Andrea Monti

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  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Exhibitions,  Gear,  Photography,  Rome,  Spring

    On Detachment. Or ‘If You Love Something, Set It Free’ (cit. Sting)

    June 17, 2025 /

    A number of philosophies and religions preach the virtue of detachment from things as a path to enlightenment. When applied to gear, this advice won’t only save your soul —if you believe there’s one— but also your money and, last but not least, your photograph experience. This means avoiding the development of ‘feelings’ towards a camera or a lens that shift from appreciating their value as a tool to some sort of ‘personal engagement’. Initially published on 35mmc.com As odd as it sounds, such an attitude towards an inanimate object is more frequent than one may imagine. A paradigmatic case is the attachment of AIBO’s owners to their robotic pets:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Next Time, Maybe…

    January 12, 2014

    Junk Food

    January 16, 2013

    Who is the mannequin?

    April 11, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Portraits,  Summer

    On Tips’n Tricks to ‘take you photos to the next level’

    May 29, 2025 /

    I recently asked a friend, who works on the editorial side of the music industry, to share his thoughts on one of my photographs taken during a flamenco concert. His response was a deep and thorough analysis, which I will spare the readers in full. In brief, however, he praised the lighting as particularly effective for flamenco photography, noting how the chiaroscuro effect recalls the classical paintings of Caravaggio. Regarding the composition, he observed that the bailaora’s body fills the frame dynamically, without ever feeling cramped. In his conclusion, he remarked that the image captures the very soul of flamenco. As flattering as this commentary was, I must admit that none…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Hanging

    May 29, 2016

    Let’s get the party started…

    January 20, 2014

    Avid Readers

    November 19, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography

    Why a Longterm Relationship (with your camera) Makes You Feel Good

    March 26, 2025 /

    There is no ‘forever’ in life (life included), and apart from more mundane matters, this is especially true of photography. In fact, the ‘infidelity rate’ that affects many relationships with cameras and lenses is only tamed by the money it takes to break them (and sometimes even the lack of money does not stop them from happening).  But at least when it comes to photography, the tranquillity of a stable relationship has some advantages over the excitement of an ever-changing course. From daily and continuous use comes confidence, and from confidence comes a Zen-like state of mind that makes the body to react automatically when the primal part of the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Carabinieri in Milan

    January 28, 2014

    Fixing the ship

    August 18, 2021

    When the day is gone

    April 4, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Gear,  Photography,  Tokyo,  Winter

    DSLR-like…?

    March 21, 2025 /

    I decided to write this post after having stumbled across the next ethusiast review of a smartphone published on a reputable magazine, claiming that the device can deliver ‘DSLR-like’ photos. In fact, as is often the case with ‘camera experts’ who work for a magazine or earn money by posting videos making funny faces on social networks, it was just a rewrite of the manufacturer’s product specifications and promotional material. There are few things, in photography, I dislike more than than these ‘DSLR-like’ claims made in the advertising of smartphones and compact cameras because ‘DSLR-like’ is the archetype of a meaningless statement made to lure people into using an arbitrary benchmark…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Generations

    February 5, 2013

    Big Brother Enhanced

    May 1, 2013

    Settled in the wrong place

    January 11, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography

    To Do or To Own? (or the Photographer’s Dilemma)

    March 2, 2025 /

    To Own or To Do is the photographer’s version of Erich Fromm’s dilemma posed in his famous essay, ‘To Have or to Be’. I don’t have the authority to talk about a complex topic such as the relationship between individual frustration or lack of accomplishment and compensatory or self-delusional behaviour. I would rather like to focus on how putting gear ownership over gear use affects the ability to take meaningful shots. Initially published on 35mmc.com Like many fellow photographers, I have been affected by the Gear Acquisition Syndrome, which in my case has manifested itself not in a quest for a —whatever it means — ‘perfect image’ but rather a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Street Magic@Nagoya Castle

    July 21, 2019

    Buying Chocolate

    October 31, 2015

    Inked

    February 12, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Nagasaki,  Osaka,  Photography,  Streets&Squares,  Thoughts,  Tokyo,  Travels,  Yokohama

    Why You Should Only Shoot in Your Backyard (or ‘The Art of Belonging’)

