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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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    Hard Stare

    April 26, 2016

    Sergey Krylov live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022

    Ready For Lunch

    November 1, 2014
  • 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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    (Not so) Intelligent Design

    October 26, 2018

    The EOS-M just sucks

    July 18, 2013

    Leaving

    September 27, 2018
  • 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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    A Young Sailor in Open Sea

    August 11, 2014

    The Pulse of Passion: A Story Told in Red

    August 9, 2018

    Abruzzo’s made Coke??

    March 26, 2013
  • 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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    The missing guest

    April 19, 2013

    No time for lunch at Piazza Fiume …

    February 20, 2013

    Cultural Variety In Helsinki

    September 24, 2022
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Sun Worshipers

    January 3, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Small Talk

    February 10, 2014

    After Heat, Structure

    November 12, 2021

    The Elders’ Council

    June 29, 2013
  • 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 cigarette

    September 28, 2015

    Uchi-Mata

    November 8, 2014

    The Violinist

    July 1, 2015
  • 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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    Do Not Disturb the News Reader

    February 24, 2014

    EOS-M. Tips and Results For Street-Photography

    August 9, 2013

    YANE – Yet Another Nepal Exhibit

    March 23, 2015
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Should I Seat?

    December 15, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    HeadButt

    August 5, 2023

    Intelligence Contest

    April 15, 2017

    Beer or Spritz?

    November 1, 2019
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Man in Trenchcoat

    November 20, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Spanish Sense of Flesh – 2

    June 28, 2014

    Another attempt at DLSR film scanning

    January 21, 2023

    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 1

    June 25, 2017
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Lines

    Barbarians At the Beach

    August 30, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Don’t They Drink Tea, Instead?

    December 27, 2016

    Lost Cellos

    August 30, 2014

    Servicing a Sig Sauer P226

    December 16, 2017
  • 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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    Nature gets its space back…

    November 7, 2018

    Leaving Home

    December 5, 2014

    Hair Cut

    July 19, 2013
  • 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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    Love is like a flower

    May 18, 2013

    Staying Behind

    November 28, 2013

    The Smoker’s Golden Rule: A Coffee Always Calls a Cigarette

    July 9, 2013
  • 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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    Hell Behind — Tiny Holes Reveal the Flames

    March 19, 2013

    Lockpicking Tools

    December 11, 2018

    Stairway to Hell

    January 9, 2022
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring

    Footprints

    March 27, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Portrait of a Master luthier

    October 26, 2013

    Reminiscenses From The Past

    September 7, 2013

    A Portrait on the Nasdaq Building

    January 18, 2014
  • 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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    Getting In The Zone Before the Shot

    November 28, 2016

    Easy To Shoot?

    December 12, 2020

    On Composition. Or: the eye sees what the mind is prepared to comprehend

    September 11, 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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    Caged?

    June 6, 2014

    Portrait of a politician – 1

    October 25, 2013

    Mussels Underwater…

    August 23, 2014
  • 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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    Hair Cut

    July 19, 2013

    Underground Security RA(T)P

    June 5, 2015

    The Chess Players

    October 10, 2013
  • 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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    A Calm Person

    January 8, 2014

    A Jazz-Manouche Guitar Player

    August 17, 2014

    Portrait of an Heavy Metal Singer

    November 21, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Summer

    Learning to Fly

    August 23, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Deserved Rest

    March 21, 2021

    Floating Flower

    May 19, 2015

    The Pizza’s Journey

    June 12, 2013
  • 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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    The Quest for Belgian Chocolate…

    April 11, 2017

    Isolation in Public Spaces

    November 10, 2023

    Reminiscenses From The Past

    September 7, 2013
  • 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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    Siamese Boats On the Seine River

    June 1, 2014

    Wet Socks

    July 19, 2014

    An Athlete@Stadio Marmi, Rome

    October 11, 2018
  • 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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    Marianna D’ama – Live

    December 2, 2018

    Who dares…

    February 7, 2013

    5 Frames with a Praktica MTL5B, a Pentacon 50/1,8 and a Roll of Portra 400 (expired in 2011)

    June 20, 2024
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Happy New Year

    January 1, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Casual Walk

    March 6, 2015

    While Waiting for the Food

    September 3, 2013

    Taking-Off

    April 15, 2021
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Unkempt

    December 4, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024

    A relic from the (recent) past

    April 30, 2013

    Just A Cat

    June 29, 2014
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