Andrea Monti

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  • B&W,  Boulevards,  Bruxelles,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    5 (random) frames of Bruxelles with a MIR-1B, a Pentax ME Super and a Kodak TMax400

    March 19, 2025 /

    The late hours of a day are dangerous times, because this is when the mind, lacking tasks, begins to look for a way to keep itself busy. To make a long story short, this is why, against what the common sense would have suggested, I decided to take a stroll in a (very) cold winter evening along and around Avenue Louise in Bruxelles to test a MIR-1B 37/2.8 mounted on a TMAX 400 loaded Pentax ME Super with an M42 adapter. Initially published on 35mmc.com. As much as this is not a ‘field test’, I was unfair to the lens because I used it in challenging conditions, starting with the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Belgian Ghosts

    May 2, 2014

    The Bored Bassman

    March 16, 2013

    Cold Stuff

    November 28, 2015
  • Actors,  Autumn,  B&W,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Fighting Disciplines,  Photography,  Spring,  Summer,  Winter

    What Does ‘Professional’ Mean in Photography?

    March 19, 2024 /

    Pro’ is the photographer’s blessing and curse. It is the status we all – well, many of us – aspire to. It is the marketing gimmick created by the exploiters of the Gear Acquisition Syndrome to make people believe that tools make the craftsman. ‘Amateur’, on the other hand, is a word associated with casual photographers, ‘wannabe’ artists, and people who want to make you believe that tools make the craftsman. I have always been unconvinced that such a difference exists, at least in the general meaning associated with the words ‘pro’ and ‘amateur’, and in relation to the idea that the equipment used or the quality of the shots…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Sound Engineer

    March 10, 2016

    The Restorer’s Nest

    June 27, 2013

    Mulberry Street, When Benito II Was Still There…

    July 7, 2014
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Jewelry,  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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Portrait of a Master luthier

    October 26, 2013

    Vinyl Never Dies

    September 2, 2013

    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  Seasons,  Winter

    Cleaning the Tabernacle

    November 26, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Small Talk

    February 10, 2014

    Restaurant or Hellgate?

    June 21, 2013

    Galaxy S21 Ultra 5g. The difference between Marketing and Reality in Image Quality

    January 24, 2021
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  People,  Winter

    We Are All Made of Stars

    February 28, 2018 /

    The street is slick with rain, fenced for works in progress, cluttered with signs and barriers. Yet above it all, the stars have returned — bright, geometric, electric — heralding the slow, luminous arrival of Christmas in Brussels. A lone figure walks toward the camera, wrapped in a scarf and his own thoughts. He is grounded, ordinary, human. But above him, a constellation of neon dreams stretches deep into the vanishing point, inviting passersby to look up, to believe, even if just for a moment. This photograph captures the paradox of the urban winter: cold, messy, fractured — and yet luminous with potential. The construction fences are still up, the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Just A Bird

    July 1, 2014

    The Businessman…

    February 9, 2013

    Fisherman’s Friend

    January 10, 2014
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Menu Meditation

    February 16, 2018 /

    There’s a particular silence in cafés just before ordering. That moment when the cold air from outside still clings to your coat, and all attention narrows to laminated options and the quiet negotiations of hunger. This was taken on a grey afternoon in Brussels. A couple sits across from each other, each reading their own menu as if studying for an exam. No phones. No talking. Just decisions to be made: sweet or savoury, warm or cold, this or that. It’s a familiar ritual, yet rarely observed this closely. What drew me in wasn’t the scene’s drama—there was none—but its quietness. The soft concentration on their faces, the gentle lean…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Out For Justice

    June 21, 2014

    Frames for Sale at Via Margutta

    May 2, 2016

    Singers

    February 19, 2014
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    The Bystander

    February 5, 2018 /

    Standing in the Grand-Place at night, I waited for something—anything—to break the near-perfect symmetry. Then he arrived. The man didn’t pose. He just paused in the middle of the cobbles, framed squarely between the elegant baroque façades and the soft reflection of lamplight on wet stone. His silhouette gave scale and narrative to the grandeur behind him. Alone but not lonely, motionless yet in transit—he became the photograph’s axis. I shot handheld at high ISO. Noise was a concern, but the Nikon sensor held up. I retained the grain because it added texture to the shadows without crushing the blacks. Technically, this is a symmetrical composition, but it’s also layered:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Evolution in Red