    December 19, 2024 /

    What do these pictures have in common (apart from having been taken in various places in Japan)? No, they don’t have the same look and feel, composition or use of light, nor they convey a particular meaning. What they have in common is that they’re just dull and boring —meaningless, indeed. This picture of the Yokohama’s Chinatown Dragon is hardly different than the others available on the Internet. Initially published on 35mmc.com It shares a similar fate with this one, taken last Mid November in Osaka, and, as Google Lens mercylessly shows, with this one, shot in Omura, near Nagasaki. One can hardly say that this is a never-seen-before view of Tokyo’s Kyu-Shiba-rikyū Gardens, or of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Lost Bottles

    January 27, 2014

    Room 17

    March 27, 2015

    Uninterest

    March 2, 2021
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Spring,  Technique

    5 frames with a Kiev 60, a Volna 80/2,8 and a Ferrania Orto

    June 28, 2024 /

    Working on a ‘project’ or ‘series’ is a well-known way of giving meaning to the act of taking photographs. It serves many purposes, such as training in a particular technique, familiarising oneself with a camera and/or lens, or exploring stylistic options. A project is usually planned in advance, though not necessarily in great detail. However, as in the case of these images, sometimes the idea of a common thread linking different images just happens. I was wandering around the suburbs of my home town with a Soviet-era Kiev 60 and its ‘kit lens’, the Volna 80/2.8, and a roll of Ferrania Orto when I noticed the oddity of a worn-out…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Harley-Davidson

    December 24, 2018

    Different Load

    June 23, 2015

    Servicing a Beretta 98FS

    October 13, 2019
  • Actors,  Autumn,  B&W,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Fighting Disciplines,  Photography,  Spring,  Summer,  Winter

    What Does ‘Professional’ Mean in Photography?

    March 19, 2024 /

    Pro’ is the photographer’s blessing and curse. It is the status we all – well, many of us – aspire to. It is the marketing gimmick created by the exploiters of the Gear Acquisition Syndrome to make people believe that tools make the craftsman. ‘Amateur’, on the other hand, is a word associated with casual photographers, ‘wannabe’ artists, and people who want to make you believe that tools make the craftsman. I have always been unconvinced that such a difference exists, at least in the general meaning associated with the words ‘pro’ and ‘amateur’, and in relation to the idea that the equipment used or the quality of the shots…

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    Andrea Monti

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    When Heroes Come to Town

    April 17, 2019

    A Spanish Long Jumper

    September 11, 2022

    A Fishnet – 2

    October 29, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Tokyo

    Creativity vs Originality

    March 11, 2024 /

    Is the photo above creative? Is it original? Well… yes and no. It is certainly original because I ‘in person’ took it, and it is creative because – regardless of the aesthetic result – I took the time to arrange all the elements (composition, light, etc.) in a coherent moment —and I have the film negative to prove it. On the other hand, it is neither original —as in ‘unique’— nor creative because the same photo can be found here and maybe elsewhere on the Internet. Obviously, the linked photo it is not ‘the’ same as mine, because it is clear that they were taken at different times and places (mine was…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Refurbishing Downtown, Milan

    November 18, 2017

    Stage Setting

    October 1, 2014

    Shadows&Lights

    March 7, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Rowing,  Technique,  Winter

    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024 /

    Initially, I took this photo to document the poor state of a rowing teams’ dock. The idea was to praise the passion of this small group, who in the indifference of the general public, keep this discipline alive in a town, where soccer reigns supreme. However, when I saw the photo, it was the composition that attracted my attention: a classic example of the use of converging lines to drive the eye of the viewer. My only regret is that I failed to frame the small boat on the right, missing its bow. Had I been shooting digitally, I would have checked the result and retake the photo. Film, by…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stylemaster

    August 22, 2014

    Three Shadows

    November 11, 2016

    Did You Forget Something?

    October 3, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Technique

    A few test shots with an MC Cosinon T200/4

    January 14, 2024 /

    This lens has several shortcomings. It has a pronounced coma and the focus barrel requires a considerable amount of turning to get it right, thus making it challenging to fast focus when you need to. Camera sensor clearly influences colours’ rendition. Despite the ‘personality’ of this lens, the overall picture’s feel is clearly (to me, at least) that of the classic ‘cold’, slightly bluish Pentax (or, should I say, Sony) sensor. At f4 (all the images published here were taken at this aperture), the bokeh is pleasant. Nothing exceptional, but for a lens that sells for around 15 euros, the results are good enough. That said, a core question, asked…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Inside The Clocktower

    August 22, 2015

    Just Another Piccadilly Circus’ View

    September 20, 2016

    We Are All Made of Stars

    February 28, 2018
  • Airport,  Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Photography,  Technique,  Tokyo

    Different Stories

    December 30, 2023 /

    Taking ‘static’ pictures, such as those of buildings and other architectural structures, can be quite challenging, as it is easy to fall into obvious, already seen compositions that rob the shot of any individuality.One of the things that can make an otherwise dull image more interesting is the presence of some kind of action that blends in with the stillness of the environment.In this case, the woman on the phone is in exactly the same position as the model on the billboard. Only they are telling two different stories.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Moonshot with a handheld Fuji XF150-600 and a Fuji X-T3

    April 24, 2023

    Chasing the Runner

    October 6, 2013

    Aren’t Tapas Spanish?

