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Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    Pouring Water Since About 300 Years

    December 23, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting For A Customer To Come

    July 27, 2014

    Shooting Fast Alfa Romeo on a Race Track

    October 22, 2024

    Parallels & Diagonals

    December 21, 2012
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Freeze!

    December 19, 2014 /

    A word. A command. A moment suspended. The photograph captures a wedding not through its sentiment, but through its construction. The couple stands solemn, framed by stained glass and garlands, their faces lit by artificial flashes more than divine glow. “Freeze,” the photographer says. But the word travels further—it crystallises not just the posture, but the entire choreography around them. Like statues in a contemporary ritual, the photographers orbit in silence. Each holds their position, camera drawn like a weapon against time. The irony: in freezing the subjects, they too must freeze. Each frame they take is built on the shared stillness of others. The sacredness of the altar competes…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Elishéva live@Faneuil Hall

    July 8, 2023

    Who Is The Machine?

    August 5, 2019

    Behind the News

    June 25, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Switch

    December 18, 2014 /

    Today is this photo blog’s second birthday.

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    Andrea Monti

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

    October 10, 2025

    Fixing the ship

    August 18, 2021

    @Rome Maker Faire – 2

    October 10, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Red

    December 17, 2014 /

    The image was taken in the evening, when artificial lights mix with the faint remnants of daylight, producing a palette that can easily become muddy if exposure and colour balance are not carefully controlled. The choice to keep the scene in its natural ambient light preserves its authenticity, though it comes at the cost of some detail in shadowed areas. The central figure in the red jacket acts as a visual anchor, standing out decisively against the more subdued hues of the crowd. From a compositional standpoint, the frame is well balanced: the converging lines of the street lead the eye into the depth of the scene, pulling attention from…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Ultras

    July 20, 2016

    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014

    Path of Life

    May 17, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Busy In A Call

    December 16, 2014 /

    Shot handheld at night, available light only. I leaned into the blur and grain—ISO pushed to 3200, wide open at f/2. The result isn’t clean. It’s fractured, noisy, restless. Which fits. The moment wasn’t about stillness. Foreground holds two figures, tight in the frame. One in profile, on the phone, thumb pressed to lips, nails yellow against a black handset. The other’s back to camera, only form and volume—hair and jacket. Behind them, the café scene unfolds: overlapping bodies, light bouncing off glass, talk and gestures suspended mid-motion. Focus was shallow and uncertain by design. The camera caught the caller’s cheek, soft but distinguishable. The rest bleeds into motion. Technical…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Out for a ride…

    January 2, 2013

    An Antique Shop in via Cadorna

    December 10, 2023

    Diner After the Show

    July 7, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Visual,  Winter

    Yellow

    December 15, 2014 /

    The photograph hinges on the interplay between colour, geometry, and omission. By keeping the frame cropped tightly, I remove any narrative context — no faces, no full figures, just the assertive yellow of work trousers, the partial arc of a bicycle wheel, and the tiled pavement as stage. The absence of a complete subject forces the eye to wander across shapes and lines rather than fixating on identity. The composition is built diagonally, with the wheel anchoring the right edge and the worker’s feet drawing the gaze upward and left. The black tile bands slice the frame, adding structure and contrast to the more neutral beige of the pavement. It’s…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Lightblade

    September 6, 2013

    Even

    July 9, 2016

    The Hands of a Drummer (Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez)

    April 24, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Odds,  Winter

    Is This My Breakfast? (Kirobo, the new Pinocchio)

    December 14, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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

    September 11, 2023

    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014

    Just Another Times Square View

    July 9, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People,  Portraits,  Winter

    The Man Behind The Croissant

    December 13, 2014 /

    It’s not just a title. It’s a layered truth. He’s literally behind the croissants — arms folded, resting gently on the chilled glass counter, smiling with the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly what he’s made. But he’s also the one behind them in the deeper sense: the early riser, the flour-dusted craftsman, the keeper of recipes that live more in muscle memory than in ink. The Man Behind the Croissant is a portrait of work and warmth. Of a man whose day starts long before anyone steps into the shop. Who rolls, folds, rests, fills, bakes — not as performance, but as rhythm. There’s no spectacle here. Just trays of pastry…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Glancing Books In A Brussels’Night

    November 12, 2015

    Menu Meditation

    February 16, 2018

    Open Interior

    March 14, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Message Check Before Breakfast

    December 12, 2014 /

    This shot came together in the quiet seconds between espresso orders and the whir of the barista’s machine. I didn’t ask him to pose — I never do in moments like these. His posture, leaning forward, eyes fixed on the screen, scarf still clutched tight from the cold outside, told the full story. The light was unforgiving in its neutrality — ceiling fixtures and flat fluorescents don’t do any favours, but sometimes they just let the environment breathe. I pushed the ISO higher than I’d normally like, sacrificing a bit of cleanliness for immediacy. Still, the rendering holds: detail in the wool coat, a soft drop-off in the background, and…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Teleferic de Montjiuc

    May 28, 2014

    Fisherman’s Fatigues

    December 19, 2022

    Supporter or Photographer?