    November 20, 2019

    Columns

    November 10, 2014

    Portrait of a Master luthier

    October 26, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Spring

    Intelligence Contest

    April 15, 2017 /

    A pane of glass separates two worlds. On one side, the hyper-stylised gaze of a model — digital, sculpted, aloof. His stare pierces outward from an ad inside a hair salon, promising precision, control, curated masculinity at €21. Behind the glossy veneer, real people go about their routines, dwarfed by the giant printed face that symbolises a synthetic ideal. On the other side, a cluster of balloons—soft, round, unformed—calls out with its own clumsy presence. Unintended perhaps, but visually evocative, the column of latex orbs resembles a puppet or caricature. In their simplicity, they reflect something the model cannot: humanity, imperfection, absurdity. The composition turns into theatre. A confrontation of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    EOS-M. Tips and Results For Street-Photography

    August 9, 2013

    The Referees

    June 6, 2013

    Killing Time

    October 10, 2016
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Patisserie,  Spring

    The Quest for Belgian Chocolate…

    April 11, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Puff of Smoke

    August 29, 2013

    A Silohuette on the Bridge

    March 3, 2014

    Modern Times

    January 6, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    Outdoor Aperitif

    April 7, 2017 /

    I shot this on a cool evening in Brussels, with the last of the daylight just beginning to retreat behind slate rooftops. The city was shifting gears—post-work fatigue blending with the early stirrings of nocturnal energy. I had the Leica M9 slung across my shoulder, a camera that’s more than a tool—it forces you to see with intent, to commit before pressing the shutter. Paired with the Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2.8, it draws sharpness out of corners and translates contrast with a crisp, unfussy tone that suited the moment perfectly. The scene was already composed for me: clustered chairs, half-filled glasses, side conversations in mid-stream. No one posed. No one…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Double Helix

    October 13, 2013

    Does It Worth It?

    May 22, 2017

    Portrait of a young scholar

    October 28, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Traffic Master

    December 19, 2016 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    DSLR-like…?

    March 21, 2025

    An urgent phone call?

    December 15, 2013

    Americana Skating – Italian National Championship 2019

    February 4, 2019
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Social Control,  Summer

    Safe Living (?)

    July 28, 2016 /

    I took this photograph sitting at a café table in Brussels, camera inconspicuously in hand, not to catch a moment of drama but to freeze the dissonance that unfolded naturally. A plate of food cooling in the foreground, a couple mid-conversation, and beyond the empty chairs—military trucks parked tightly against the glass façade of a commercial complex. No one paid them much attention. This image isn’t about extremes. It’s about the almost absurd coexistence of casual living and implied threat. It’s a subtle juxtaposition—the idle comfort of café life shadowed by the presence of camouflaged machinery. Compositionally, I used the umbrellas and columns to frame the shot and push the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    So what?

    April 9, 2013

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    August 10, 2014

    Between Two Sets

    May 15, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Visual

    Washed

    November 22, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    An outdoor theatre?

    January 31, 2013

    The Real Street Photographer: Bold and Fearless

    February 25, 2013

    Sega Codemaster

    November 21, 2017
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Belgian Chocolate – Godiva

    November 20, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Different Loads

    June 23, 2015

    Life, the Universe and Everything

    July 28, 2013

    Who The Hell Killed the Light Off?

    August 2, 2015
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Jewelry,  People

    The Jewels Sale

    November 18, 2015 /

    Photographing through glass is always a test of patience. Here, I wanted to capture not just the jewellery but the human presence behind it—the quiet choreography of selling and browsing. The glass served as both barrier and canvas, introducing subtle reflections that blend the sparkle of the display with the blurred outlines of the people behind it. Compositionally, the image leans on the central placement of the black necklace bust. Its matte surface contrasts with the glint of gold and the shimmer of stones around it, giving the frame a clear focal point. The surrounding watches and earrings fill the edges without overwhelming the centre, leading the viewer’s gaze in…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Pulse of Passion: A Story Told in Red

    August 9, 2018

    The Sorcerer’s Shop

    November 1, 2016

    Posing at Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

    October 1, 2018
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Belgian Chocolate – Neuhaus

