Phil Pasquini is a California native who holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (1970) and Master of Fine Arts degree (1971) in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. In his professional career he has worked as a college art professor in sculpture and industrial design and has lectured on these subjects in Europe and the Middle East. In 1980 he was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts individual fellowship. He has shown his sculptures in museums and galleries around the world with his work being included in many private and public collections throughout the U.S. and Europe. His photographs have been published in magazines, newspapers, films, books and online around the world.

Since 1999 he has been a staff photojournalist at the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, as well as contributing to other international publications. He has also worked as a radio correspondent, reporting from Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. In 2010 he and his wife, also a journalist, received the prestigious CAIR Award for Fairness and Integrity in Media.

His passion for photography developed at an early age when he was given a camera by an uncle and discovered the miracle of being able to capture and record events. This life long fascination has become an all-consuming undertaking that continues to this day. Besides photography above water, he has also done extensive underwater photography in the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba.

He has traveled extensively for over four decades in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa, the Middle East and South America. His extensive travel has created an internationalist outlook of the world and a greater understanding and appreciation for other cultures and people.

He published his book, Domes, Arches and Minarets, a History of Islamic-Inspired Buildings in America (2012), to give light to this fascinating and influential style so much a part of the American cityscape.