author Vickie Stringer. His byline—or rather, his photo credit—has appeared in JET, Ebony, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he has been recognized not only as a photographer but as a fashion designer.
But what does a press photographer actually do on assignment?
The job is part diplomat, part acrobat, part therapist. Sabino has described photographing figures as varied as Maya Angelou, B.B. King, Ambassador Andrew Young, Congressman John Lewis, football legend Jim Brown, Bruno Mars, and Matthew McConaughey. Each requires a different approach: the quiet reverence for Angelou, the kinetic energy for Mars, the formal protocol for a former congressman. Also 15 Billionaires.
“When I think of history, it’s crazy to think of all that I was capturing in the moment,” Sabino reflected. “I was cognizant and stunned but very confident to handle such precious moments.”
This duality—awareness of history unfolding while maintaining professional composure—is the press photographer’s essential paradox. You are both participant and observer, both awed and detached. The shutter clicks regardless. “But what you’re thinking is composition.” shared GS3.
IV. THE TOUR: 200–300 Musicians and the Road
Perhaps no chapter of Sabino’s career better illustrates the press photographer’s nomadic reality than his work with Bill Brown’s Consider It Done Management now called VERITAS EVENT LOGISTICS, LLC, a Philadelphia-based talent agency. Brown gave Sabino opportunities to photograph clients like Floetry in New York City at Sounds of Brazil (SOB’s)—a venue that has hosted everyone from The Roots to Erykah Badu and Keyshia Cole.
But the defining tour was the Sugar Water Festival, featuring Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Queen Latifah. Sabino toured with Jill Scott (started out for 6 months) for three years, traveling from rooftop venues in New York City to Radio City Music Hall, from state to state, small clubs to massive arenas.
The tour photographer’s life is grueling: different lighting conditions every night, different stage configurations, different crowds, different energy. The images must be delivered quickly—often same-day for press deadlines—while maintaining magazine-quality composition. Sabino estimates he has photographed 200 to 300 musicians across all genres.
“Reminiscing on the Sugar Water Tour,” he wrote. “Three Queens”. The phrase captures the assignment’s romance and its grind: three of the most powerful voices in contemporary R&B, and one photographer trying to do them justice.
V. THE WHITE HOUSE: Five Presidents and Two Championships
Sabino has photographed five presidents: Donald Trump, The Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Mexican President Vicente Fox. But it is Obama with whom his career is most intimately entwined.
Sabino photographed Obama twice at the White House under official invitation—first for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ 2015 national championship and then for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 championship. The Buckeyes visit featured a roster that reads like a who’s-who of future NFL talent: Ezekiel Elliott, Urban Meyer, J.T. Barrett, Joe Burrow, Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller. The Cavaliers visit brought LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. Can you image a “kid from Columbus” in a room with these elite giants. Imagine knowing your gift and fulfilling it more than once.
These were not just photo opportunities. They were history. The Buckeyes were the first College Football Playoff national champions. The Cavaliers ended a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland. And Sabino was there—not as a fan, but as the official visual chronicler. As a press member!
“President Obama honored the Cleveland Cavaliers,” his alumni profile notes. “Photographed National Champions at the White House 2016”. The phrasing is clinical, but the experience was anything but. Sabino has authored a book of his Obama photographs, following the president from senator to two-term commander-in-chief. “This book captures my journey as photographer Georgio Sabino III GS3 as I followed Barack Obama from senator to the first Black American President,” he wrote.
The book is titled “Through My Lens: Documenting Barack Obama’s Historic Path to the Presidency”. It is, in essence, a visual diary of a journalist’s proximity to power. Imagine an American president signing your work! Best way to say it is “in-con-ceiv-a-ble” the way he felt from the movie The Princess Bride.
VI. THE MISSION: News Photography and the Protection of Truth
Sabino’s philosophy—”to capture an image to immortalize but also protect the truth”—is not merely aspirational. It is the credo of serious news photography.
The press photographer’s mission is distinct from that of the artist or the commercial shooter. The artist creates; the photographer witnesses. The commercial photographer sells; the press photographer testifies. This is why Sabino’s work has appeared in venues as varied as the Congressional Black Caucus (2008), the Democratic Debate between Hillary Clinton and Obama moderated by Tim Russert and Brian Williams (2008), and the Republican National Convention in Cleveland (2016).
He has photographed Colin Powell and Goldie Hawn at the Get Motivated! Business Seminar. He has photographed Kehinde Wiley—the painter who would later create Obama’s official portrait—at the Cleveland Museum of Art. He has worked with the Guggenheim Museum’s Education Department and the Studio Museum of Harlem.
Each assignment requires a different ethical calculus. At a political convention, the photographer must remain neutral while capturing the spectacle. At a White House ceremony, the photographer must respect protocol while finding the human moment. At a concert, the photographer must serve the artist while serving the story.
Sabino’s graduate thesis, titled “Educational Genocide,” critically examines systemic inequities in education—how curriculum gaps, resource deprivation, and cultural erasure disproportionately impact Black and marginalized communities. The work is both visual and conceptual, combining research, symbolism, and lived experience. It reveals a photographer who sees his craft not as mere documentation but as argument—a way of making valid statements about society.
“Many of my paintings deal with our societal views on education,” Sabino has said. “Like the demi-gods around the world that play a part of that system”.
VII. THE COMMUNITY: Beyond the Frame
Sabino’s work extends beyond photojournalism into community engagement. He has served as an art juror for Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Congresswoman Marsha Fudge. He has been a guest lecturer at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design, Ursuline College, and Cuyahoga Community College. He served on the board of the Cleveland Entertainment Coalition.