    November 16, 2015 /

    Photographing in a place like this Neuhaus boutique is always an exercise in restraint. The scene is a sensory overload: gold, red, pastel blues, mirrored surfaces, and the intricate geometry of countless chocolate boxes. It’s easy for the camera to drown in the details, and the trick is to find an anchor point—the human presence that gives context and focus. Here, that anchor is the shop assistant, absorbed in her task, the bend of her head drawing the viewer into the very centre of the composition. The overhead golden arc with the reversed “1970” is not accidental—it creates a frame within the frame, hinting at the brand’s heritage while subtly…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Nightlife

    June 20, 2013

    The Crew’s Rest

    July 20, 2014

    Santino’s Photo& Video at Broadway

    August 7, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bookstores,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons

    Glancing Books

    November 12, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Money Doesn’t Smell

    April 2, 2015

    Inside The Palace of Power

    September 17, 2015

    What an Elegant Chocolatier!

    January 6, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Groceries,  People

    Fancy a Beer?

    November 10, 2015 /

    In the warm light of a Brussels beer shop, shelves stacked floor to ceiling with bottles, two men weigh a purchase. One holds the bottle carefully, the other studies it with interest, a wicker basket dangling between them. Their small exchange sits at the heart of the frame, illuminated against the darker figures of passersby drifting in and out of the doorway. The composition splits into layers: the inviting glow of the shop interior, the mid-ground where the buyers stand, and the silhouetted outlines of those entering or leaving. This layering gives depth, making the viewer feel both inside and outside at once. The shelves, neatly arranged in repeating verticals…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Business people in Rome

    February 23, 2013

    Silent Among Many Voices

    January 1, 2013

    Pavement

    November 16, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Social Control

    Inside the Palaces of Power – Bruxelles

    November 8, 2015 /

    The first thing that strikes me about this image is its deliberate sense of distance—not just physical, but psychological. We see a woman from behind, walking away toward a set of glass doors, her stride steady, her posture contained. There’s no attempt to catch her expression; her anonymity allows her to stand in for anyone navigating the quiet, often opaque corridors of authority. The architecture plays as much of a role here as the human subject. Vertical wooden slats flank either side, creating a symmetrical frame that channels our gaze straight toward the central doors and the clock above them. The space is clean, polished, almost acoustically still. The high-gloss…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Smoke Teacher

    July 1, 2013

    An Off Duty Anchor

    September 21, 2014

    A (Tokyo) Taxi Driver

    June 17, 2018
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Streets&Squares

    RedLight

    November 6, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A perfect match

    February 1, 2013

    Three Lamps

    September 19, 2022

    A Different Passion…

    June 12, 2016
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Sweet Dilemma

    November 4, 2015 /

    I took this photograph in one of those shops that could easily bankrupt anyone with a sweet tooth. The window was a theatre stage, and the protagonists were mountains of meringues, chocolates, and sugared confections, all arranged with military precision. The display was so perfectly composed it demanded to be photographed — though translating that abundance into a frame without losing the sense of order was a challenge in itself. I shot head-on, centring the display so the symmetry would hold the composition together. The large glass bowls act as visual anchors, while the pyramid of packaged goods in the middle draws the eye inward. Behind, two figures — the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Ready for lunch

    September 2, 2014

    Bored

    March 7, 2013

    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 2

    June 30, 2017
  • Bruxelles,  Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  Winter

    Belgian Macarons

    November 2, 2015 /

    In Brussels, indulgence is not hidden—it’s celebrated, displayed like a jewel in a shop window. Here, two towering martini glasses overflow with macarons, their shells in perfect rows of pastel and jewel tones. Pistachio green, raspberry pink, lemon yellow, cocoa brown—each one a promise of texture and flavour, crisp edges giving way to soft, rich fillings. The composition draws the eye first to the abundance in the foreground, then to the warm wooden shelves receding into the shop’s interior. A figure in a red apron moves in the background, blurred but purposeful, the quiet curator of this edible gallery. The lighting is golden, not harsh, bathing the scene in the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Sky Patrol

    September 12, 2021

    Reflexes

    December 30, 2015

    Nice Drink

    July 11, 2015
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Buying Chocolate

    October 31, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Spanish Long Jumper

    September 11, 2022

    Ramping Up

    September 16, 2014

    A Vessel Moored on the Pier

    September 27, 2022
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie

    Macarons. Again

    October 23, 2015 /

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    Franco Cerri. The Last Jazz Living Legend

    August 16, 2016

    Whithin The Cage

    October 22, 2014

    Shadows&Lights

    March 7, 2014
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