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Andrea Monti

Photos, not gear

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  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Spring,  Street Photography,  Summer,  Technique,  Winter

    Make Sense (or: Meaning is in the Eye of the Beholder)

    October 10, 2025 /

    I am a big fan of Jim Hall. A god of the Jazz Olympus, he was an amazing guitar player and played (i.e. lived) according to a simple but effective maxim: make musical sense. He jotted it on a scrap of paper and stashed it in his guitar case, so, whenever he took the instrument out, he was reminded to follow the advice. And he did it. This is an excellent advice also in photography and I do my best to follow it, also if I don’t always get it right for a number of reasons, the main one being that meaning is in the eye of the beholder as…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pipes in Colour

    May 1, 2015

    Cupido’s Fall

    June 2, 2014

    Stop

    December 6, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Summer

    Zeiss ZK Planar T* 50mm F/1.4 – Test Shots and an Unpleasant Incident

    October 3, 2025 /

    I am a huge fan of Zeiss lenses, and I have made sure to own at least one of them for each camera system I have used over the years. To be honest, my only regret when switching to Pentax and ditching Leica, Nikon and Canon was that Zeiss lenses in K mount weren’t as widely available as they are for other platforms. Sure, eBay has plenty of them, but I didn’t want to risk the consequences of overseas shipping. Eventually, however, I managed to get a Planar T* 50 mm f/1.4, and last night I went out for the first time to try it with a Pentax K-1.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stripes of Light and Decay

    March 2, 2015

    When Tilted Photos Work

    December 18, 2019

    An illuminated escape path will help you to reach the exits …

    November 10, 2013
  • Artists,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Street Photography,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    A Few More Shots From An Urban Exploration Trip

    September 20, 2025 /

    Hip-hoppers and skateboarders are often seen together in many urban landscapes. Actually, these performing arts come from different US social and geographical milieus. However, in a world where different paths of life, cultures and traditions matter less and less, and everything is a ‘fusion’, this doesn’t look like an issue. So, while wandering around in search of some subject to test a 50mm Summicron M mounted on a Fuji X-T4, I was fortunate enough to kill two birds with one stone.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pillars Of The Beach

    August 25, 2013

    Lost In Rembrance

    July 26, 2014

    As Seen on Ferrania Film’ Stories section…

    December 4, 2023
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Spring,  Summer,  Winter

    Personal Musing On Monochrome Digital Cameras

    September 11, 2025 /

    I was thinking of exploring the world of black-and-white digital photography so I started looking into the available options. Currently, only the Leica Monochrom and the Pentax K-3 III Monochrom are still the only native monochrome digital cameras availble, targeting photographers interested in maximising the potential for ‘true’ black-and-white photography compared to converted colour images. Many experts in the field justify the existence of this particular camera by citing the same manufacturers’ marketing claims, such as better overall image quality and the superior performance of a custom-built sensor. However, I am a photographer, not an electronics engineer or software programmer, so I care more about the final results than the technicalities.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Behind the Beer

    December 26, 2013

    When The Passion Is Gone (thank to a sneaky photographer)

    August 21, 2013

    The Stupidity of Being Stubborn

    August 31, 2024
  • Artists,  B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Summer

    Gravity on Pause

    September 5, 2025 /

    This a casual shot taken while I was wandering around without actually thinking about taking photographs. Setting aside the photographic quality of the image for a moment, I was amazed that it looks far better in black and white than it did when it was initially shot in colour.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Rural View

    December 8, 2014

    Behind a Shop Window in Oslo

    October 1, 2014

    Half a Bridge

    October 16, 2016
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics,  Winter

    An Asian Lion Guarding an Italian Town – One Shot Story

    August 27, 2025 /

    Ofena is a small town located within the Abruzzo National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, in Italy, Hit by the 2009 earthquake, Ofena is still struggling to recover.  Life came back to its ordinary pulse thank to the inhabitants who showed strong resilience. However, wandering around these wounded places I didn’t feel inclined to take photos as I felt like I was exploiting the enduring consequences of the tragedy that hit this community.