    March 21, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Summer

    The Leica M9 CCDgate Outrageous Case

    December 11, 2014 /

    This is not “new” news, but is getting momentum: Leica M9′ sensors (including those fitted into the more than expensive “special” models) are plagued. The repair cost is 1.800,00 Euros plus VAT and shipping, not to mention the time needed to get the camera back (weeks? months?) Leica claims to offer paid support to the older, out-of-warranty customers but just doing a few math shows that it doesn’t worth it: if you own a between-three-and-five-years old M9 you’re supposed to pay 600,00 Euros (plus VAT etc.) while more-than-five-years old M9 owner will pay 1.200 Euros (plus VAT etc.) to get an old and outdated camera new sensor, affected by the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Between Sea and Sky

    February 12, 2015

    After Heat, Structure

    November 12, 2021

    Different Financial Transactions

    November 3, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Branches On The Wall

    December 10, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Street Photographer Dilemma: Film or Digital

    March 21, 2015

    Mediterranean Games 2009

    June 28, 2015

    Red Beam

    October 24, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Winter

    Winter Leaves

    December 9, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    On The Rocks

    August 13, 2014

    A Modern Nazca?

    December 4, 2014

    Trust Us, We Care About You

    March 18, 2014
  • Chairs&Seats,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    A Rural View

    December 8, 2014 /

    The photograph frames the landscape through layers of architecture. Brick columns, wooden beams, and the shadowed floor lead the eye directly to the opening in the centre, where chairs and a table sit quietly against rolling hills. The space becomes a proscenium, turning countryside into spectacle, an everyday view into a staged scene. Composition is strict, almost symmetrical. The vertical columns create a grid that anchors the image, while the open middle draws attention forward. The empty chairs, evenly placed, act as stand-ins for absent viewers, inviting the gaze outward. Depth is built in three stages: the shaded foreground, the architectural frame, and the brightly lit landscape beyond. Technically, exposure…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Learning to Shoot Boxing Matches

    July 18, 2024

    Rocco Zifarelli, Jeff Berlin, Beth&Danny Gottlieb, Gabriela Sinagra

    June 10, 2013

    Different Stories

    December 30, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    The Racers

    December 7, 2014 /

    This frame plays on contrast — not in light, but in intent. A man on a bicycle, casual and calm, drifts past a car caught in traffic. His posture suggests ease, purpose even, while the driver beside him grips a phone, half-engaged elsewhere. The child seat behind the cyclist, though empty, tells a story of movement beyond the individual. Domesticity, transport, and pace: all converge in one mundane but resonant street encounter. I shot this with a 35mm at f/8 to hold sharpness across the scene. The lens rewarded me with clarity on the cyclist’s face and detail in the background signage. Timing was key. I waited until the rider…

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    Andrea Monti

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    On Prizes and Awards (a Long and Tiring Musing)

    October 31, 2025

    A few test shots with an MC Cosinon T200/4

    January 14, 2024

    Not A Rorschach Inkblot

    December 24, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Portrait with Skewers

    December 6, 2014 /

    I took this indoors, handheld, under mixed lighting, using a short focal length and no modifiers. It’s not a technical showcase. It’s a study in immediacy—an encounter frozen before refinement. The figure stands close, wide lens pulling in distortion around the edges. Face and skewers both sit in the shallow foreground, lit unevenly by ceiling fluorescents and ambient bounce from a warm source camera-left. The colour cast is inconsistent. I left it. Adjusting white balance to neutrality would flatten the artificiality that holds the image together. The context is a real room, not a set. Composition favours gesture. The skewers point forward, catching highlights and pulling focus. His hoodie and…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Good Idea

    January 31, 2014

    Wire Stylist

    January 31, 2015

    Ni État Ni Patron

    June 8, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Leaving Home

    December 5, 2014 /

    Distortion in this case matched the reality: walking beneath modern high-rises can feel surreal, oppressive even. The warped geometry bends the building into a looming wave that seems to crash down on the lone figure below—an ordinary person dragging a trolley bag, perhaps on the way back from errands or returning from a short trip. The photograph captures a dichotomy I often return to: the indifference of urban architecture versus the vulnerability of human movement. I didn’t wait for this person. I framed the architecture first, then let the rhythm of the street fill the gap. When he entered the frame, posture slightly hunched, shadow tracing behind, I released the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 2

    June 30, 2017

    A creative approach to zone focusing with superfast manual lenses and mirrorless cameras in street photography

    September 28, 2024

    Does It Worth It?

    May 22, 2017
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Visual,  Winter

    A Modern Nazca?

