Andrea Monti

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  • Autumn,  Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo

    The Compelling Power of Photography

    September 22, 2022 /

    The sandstorm came fast — the kind that scours your skin raw, leaves grit between your teeth, and makes you regret every bit of exposed flesh. I had the Pentax K-3 II with the DA* 50–135mm f/2.8 mounted and ready, but even the gear felt fragile in that wind. Eighty kilometres per hour doesn’t sound like much until it becomes horizontal. In the middle of that chaos, he walked in. No jacket, no hood, no camera gear — just shorts, sunglasses, and a phone. He stopped, planted his feet in the shifting sand, and took a photo. Not staged, not dramatic. Just a gesture. In the middle of discomfort, maybe…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stylish

    March 16, 2014

    Still Together

    April 20, 2013

    Shade of Berlin

    April 23, 2013
  • Autumn,  Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography

    Not AI-made…

    September 17, 2022 /

    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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    Andrea Monti

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    Mind The Step

    August 28, 2015

    A Fence

    November 6, 2014

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 6 – Kodak Portra 400 – November 2016 shot in Sept. 2023

    June 5, 2024
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  People

    On Photography and Self-Delusion

    September 4, 2022 /

    Only travelling abroad gets exotic photos. No need to travel overseas to get unusual images. Shoot digital is the only way ‘to stay in the moment’. Going retro with film is the only way to stay ‘in the moment’. Get the latest gear you can find. No, use the cheapest stuff because photography is about the man, not the machine. Do not post process, do post process. Shoot colour; no shoot B&W. Use Midformat, no full-frame, no APS-C, no smartphone-size sensors… The list of advice coming from (self-professed) experts, journalists (most often, web content editors with no editorial clearance), and ‘seasoned’ (wannabe) photographers could grow forever.More often than not, these…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Unkempt

    December 4, 2015

    @Rome Maker Faire – 7. Mobile Rest

    October 23, 2014

    Suspicious

    December 2, 2014
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Beach Party

    January 22, 2022 /

    Shot just after dawn, this image came together in seconds but tells a layered story of rivalry and instinct. The beach, in its usual emptiness, became a stage for the coarsely choreographed interaction between gulls and crows. I didn’t plan for a composition — I reacted to it. And yet, the result balances tension, motion, and rhythm better than many calculated frames. Technically, I leaned into softness rather than clarity. The overcast light pushed the colours into a muted palette, verging on monochrome. I let the flatness be, resisting contrast boosts in post, allowing the wet sand to mirror just enough detail without pulling the eye from the birds. Their…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Focused (or Sad) Violinist

    December 17, 2016

    When the day is gone

    April 4, 2013

    Portrait of a Politician – 2

    June 15, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Sun Worshipers

    January 3, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Serva padrona @ Teatro Marrucino

    October 1, 2023

    Under an Old Roof

    May 22, 2014

    Sailing Home

    October 4, 2023
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Gliding Away

    December 21, 2021 /

    I caught this shot as the gull moved past me, wings stretched in an elegant curve, pulling away from the frame almost as quickly as I brought the camera to my eye. Tracking birds in flight with the DA* 50-135 on the K-3 II is always a test of reflexes and technique, especially when the background is a shifting plane of textured water. The lens handled the contrast well, keeping the bird distinct enough from the muted greens and greys of the sea, though the fine detail in the wingtips fell just short of crisp — a reminder that a fractionally faster shutter speed might have been the better choice.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Little Of Thailand In Rome

    August 3, 2013

    Slow Walk at Mulberry St.

    January 16, 2014

    A Beverage Dispenser

    November 21, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Winter

    Waiting for the Fish

    December 18, 2021 /

    There’s a particular kind of pleasure in using the Pentax K-3 II paired with the DA* 50-135mm f/2.8—a combination that rewards patience much like the fisherman in this frame. The lens’s rendering and microcontrast gave me exactly what I wanted here: a clean separation between subject and background without the look feeling forced. The weather was brooding, the horizon hazy, and the colours naturally muted, so the camera’s sensor, with its well-known dynamic range, had plenty of tonal nuance to work with. The man in the red hoodie became my obvious focal point—a striking colour contrast against the cooler palette of sea and sky. His posture, hands clasped behind his…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Via Collina, Empty, From Above

    September 13, 2014

    Autumn Leaves

    September 8, 2014

    A Spanish Long Jumper

    September 11, 2022
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Should I Seat?

