• Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact
Andrea Monti

Photos, not gear

  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact
Menu
  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact
  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Technique

    Processing DSLR-digitized film with and without Pentax K-1 Monochrome Custom Image profile

    April 30, 2023 /

    Digital Camera Utility 5.0 is a pain to use on a Mac with Monterey. It is slow and laggy. Its only use is to get the photo as shot, with the custom image profiles embedded in a K-1 (and other recent Pentax DSLRs), and export it as a 16-bit tiff for further processing.One might wonder, however, whether editing a RAW file without going through the DCU —and thus losing the custom image profile— would produce lower quality results. We are about to find out.The test is quite demanding, as it starts with a shot from an Ilford SP2 Super 400 (note: this is not a true B&W film, as it…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A Maserati GranTurismo

    July 15, 2023

    Red Storm

    June 30, 2013

    A relic from the (recent) past

    April 30, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

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

    April 24, 2023 /

    The moon doesn’t forgive technical sloppiness. Any softness in focus, hint of motion blur, or weakness in exposure shows up instantly. This crescent was taken handheld with the Fuji XF150-600 on an X-T3 — a combination that, on paper, might not seem ideal for lunar work without a tripod. Yet, that challenge was the point. The compression of 600mm brought the surface’s rugged texture into relief, and the X-T3’s sensor resolved the fine gradations between illuminated craters and the shadowed terminator with satisfying clarity. The key here was managing shutter speed — 1/1000s gave me enough to counteract handshake, but I kept the ISO just high enough to hold detail…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    UnortORTOdox (Ferrania)

    July 22, 2023

    Shadows&Lights

    March 7, 2014

    The Alchoolist’s garbage

    March 5, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Spring,  Technique

    A Frame Within a Frame Within a Frame

    April 23, 2023 /

    The irony didn’t hit me until I developed the roll—an expired Ilford XP2 Super 400 that had been lounging at the bottom of a drawer for years. Shot with a Voigtländer Bessa R2 paired with the Nokton 35mm f/1.4, this image is as much a meditation on layers as it is a commentary on isolation. What initially looked like an ordinary street shot—girl on a call, perched on a windowsill—turned out to be a trifecta of enclosures: her physical pose wrapped in posture and winter clothing, set within the architecture of the window, itself encased in the framing of the building. Beyond, the city reflects itself, ghostlike, on the glass—another…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Protected: Prova Aurum

    April 25, 2014

    The SoundMaster

    July 10, 2013

    Shade of Berlin

    April 23, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Technique,  Winter

    Coats

    March 19, 2023 /

    Getting rid of film noise is a recurring necessity when shooting film at (relatively) high ISO.In this photo the negative was digitised using a Pentax K-1 Mark I and a Pentax FA 100/2,8 Macro. Then, before inverting the curves to make a positive, it was fed into DxO PureRaw3 (by the way, it properly recognized the camera and lens). Finally, in Affinity Photo Develop Persona’s Details tab, once the curves were inverted, it was necessary to tweak the Noise Reduction options by setting Luminance to 50% and Luminance Details to 0.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Leaving The Actor’s Studio

    January 14, 2014

    The Modern Preacher

    November 14, 2016

    A Fujifilm X-E1 Annoyance

    April 15, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Gear,  Winter

    Powermeters

    February 18, 2023 /

    This photo was taken with an Ilford XP2 Super 400, a Voigtländer Bessa R2 and a Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 II lens. The film was digitised using a Pentax K-1 and a Pentax FA 100/2.8 Marco mounted on a custom-built rig. The resulting raw was processed in Affinity Photo. In Develop Persona, first the image was turned in black and white, then the master curve was intverted and finally exposure, contrast and other parameters were tweaked.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

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

    February 8, 2023

    Via Collina, Empty, From Above

    September 13, 2014

    A Ryanair Aircraft

    August 21, 2018
  • 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Moon, hand-held

    April 30, 2021

    What’s the Time?

    October 8, 2019

    The Eye

    April 25, 2014
  • 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Tattoos in Barcelona

    August 18, 2014

    A Contemporary-Art Installation?

    March 31, 2013

    London in Motion: A Night Ride in a Single Frame

    October 26, 2016
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Jewellery,  Winter

    Floating

    February 5, 2023 /

    This image was born out of a fascination with stillness in the midst of implied movement. The mannequin — suspended, curled, caught in an almost foetal position — seems to drift within a capsule that looks as though it could be orbiting somewhere far beyond Earth. The large, circular light behind it could be a porthole, a hatch, or simply a stage light; its blinding white obscures what might be beyond, giving the scene a surreal, detached quality. Technically, the biggest challenge was exposure. The extreme contrast between the brilliant backlight and the darker figure risked losing detail on both ends. I chose to protect the highlights, letting the shadows…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Venditti&DeGregori – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella

    August 11, 2022

    Killing Santa? Really?

