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  • Bookstores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Kyoto,  Summer

    Dai Shodo@Kyoto

    December 2, 2020 /

    Kyoto ‘s Teramachi-dori is full of suprises. Amidst shops of the most different kind and attire, booklovers can find this small gem. This is Dai-Shodo, a quiet print shop tucked into a narrow Kyoto street. I stepped inside on a grey afternoon with no particular plan. The light was soft, filtered through old windows and the hushed presence of paper. Everything in the shop seemed to lean inwards—frames, shelves, stairs—as if holding its breath in reverence. What struck me most wasn’t the prints themselves, but how they were displayed. Ukiyo-e woodblocks and vintage ephemera layered on every surface, propped rather than hung, as if caught mid-conversation. The stairway invited you up…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Uninterested

    March 2, 2021

    Knocking on lion’s door

    April 22, 2013

    What lasts of a springtime hailstorm

    June 22, 2013
  • Actors,  Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Reportage,  Winter

    Il barbiere di Siviglia – Don Bartolo mad at Rosina

    November 28, 2020 /

    A shot from the mise en scene of the Il Barbiere di Siviglia I did as a scene-photgrapher for the Teatro Marrucino

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    Andrea Monti

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    Nightlife in Bruxelles

    June 27, 2014

    Inside The Palace of Power

    September 17, 2015

    Drying Clothes

    March 9, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Exhibitions

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    November 26, 2020 /

    An important piece of history of the Italian Navy, at the anchor in the Port of Genova.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Branches On The Wall

    December 10, 2014

    Just a Bench (or a Sacrificial Altar?)

    January 11, 2017

    Bicycle

    February 2, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Marketing,  Nagoya,  Reportage,  Travels

    Nagoya’s reportage featured in The Good Life

    October 29, 2020 /

    The Good Life‘s October issue features my photoreportage of Nagoya.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Lightblade

    September 6, 2013

    Into The Cube

    November 18, 2014

    Small Talk

    February 10, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Doors&Windows,  Past&Relics,  Summer

    The Answer is On the Wall

    August 28, 2020 /

    A tribute to The Hitchkiker Guide to the Galaxy.

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    ContentEditor

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    Lost Cellos

    August 30, 2014

    Fishermen in Rome, Again

    November 5, 2013

    Tiles

    October 31, 2014
  • Actors,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics

    Meaning in Photography

    March 4, 2020 /

    In this picture, taken during the reportage I did for the Teatro Marrucino’s I Miserabili, an old and exhausted fighter rests while a young citoyen waves the French flag defying the fire of the royalists. The strength of the picture is in the dialectics created by the two protagonists, hinting at a “relay” between an old man that “gave all”, resting while a young man steps in.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Coffee at Caffè Nero

    July 16, 2023

    Without Glasses @ via del Corso

    January 25, 2016

    Shade of Berlin

    April 23, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Reportage,  Winter

    Denegata Justitia

    March 2, 2020 /

    Sometimes a picture acquires a meaning that goes beyond the original intent of the photographer. In this case, taken from a reportage I did for Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables featured at Teatro Marrrucino, in Chieti, the photography becomes the archetype of the denegata Justitia. The defendant asks to speak, the justice stares elsewhere.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Driving Around a Rainy Tokyo

    June 10, 2018

    Fancy a Beer?

    November 10, 2015

    The Day of the Zombies

    October 23, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Technique,  Winter

    Breaking the Fourth Wall

    February 17, 2020 /

    Shooting a play is challenging because you must be ready to seize ‘the moment’ and, at the very same time, think of unusual compositions to avoid the boring ‘frontal’ perspective. Shooting part of the reportage from the backstage of Hamlet, with Giorgio Pasotti and Mariangela D’Abbraccio directed by Francesco Tavassi I had the possibility to experiment the breaking of the fourth wall. This picture is one of the results.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Expired Film Series – Episode 3 – Ilford HP5 400 – Dec. 2010 shot in August 2023