    June 29, 2015
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Boston,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Tokyo

    As Seen on Ferrania Film’ Stories section…

    December 4, 2023 /

    A selection of the pictures I took this year in Boston and Tokyo has been published on the official Film Ferrania website, in the ‘Stories’ section.

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    Andrea Monti

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    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 2013

    Just a soccer field… Part 3

    February 5, 2014

    Milan

    March 19, 2015
  • Autumn,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Tokyo

    An experiment with Dall-E, ChatGPT and a Nissan S8

    November 4, 2023 /

    This is an experiment based on a picture of a Nissan S8 taken at the Nissan Crossing in Ginza.First, I asked Dall-E to describe what he ‘sees’. Then I started asking questions to locate the place where the showroom should be, being careful not to give any hints.ChatGPT did not give a correct answer on the first try, but eventually it did. Me: Describe this photo ChatGPT: This photo features a futuristic-looking race car displayed indoors, presumably within a showroom or an exhibition space. The car is designed with an aggressive aerodynamic shape, with large, protruding front winglets and an expansive rear wing, characteristic of high-speed, high-performance vehicles, possibly a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Another Bridge

    September 23, 2019

    Nightlife

    June 20, 2013

    Last Check Before the Start

    July 29, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  Photography,  Street Photography

    How Privacy Hysteria Killed Street-Photography

    October 22, 2023 /

    At other times I would have dismissed this image as ‘out of focus’ and unusable. Just another missed shot caused by poor focusing technique on a fully manual film camera. Nowadays, however, I have begun to change my attitude towards these kinds of blurred images because of the privacy hysteria affecting the practice of street photography. There have been cases where people have been found guilty of harassment for covertly taking pictures in public spaces, but street photography has nothing to do with criminal behaviour. There is a huge difference between taking sneaky, random, meaningless pictures of people on the street and trying to freeze sketches of life to tell…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Nico Cilli Band@Chiostro Comunale – Città S.Angelo

    September 9, 2013

    Boat Under The Bridge

    September 18, 2016

    Fishermen in Rome, Again

    November 5, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Observer Bias,  Photography

    AI or not AI?

    October 3, 2023 /

    The original title of this photograph was ‘When the wait to see the doctor is too long’, and it was intended to illustrate how the ‘framing’ of an image into a particular concept changes – or creates from scratch – its overall meaning.However, when a friend of mine saw it, he commented, ‘Is this made by AI?’ Making a pun with my initials, I replied ‘No, it is not AI, it is AM’.Joking aside, what made me think is that this image could not have been further from being AI-generated: it was shot on film, with a twenty-year-old point-and-shoot camera loaded with a fifteen-year-old Ilford HP5 400 roll, yet it…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Uninterest

    March 2, 2021

    Just a soccer match…

    May 15, 2013

    Processing a DSLR Digitised Black and White Film with Affinity Photo

    January 24, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Sport,  Summer,  Track&Field

    On Composition. Or: the eye sees what the mind is prepared to comprehend

    September 11, 2023 /

    This shot, taken during the Italian Road Running National Championships, is a fair application of the French philosopher Henri Bergson aphorism to composition: the eye sees what the mind is prepared to comprehend. In fact, although there is not a direct, cause-and-effect relationship between this image and renaissance painting, the learned observer may find some connection with works such as, for instance, Michelangelo’s Battaglia di Cascina. The connection between present and past may be loose, but this does not affect the principle. When I framed the shot I something ‘clicked’ in my mind and I instinctively decided to press the button. Photography (at least in all its variations, such as…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Viltrox AF85/1,8 II XF. Reflexless?

    April 2, 2021

    Leica Shop @ Strada Maggiore

    May 11, 2017

    Oops!