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    Andrea Monti

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    DSLR film scanning: episode three

    January 24, 2023

    Spumante (Italian Champagne) ready to fuel the party

    May 29, 2013

    The Street Photographer Dilemma: Film or Digital

    March 21, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics,  Rome,  Travels

    What Souvenirs Say About Rome (and Your Attitude Toward Life)

    August 6, 2025 /

    Rome’s souvenir shops are full of busts, plaques and other artefacts mixing the sacre and the profane —and sometimes even things that have nothing to do with the Eternal City. This make it challenging for a tourist to actually understand what he is looking at —and googling for information is not a common practice among that kind of visitors who, as Aldous Huxely brilliantly pointed out, travel without knowing exactly why they are visiting a certain place or another. Nevertheless, these souvenir displays offer an insight into some of the most fascinating aspects of Rome’s culture and history – Initially published on 35mmc.com. On the top shelf, a plaque shows Latin…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Switch

    December 18, 2014

    AI or not AI?

    October 3, 2023

    Sting of the Vespa

    March 7, 2025
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Portraits,  Summer

    Al Di Meola, Peo Alfonsi, Sergio Martinez – Live @ Teatro della Villa Comunale – Roseto degli Abruzzi

    July 30, 2025 /

    Last night I “covered” the Abruzzo leg of Al Di Meola’s tour, where he performed in a trio with Peo Alfonsi (second guitar) and Sergio Martinez (percussion). As a musician, I wore out the vinyl records of his albums through sheer use, and I later met him over twenty years ago when I acted as his interpreter during a tour with Chris Carrington and Arto Tunçboyacıyan—the World Sinfonia Tour, which marked his acoustic turn after epic electric albums such as Elegant Gypsy, Casino, and Electric Rendezvous. Work aside, it was a pleasure to see him again and exchange a few words, even if, understandably, he couldn’t remember anything about that past meeting. The gallery…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Chess Players’ Summer Nest

    July 31, 2014

    The Quiet Riot

    November 19, 2017

    Let’s get the party started…

    January 20, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Portraits,  Summer

    Inside a Master Luthier’s Workshop

    July 24, 2025 /

    Craftsmanship is fascinating. It’s almost magical how we can see things in our head and make them happen. This is true for every bit of wisdom that humans have come up with, but musical instruments – and guitars, in particular – are among the best examples of this skill. There’s nothing more unnecessary than music and musical instruments, but we —well, at least many of us— can’t live without them. So, it comes naturally to those who enjoy an active relationship with music to begin learning how to play an instrument and, therefore, to become familiar with the technical side of the story. This is why, sooner than later, one…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Rest in peace

    March 13, 2013

    In the backstage

    May 10, 2013

    5 frames exploring the Sporting Gun Culture in Italy

    April 15, 2025
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Exhibitions,  Photography,  Thoughts,  Tokyo

    On Film Simulation or ‘is fiction more real than reality, and why should we care?’

    July 19, 2025 /

    Simulations have turned an inevitable fact —using the chosen brand and type of film for an entire roll— into an aesthetic tool allowing the selection of the most appropriate image rendition for each single exposure. Using simulations is like having all the different kinds of film in the same roll with all the convenience of digital technology, opening a huge number of creative possibilities. Initially published on 35mmc.com This is what the standard marketing claims for software simulations are based upon, but is that actually so? As a matter of fact, the answer is yes, but if we look at the matter from a different perspective, we should consider some…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Italy, Street-Photography and The Law – A Real Case

    October 3, 2014

    Vinyl Never Dies

    September 2, 2013

    Three Lamps

    September 19, 2022
  • B&W,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Thoughts

    Some odd outcomes from a photo recovering attempt using an AI

    July 13, 2025 /

    I was curious to see how an AI would handle a bad photo, so I uploaded this black-and-white shot taken in the area around Kyoto Station with my Nikon 35TI. Initially published on 35mmc.com. The photo itself —the one published as featured image— it’s part of a long term project to show the presence of Alfa Romeo (a brand I’m a big fan of) in the Japanese streets. It isn’t anything special, but I needed a starting point (the worse, the better) so, after having uploaded this poor shot, I prompted the software like this: As a professional in photo restoration and post production restore this photograph of an Alfa…