His exhibitions read like a map of Northeast Ohio’s cultural institutions:
- Herb Ascherman Jr. & Cle Photo Fest Presents: Photothon 2021 “A Portrait of Diversity”
- Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus (2017, 2019, 2020)
- East Cleveland Library Art Show (2019–2020)
- Kent State University Uumbaji Gallery (2019)
- Western Reserve Historical Society, where he co-curated two year-long exhibits and mounted a temporary photography exhibit on President Obama
At the Stellar African American Artists Alumni Exhibition at Case Western Reserve University in March 2020, Sabino served as assistant curator. “This isn’t like any other art show,” he told a reporter, handing over a traditional ceremonial stick from West Africa. The gesture was symbolic: art is not just seen; it is passed on.
VIII. THE ECONOMICS: A Small Black-Owned Business Covering Big Stories
Sabino operates GS3 Art, Fashion & Photography, LLC, a small, Black-owned business. “We are a small, black-owned business that covers big stories,” he has said.
This is not incidental. The economics of press photography have been brutal for decades. Newspaper budgets have shrunk, freelance rates have stagnated, and the rise of citizen journalism has devalued professional photography in the public imagination. Yet Sabino persists—covering weddings of all cultures across the United States, from San Diego on a yacht to Ohio, West Virginia, and Georgia. Photographing for the church pilgrimage to Tanzania and several cities within or covering a fashion photoshoot in Paris, France.
The wedding work is not a departure from his journalistic mission; it is an extension. Weddings are, after all, stories—of love, family, culture, and community (their personal history). They require the same eye for composition, the same sensitivity to light, the same ability to capture a moment that will never come again.
IX. THE LEGACY: What the Press Photographer Leaves Behind
In an era of AI-generated imagery and deepfake videos, the press photographer’s role has never been more important—or more precarious. The image is no longer presumed truthful. It must be verified. The photographer’s reputation, their track record, their presence at the event—these become the chain of custody for visual truth.
Sabino’s career spans the transition from film to digital, from print to web, from newspapers to social media. He has adapted—teaching art at MC2 Stem High School at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, NASA resources to teach students. He has integrated augmented reality into his fashion designs, blurring the lines between physical and digital.
But the core mission remains unchanged: “to shoot as if every image were a magazine cover”. This is not about ego. It is about discipline. It is about treating every subject—whether a president or a bride, a rock star or a refugee—with the same respect, the same attention, the same commitment to truth.
X: The Frame Is Not the Truth; It Is the Path to It
Georgio Sabino III has photographed 300 to 400 weddings, 200 to 300 musicians, five presidents, two national championship teams, and countless community events. His work has appeared in JET, Ebony, Essence, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and numerous other publications. He has been a press photographer for City News USA, a freelancer for Don King’s Call and Post, the owner of GS3 Photography LLC, and a contributor to the Real Deal.
But these are just credits. The deeper story is about what it means to be a witness—to stand in the room where history happens and to see.
John Isaac taught him: “It’s not about the camera—it’s about the image. Capture the image!” Bern Webb guided him through the technical craft. But the philosophy is Sabino’s own: to immortalize, to protect the truth, to create art that “stimulates the imagination and challenges the intellect, propelling the viewer towards celestial heights where they can explore, discover and uncover their polyrhythmic identities through my work”.
The press photographer is the invisible hand that shapes how we remember. Sabino’s career is a testament to that labor—the long hours, the unpredictable conditions, the pressure to deliver, the joy of a perfect frame.
In the end, the image is not the truth. It is an argument about the truth. And Georgio Sabino III has been making that argument, frame by frame, for more than two decades. And in this time of ai and press being killed for being “the press”, GS3 wanted to share and protect the truth to what he is doing day-to-day for the people.
SOURCES & REFERENCES / PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Primary Sources:
- Ohio Artist Registry, Georgio Sabino III profile
- Case Western Reserve University, Department of Art History, Alumni News: Georgio Sabino III (August 2021)
- Kent State University, Alumni Spotlight: Georgio Sabino III
- GS3 Photography Blog: “AHA! — Black Journalists, Artists, History & Culture in Cleveland”
- GS3 Photography Blog: “Georgio Sabino III Makes Valid Statements with Creative Endeavors” (Deanna Adams)
- GS3 Photography Blog: “The Tour Photographer”
- GS3 Photography Blog: “Spice of Life: Georgio Sabino III” (Maria Gatmaytan)
- Western Reserve Historical Society, “History, Harmony, and Hope” event listing (April 2024)
- Ideastream Public Media, “Five Arts And Culture Events In Northeast Ohio In March” (2020)
- Cleveland.com, “Stellar African American Artists Alumni Exhibition at Case showcases diverse voices” (March 2020)
- Blurb Books, Member Profile: Georgio Sabino III
- Summit Artspace, “Meet the 2023 Cohort – Georgio Sabino III”
Key Statistics Referenced:
- Two-time official White House photographer under President Obama (2015, 2016)
- Photographed five U.S. presidents and one Mexican president
- Published in JET, Ebony, Essence magazines
- Photographed 200–300 musicians across all genres
- Photographed 300–400 weddings across the United States
- Co-curator for two year-long exhibits at Western Reserve Historical Society
- Featured in Cleveland Plain Dealer as fashion designer
- Graduate of Kent State University (B.A. 1999) and Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Art (M.A. 2009)
This report was compiled through open-source research, archival review, and verified public records. All statements attributed to Georgio Sabino III are drawn from published interviews and primary source materials. The investigative approach reflects the standards of multi-newsroom collaborative journalism.