    December 15, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Pulse Of The Town

    October 17, 2014

    As Deep As The Ocean

    April 15, 2016

    Planetarium

    May 30, 2015
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Man in Trenchcoat

    November 20, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Late Night Conversation at Cardinal’s Wharf

    September 29, 2016

    Pure Joy

    May 25, 2014

    A Banner

    November 29, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Lines

    Barbarians At the Beach

    August 30, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Weight Training @ Rome’s Stadio Olimpico

    October 9, 2018

    Are you Sure?

    July 9, 2015

    Come on in…

    September 11, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    A ‘Trabocco’ on the Adriatic Sea

    April 20, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Elders’ Council

    June 29, 2013

    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014

    Countersniping

    February 7, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Technique

    Using a 1960 Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 on a Fuji X-T3

    April 5, 2021 /

    In short The Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 works flawlessly on a Fujifilm X-T3, also with third-party adapters having no electronic connection with the camera. It provides excellent results, notwithstanding its age. Using this lens for street photography requires using focus-peaking or zone focus. In this latter case, proper training is necessary to correctly assess the distance from the subject. Image quality On the X-T3 the lens preserves its unique identity. Its colour rendering gives pictures a distinctive ‘retro’ character. The Elmarit shows an excellent resolving power: thin lines are visible and well defined. Chromatic aberration is visible at F2,8. It disappears from F4 and ahead. Anyway, the lens profile is well…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Visual

    January 18, 2013

    Alone, Together…

    June 19, 2013

    Good Idea

    January 31, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique

    In praise of ‘cheap’ lenses for ‘pro’ works

    April 4, 2021 /

    Full disclosure: I have no relationship with Viltrox. I purchased the lenses with my own money and did not receive any request to write this post. I have recently discovered Viltrox, a Chinese manufacturer of lenses for the Fujifilm X-system. I am using the AF 85/1,8 II XF and the AF 56/1,4 XF and I am very satisfied by their performance. They are very good for ‘professional’ sessions, however, there are many online reviews that snobbishly rate these lenses as ‘amateur’, ‘non-professional’ or ‘first time portrait photography enthusiasts’ grade. I think that these reviews are unfair and here is why: What does ‘better’ mean? It is a known fact that…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Caged?

    June 6, 2014

    Landscape

    December 21, 2012

    Cleaning the Tabernacle

    November 26, 2022
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring

    Footprints

    March 27, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Trial Docks Waiting for the Justice to Come

    April 21, 2015

    Stripes in B&W

    April 29, 2015

    Sergey Krylov live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  People

    Zombies

    March 4, 2021 /

    It was one of those winter mornings where the fog doesn’t just obscure — it swallows. Standing on the shoreline with the Nikon D610 and my trusty Nikkor 105mm f/2.5, I could barely see ten metres ahead. Figures emerged slowly from the haze, walking towards me in silence, their features lost in the grey void. The effect was unsettling enough that, reviewing the shots later, I couldn’t help but think of a scene from a low-budget horror film — the title wrote itself. Technically, this photograph is a study in embracing limitation. Autofocus in such conditions is almost pointless, and it wasn’t a problem since the lens is full-manual; I…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The SoundMaster

    July 10, 2013

    A Fountain’s Jet

    April 12, 2021

    Masters of Propaganda

    July 18, 2023
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Uninterested

    March 2, 2021 /

    No glance. No nod. Just two people moving through the same space, as if the other didn’t exist. This was taken on a beach that should have felt wide open, maybe even freeing—but something about the moment made it feel small, enclosed. The boy looks down at his phone. The girl walks past him, eyes fixed forward. Neither slows. Neither turns. They’re metres apart, yet orbiting separate worlds. I didn’t ask for this scene. It unfolded on its own. A brief choreography of disconnection. Their postures say enough: one drawn into a screen, the other into her own stride. There’s no hostility here—just absence. A quiet kind of loneliness, the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Should I Buy It? (Best Taken With an 85mm)