    January 25, 2013

    No time for lunch at Piazza Fiume …

    February 20, 2013
  • Daily photo,  Daily Video,  Technique,  Winter

    Unattainable 1:1 magnification with the JJC FDA S-1 and Micro Nikkor 60 2,8

    January 29, 2023 /

    The JJC FDA S-1 does not allow a 1:1 magnification with the Micro Nikkor 60 2,8. It only reaches a smaller factor (about 80%.The probable reason is the excessive lenght of the original step-down ring.Using a thinner step-down ring, as it has been done in this video, does not improve the outcome.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Pre Colombian Artwork

    September 27, 2013

    Hey Mister!

    June 25, 2015

    The Chess Players’ Summer Nest

    July 31, 2014
  • 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:

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Kite Surfers

    October 16, 2021

    An Old Wi(n)dow

    November 17, 2014

    Three-Card Monte in Rome

    December 20, 2025
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Stockholm,  Summer,  Technique,  Travels

    DSLR film scanning: episode three

    January 24, 2023 /

    This is, by far, the most pleasing result I have ever had from digitising a film negative with a DSLR.Contrary to many suggestions found on Youtube, I did not invert the negative RAW curve by tweaking the Master RGB option. I did it, instead, channel-bychannel minding each clipping point. This approach allowed for a better reproduction of the grey tones, and in the end a fair result.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A Different Passion…

    June 12, 2016

    @Rome Maker Faire – 1

    October 9, 2014

    Marianna D’ama – Live

    December 2, 2018
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Gear,  Stockholm,  Summer

    Another attempt at DLSR film scanning

    January 21, 2023 /

    Still trying.I digitised the negative with a Pentax K-1 and the FA 100 2.8 Macro lens using the JJC clone of Nikon ES-2. Postproduction is done in Pixelmator Pro. I used a Nikon 35TI and a Kodak BW400CN to take the original photo. Strangely enough, the JJC does not allow a 1:1 ratio with the Micro Nikkor 60 2.8.The instructions advise to mount the 62mm to 52mm step-down ring, the #2 52mm barrel-shaped tube and finally the film holder. These instructions are clearly wrong, as it is not possible to get 1:1 magnification with this setup.So I removed the tube and mounted the film carrier directly on the 62mm to…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Portrait of a young scholar

    October 28, 2013

    Shadows&Lights

    March 7, 2014

    What Lasts of a Saturday Night Party

    January 24, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Seasons,  Summer,  Technique

    An attempt at DSLR-made film digitization

    January 14, 2023 /

    This is the first usable result of the attempt to DSLR-scan films. I tried several approaches, including the standard tripod holding the camera perpendicularly to a flat, LED-lighted surface. However, I finally went for a different solution: a horizontal rig with two moving plates, a micrometric head holding the film and three-axis and a panoramic head holding the camera.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Hard Worker

    February 9, 2014

    Sweet Dilemma

    November 4, 2015

    Right before the gig

    September 14, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    Pixelmator Pro Debanding and Electronic Shutter

    December 24, 2022 /

    Pixelmator Pro Deband feature does not work on banding caused by the well known electronic shutter lag. The Deband feature has not been advertised as working also with ES-induced banding, so the fact that it can not handle it is not a bug. However, this limit seriously reduces the appeal of the new feature. I have flagged the issue to Pixelmator Pro Support: currently, they are out of work, but eventually, they should get back to me with some news. Good news, hopefully.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Daniele Silvestri – Teatri 2022 – Live@Teatro Massimo, Pescara

    December 16, 2022

    A Lonely Table

    March 8, 2015

    None of Your Business

    October 2, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Winter

    The Silent Geometry of a Trabocco

    December 22, 2022 /

    This image came out of a walk I almost didn’t take. The light was beginning to fall into that uncertain hour, not quite golden but leaning into it, with a softness that flatters without deceiving. I was drawn to the trabocco — that wooden skeleton of fishing history jutting into the Adriatic like a forgotten broadcast antenna. Technically, the image lives and breathes in its lines. Everything points outward — cables, poles, railings — a quiet explosion of geometry pushing against the calmness of the sea. The house, slightly off-centre, serves as a visual anchor, balancing the thrust of the lines while allowing the scene to feel alive, not over-symmetrical.…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    In the backstage

    May 10, 2013

    Aren’t Tapas Spanish?

