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Andrea Monti

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No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    So Long, Eos-M

    January 17, 2014 /

    A couple of days ago, while wandering around a street-market, I spotted a small “exhibit” of old Nikon and Hasselblad lenses. I thought it would have been nice to get the two “classic” lenses for the System V, so I traded my Eos-M (and lenses) for a Carl Zeiss lenses: a Distagon 50 and a Sonnar 150. The seller was eager to strike the deal, but I’m not sure who actually got the best bargain…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    August 10, 2014

    Shooting the Shooter…

    February 12, 2013

    Nagoya’s reportage featured in The Good Life

    October 29, 2020
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  New York,  Streets&Squares

    Slow Walk at Mulberry St.

    January 16, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Three’s Company

    November 14, 2014

    An update on the poor Canon EOS-M autofocus

    March 30, 2013

    Mir-20 20mm 3.5 on a Pentax K1-II – A Field Test

    January 18, 2025
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Late Night Arrival at Bertinoro’s Castle

    January 15, 2014 /

    There’s something about fog that eats light and sound in equal measure. At Bertinoro that night, the mist rolled in thick and silent, swallowing the medieval walls until they were no more than looming shapes. The only figure breaking the gloom was this woman, striding toward the castle gate with a purpose that suggested she hoped — perhaps against reason — that someone inside might still be awake. I shot this in black and white not as an afterthought, but because the scene demanded it. Colour would have been irrelevant here — the atmosphere was all about tonal gradation, shadow, and grain. Yes, grain. This isn’t the crisp, low-noise look…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Lost Towel

    July 3, 2013

    The Urban Chase

    April 10, 2013

    Gravity on Pause

    September 5, 2025
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  New York,  People,  Spring

    Leaving The Actor’s Studio

    January 14, 2014 /

    No, the title is not a misspell. To perform as a true artist, the Actors Studio must actually become an actor’s studio. Shot handheld on a cold night in New York, I framed this outside the famous 44th Street façade of The Actors Studio. What drew me wasn’t the name, but the irony held in the glow above the door. Big, institutional lettering—THE ACTORS STUDIO—brightly lit, looming. Yet below it, a single man stands, barely visible, caught in the diffused downlight from the marquee. It wasn’t staged. He just was there—half-shadowed, alone, waiting. Technically, this is a push to the edge. ISO was high, grain heavy. Shadows crush into black. Highlights…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Skating on Avenue Louise

    April 1, 2014

    Fixing the ship

    August 18, 2021

    Killing Santa? Really?

    January 25, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014 /

    A cold night calls for a hot drink…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pillars

    January 29, 2015

    5 (improbable) Frames with a roll of Ferrania Orto and a Nikon 35TI

    February 28, 2024

    Landed

    December 19, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Restaurants&Bar,  Streets&Squares

    Next Time, Maybe…

    January 12, 2014 /

    I made this image in one of those narrow alleys in central Brussels, where restaurants compete not just with food but with neon, colour, and attention. It’s visual overload by design. Menus on easels, signs screaming prices, waiters halfway between invitation and insistence. But what caught me wasn’t the display—it was the woman walking straight through, uninterested, unmoved. She wasn’t choosing where to eat. She was choosing not to. The photo hinges on that gesture. Her hands are in motion, her shoulders hunched from the cold, her gaze slightly lowered. She becomes the counterpoint to the street’s whole premise. All this effort around her, and none of it lands. That’s…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Macarons. Again

    October 23, 2015

    (Not so) Intelligent Design

    October 26, 2018

    A

    March 30, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  New York,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    The Lost Battle

    January 11, 2014 /

    Against the New York traffic, the controllers themselves, contended in vain.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Kime in Photography

    June 9, 2013

    Urban Desolation

    September 18, 2014

    DxO Pure Raw empirical test

    November 22, 2022
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Winter

    Fisherman’s Friend

    January 10, 2014 /

    When the course is set back to the dock, especially at night, there is no better companion than the reassuring glow of the harbour’s twin beacons. These masts, painted in unmistakable red and green, have long served as silent guides, their geometry as familiar to mariners as the constellations above. This photograph, titled Fisherman’s Friend, plays not only on a brand name but on the enduring role of such structures in the choreography of safe returns. From a compositional standpoint, the image centres on the red mast, giving it commanding presence against a pastel-hued evening sky. The placement is deliberate—slightly forward and to the left of the green twin in…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Relax At The Rapallo’s Marina

