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Andrea Monti

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  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Exhibitions,  Photography,  Thoughts,  Tokyo

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

    July 19, 2025 /

    Simulations have turned an inevitable fact —using the chosen brand and type of film for an entire roll— into an aesthetic tool allowing the selection of the most appropriate image rendition for each single exposure. Using simulations is like having all the different kinds of film in the same roll with all the convenience of digital technology, opening a huge number of creative possibilities. Initially published on 35mmc.com This is what the standard marketing claims for software simulations are based upon, but is that actually so? As a matter of fact, the answer is yes, but if we look at the matter from a different perspective, we should consider some…

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    Andrea Monti

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    What Lasts of a Saturday Night Party

    January 24, 2014

    Why You Should Only Shoot in Your Backyard (or ‘The Art of Belonging’)

    December 19, 2024

    Protezione Civile

    November 12, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Gear,  Photography,  Tokyo,  Winter

    DSLR-like…?

    March 21, 2025 /

    I decided to write this post after having stumbled across the next ethusiast review of a smartphone published on a reputable magazine, claiming that the device can deliver ‘DSLR-like’ photos. In fact, as is often the case with ‘camera experts’ who work for a magazine or earn money by posting videos making funny faces on social networks, it was just a rewrite of the manufacturer’s product specifications and promotional material. There are few things, in photography, I dislike more than than these ‘DSLR-like’ claims made in the advertising of smartphones and compact cameras because ‘DSLR-like’ is the archetype of a meaningless statement made to lure people into using an arbitrary benchmark…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Ramping Up

    September 16, 2014

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 1 – Kodak BW400CN – Dec. 2014 shot in June 2023

    July 21, 2023

    Helios 40-2 85/1,5 and Fuji X-T5: a sample

    June 21, 2023
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Spring,  Tokyo,  Travels

    5 Frames with various cameras – Ferrari On The Road(s)

    February 22, 2025 /

    Sports car photography usually happens in specific settings such as motorshows, official events, race tracks etc., where lights, crowds, fences and limited access to restricted areas are an issue. Doing the same on the street, however, is no less challenging as things happen unpredictably and, unless taking photograph of parked vehicles, there is no time to compose – Initially published on 35mmc.com In this photograph of a Ferrari F8 Tributo, the framing makes the car the focal point, and even though the door on the left adds a bit of visual clutter, it doesn’t detract from the overall result. The following image illustrate the trade-offs of reacting in real time…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Standup Paddleboarder

    August 25, 2014

    The Solitude of Power

    May 6, 2018

    Reluctant

    November 11, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Tokyo

    A Japanese Luthier and a Fingerstyle Player from My Home Region (and My Past) – A One shot story

    January 22, 2025 /

    I took this photo at GuitarPlanet, in the Ochanomizu district of Tokyo, because I was intrigued by the different bracing of the guitars’ lower backs. The picture in itself has no particular value, but on closer inspection it revealed a story linking a musical instrument, a Japanese luthier, a region of Italy (Abruzzi) and my past. – Initially published on 35mmc.com I took this photo at GuitarPlanet, in the Ochanomizu district of Tokyo, because I was intrigued by the different bracing of the guitars’ lower backs. The picture in itself has no particular value, but on closer inspection it revealed a story linking a musical instrument, a Japanese luthier, a region of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Focused (or Sad) Violinist

    December 17, 2016

    Outside the Courthall

    April 15, 2015

    A true friend

    March 29, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Nagasaki,  Osaka,  Photography,  Streets&Squares,  Thoughts,  Tokyo,  Travels,  Yokohama

    Why You Should Only Shoot in Your Backyard (or ‘The Art of Belonging’)