    June 29, 2015

    Genta Fukue live@Sakura Terrace – Kyoto

    June 22, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Winter

    Fisherman’s Fatigues

    December 19, 2022 /

    I shot this one late in the day, when the light had softened just enough to graze the worn textures without flattening them. The fatigue in the title isn’t poetic—these clothes, half-limp, half-hardened with salt and use, are the remnants of someone’s labour, someone likely still out at sea. I didn’t stage anything. These were just there, draped across makeshift wooden trestles, drying under the weight of their own exhaustion. What makes this image work technically, for me, is the tension between stillness and implication. Nothing moves in the frame, yet everything speaks of motion just ceased—pulling ropes, lifting crates, hours on a rolling deck. The shallow depth of field,…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Photography and the Importance of a Proper Training

    April 23, 2024

    Evolution in Red

    November 20, 2019

    The Compelling Power of Photography

    September 22, 2022
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Daniele Silvestri – Teatri 2022 – Live@Teatro Massimo, Pescara

    December 16, 2022 /

    This is the Daniele Silvestri’s Teatri 2022 coverage I did on behalf of Rockol.it using good old Nikons (a D610 with the Sigma 150-600 contemporary and a D750 with a Nikkor 24-120). As a matter of personal taste, I still like a reflex more than a mirrorless camera. The possibility offered by the latter to shoot in total silence with the Electronic Shutter is invaluable in specific contexts such as classical concerts or theatrical plays, nowthistanding the downfalls (banding and distorted images). However (and, once again, this is a matter of personal opinion), a reflex still allow a better connection with the environment at least thanks to the optical viewfinder.…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Hasselblad Way

    January 2, 2014

    Has Street-Photography a limit?

    December 19, 2012

    A Couch in the Yard

    November 18, 2013
  • Actors,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Norina shouts at Don Pasquale

    December 12, 2022 /

    This picture is part of the reportage I did for Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, featured on December 11, 2022, at Teatro Marrucino. It has been the chance to experiment a few tricks to avoid the banding effect caused by the LED pulse frequency and the sensor’s delay in EFC is used. I chose to go for time rather than aperture priority mode. I also set the shutter speed at 1/50, as suggested in many forums, and the trick worked. In some cases, banding was still present, but it was insignificant. I also tried to shoot in full manual (leaving only the focus in auto.) Some pictures ended up overexposed, and…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Deadly Bored

    January 6, 2020

    Hanging News

    June 18, 2013

    The Prisoner’s View from the Sospiri’s Bridge

    September 25, 2017
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  Seasons,  Winter

    Cleaning the Tabernacle

    November 26, 2022 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Shoesfixer

    September 7, 2014

    Tough Enough

    August 7, 2019

    The Brand As a Ruin

    May 25, 2015
  • Daily photo

    DxO Pure Raw empirical test

    November 22, 2022 /

    This photo is a ‘before-and-after’ merge of a picture I took during the premiere of Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro Marrucino, processed with DxO’s Pure Raw. As an empirical test, it has no specific goal but to provide a real-life example of how the software works.Overall, the results are reasonably good; however software’s ‘heavy hand’ is apparent in the visibly smudged areas. Pure Raw can not work miracles, although it proved to be a valuable tool to rescue photos shot in poor light.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A few shots from a Paco de Lucia live performance

    July 31, 2013

    Free Shoes On A Hot Day

    October 8, 2014

    Ceci n’est pas un cadre

    December 29, 2013
  • Actors,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Turiddu repeals Santuzza

    November 19, 2022 /

    This is a photo taken from the reportage I made for the Teatro Marrucino during the première of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. It captures the moment Turiddu (Piero Giuliacci) abandons Santuzza (Alessandra Di Giorgio), who —in turns— begs him in vain to change his mind. Image quality isn’t exceptional: unlike other cases, where the Fuji X-T3/Fujinon XF 16-80 pairing provided excellent results, this time it didn’t perform at its best, probably due to the choices on the scene lights.On the contrary, the composition is particularly successful.Turiddu is in the centre of the upper part of the picture. The railings of the staircase lead the eye towards him. Stantuzza’s dynamic…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Mistress Of Puppets

    April 30, 2017

    Singers

    February 19, 2014

    Enough Is Enough…

    March 2, 2013
  • Actors,  Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Reportage

    The Death of Cio-Cio san

    October 15, 2022 /

    The final scene of yesterday’s Madama Butterfly’s ‘Prima’ at Teatro Marrucino. Opera photography is always a delicate dance between anticipation and reaction. The photographer must respect the performers’ craft while being acutely aware of the unfolding drama, ready to translate it into still imagery that holds the same emotional weight as the music itself. In this frame, taken during the tragic denouement of Madama Butterfly, the composition works almost like a Renaissance tableau — each character positioned with clear intention. The central focus rests on Cio-Cio-San’s lifeless figure, draped in white and crimson, her body collapsed against the steps like a human punctuation mark. Around her, the women in white…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Ashtray