    August 30, 2023

    An Open Gate

    January 13, 2015

    After a Tough Day

    January 30, 2016
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Technique

    Counter-intuitive Focus

    February 9, 2020 /

    This photo I took during a reportage for a theatre hosting a concert of Uto Ughi shows a counter-intuitive use of focusing. Rather than go for the obvious option, the attention is shifted on the two musicians in the background capturing their concentration, with the leading violin blurred and conceptually, thus, ‘left behind’. The global effect is reinforced by a neat separation between the dark and light parts of the frame.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Wire Stylist

    January 31, 2015

    A Curious Bystander

    December 24, 2013

    Toxic Waste in Open Air

    August 31, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Technique,  Winter

    When Colour Helps Composition

    February 7, 2020 /

    This photo I took during a reportage of Miseria e nobiltà – a classic of the Neapolitan comedy by Eduardo Scarpetta – in the mise en scene of Lello Arena e Luciano Melchionna gives a lot of insights on how composition works. The triangle designed by the two actors on the sides and the taller actress in the centre is reinforced by the colours of the costumes: black in the centre, white in the sides. Finally, the purple background behind the black figure enhances the eye-driving effect toward the centre.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Empty Spaces

    May 23, 2014

    Portrait of a politician – 1

    October 25, 2013

    Shooting Kite Surfing

    September 22, 2024
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Seasons,  Winter

    On “timing the moment”

    January 20, 2020 /

    This photo I took during an assignment for a reportage on the theatre drama called “Le Signorine” with Giuliana De Sio and Isa Danieli is an excellent example of the “Timing the moment” concept. “Timing the moment” is a skill any event-based photographer should develop (or hone, if he’s gifted enough to have been born with the gift.) Especially in sport – but too in concerts and theatre’s show if you did not attend the rehearsal – you don’t know in advance what is going to happen. A unique mixture of intuition, reflex and decision (what the Japanese would call 決め – kime) allows capturing an unforeseen – and excellent…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Compelling Power of Photography

    September 22, 2022

    Sergey Krylov live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022

    Traffic Jam in Bruxelles

    April 7, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Travels,  Winter

    Hope after the Storm

    January 8, 2020 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Beach Party

    January 22, 2022

    Hanging Towels

    March 29, 2014

    Labcoats

    December 28, 2015
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Rome

    Deadly Bored

    January 6, 2020 /

    Once again, the meaning of this picture is counter intuitive and “made up” by the composition. The scene is seen from the perspective of the mannequin: at the end of a hard day spent sitting on the street-front, it (or he?) looks deadly bored and tries to kill the time before the shop closes by casually looking at the next passerby. The directional effect (from the mannequin to the passerby) is achieved by the diagonal connecting the tip of the hat, the feet of the mannequin and the cast of the shadow. Taken as a whole, these elements drive the eye from the mannequin to the persons and not vice-versa.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting For The Bus On Las Ramblas

    August 19, 2014

    Luck is an Attitude

    January 25, 2014

    Rocco Zifarelli, Jeff Berlin, Beth&Danny Gottlieb, Gabriela Sinagra

    June 10, 2013
  • Autumn,  Boulevards,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Rome

    A Virtual Glance Dance

    December 28, 2019 /

    The essence of this photo is all in the glances of the protagonists. The man looks at the woman, the woman looks at the luxury car. The essence of this photo is all in the glances of the protagonists. The man looks at the woman, and the woman looks at the luxury car. It is this subtle game of glances that tells a story and turns the photography from a casual picture into something worth seeing. Once again, it is not relevant whether the people portrayed are actually involved in the “glance dance”, as what matters is the image to convey the meaning created by the overall result. This confirms…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stage Setting

    October 1, 2014

    Right before the gig

    September 14, 2018

    What lasts of a springtime hailstorm

    June 22, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Portraits,  Technique,  Winter

    The Power of Underexposing

    December 25, 2019 /

    Properly mastering underexposure helps to obtain pleasant results in challenging light conditions. I took this picture of a soprano by lowering the camera exposure by two stops, thus preserving skin tones burning, and “fading” the background to black. A proper in-camera under-exposure has the advantage of requiring lesser work in post to toggle clarity, temperature and black point.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Silent Reader

