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SHAWN ROCCO
4600 Lancashire Dr.
Raleigh, NC. 27613
919-812-8291
shawnrocco@gmail.com
www.shawnrocco.com

Biography
Shawn Rocco (b. 1972) is a staff photojournalist at the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. In
2002, after three years as a commercial photographer and seven years as a freelance photojournalist,
he was hired as chief photographer for the Chapel Hill News and then staff photojournalist for the
News and Observer. Raised in Yonkers and then Goshen, New York, he majored in environmental
science and minored in photography at Plattsburgh State University, New York. He moved to North
Carolina in 1995. Since 2007 he has pursued a style and produced a body of award winning personal
documentary work, coined cellular obscura, which is done with a Motorola E815 cellphone camera.
http://www.cellularobscura.com

Group Shows
Spruill Gallery, On the Flip Side, Atlanta, Ga. 2009
Helen Day Art Center, Relentless Eye, Stowe, Vt. 2009

Selected Juried Exhibitions (and awards)
Visual Art Exchange, The Road Show, Raleigh, NC. 2010
Visual Art Exchange, Seeing Red, Raleigh, NC. 2009
Raleigh City Museum, Portraits of Raleigh, Raleigh, NC. 2009
LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph, Shots & Works, Charlottesville, Va. 2009
Visual Art Exchange, Birds Eye View, Raleigh, NC. 2008
Carolina Color Gallery, Town and Country , Raleigh, NC. 2008 (Second Place award)
Visual Art Exchange, Annual N.E.W. Show, Raleigh, NC. 2008 (Merit Award)
Frankie G. Weems Gallery, North Carolina Photographers Exhibition, Raleigh, NC. 2000
Frankie G. Weems Gallery, North Carolina Photographers Exhibition, Raleigh, NC. 1999
Frankie G. Weems Gallery, North Carolina Photographers Exhibition, Raleigh, NC. 1998

Solo Exhibitions
Exchange Gallery, Cellular Obscura, Raleigh, NC. August 2010
Cafe Helios, Cellular Obscura, Raleigh, NC. 2008
Humble Pie, Portraits, Raleigh, NC. 2001

Awards & Grants
2010 Regional Artist Project Grant, United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County

2009:
2nd Place, Spot News, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of
the Year
2008:
1st Place, Multimedia interactive, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar
Best in Show, National Press Photographers Association annual Best of Photojournalism
1st Place, Features Video, National Press Photographers Association annual Best of Photojournalism
3rd Place, Election Coverage, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of
the Year
2nd place, Photo Page, North Carolina Press Association
3rd place, Interactive Feature, North Carolina Press Association
2007:
Best in Show, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the Year
1st Place, News Picture Story, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of
the Year
1st Place, Portrait, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the Year
3rd Place, Pictorial, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the Year
2nd Place, Sports Feature, Southern Short Course
2006:
1st Place, Portrait, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the Year
2005:
1st Place, Feature, North Carolina Press Association
3rd Place, General News, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the
Year
2003:
1st Place, Sports Feature, North Carolina Press Photographers Association’s annual Pictures of the
Year

Presentations
B&H Photo/Video Event Space
NY, NY. August 17, 2009
“Cellular Obscura: Exploring the World with the Kodak Brownie of the Digital Age – a Cellphone
Camera.”
Ignite Raleigh
Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC. August 5, 2009
“The Best Camera is the One You Have With You.”

Press
-Mobile Magazine, “Point, Shoot, Ring. Shawn Rocco masters the ‘Kodak Brownie of the Digital Age.’”
Neal McLennan Winter/Spring 2010
-Washington Post, “How to Take and Make Good Camera-Phone Photos,” Roy Furchgott, August 16,
2009. web link: http://bit.ly/4gxzSD
-New York Times, Lens Blog “Shoptalk: Dial “P” for Photo,” David Dunlap, June 24, 2009. web link:
http://bit.ly/1haktE
-Florida Times Union, “Under Exposure: Inspiration in my pocket,” Bruce Lipsky, June 24, 2009. web
link: http://bit.ly/nxof8
-Digifoto Pro, Netherlands, “Professionele fotograaf met voorliefde voor de cameratelefoon,” Julian
Huijbregts, April 2009.
-30Threads “Raleigh photojournalist runs photo blog using cellphone camera,” Ginny Skalski, March
6, 2009. web link: http://bit.ly/yVeYe
-Photo District News, PDNonline, “Personal Work: Shawn Rocco’s ‘Cellular Obscura’,” David Walker,
Jan. 29, 2009. web link: http://bit.ly/DyQSg
-Photo District News, Picture Story: Free at Last, David Walker, February 2009

Professional Experience
Adjunct Professor, Intermediate Photojournalism, School of Journalism, UNC-Chapel Hill, Spring
2010
Staff Photojournalist, News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 2002-Present
Chief Photographer, Chapel Hill News, Chapel Hill, NC, 2002-2005
Commercial Photographer, ASW, Raleigh, NC, 1998-2001

Education
Plattsburgh State University, New York, 1990-1994
B.A. Environmental Science
Minor: Photography