    January 23, 2016

    Killing Time

    October 10, 2016

    Garbage Collection

    August 26, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Pensive

    February 26, 2021 /

    Manual focus needs practice. This photo would have been better if I framed also the top of the cabin and focused better the person.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Dark Cloud Over San Pietro

    August 27, 2021

    Secret Beyond the Door

    October 24, 2013

    Ugo Pagliai – Romeo e Giulietta@Teatro Marrucino

    March 29, 2022
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Travels,  Winter

    Hope after the Storm

    January 8, 2020 /

    The sea hadn’t quite calmed when I made this frame—the wind still cut the crests sharp, and the noise of the waves clashing against the pilings of the trabocco was thick, physical. I waited for a break in the light, not hoping for much, and then the rainbow broke into view—just briefly—and gave the scene a tension it was missing. Not the kitsch kind of rainbow, but the kind that appears in defiance of ruin. The trabocco—an ancient fishing machine precariously perched on stilts—has always struck me as the embodiment of resilience. I framed it slightly to the left to leave space for the arc, letting the rainbow anchor the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Power of Music

    March 22, 2013

    Half a Bridge

    October 16, 2016

    Nightlife in Bruxelles

    June 27, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Summer

    Learning to Fly

    August 23, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Lifeguard’s Tools

    August 24, 2013

    A quiet watchdog or long-time friend who enjoys some rest??

    May 23, 2013

    Guarding Democracy

    June 14, 2023
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  Winter

    The Flying Dutchman… a sort of

    March 19, 2017 /

    I made this shot standing at the edge of a small harbour after midnight, the kind of hour where everything becomes abstract unless it’s lit. The boat, isolated and slightly listing, sat in complete stillness, half-moored, half-abandoned. It wasn’t moving, but it didn’t feel settled either. That in-betweenness is what caught my attention. The frame leaned heavily on underexposure—on purpose. I wanted the boat to emerge from the blackness like a memory, not an object. I metered for the faintest highlights and let the rest fall into noise and void. What the image lacks in tonal range, it gains in atmosphere. The blacks are thick, the shadows granular, and the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fishnet – 2

    October 29, 2014

    Good Idea

    January 31, 2014

    In praise of ‘cheap’ lenses for ‘pro’ works

    April 4, 2021
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    Settled in the wrong place

    January 11, 2017 /

    There’s a jolt in seeing something so deeply tied to heat and aridity draped in snow. The prickly pear cactus, its fleshy paddles dusted white, looks almost embarrassed – as if caught wearing the wrong clothes for the season. This is a photograph about displacement, but not in a melodramatic sense; rather, it’s a quiet document of the absurdities nature sometimes hands us. From a compositional standpoint, the image benefits from its layered structure. The cactus dominates the foreground on the left, its irregular shapes and textures pulling the viewer in. Mid-ground, a smaller shrub offers a softer counterpoint, while the horizon – faint and blurred – separates the white…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Sad Afternoon

    October 7, 2013

    Interior Design at Aurum

    May 26, 2013

    The BatFire

    April 29, 2016
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Where Are Skilifts Supposed to Be?

    January 7, 2017 /

    I took this photograph on a surreal winter morning when the Adriatic coastline had been transformed into something closer to the Alps than a seaside promenade. The skier, moving steadily away from me, became the anchor for the scene — his posture calm, almost resigned, as though he knew full well there would be no skilifts waiting for him ahead. From a compositional standpoint, I wanted the perspective lines to work hard here. The lamp posts, the pavement edges, even the faint ski tracks converge toward the centre, guiding the eye deeper into the image. The figure is positioned just off-centre, allowing the street to breathe while still holding the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    TicTacToe

    September 1, 2014

    Floating Flower

    May 19, 2015

    The Icecream is ready to be served

    May 8, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Happy New Year

    January 1, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014

    What Souvenirs Say About Rome (and Your Attitude Toward Life)

    August 6, 2025

    Late for Lunch

    March 26, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Unkempt

    December 4, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    An Old Portable Camera

    October 14, 2014

    Bless or Curse?

    August 12, 2014

    Al Di Meola, Peo Alfonsi, Sergio Martinez – Live @ Teatro della Villa Comunale – Roseto degli Abruzzi

    July 30, 2025
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