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    Andrea Monti

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    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Anthem (and a primer on sport photography, part 1)

    September 22, 2015

    Under the Yellow Umbrella

    March 9, 2013

    The Crew’s Rest

    July 20, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighting Disciplines,  Sport,  Summer

    Shooting Sanda (Chinese Kickboxing) Bouts

    June 26, 2025 /

    These photographs were taken during the 2025 Italian Sanda Championships as part of the sports photography course that I teach at the University of Chieti-Pescara in Italy. Initially published by 35mmc.com How the game works Sanda is a Chinese martial art belonging to the kickboxing family. As in kickboxing, fighters trade punches and kicks, but unlike in Thai boxing, they are not allowed to use their elbows or knees. A limited number of throws are permitted, including leg sweeps, reaps and souplexes. Each bout consists of three rounds, and winning two of them is sufficient for victory. However, this is easier said than done: the action is fast-paced, the fighters…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Asimo’s Ancestor@Tsukuba World1985 Expo

    June 30, 2018

    Inside The Clocktower

    August 22, 2015

    Restaurant or Hellgate?

    June 21, 2013
  • Beach Volley,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Summer

    Shooting an Outdoor Volleyball Match

    June 19, 2025 /

    The 2025 IVVA European Veteran Volleyball Championship took place in my hometown of Pescara last May, so I took the opportunity to get the students on the sports photography course I teach at Chieti-Pescara University to practise. Here are some random thoughts about lessons learned. Initially published by 35mmc.com Focal length One of the main challenges of shooting sports such as soccer, basketball and —of course— volleyball, is the choice of the focal length. The IVVA Organising Committee granted us permission to stay in close proximity to the courts. This allowed the use of a 35mm —or so— lens to take ‘scenes’ documenting the whole dynamics of a ‘moment’. In this case,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Hamlet’s Dilemma

    May 20, 2014

    Parisian’s Bags

    April 6, 2014

    Via Collina, Empty, From Above

    September 13, 2014
  • 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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    What Lasts of Last Summer

    May 30, 2013

    Who The Hell Killed the Light Off?

    August 2, 2015

    A (Soon) Lost Banner

    November 1, 2018
  • 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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    A Mesh

    February 16, 2021

    Big Brother Enhanced

    May 1, 2013

    Sweet Dilemma

    November 4, 2015
  • Billiard,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Sport,  Spring

    Shooting Italian 5 birilli

    May 18, 2025 /

    Thanks to the support of the Italian Federation of Sport Billiards, I had the opportunity to access the playing area of a billiards national competition with the students of the sports photography course I teach at my university. It was a very good opportunity to learn how to take photographs in an unusual environment for people more used to outdoor or ‘traditional’ disciplines. Initially published on 35mmc.com.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Under The Bridge

    June 27, 2016

    Negrita’s Cover Band

    September 19, 2013

    Final Arrangements Before the Hearing

    April 19, 2015
  • Buildings,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Spring

    One Shot (Plus One) Story – All That Lasts

    April 19, 2025 /

    These three bags of rubble are all that remains of a ‘renovated’ building. By chance, though, I took a photo of the building as it was being demolished. The difference in the colours of the rooms caught my attention. I wondered why people had chosen to paint each room in different colours. Maybe the blue was for the children? And the green was for the kitchen? And what about the red and the yellow? These colours tell the story of a family, a story that just ended when their home was demolished.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Happy New Year

    January 1, 2017

    The Gate to the Appeal

    October 10, 2021

    5 frames with the (much awaited) Ferrania P33, a Nikon F3 and a Nikkor 50 F2

    April 30, 2024
  • B&W,  Brand Stores,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring

