FRANCESCA ROCCAFORTE
                                                         P.O. Box 3399 Oakland, CA 94609     rocknfranny@gmail.com

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:      MY EARLY BEGINNINGS IN NEW YORK CITY
My love of nature began early on in my life  living in New York City where I was born, raised,and spent the first two decades of my life.  As a respite from the sweltering humid summers, me and my family and friends spent
many days on the beaches and at various nature preserves in both New York City, Long Island and upstate New York. Contrary to many false beliefs about New York, it is a very beautiful place and it has some spectacular fall foliage and the mountains are really nice too! As a former urban dweller, I always managed to get some quiet time and commune with nature. Central Park is one of my very favorite places where I could get a bit of nature,culture, music, and sit on a rock of granite, write poetry and take photos. La dolce vita! Encouraged and supported by my father Frank Sr. I was taught photography at a very young age using  his cameras. He taught me aesthetics, composition, and technique.
My mother Vee taught me  how to arrange objects  and she herself enjoyed painting, arts & crafts, puzzles and word games. Along with photography, I began writing at a early age. With a pen in my pocket and a series of Canon SLRS as my tools, my life long passion in the visual and performing arts began. I was publishing my writings in high school newspapers along with my photography and I  had my first solo show at a organization called the "Door"in the West Village in the 197O's. The "Door" really nurtured my creative teenage energy which enabled me to prepare for both my intense photographic studies at the School of Visual Arts and creative writing at Hunter College in New York. I spent four years immersed in  photo studies. I also worked part time as a documentary photographer, performing arts photographer, and darkroom technician.  I took workshops and classes with W. Eugene Smith, Ansel Adams, Eve Sonneman, Cora Wright Kennedy, Dena, and Alice Beck at the School of Visual Arts.

CALIFORNIA YEARS:
After travelling to Italy, Israel, and the  United States on a photo trip documenting spirituality and religious customs, I relocated  to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of  23.  I was employed in several photography labs and camera stores and instructed my customers on the operations of cameras and helped them take better photos. I  completed my  visual arts education in California by earning degrees and certificates  in Television Production, Visual Communication in Education and Digital  Media.
  I  have studied photographic art  with Chris Johnson ( California College of Arts) Stephen Joseph and Alan Copeland (Berkeley City College). My Master's Degree was completed  at Cal State East Bay.  My thesis project of portraits of Italian Women and oral herstories was exhibited and published in the 1990's. 
I have been employed as a free-lance photographer, shooting portraits and events.  I  also spent over a decade working at educational and medical  institutions in various capacities which include audio visual technician, photographer, video producer, video festival producer and director.
Currently, I teach beginning and advanced digital photography to adult learners.  I also exhibit my photographic art in the SF BAY AREA.