Like an insatiable moth, I've been a light chaser for many years. I love photography for its science, craft, art, and power to expand our vision. But most of all as a tool that enables us to see and share novel perspectives, informing stories that evoke feelings of awe, empathy, and community with the world around us.
“The greatest gift a camera can give a serious photographer is that of seeing, and through seeing, understanding a little more about humanity, the significant details of life, and the world around us. And in the hands of a perceptive person, the photographer’s work becomes an art form.” — Alessandro Baccari, Jr.
Biography
Charles Versaggi is a native San Franciscan of Italian heritage, who now lives in Petaluma. Earning a doctorate in marine biology, he learned to appreciate the wonders of nature both under and above the water — often with camera in tow. A mass-media science fellowship writing for the Milwaukee Journal paved the way to science writing, life science communications, and photojournalism. He has participated in juried group photo exhibitions and has published numerous articles and photoessays. He is currently working on North Beach Light (© 2018), a collection of photoessays that reflect on his early years of living in North Beach when it was the City’s “Italianita” and the center of Beat lifestyle, topless bars, and jazz clubs, leading to flower power and the Summer of Love.
Recent Projects
May 19-June 12, 2022 a 12-image selection from the The Lion Sleeps Tonight portfolio was showcased in a group exhibition at The Live Worms Gallery Spring Exhibition on Upper Grant Ave. in the heart of North Beach.
May 23-July 22, 2022 the photo City Lights was chosen to be included in Community, a juried group competition that featured works by professional and amateur photographers globally. The esteemed panel of judges included Henrik Kam, Penny Wolin & Deanne Fitzmaurice.
Photoessays (click titles to read)
The Beat Museum Celebrates 2022 Kerouac Centennial and a Buon Gusto Vision,The Semaphore, Winter 2021
Jack Hirschman — Reflections, The Semaphore, Fall 2021
Remembering Alessandro Baccari — "Mr. North Beach"(North Beach Light) The Bold Italic 2021
My Godfather Was Joe Conforte, Nevada's "King of Prostitution" — Founder of the Mustang Ranch(North Beach Light) The Bold Italic 2021
Buone Feste: Celebrating Christmas in 1950s North Beach(North Beach Light)The Bold Italic 2019
Inside the Oldest Jewelry Studio in the U.S.(North Beach Light) The Bold Italic 2019
One Degree of Separation and a Bicycle(North Beach Light) Medium 2018
Dignity Honor and Respect: A Spirit's Last Journey with Green Street Mortuary Marching Band(North Beach Light) The Bold Italic 2018
The Lion Sleeps Tonight — A Dawn Walk Through SF's Night Club DistrictThe Bold Italic (North Beach Light) 2018
March for Our Lives — Camera As a Tool for Social ChangeMedium 2018
Exhibitions
2022 Community juried group exhibition at The Image Flow Gallery, San Anselmo, juried by Henrik Kam, Penny Wolin & Deanne Fitzmaurice.
2022 The Lion Sleeps Tonight photo exhibit showcased at The Live Worms Gallery, North Beach, San Francisco
2021 Mill Valley Click-Off Competition, Signs of the Times, Mill Valley Arts Commission
2020 O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, "Golden Hour" Exhibition juried by Kim Eagles-Smith
2019 Mill Valley Click-Off, Structures, First Place, Mill Valley Arts Commission
2019 Photo Exhibit — Light as a Feather, Mill Valley Arts Commission
2019 Group Show, The Image Flow, Mill Valley, CA
2018 Two group Shows, The Image Flow, Mill Valley, CA
2018 Group Show and Competition, Structures, Mill Valley Arts Commission
Press
Petaluma Photographers in the Spotlight, Argus-Courier, May 17, 2022
Passion for birds takes flight for San Rafael photographer, Marin IJ, April 3, 2019
Bird photos surround council members at Mill Valley City Hall, San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2019
Photos and Essays ©Charles Versaggi 2021
Open to collaboration. To commission a project, purchase a print, license an image or for more info:
CONTACT: 415/806-6039 charlesversaggi[at]me.com
Twitter: chazver