    December 19, 2024 /

    What do these pictures have in common (apart from having been taken in various places in Japan)? No, they don’t have the same look and feel, composition or use of light, nor they convey a particular meaning. What they have in common is that they’re just dull and boring —meaningless, indeed. This picture of the Yokohama’s Chinatown Dragon is hardly different than the others available on the Internet. Initially published on 35mmc.com It shares a similar fate with this one, taken last Mid November in Osaka, and, as Google Lens mercylessly shows, with this one, shot in Omura, near Nagasaki. One can hardly say that this is a never-seen-before view of Tokyo’s Kyu-Shiba-rikyū Gardens, or of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Busy (again)

    February 2, 2013

    Inside a Master Luthier’s Workshop

    July 24, 2025

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    November 26, 2020
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Photography,  Tokyo

    Creativity vs Originality

    March 11, 2024 /

    Is the photo above creative? Is it original? Well… yes and no. It is certainly original because I ‘in person’ took it, and it is creative because – regardless of the aesthetic result – I took the time to arrange all the elements (composition, light, etc.) in a coherent moment —and I have the film negative to prove it. On the other hand, it is neither original —as in ‘unique’— nor creative because the same photo can be found here and maybe elsewhere on the Internet. Obviously, the linked photo it is not ‘the’ same as mine, because it is clear that they were taken at different times and places (mine was…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Restorer’s Nest

    June 27, 2013

    Moon, hand-held

    April 30, 2021

    Efesto’s New Production Line

    September 20, 2014
  • Airport,  Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Photography,  Technique,  Tokyo

    Different Stories

    December 30, 2023 /

    Taking ‘static’ pictures, such as those of buildings and other architectural structures, can be quite challenging, as it is easy to fall into obvious, already seen compositions that rob the shot of any individuality.One of the things that can make an otherwise dull image more interesting is the presence of some kind of action that blends in with the stillness of the environment.In this case, the woman on the phone is in exactly the same position as the model on the billboard. Only they are telling two different stories.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Tough Enough

    August 7, 2019

    Opposites

    February 3, 2013

    Modern Times

    January 6, 2013
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Boston,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Tokyo

    As Seen on Ferrania Film’ Stories section…

    December 4, 2023 /

    A selection of the pictures I took this year in Boston and Tokyo has been published on the official Film Ferrania website, in the ‘Stories’ section.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Coffee at Caffè Nero

    July 16, 2023

    A Spanish Long Jumper

    September 11, 2022

    Has street-photography a limit?

    December 19, 2012
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Tokyo,  Winter

    Ghosts of Ginza

    November 14, 2023 /

    Another shot from my last visit to Japan, taken with a Nikon 35TI and a Ferrania Orto in the corridors of the Ginza subway station, Tokyo.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Busy In A Call

    December 16, 2014

    Handling the Fishnet

    October 28, 2014

    The Businessman…

    February 9, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Tokyo,  Winter

    Isolation in Public Spaces

    November 10, 2023 /

    Tokyo’s subway is rarely empty, yet in the press of bodies and the blur of passing stations, solitude often asserts itself. This frame was made with a Nikon 35TI, paired with Ferrania Orto, whose orthochromatic palette brings a certain austerity to the scene. The absence of red sensitivity pulls skin tones toward pallor and renders signage and advertising in a flatter, more subdued register — perfect for distilling a moment that’s more about psychological distance than geographical setting. The composition is anchored on a single figure, set against the geometry of the carriage interior. Lines from windows, doors, and grab rails intersect in a way that almost corrals the subject,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Rusted Window

    September 11, 2014

    The Lost Garage

    July 8, 2013

    The Last Journey Of An Hero of Italian Motoring

    March 7, 2021
  • Autumn,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Tokyo

    An experiment with Dall-E, ChatGPT and a Nissan S8

    November 4, 2023 /

    This is an experiment based on a picture of a Nissan S8 taken at the Nissan Crossing in Ginza.First, I asked Dall-E to describe what he ‘sees’. Then I started asking questions to locate the place where the showroom should be, being careful not to give any hints.ChatGPT did not give a correct answer on the first try, but eventually it did. Me: Describe this photo ChatGPT: This photo features a futuristic-looking race car displayed indoors, presumably within a showroom or an exhibition space. The car is designed with an aggressive aerodynamic shape, with large, protruding front winglets and an expansive rear wing, characteristic of high-speed, high-performance vehicles, possibly a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Cameraman

