Carlo Orsi was born in Milan on March 8, 1941, in Via Solferino, in the Brera district: the Bar Jamaica under his house, art and artists as his first companions to nurture curiosity and inspiration.

He began photographing as a reporter for the "Corriere della Sera" and became Ugo Mulas' assistant, a source of knowledge of the camera obscura, a place where each photo "grows" thanks to the printing technique.

In the 1960s he made reportages in Italy and abroad for various periodicals ("Panorama", "Il Mondo", "Settimo Giorno", "Oggi") and worked for fashion, collaborating with Italian and foreign magazines, without ever losing sight of his city. In 1965, the first book dedicated to Milan was published, with text by Dino Buzzati. A second "twin" volume was produced in 2015, with texts by Aldo Nove.

He devoted himself to advertising, with alienating images and models portrayed with an unusual naturalness. His most relevant campaigns include: Omsa, La Perla, Swatch, Philip Morris, Alias, Baleri, Nemo, Cassina.

His first solo exhibition dates back to 1984, with installation by Mario Botta.

Reportages around the world and collaborations with artist friends led to several publications: Extasi, on the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1999; Faihful. People around the world of 2004; Jannis Kounellis - Atto Unico of 2006; La luce della terra of 2007.

In 1997, together with Silvana Beretta and his lifelong friends Gianfranco Pardi, Emilio Tadini, Giorgio Terruzzi and Guido Vergani, he founded the magazine Città Milano to narrate Milan through the shots of great photographers.

Since 2004, he has collaborated with Interplast, an association of doctors working in different parts of the world. Two books document missions in Tibet, China, Uganda, Bangladesh, and Bolivia.

In 2019, he resumes work on the magazine "Città Milano".

Carlo Orsi dies in Bergamo on May 31, 2021.