    December 4, 2014 /

    This image is one of those moments when photography abandons literalism and moves into interpretation. What you’re looking at is, in fact, a stretch of pavement and asphalt intersected by strong shadows—but the shallow depth of field and the grain structure render it unmoored from immediate recognition. The blurred lines could be mistaken for ancient geoglyphs seen from above, hence the tongue-in-cheek title. The parallel bands, intersecting curves, and sudden diagonals call to mind aerial archaeology, even though the camera was barely a metre from the ground. The ambiguity invites a double take, and in that pause, the viewer starts to reconstruct meaning. Technically, this is a photograph of deliberate…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Casual Walk

    March 6, 2015

    Sweet Dilemma

    November 4, 2015

    When We Thought We Would Have Changed The World

    August 21, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Odds,  Visual,  Winter

    Alien Veins

    December 3, 2014 /

    It could be a close-up from a science fiction set—a fragment of skin stretched over something alive, the faint ridges and channels mapping a circulatory system not of this Earth. The blue-grey surface is both organic and mineral, a texture that resists quick identification. The lines that run across it, some deeper, some fading into the background, suggest veins—arteries carrying whatever fluid an alien physiology might depend on. They seem to rise and sink, as if the surface itself were breathing. The faint crosshatch pattern interrupts the flow, adding to the unease: is this grown or manufactured? In reality, the subject might be utterly mundane. But in photography, truth is…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Sad Harley-Davidson

    August 10, 2013

    In praise of ‘cheap’ lenses for ‘pro’ works

    April 4, 2021

    Silver Pottery

    November 4, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Suspicious

    December 2, 2014 /

    Every street photographer knows that moment — the fraction of a second when a stranger’s gaze brushes against yours and something shifts in the air. Suspicion. Wariness. An almost imperceptible tightening of the body. That’s the curse: the invisible threshold you cross when candid turns into confrontation, even if only in the subject’s mind. In this frame, the man in the magenta sweater and black coat is mid-stride, his expression caught somewhere between concentration and mild irritation. He’s moving with purpose, but his eyes — just soft enough in the focus to keep anonymity intact — seem aware of my presence. The shallow depth of field lets the textured walls…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fashion Shop in Milan

    January 21, 2014

    Life And Work On A Fishing Boat

    January 9, 2014

    Lost In Rembrance

    July 26, 2014
  • Buildings,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gates&Fences,  Rome,  Winter

    Guest Are Welcome!

    December 1, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Smoke Teacher

    July 1, 2013

    Noon on the Beach

    May 1, 2014

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

    March 26, 2025
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Winter

    The Drying Machine

    November 30, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fashion Shop in Milan

    January 21, 2014

    Staged?

    February 16, 2016

    What lasts of a springtime hailstorm

    June 22, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Restaurants&Bar

    A Banner

    November 29, 2014 /

    I photographed this weathered sign for its layered character. The hand-painted letters, once bold, now bear the marks of time—faded paint, chipped wood, and a patina that speaks of decades of exposure. Its message is straightforward, advertising a taverna and pointing to an address, but as an object it is also a record of vernacular design, where function and personality coexist. The composition was kept simple: a tight frame, centred to let the text dominate without distraction. By eliminating the surrounding wall almost entirely, the sign becomes the sole subject, demanding attention to its texture and imperfections. The small decorative leaves and the script at the bottom break the rigidity…

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    Andrea Monti

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    DSLR film scanning: episode three

    January 24, 2023

    DSLR-like…?

    March 21, 2025

    Labour Spilling Into Transit Time

    December 30, 2025
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Pensive, On the Way Home

    November 28, 2014 /

    The man was moving at an unhurried pace, carrying a small bag, focused on the pavement in front of him. His posture suggested habit rather than thought—this was a route he had taken many times, without the need to look up or around. I did not approach or interact with him; I simply matched his speed for a moment, then let him continue. The background is a muted sequence of textured walls: ochre above, coarse grey render below. These surfaces do more than fill space—they set the tone. Nothing is decorative. The architecture is functional and unembellished, which mirrors the understated action in the frame. The vertical pipes and doorway…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Footprints

    May 19, 2013

    Cornermen

    June 4, 2013

    A

    March 30, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Red Bag, Black Shoes

    November 27, 2014 /

    This frame was taken at street level, quite literally. I crouched, waiting for the traffic to pause, and caught her mid-stride—ankle exposed, bag swinging low, oblivious to the lens just metres away. The choice of crop was deliberate. I wanted anonymity, but not detachment. By excluding the face, the image becomes less about the individual and more about the semiotics of presence—gesture, attire, movement, and the way we carve out identity with things. The red bag dominates the composition, not just chromatically but structurally. Its synthetic gloss, reptilian texture, and almost architectural form turn it into a visual anchor. It’s loud, assertive, unapologetic. And then, in counterpoint, the black shoes—quiet,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015

    Hell Behind — Tiny Holes Reveal the Flames

    March 19, 2013

    Leo Gullotta – Bartleby lo scrivano@Teatro Marrucino

    March 15, 2022
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