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 camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” — Dorothea Lange
Biography
Charles Versaggi is a native San Franciscan of Italian heritage, who now lives in San Rafael. 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
Light as a Feather was a juried exhibition of bird photography that celebrated April as the 49th Anniversary of Earth Month. Sponsored by the Mill Valley Arts Commission, First Tuesday Art Walk, the exhibit at Mill Valley City Hall highlighted the variety of birds and their habitats that make Marin County a special place for enjoying the aesthetics of nature.
Photoessays (click titles to read)
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
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
Recent Press
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