    February 12, 2017

    Wire Stylist

    January 31, 2015

    StreetPizza@Ueno Park

    August 4, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Summer,  Track&Field

    A Step Ahead

    October 8, 2022 /

    In competition, the smallest margins can mean the difference between victory and second place. This photograph freezes that idea into a single frame: two hurdlers mid-air, their bodies taut with focus and speed, the Italian athlete just one step — or perhaps half a stride — ahead. From a compositional standpoint, the image works because of its precision in timing. Both athletes are caught in almost identical positions, their arms sweeping forward, their knees high, their gazes locked beyond the hurdle. The staggered alignment creates a natural depth and tension — our eyes move from the trailing runner to the leader, feeling the implied movement and urgency. Technically, the exposure…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    (Not so) Intelligent Design

    October 26, 2018

    Planetarium

    May 30, 2015

    Portrait of aTocaor

    October 8, 2013
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Soccer,  Sport

    Stadio Olimpico, seen from Tribuna Monte Mario

    October 1, 2022 /

    The Stadio Olimpico is not an easy subject to photograph, especially when seen from the lofty and privileged perch of the Tribuna Monte Mario. The vantage point offers grandeur, but grandeur doesn’t always translate easily into pixels—especially under the kind of merciless lighting that the stadium seems to favour at night. From this spot, the sweeping geometry of the roof dominates the composition. Its repeating, honeycomb-like pattern glows under the sodium vapour lights, casting a heavy golden hue that floods the upper half of the frame. Below, the seating—empty and rendered in cool blues—acts as a counterweight, both in tone and texture. The effect is a split visual dialogue between…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Just Another Piccadilly Circus’ View

    September 20, 2016

    Tour Saint-Jacques, Standby

    March 27, 2014

    Humannequin

    January 10, 2013
678910

Projects

  • Daily photo (1,442)
    • B&W (285)
    • Colour (1,142)
  • Daily Video (17)
  • Portfolio (2)
  • Projects (1,356)
    • Airport (15)
    • Bottles&Cups (12)
    • Cars&Bikes (45)
    • Chairs&Seats (19)
    • Cities (473)
      • Barcelona (16)
      • Boston (11)
      • Bruxelles (67)
      • Hamburg (3)
      • Helsinki (2)
      • Kyoto (4)
      • London (27)
      • Milan (50)
      • Nagasaki (2)
      • Nagoro (1)
      • Nagoya (8)
      • New York (9)
      • Nikko (1)
      • Osaka (3)
      • Oslo (17)
      • Padua (1)
      • Paris (31)
      • Rome (156)
      • Stockholm (11)
      • Tokyo (32)
      • Tsukuba (2)
      • Venice (23)
      • Yokohama (1)
    • Court (23)
    • Landscape (99)
      • Beach&Shores (78)
    • Lines (19)
    • Marketing (6)
    • Moon (7)
    • Observer Bias (14)
    • Odds (22)
    • OutOfFocus (13)
    • Parks (6)
    • Past&Relics (60)
    • People (639)
      • Actors (19)
      • Artists (92)
      • Fighters (30)
      • Portraits (43)
    • Seasons (965)
      • Autumn (151)
      • Spring (194)
      • Summer (273)
      • Winter (367)
    • Shops (171)
      • Barber&HairStylist (1)
      • Bookstores (10)
      • Brand Stores (1)
      • Fashion Shops (17)
      • Garages&Labs (12)
      • Groceries (3)
      • Jewellery (3)
      • Patisserie (11)
      • Restaurants&Bar (94)
      • Street Markets (16)
      • Tobacconists (2)
    • Social Control (53)
    • Travels (19)
    • Urban Landscape (314)
      • Boulevards (12)
      • Bridges (7)
      • Buildings (24)
      • Docks (75)
      • Doors&Windows (27)
      • Downtown (35)
      • Exhibitions (14)
      • Fountains (8)
      • Garbage (18)
      • Gates&Fences (12)
      • Parks (21)
      • Streets&Squares (77)
      • Works (2)
    • Visual (69)
    • WideAngle (13)
  • Reportage (20)
  • Sport (75)
    • Beach Handball (1)
    • Beach Volley (5)
    • Billiard (1)
    • Body Builiding (1)
    • Cycling (1)
    • Fighting Disciplines (25)
    • Handball (3)
    • Kite Surf (4)
    • Road Running (1)
    • Roller Derby (1)
    • Rowing (3)
    • Shooting (11)
    • Skating (5)
    • Soccer (6)
    • Swimming (Fin) (1)
    • Track&Field (5)
  • Thoughts (244)
    • Gear (76)
    • Photo Journalism (7)
    • PhotoCritics (23)
    • Photography (69)
    • Street Photography (86)
    • Technique (32)
© 2026 Andrea Monti - all rights reserved