INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COURTESY OF SCARP DE’ TENIS / INSP.NGO “It was only when I started to attend a computer course that for the first time that I had control of the situation and entered a world that until then had been closed off to me, and this was only because no one had ever truly understood, in all those years, what my potential was and what my problems were. Because in the end, it’s always a question of looks.” Now, Bersani has been a professional photographer for over 35 years. His passion for photography began at the age of seven when his father bought him a rangefinder camera. “At first, it was bad because I could never focus. The turning point came with the advent of autofocus. That was how, at around age 30, I started to feel that photography was pushing to come out of me.” Bersani decided to enroll in a photojournalism course with Franco Lefèvre, editor-in-chief and art director of Venerdì dì Repubblica, who, shortly afterward, began to buy his first reports. “It was hard at first, but I stubbornly persisted until I was able to develop my own language,” Bersani said. “Today, I do four types of photography: studio portraiture, 2D and 3D artwork reproduction, jewelry still life, and exterior and interior architecture. Additionally, there is what I call intuitive photography: reportage that was born from a paradigm inversion. I am not the one looking for the photo; instead, it calls to me while I am walking down the street. It is photography that conveys emotion.” A few years ago, however, Bersani’s condition deteriorated. “A new pathology appeared: glaucoma,” he said. “It is an increase in eye pressure that has further broken through my retinas.” Despite this, he continues to work. “I will never stop, because it is the only way I have to show others how I see the world” – to give color to his monochrome perception and thus bring to the surface the invisible in which, as the little fox knew, it is possible to peer into the essential. 12 March 2024 saw the release of Vedo, Bersani’s first full work. “In this book, I have encapsulated 35 years of life as a blind photographer,” he said. “It was not an easy process; the disease has worsened over the years. Fortunately, I was helped by technological innovation. “With the move away from analog to working on a graphics station, I gained better control of color through certain tools and techniques. I still can’t see it, but I can evaluate it by examining its distribution on the red, blue, and green channels. In this way, I can more or less understand which color one part of the image may compared to another. “Then there’s the prejudice. Even today, there is this idea that disabled people shouldn’t be allowed in certain areas, such as work or art. Having chosen to follow my passion in spite of everything, in my own small way, I try to make a difference so that things can change.” The reviews that the book has received are proof that something is working. “Many people have written to me to tell me that my words have helped them,” Bersani said. “I would like the message of these pages to be one of understanding. I would like everyone to try to understand a certain condition before helping, because only in this way, by listening and understanding, can the impact of such a difficulty be reduced. In addition, I will never stop saying: fight, otherwise there’s no hope.” Translated from Italian by Grace Reid Courtesy of Scarp de’ tenis / INSP.ngo March 2025 DENVER VOICE 11
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