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Andrea Monti

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  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring,  Visual

    Abstract

    May 9, 2023 /

    There’s a particular pleasure in encountering an image that resists immediate recognition. This photograph—an interplay of industrial forms, bolts, struts, and cylindrical elements—sits somewhere between documentation and abstraction. Strip away the context, and it becomes less about what these structures are and more about what they do visually: dividing the frame, catching light, and setting up a rhythm of repetition and interruption. The composition is rigidly symmetrical along the vertical axis, yet it doesn’t feel overly formal or sterile. The imperfections—paint chipping, scuffs, a touch of grime—are what give it character. These blemishes remind us this isn’t a CAD rendering but a real, weathered object, doing its job in the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    High-Tech Elder Care Tool

    April 2, 2013

    Is the next Kano Jigoro already on the mat?

    November 7, 2013

    Caged?

    June 6, 2014
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Spring

    Niccolò Fabi – Meno Per Meno Tour 2023 – Live@Teatro Massimo, Pescara

    May 7, 2023 /

    Covering Niccolò Fabi’s concert for Rockol, gave me the opportunity to test an X-T4 with an XF 150-600. The image quality is on a par with the X-T3. This was to be expected. However, I have some reservations about the autofocus. The lens also needs to be examined in more detail before I can form an informed opinion.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Forgotten

    October 15, 2013

    The Smoke Teacher

    July 1, 2013

    Staged?

    February 16, 2016
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Backstage, Before the Downbeat

    May 4, 2023 /

    Shot on Kodak Portra 400 with a Canon EOS 1V and the humble yet reliable 50mm f/1.8, this frame captures the unspoken moments before the music begins. No spectacle, no spotlight, just the quiet mechanics of musicianship. I focused on the baritone saxophonist, half-turned, reading the score with that blend of tension and calm that precedes performance. Portra’s muted tones did exactly what I hoped they would—warm but never too rich, soft on contrast without washing out the mood. Skin tones stay honest. Brass textures from the saxophone register with depth, neither overly polished nor artificially gritty. The background instruments bleed into shadows, helped by the lens wide open at…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Where Do I Go From Here?

    October 13, 2016

    Before The Match

    October 20, 2014

    The Silent Dialog

    August 31, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Spring

    Partner in Glam

    May 3, 2023 /

    I framed this shot fast — the kind of street moment that gives you three seconds to get it or lose it. What pulled me in wasn’t the man alone, nor the advert behind him. It was the convergence. His physical presence, heavy and brooding, intersecting perfectly with the oversized face of the model. Two expressions, one contemplative, one seductive, unintentionally in conversation. The poster reads Partner in glam. A marketing line, forgettable in most contexts. But set against this man, seated in shadow, caught mid-thought, it takes on irony. Or honesty. Depends how you read it. Technically, the photo leans hard into contrast. Shot in direct sunlight, the shadows…

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    Andrea Monti

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    LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella – The photogallery

    July 11, 2022

    Hidden in Plain Sight. A Japanese Journey

    August 3, 2023

    Efesto’s New Production Line

    September 20, 2014
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Cello Player

    April 24, 2017

    Ray-Ban in Milan

    October 5, 2015

    A few test shots with an MC Cosinon T200/4

    January 14, 2024
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Through the Fog

    January 5, 2014

    A Mini At The Garage

    June 16, 2013

    Stairway to Nothing

    March 9, 2014
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Three Musketeers

    October 16, 2013

    Frank Gambale All Stars – Live@Teatro Marrucino

    November 22, 2023

    An Old Wi(n)dow

    November 17, 2014
  • 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014

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

    March 26, 2025

    A Jazz-Manouche Guitar Player

    August 17, 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Man in Trenchcoat

    November 20, 2021

    Belgian Macarons

    November 2, 2015

    Much Too Short a Ladder

    October 17, 2013
  • 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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    Just a soccer match…

    May 15, 2013

    Antonio Onorato

    August 20, 2016

    Mediterranean Games 2009

    June 28, 2015
  • 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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    Before The Match

    October 20, 2014

    Guest Are Welcome!

    December 1, 2014

    Padua, a photographer’s goldmine

    October 31, 2024
  • 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

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    Waiting To Board

    February 4, 2013

    Fireworks on Film

    January 19, 2013

    Avvocati. A New Book

    October 11, 2015
  • 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

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    The Pizza’s Journey

    June 12, 2013

    A Mysterious Bag

    November 2, 2013

    Still Ruling The Empire

    February 5, 2022
  • 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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    Mirror

    January 17, 2013
    Copyright Foto AFP / Issouf Sanogo - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    A stupid quarrell

    April 7, 2013

    Tired or Fascinated?

    October 21, 2013
  • 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

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    Careful With That Bike, Eugene!

    July 29, 2013

    Mirror

    January 17, 2013

    Smoke is everywhere…

    February 21, 2013
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    What (or Who) Are These Hangs For?

    May 21, 2013

    The last waltz

    January 24, 2013

    Ni État Ni Patron

    June 8, 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Under The Bridge

    June 27, 2016

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

    July 19, 2025

    Nagoya’s reportage featured in The Good Life

    October 29, 2020
  • 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

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    Under the Heat Of Rome…

    June 26, 2018

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Beach Handball Female Team (and a primer on sport photography, part 3)

    September 30, 2015

    Shooting Kite Surfing

    September 22, 2024
  • 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

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    An Old Wi(n)dow

    November 17, 2014

    A Master Luthier in his lab…

    May 14, 2013

    Waiting for the Justice to Arrive

    March 11, 2013
  • 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

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    @ Rome’s Maker Faire – 6. Lost In Texting

    November 23, 2014

    Segway Chase in Villa Borghese

    April 27, 2013

    Now You See It…Street Juggler at a Red Light in Barcelona

    June 16, 2014
  • 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.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Off Duty

    September 4, 2015

    Is The Sky Falling On Their Heads?

    August 1, 2013

    Small Talk

    February 10, 2014
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Deserved Rest

    March 21, 2021

    A Night at the Opera – Plays and Opera Photography

    December 21, 2024

    Natural Silohuette

    September 8, 2017
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  Seasons,  Winter

    Cleaning the Tabernacle

    November 26, 2022 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Fuji X-T2 records audio at 16bit/48Khz

    October 11, 2020

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Beach Volley Team – Marco Caminati (and a primer on sport photography, part 6)

    October 13, 2015

    Protected: Prova Aurum

    April 25, 2014
  • 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Two Beers, One Cigarette

    April 23, 2014

    On The Rocks

    August 13, 2014

    Behind The Shaft

    June 1, 2013
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