    July 17, 2013

    Shooting the Shooter…

    February 12, 2013

    Pop Art Meets Industrial Hamburg

    April 24, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Tokyo,  Travels

    Nittele Tower

    April 25, 2022 /

    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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    Andrea Monti

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    Weren’t a Smartphone and a Selfie Stick Enough?

    October 6, 2016

    The Lifeguard’s Tools

    August 24, 2013

    Waiting To Board At Santa Margherita Ligure

    August 16, 2014
  • Bookstores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Tokyo

    Tsutaya Bookstore@Ginza

    December 6, 2020 /

    Photographed inside the Tsutaya Bookstore in Ginza, Tokyo, this image celebrates the bookstore as a curated stage, where books are not simply stored but presented as artefacts. The frame is dense yet controlled, offering layer upon layer of shelves, display tables, and oversized art books. The eye is immediately drawn to the centre, where a large black-and-white wildlife photograph dominates—its scale and high contrast making it the de facto anchor of the composition. CompositionThe photographer has worked with a classic layered approach. Foreground tables angle toward the viewer, drawing them deeper into the mid-ground where the hero book sits open, and then further into the background shelves which fill the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pillars

    January 29, 2015

    Did You Forget Something?

    October 3, 2016

    Lost Cellos

    August 30, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Spring,  Tokyo

    A Sad Cat in a Neko Cafè

    August 5, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stylish

    March 16, 2014

    Fisherman’s Friend

    January 10, 2014

    Yes, We…Can

    May 16, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Parks,  Restaurants&Bar,  Spring,  Tokyo

    StreetPizza@Ueno Park

    August 4, 2018 /

    I took this photograph during a humid summer afternoon in Ueno Park, Tokyo, a few metres away from the art museums and temples that draw both locals and tourists. Amid the buzz of the park’s cultural gravity, I was drawn instead to this fleeting vignette of street food preparation—quiet, unassuming, yet visually dense. What first caught my eye was the can of tomato pulp, “A Pummarola ‘Ncopp,” planted squarely in the middle of the frame like an improvised totem. Its bold Neapolitan red, combined with the colloquial script and graphic of tomatoes, adds a deliberate contrast to the surrounding functional, almost makeshift textures. Everything else in the composition plays a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Expired Film Series – Episode 5 – Kodak Tri X 400 – September 2015 shot in Sept. 2023

    May 8, 2024

    Who Needs A Wedding Photographer Anymore?

    May 29, 2014

    Good Manners

    September 29, 2013
  • Bookstores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Shrinking Knowledge Into A Small Brain

    July 24, 2018 /

    The composition presented itself almost too perfectly: two heavy book presses clamped around vintage volumes, framed by old clocks, writing tools, and artefacts of once-essential objects. It was in a display window of Itoya Ginza—a stationery temple in Tokyo—and the irony wasn’t subtle. Books literally compressed, as time ticks above them. Nothing staged, everything intentional. I shot this straight on to preserve the museum-like symmetry. The verticals are deliberate: spines, handles, clock faces, and the clean architectural grid outside. The lighting inside was soft but layered—enough to pull texture out of the pressed leather bindings and chrome bolts. ISO pushed slightly to handle shadows beneath the glass shelf, but noise…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Gravity on Pause

    September 5, 2025

    Ultras

    July 20, 2016

    Who Needs A Wedding Photographer Anymore?

