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Norina shouts at Don Pasquale
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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Cleaning the Tabernacle
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Turiddu repeals Santuzza
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…
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The Death of Cio-Cio san
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…
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A Step Ahead
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…
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Stadio Olimpico, seen from Tribuna Monte Mario
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…
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A Vessel Moored on the Pier
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Cultural Variety
Helsinki is a place where culture matters. It is almost impossible having a taste that can not be satisfied.
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The Compelling Power of Photography
This is a picture taken while a storm was coming. The wind was expected to blow at about 80 km-per-hour. It turned the sand into a myriad of micro-bullets, pricking all exposed body parts and filling the lungs. Nonetheless, a man took his chance, went to the shore and shot a picture with his smartphone. He is no professional, nor had a particular reason to do that. He just wanted to freeze a moment. This is the power of photography. p.s. Pentax K II and the DA* 50-135 2,8 went through the sandstorm brilliantly and survived without consequences.
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Not AI-made…
The colour rendition of a photo taken with a Pentax (camera and lens) is unique. Taste is personal, and so is this opinion. One thing, however, is sure: the pictorial look of this photography is not made by an ‘AI’.
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A Spanish Long Jumper
This is one of the photos from the reportage on the Track & Field Mediterranean Championships – Pescara 2022. The Sigma 150-600 Contemporary proved to be a good lens, sufficiently versatile and with effective stabilization. However, used with the 1.4 teleconverter and full extension, it does not allow for high-speed focusing. In some cases, the Nikon D610 failed to lock onto the subject. This makes the lens/teleconverter pair somewhat inconvenient in sports photography. At that focal length, it is probably worth using prefocus. If you do not want to give up automatism, you can try to anticipate the moment of focusing by framing something close to where the athlete should…
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The Mystique of Film
I have resisted for a long time before giving out my two cents about the neverending debate ‘film vs digital’. I gave up after the next self-delusion I read in a well-known ‘semi-pro’ (purposely not linked) online photography magazine. It featured the umpteenth column explaining how shooting film ‘gets the experience back’, going full-manual ‘forces you thinking’, having limited exposures ‘pushes you to become more selective’, and all the usual motives connected with the choice of travelling on a horse-powered chariot instead of using a regular car. There is no need to shoot film to experience all that. Set the camera on full manual, disable OIS and IBIS, use a…
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Venditti&DeGregori – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella
Here is the link at the gallery of the 10 August Antonello Venditti and Francesco De Gregori concert. A rather unpleasant experience, indeed. Photographers have been confined on the extreme left of the stage and not allowed to move. Of course the show comes first and any annoyance imperiling the performance must be prevented. A tad of flexibility for people who is there to work, though, would have been much appreciated.
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LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella
More pictures available on Rockol’s Gallery section.
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LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella – The photogallery
This is the full photogallery of July 22 LP’s concert at the Anfiteatro La Civitella. I was covering the event on behalf of Rockol.it.
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Posing
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Red Fan
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Over There!
The cyclist in the foreground owns the frame at first glance—muscles taut, gaze fixed, body leaning into the effort. His jersey clings to him like a second skin, the curve of his shoulders telling the story of miles already conquered. Two red water bottles glint against the blue of the bike, bright punctuation in a palette of muted earth and grey. And yet, the real tension of the image unfolds in the background. There, slightly blurred but unmistakable, a man stands with his arm extended, finger pointing decisively to the right. It is not a casual gesture—it is direction, command, certainty. In that single movement lies the unspoken pact of…
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Pino Ammendola – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio@Teatro Marrucino
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Piero Mazzocchetti – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio
I made this photograph in the dim backstage of Teatro Marrucino, just minutes before the curtain would rise. The air was thick with that familiar mix of anticipation and quiet focus. The man sat in his chair, bent slightly forward, pen in hand, making final notes on the score under the stark glow of a music stand lamp. The rest of the stage was swallowed by darkness. Shooting with the Fuji X-T3 and the Fujinon XF 16-80 gave me the flexibility I needed in such a cramped and poorly lit space. The lens handled the low light surprisingly well, though I had to work at the edge of its capabilities…
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Alessandro Blasioli – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio@Teatro Marrucino
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Nittele Tower
This photograph was taken on the move, from the Tokyo Monorail, aimed at the glass façade of Nittele Tower. Shooting through layers — the monorail’s own window and the tower’s reflective panels — created a composition that is equal parts interior, exterior, and abstraction. The grid of the building’s structure acts as both frame and subject, compartmentalising the scene into individual vignettes where people, staircases, and architectural lines intersect. The DA* 16-50 on the K-5 handled the mix of reflections and transparency better than I anticipated. Exposure was tricky: the overcast light outside diffused evenly, while the building’s interior lighting added warm pockets of contrast. I kept the balance slightly…
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Technogym Milan@Night
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Ugo Pagliai – Romeo e Giulietta@Teatro Marrucino