    August 2, 2014

    The Barber’s Routine

    July 19, 2013

    A relic from the (recent) past

    April 30, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Winter

    Life And Work On A Fishing Boat

    January 9, 2014 /

    I took this just before dusk in a working harbour, where boats aren’t romanticised—they’re tools, piled with other tools, patched, rusted, functional. Riviera isn’t posing. It’s docked, burdened with skiffs, plastic crates, folded nets, and the quiet fatigue of a long shift at sea. The composition pushes tight against the frame, stacking hulls on hulls, blocking any clear horizon. The visual noise—cables, ropes, red crane arm—disrupts the scene enough to pull you into its clutter. The sky, soft and forgiving in the background, does little to alleviate the heaviness of the vessel. That contrast matters. Technically, the image holds despite the mixed lighting. The fading day cast a bluish tint…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red Storm

    June 30, 2013

    A Moto Guzzi Falcone and an Expired Kodak Portra 160 Roll

    October 25, 2025

    A Maserati GranTurismo

    July 15, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    A Calm Person

    January 8, 2014 /

    In a small village close to the mountains, during an outdoor celebration, I’ve been stricken by the calm of this woman. The troubles of life, at list for once, are light-years far.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Still Standing

    March 15, 2014

    A Waiter in via Sardegna

    September 26, 2015

    The Commuter

    July 24, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics

    A Tribute to An Old Friend

    January 7, 2014 /

    The Lord Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum has been my first “real” computer, and the only one I really enjoyed. Now he (he, not “it”) proudly rests on a special place of my firm’s library, looking at his dumb heirs. Its rubber keys, some worn and chipped, still carry the traces of countless hours of programming and gaming. The rainbow stripe on the corner is faded but unmistakable, a design detail that anchors the memory of early home computing. Technically, the picture is a straightforward still life. The framing is tight, emphasising the object’s place among dictionaries and manuals, suggesting both its functional and cultural weight. The exposure is even, ensuring the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Piero Mazzocchetti – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio

    May 12, 2022

    Walking at Night, in Milan

    September 30, 2013

    So what?

    April 9, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  Winter

    What an Elegant Chocolatier!

    January 6, 2014 /

    Brussels wears its chocolate heritage like a badge of honour, and this image captures that sense of refinement and indulgence with a quietly cinematic touch. The composition is cleverly split between the interior glow of the shop and the poised figure outside. The chocolatier, dressed in an understated but impeccably tailored suit, stands just beyond the threshold, his profile framed by the shop’s edge. The counterpoint to his form is the rich, inviting display of chocolates, boxes, and ribboned confections bathed in warm light inside. This juxtaposition — cool tones on the left, warm tones on the right — creates both visual and thematic tension: the disciplined elegance of the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Accidental Precision

    February 12, 2016

    Backstage, Before the Downbeat

    May 4, 2023

    Caparezza – Live@Palamaggetti Roseto degli Abruzzi

    February 18, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    Through the Fog

    January 5, 2014 /

    The scene presented itself with no warning — one of those rare occasions where nature performs and the only real challenge is not missing the moment. I was walking through the hills when the mist thickened just enough to conceal and reveal in equal measure. What compelled me to stop wasn’t the tree, nor the fog, but the tension introduced by the artificial red plastic line cutting across the landscape — mundane, even ugly, yet unavoidably dominant in the composition. Framing this shot required restraint. Too wide, and the mood would dissipate. Too tight, and the context would vanish. The key lay in placing the tree just off-centre, allowing the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    At the theater, between two scenes

    June 15, 2015

    Diner After the Show

    July 7, 2013

    A Night at the Opera – Plays and Opera Photography

    December 21, 2024
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Visual,  Winter

    Blob

    January 4, 2014 /

    I definitely have a thing for fountains…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Spectral Lotus

    July 19, 2015

    Belgian Macarons

    November 2, 2015

    A Panorama

    December 30, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014 /

    The fog was so dense that the lift seemed to be travelling through nothing rather than toward somewhere. Depth, distance, and direction became uncertain. Only the chairs, suspended and slowly moving, provided any sense of continuity. The skier in the frame wasn’t performing for anyone. They were simply sitting, waiting to arrive at the top, wrapped in that quiet concentration that comes with navigating a landscape you can no longer fully see. The gesture of the hand near the face could be a wave, an adjustment of goggles, or simply a moment of stillness. I didn’t need to know which. Technically, the image is defined by absence rather than clarity.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Early Morning’s Cleanup