    May 29, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Summer,  Tokyo

    A (Tokyo) Taxi Driver

    June 17, 2018 /

    I caught this frame mid-morning, in Tokyo’s Minato ward, just as the light turned hard and directional. The geometry of the taxi stopped at a crossing gave me a textbook profile—clean lines, bold colour, and a perfectly lit subject behind glass. But it’s the stillness that made me press the shutter. The driver, upright, masked, motionless, waiting. Not just for the green light, but within his own geometry of routine. This is a city known for velocity, and yet here he sits—disciplined, stoic, almost ceremonial in posture. The orange livery and chequered band recall a different decade, and with the crisp white gloves and lace seat covers, the car itself…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Winter Leaves

    December 9, 2014

    Photography and the Importance of a Proper Training

    April 23, 2024

    Still Together

    April 20, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Parks,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Pizza Maker@Ueno’s Park

    June 6, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Rest under a tree

    May 31, 2013

    Tables and Chairs, at Night

    May 7, 2013

    National Road Running Championships 2023 – Portraits

    June 28, 2024
  • Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Shin Pepper@Harajuku

    June 4, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Walking Table in via Cornaggia

    March 22, 2014

    A Cello Player

    April 24, 2017

    Waiting For The Patrons – 1

    June 17, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Yet Another Tokyo Tower Nightshot

    July 27, 2017 /

    It’s a cliché, and it knows it. Tokyo Tower, photographed countless times from every angle, under every sky, in every season. And yet—here it is again, demanding to be seen. This frame sidesteps the usual postcard treatment. Shot from below, the tower’s latticework bursts upward into the night, slicing through blackness with an almost aggressive geometry. The steel glows in saturated reds and yellows, while electric blue dots climb its spine like frozen sparks. The colour contrast is jarring, theatrical, impossible to ignore. What makes it work is the tilt. The camera’s skewed perspective turns the familiar into something unstable, almost vertiginous. The structure seems to lean, to lurch forward,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Bus Driver

    September 16, 2016

    National Security

    April 4, 2014

    Via Collina, Empty, From Above

    September 13, 2014
  • Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Summer,  Tokyo

    The Commuter

    July 24, 2017 /

    He was already asleep when I boarded. Head bowed, earphones in, hands gently clasped over a leather bag as if the weight of his entire week rested beneath his fingers. The sun had just begun to bleed through the train window—flat and indifferent—casting the kind of unflattering, directional light that most photographers instinctively reject. But I didn’t. I raised my phone and shot. This isn’t a grand composition. It’s quiet. Framed tightly, perhaps even uncomfortably so, with the seat backs hemming in the edges and drawing the eye into the compact geometry of his body folded forward. The line of the armrest cleaves the image horizontally, a visual interruption that…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Man Behind The Croissant

    December 13, 2014

    On The Rocks

    August 13, 2014

    Quality Check. Try Before You Buy

    April 10, 2014
  • Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Three Legged?

    July 21, 2017 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Hell Behind — Tiny Holes Reveal the Flames

    March 19, 2013

    A young Iron Maiden fan

    April 8, 2013

    Protected: Prova Aurum

    April 25, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Restaurants&Bar,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Restaurant or Killing House?

    July 18, 2017 /

    Taken in Tokyo, this photograph shows the façade of Musashi, a ramen restaurant, but the presentation is far from the warm, inviting atmosphere one might expect from an eatery. At night, under the glare of its signage, the scene takes on an ambiguous mood. The bold kanji, stark in black against an overexposed white panel, dominate the frame’s upper third, flanked by circular emblems. Below, the silhouette of a swordsman — rendered in cut-out form with glowing characters down the centre — adds an almost cinematic tension, more reminiscent of a samurai film poster than a dinner venue. From a compositional standpoint, the frame is split into strong horizontal bands:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The TelcoMan

    January 26, 2015

    @Rome Maker Faire – 6. A Statue(?)

    October 21, 2014

    Walking at Night, in Milan

    September 30, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Summer,  Tokyo

    Addicted to (Nintendo) Switch

    July 6, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A true cricket?

    September 16, 2013

    Generations – I

    August 6, 2014

    Is This Smoke?

    August 15, 2013
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