    July 17, 2016

    The Mailbox

    May 5, 2013

    The BatFire

    April 29, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Rome,  Winter

    When Tilted Photos Work

    December 18, 2019 /

    Tilted photos are very challenging to take. It is easy to break the composition, lose an essential part of the scene, or take a bad picture. Furthermore, making sense out of a diagonal orientation with a ratio that is not square (Hasselblad people, I can hear you loud and clear!) adds layers of difficulties. As counterintuitive as it might look, this photo taken in a “normal” orientation would have lost all its visual impact.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fishnet – 2

    October 29, 2014

    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024

    Bulbs

    January 12, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Rome,  Winter

    Good Plan, Poor Execution

    December 15, 2019 /

    The idea behind the composition is entirely correct. The mannequins and the girl form a triangle, as does the direction of the stares, conveying both a sense of symmetry and counterposing the liveness of a human being to the puppets’ lack of. A poor execution, though, led to the mannequins’ head cut, turning a visually appealing photography into a meaningless shot.

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    Andrea Monti

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    An Old Lady in Great Shape

    September 23, 2014

    Uninterested

    March 2, 2021

    Black Cat

    October 31, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Observer Bias,  PhotoCritics,  Rome,  Winter

    Light as Meaning Shifter

    December 11, 2019 /

    The original idea behind this picture was to match the emptiness of the shop with the facelessness of the mannequin posing as a store clerk, to convey a general feeling of depersonalization. Unfortunately, the big lightblot represented by the poster close to the mannequin catches the observer’s attention and reduce the effectiveness of the composition. Instead of connecting the mannequin with the internal part of the store thus making sense of the whole picture, the eye just “sees” an ad poster.

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    Andrea Monti

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    ChitChat in a sunny day

    January 4, 2013

    St. Peter in Background

    December 5, 2013

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 7 – Kodak Portra 160 – June 2015 shot in Oct. 2023

    January 11, 2024
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  OutOfFocus,  PhotoCritics,  Rome,  Visual,  Winter

    Photopanning in Rome

    December 3, 2019 /

    Photo panning is an art in itself and – when adequately practised – is able to deliver a stunning visual experience. In this picture (that has not been altered but for contrast and clarity) the overall experience reminds the Impressionism aesthetics.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Mirror

    January 17, 2013

    Late Night Conversation at Cardinal’s Wharf

    September 29, 2016

    Late Night Arrival at Bertinoro’s Castle

    January 15, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Jewelry,  Observer Bias,  PhotoCritics,  Rome,  Winter

    Keep Out!

    November 30, 2019 /

    This photo conveys a message of “rejection”: first, a security guard who blocks access to the jewellery and then a signal of a prohibition of access reinforces the concept, thanks to a composition that guides the eye to a diagonal that goes from the bottom to the top, from left to right. Obviously, there is nothing “true” about all this because the overall result is the result of the organization of the spaces and the management of the perspective that allow connecting semantically elements that, in reality, have no relationship between them. It would have been enough to shoot from a different angle – or not juxtapose the security guard…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Footprints

    May 19, 2013

    Three Lamps

    September 19, 2022

    Killing Santa

    January 25, 2013
  • Airport,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Projects

    Hands of a Steward

    November 22, 2019 /

    Shooting up and close in confined space. A skill every street-photographer should hone.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Drying Clothes

    March 9, 2021

    Killing Santa

    January 25, 2013

    The Businessman…

    February 9, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Winter

    Evolution in Red

    November 20, 2019 /

    This is another example of how purely visual (the color red) and factual (a stroller on the far left, and an adult on the far right) elements create in the mind of the observer a semantic connection (in this case: the transition from childhood to adulthood) that does not exist in reality.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Room 17 – VIXI

    March 27, 2015

    The Taste Master

    March 2, 2014

    Sailing Home

    October 4, 2023
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Rome

    Beer or Spritz?

    November 1, 2019 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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

    September 11, 2023

    Windows XVIII … Century

    February 28, 2014

    The Google Experiment

    February 1, 2014
  • Autumn,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome

    Fast drivers in Via del Tritone

    October 31, 2019 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Lotus Tweak

    July 31, 2015

    Wave Riders

    September 20, 2013

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Beach Handball Female Team (and a primer on sport photography, part 3)

    September 30, 2015
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