    One Shot Story – Soulless Places

    April 17, 2025 /

    Official brand stores are a powerful way to assert a company’s presence. They are a bold statement of strength and confidence. They send a message to the customers and to those who aren’t yet: look! whenever you go we’re there for you(r wallett). Admittedly, when travelling abroad it is sometimes reassuring to find a ‘familiar’ place – a cafeteria, a fast food, an electronic gadget shop – where everything works ‘as it should’. On the other hand, though, this strength has a serious downfall. Where was this picture taken? Of course, you may guess the location from a few clues (for instance, it was likely taken in a small Italian…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Early Morning’s Cleanup

    July 21, 2013

    A Cello Player

    April 24, 2017

    A Fujifilm X-E1 Annoyance

    April 15, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Shooting,  Spring

    5 frames exploring the Sporting Gun Culture in Italy

    April 15, 2025 /

    Firearms and gun culture are a very sensitive issue. Privately owned weapons are associated to mass shooting and individual killings, street violence and law enforcement abuses. When confronted with the killing of innocent people, talk is cheap and it is perfectly reasonable to invoke restrictions and even outright bans. There are, however, many people who are not involved in ‘prepper’ or ‘zombie apocalypse is coming’ state of mind, and who only want to practice a sport or foster their interest in military history, mechanics or other types of knowledge related to building and handling of a weapon. So, whatever the view on the matter, from the absolute opposition to any…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Easy To Shoot?

    December 12, 2020

    An Old Motorcade At Night

    August 10, 2015

    Just a Soccer Field… Part 1

    February 3, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics

    5 Frames from our Tragic Past Shot with an iPhone 14 Pro Max

    April 4, 2025 /

    The remains captured in these photographs come from a small war museum in Orsogna, a small town in the interior of my home region, Abruzzo. In World War II Orsogna and other towns – such as Ortona, where there is a memorial for the Canadian soldiers who fell in the Moro river fierce battle – were part of the German Gustav Line. They were theatre of bloody battles and still today, wandering around with a metal detector, it is possible to find a lot of things reminding of these tragic events. This is exactly what motivated a group of local historians to search for, collect and classify as many things as possible, and finally,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Frame Within a Frame Within a Frame

    April 23, 2023

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

    March 26, 2025

    Staged?

    February 16, 2016
  • 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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    An Inside Irongate

    February 26, 2014

    Floating Flower

    May 19, 2015

    Game Over

    April 15, 2022
  • 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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    Segway Chase in Villa Borghese

    April 27, 2013

    Waiting for (Supreme) Justice

    February 14, 2017

    Earbuds

    December 22, 2015
  • B&W,  Boulevards,  Bruxelles,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    5 (random) frames of Bruxelles with a MIR-1B, a Pentax ME Super and a Kodak TMax400

    March 19, 2025 /

    The late hours of a day are dangerous times, because this is when the mind, lacking tasks, begins to look for a way to keep itself busy. To make a long story short, this is why, against what the common sense would have suggested, I decided to take a stroll in a (very) cold winter evening along and around Avenue Louise in Bruxelles to test a MIR-1B 37/2.8 mounted on a TMAX 400 loaded Pentax ME Super with an M42 adapter. Initially published on 35mmc.com. As much as this is not a ‘field test’, I was unfair to the lens because I used it in challenging conditions, starting with the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pillars Of The Beach

    August 25, 2013

    Different Loads

    June 23, 2015

    Il barbiere di Siviglia – Don Bartolo mad at Rosina

    November 28, 2020
  • Boston,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Parks,  Summer

    Selling Italian Ice in Boston

    March 11, 2025 /

    Sales culture is one of the most distinctive traits of American anthropology. The foundations of modern marketing strategies date back to forerunners such as P.T. Barnum’s ‘have a little something for everybody’ slogan and Edward Bernays, the father of public relations. It is ingrained in popular culture phenomena such as garage sales, lemonade stands ran by kids and jokes about used cars salesmen.  Sales culture is also paired with customer (not consumer) culture, as in the ubiquitous mantra ‘customer is king’, which ‘shapes’ people’s attitudes in terms of demanding fairness and a proper ‘bang for the bucks’. – Initially published on 35mmc.com When it comes to selling, creativity knows no…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red Beam

    October 24, 2023

    Sting of the Vespa

    March 7, 2025

    Just A Bird

    July 1, 2014
123

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