    July 21, 2013

    Urgent Calls Only

    May 15, 2017

    Beach in black

    January 5, 2013
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Winter

    The Hasselblad Way

    January 2, 2014 /

      As the readers of this blog know, I seldom talk about gear because since the very first post on this blog I made a point of stay focused on (shooting) pictures instead of musing about pointless technicalities such as Camera A vs Camera B ISO performance, Lens X vs Lens Y sharpness, APS-C vs Full Frame and so on, but today I do an exception because of an old Hasselbld 500 C/M that I have been given to try (and that probably will buy.) There is only one way to shoot with a Hasselblad: following its rule. The film has to be loaded in a certain way, the magazine…

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    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Waiting for the match…

    December 28, 2012

    Easy Parking

    August 12, 2013

    Evolution of a Guitar Player

    July 5, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Groceries

    Welcome in the New (?) Year

    January 1, 2014 /

    The year is new, but the job is same old. Work hard, earn your day.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Yet Another Tokyo Tower Nightshot

    July 27, 2017

    Canon EOS-M. Useless for Street-Photography

    March 28, 2013

    Lost in Another World

    March 17, 2014
  • Airport,  B&W,  Daily photo,  London,  Visual

    Stantsted Lounge’s Chairs

    December 31, 2013 /

    I took this photo just after the final boarding call echoed through the terminal, the kind of stillness that only follows a rush. The lounge was cleared in minutes — all urgency gone, replaced by silence. The chairs, once wrapped in the inertia of travel, now stood like architectural punctuation against the faux-wood paneling, waiting for the next wave of restless travellers. I framed the shot at a low angle, intentionally compressing the line of stools to push a rhythm into the scene — one repetition after the other. It’s a simple structure, but the legs of the stools, criss-crossing over each other, create a mesh of shadow geometry on…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Parisian’s Bags

    April 6, 2014

    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 2013

    Out of Focus, again

    October 3, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  Visual,  Winter

    London Panning

    December 30, 2013 /

    Pure Luck. Sometimes happens.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Bless or Curse?

    August 12, 2014

    True Leather (Saved by Photoshop’s Crop)

    January 18, 2016

    Italian Stardust

    April 6, 2015
  • B&W,  Bruxelles,  Daily photo,  Restaurants&Bar

    Ceci n’est pas un cadre

    December 29, 2013 /

    A few, different meanings. The most evident (?):it is a mirror, actually. Thus is not a peinture. The less evident: the title is a sleight of word on the famous Magritte’s masterwork “Ceci n’est pas une pipe“. The lesser evident: I shot the picture in Bruxelles, where is located the Magritte Museum.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Just a Soccer Field… Part 1

    February 3, 2014

    Pizza Maker@Ueno’s Park

    June 6, 2018

    The last flower

    May 20, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  People

    Fast Call

    December 28, 2013 /

    Clients are waiting, still, an urgent call needs to be done.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    A Calm Person

    January 8, 2014

    The Modern Preacher

    November 14, 2016

    Lost in Le Puglie

    December 2, 2015
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  People,  Street Markets

    The Silent Listeners

    December 27, 2013 /

    Covent Garden, again. Like the music of Orpheus’Lyra, the voice of the singer brings back to life the lifeless mannequins.

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    Andrea Monti

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    None of Your Business

    October 2, 2013

    Shooting the Shooter…

    February 12, 2013

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

    January 23, 2016
  • Bottles&Cups,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Behind the Beer

    December 26, 2013 /

    Behind the beer’s sockets, a barman discretely fulfills the order placed by his clients.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A solitary journey

    December 24, 2012

    Footprints

    May 19, 2013

    Claws of Fire

    September 27, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  Street Markets,  Winter

    Christmas Time at Covent Garden

    December 25, 2013 /

    I caught this moment at Covent Garden during the run-up to Christmas—a place already soaked in atmosphere, now further steeped in the low murmur of seasonal anticipation. The light was dimming, not quite golden hour, but soft enough to let the scene breathe. Shot with the Leica M9, the CCD sensor rendered the colours with that particular tonal grit that makes digital files feel almost filmic. You can sense the density of the blacks without them ever falling into shadow-mud. What first caught my eye was the woman in the red coat. Not just the brightness of the garment—which naturally draws the eye—but the posture, the precise angle of the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Spectral Lotus

    July 19, 2015

    Forza Italia

    July 12, 2021

    Under the Arc of the Seine

    June 9, 2015
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