    July 4, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Photography,  Summer

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 4 – Ferrania Solaris 100 – Dec. 2006 shot in August 2023

    September 3, 2023 /

    This is the fourth episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts. Episode 4 features a Ferrania Solaris 100 shot with a Voigtländer Vitoret DR and a Color Lanthar 50/2,8 in the vicinity of the sea of the city of Pescara (Abruzzi) .The film was overexposed by one stop as it is customary with expired film to allow more light to impress it.The results are just subpar, however the pictures have some sort of ‘individual’ trait.

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    Andrea Monti

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    TelcoMan

    January 26, 2015

    Shooting Fast Alfa Romeo on a Race Track

    October 22, 2024

    Should I Buy It? (Best Taken With an 85mm)

    January 23, 2016
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Photography,  Projects

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 3 – Ilford HP5 400 – Dec. 2010 shot in August 2023

    August 30, 2023 /

    This is the third episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts (mainly in Rome, Italy). Episode 3 features an Ilford HP5 400 shot with a Pentax ME Super and a smc Pentax A 28/2,8 in various parts of the city of Pescara (Abruzzi) . The film was overexposed by one stop as it is customary with expired film to allow more light to impress it. The results are subpar and also in this case the blacks lack details and pictures show severe grain.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Couple of Windows

    January 5, 2018

    Freeze!

    December 19, 2014

    Different Load

    June 23, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Photography,  Rome

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 2 – Ilford XP2Super 400 – Nov. 2017 shot in May 2023

    July 25, 2023 /

    This is the second episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts (mainly in Rome, Italy). Episode 2 features an Ilford XP2Super 400 shot with a Voigtlander Bessa R2 and a Voigtlander Nokton 35/1,4 in Rome (IT), between Colle del Quirinale and Piazza di Montecitorio. Also in this case, but this time by mistake, film’s ISO and the exposure compensation were not adapted to allow more light to impress the film. Once again, the blacks lack detail and show severe grain.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Just a soccer match…

    May 15, 2013

    Somewhere in Japan

    May 19, 2014

    Out-of-Focus Once Again

    February 28, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Photography,  Rome

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 1 – Kodak BW400CN – Dec. 2014 shot in June 2023

    July 21, 2023 /

    This is the first episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts (mainly in Rome, Italy). Episode 1 features a Kodak BW400CN shot with a Nikon 35TI in Rome (IT), between Piazzale Flaminio and Piazza di Spagna where the world premiere of the latest Tom Cruise motion picture —Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning— was going to be held. As the Nikon 35TI does not allow one to ‘pull’ film’s ISO and the exposure compensation did not work, it was impossible to overexpose the pictures. As a results, the blacks lack detail and show severe grain. Legal Notice Reuse is free for pro bono personal and educational…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Windows XVIII … Century

    February 28, 2014

    The Unconvinced Listener

    June 25, 2014

    Fixing the ship

    August 18, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Docks,  Photography,  Winter

    Editing a photo taken with a Carl Zeiss Jena 135/4 Sonnar and a Fuji X-T3

    February 8, 2023 /

    A vintage Carl Zeiss Jena 135/4 Sonnar whose RF mount has been replaced with a Fuji X mount by Adriano Lolli (https://www.adrianololli.com).Coupled with a Fuji X-T3, it delivers pleasant results. Post production is highly subjective, so the final outcome might no be ‘acceptable’ to some taste. Still, the lens is very good.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Hope after the Storm

    January 8, 2020

    Out for a While

    September 26, 2013

    The Pizza’s Journey

    June 12, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Winter

    A sample of the Carl Zeiss Jena 135/F4 Sonnar and a Fuji X-T3

    February 5, 2023 /

    This photo was taken with an old Carl Zeiss Jena 135/4 Sonnar whose Contax RF mount was replaced by a Fuji X mount by Master Adriano Lolli.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Standup Paddleboarder

    August 25, 2014

    We Are All Made of Stars

    February 28, 2018

    Avid Readers

    August 17, 2013
  • Daily Video,  Photography,  Technique,  Winter

    Processing a DSLR Digitised Black and White Film with Affinity Photo

    January 24, 2023 /

    This videos shows how to process a Black and White film digitised with a DSLR camera.The process starts from opening the RAW file in Affinity Photo’s Develop Persona. In short and in order, the steps are:

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    Andrea Monti

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    Running On The (Oslo’s) Docks

    September 28, 2014

    Shooting Fast Alfa Romeo on a Race Track

    October 22, 2024

    Gloves

    October 19, 2014
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