Photos, not gear

  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact
Menu
  • Home
  • Daily photo
  • Colour
  • B&W
  • Landscape
  • Cities
  • People
  • Sport
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Conctact

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    5 (improbable) Frames with a roll of Ferrania Orto and a Nikon 35TI

    February 28, 2024 /

    The photographer is a peculiar type of social being, characterised by a ‘rules are meant to be broken’ attitude in the search for the perfect exposure. So, sooner or later, all the dogmas about composition, hyperfocal, zone system, rule of thirds, etc. will be put aside to try something ‘different’. This is what happened with these five images, taken at night in Piazza Venezia and Via Salaria in Rome with a Ferrania Orto on a Nikon 35TI; a rather strange choice given the inherent limitations of an orthocromatic film and a 2,8 35mm lens of a compact camera in this scenario. Against all odds the 35TI performed well (especially in…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Crowd Control

    February 14, 2016

    Stylemaster

    August 22, 2014

    Lightblade

    September 6, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Travels

    A Stop in Reggio Emilia

    February 21, 2024 /

    On its way to Milan, the Freccia Rossa stops at Reggio Emilia, whose railway station is a masterpiece. It is worth taking the train just to have the chance to see some of its parts from a perspective that is otherwise forbidden.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Real Street Photographer

    February 25, 2013

    Waiting Chairs

    May 21, 2015

    Aren’t Tapas Spanish?

    June 29, 2015
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Rowing,  Technique,  Winter

    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024 /

    Initially, I took this photo to document the poor state of a rowing teams’ dock. The idea was to praise the passion of this small group, who in the indifference of the general public, keep this discipline alive in a town, where soccer reigns supreme. However, when I saw the photo, it was the composition that attracted my attention: a classic example of the use of converging lines to drive the eye of the viewer. My only regret is that I failed to frame the small boat on the right, missing its bow. Had I been shooting digitally, I would have checked the result and retake the photo. Film, by…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Mind The Step

    August 28, 2015

    Not AI-made…

    September 17, 2022

    Evolution of a Guitar Player

    July 5, 2013
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Boulevards,  Daily photo,  Marketing,  Rome,  Seasons,  Urban Landscape

    Iphone 15 Billboard in Via XX Settembre

    February 14, 2024 /

    This is an attempt to exploit the limitations of an orthocromatic film. Shadows and highlights were deliberately pushed, as was the contrast. This isn’t about the billboard. Not really. Yes, there’s a giant child smiling over Rome, her face stretched across several metres of vinyl, captured “with an iPhone 15,” if we’re to believe the tagline. She’s luminous, playful, part of a campaign you’ve probably already seen before you’ve even looked at it. But the photograph is something else. This was shot on orthocromatic film—intentionally. Shadows are carved in deeper than they should be. Highlights flare and collapse detail. The tonal scale isn’t flattering, and it isn’t faithful. It’s limited.…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Street Compass Rose

    September 25, 2013

    Portrait of a Master luthier

    October 26, 2013

    Asimo’s Ancestor@Tsukuba World1985 Expo

    June 30, 2018
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Nagasaki,  People

    Nagasaki Biker

    February 13, 2024 /

    Sometimes carrying a camera with a slow autofocus, slow shutter and low ISO can be a hindrance. Had I had a better camera and a faster film, this photo would have been much better.However, it is the eye that is to blame, not the old Nikon 35TI. I realised too late that what I was looking at could have been an image and had to react within a few seconds. In those conditions, the camera did what it could, but if I had been aware of my surroundings, I would have been ready at the right moment. So I paid the price for my bad habit of relying on gear…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    An Old Boxing Gym

    February 22, 2016

    Hanging Clothes

    February 18, 2014

    Free Ride

    October 2, 2014
  • Autumn,  Daily Video,  Fighting Disciplines

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

    January 11, 2024 /

    This is the seventh episode in a series documenting the use of expired film in various contexts. Episode 6 features a Kodak Portra 160 shot with a Canon Eos 1V and a Canon EF 50 1,8 at the Trofeo Judo Italia. The film was not overexposed, and processed with Affinity Photo 2 .

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Justice measured as the distance between Words and Facts

    July 10, 2023

    Which One?

    April 16, 2014

    Street Of New York… possibly

    March 21, 2017
  • 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Red Wine Makes Good Blood…

    April 27, 2014

    Ultras

    July 20, 2016

    二千円

    December 20, 2023
  • B&W,  Bookstores,  Daily photo,  Winter

    二千円

    December 20, 2023 /

    The 2,000 yen note is something of a rarity even for the Japanese. As Japan is mainly a cash-based society (at least for everyday life), I made sure to carry enough money on my recent trip to the Kyushu region.The bank gave me a wad of brand new ¥2,000 notes, which were so unusual that they attracted the attention of many people I exchanged them with. The photo was taken with a КИЕВ 60 TTL and a волна 80/2.8, the film was a Ferrania P30.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Not A Rorschach Inkblot

    December 24, 2017

    A Lost Towel

    July 3, 2013

    The Curious Mushroom

    November 16, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Winter

    An Antique Shop in via Cadorna

    December 10, 2023 /

    The overall quality of the black and white rendition is acceptable. However, it is still necessary to find how achieve colour consistency in multiple DSLR-scan.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Urban Totem

    April 29, 2014

    Street Food in Via Salaria

    March 13, 2014

    Duel

    November 20, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    A jam in via Alessandria

    December 8, 2023 /

    Taking pictures with a fully manual camera is a way to keep practising the basics. Honestly, I would not use a film camera for a professional assignment —at least, not as the main one— but it’s worth doing it in a less challenging condition.As per the technicalities, waiting for the next batch of Ferrania Orto to arrive, I resorted to a Kodak Tri-X 400 roll, which is my favourite film at these ISOs.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A future to tell

    April 18, 2013

    On Tips’n Tricks to ‘take you photos to the next level’

    May 29, 2025

    Next Time, Maybe…

    January 12, 2014
  • 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    No time for lunch at Piazza Fiume …

    February 20, 2013

    Nad Sylvan

    July 10, 2017

    Marianna D’ama – Live

    December 2, 2018
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Frank Gambale All Stars – Live@Teatro Marrucino

    November 22, 2023 /

    Rockol has just published a gallery with some of the photos I took at the Frank Gambale All Stars concert last 20 November.I’ve been a fan of Gambale’s for a long time and meeting him was a very nice experience: friend, easygoing, positive attitude despite the stress of the Italian tour: a great human being (and I can’t say the same about many of the ‘artists’ I’ve met in my career as a photographer and interpreter). On the technical side, the X-T4 and the lenses (Fujinon XF150-600 and an XF18-120) worked well. At ISO3200, the images have more than acceptable noise, which becomes almost invisible when the shadows are pushed.…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Naughty Customer’s Place

    September 28, 2013

    Nikkor 16mm Fisheye – Three Ways to Make use of Such a Lens

    August 22, 2024

    Ceci n’est pas un cadre

    December 29, 2013
  • 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    An outdoor theatre?

    January 31, 2013

    A Sailor

    July 28, 2014

    So what?

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

    Isolation in public spaces

    November 10, 2023 /

    This photo is an interesting representation of what it looks like to isolate oneself from one’s surroundings. In close proximity, inwardly each of the three people could not be further apart, each in a peculiar state of mind. The photo was taken with a Nikon 35TI and a Ferrania Orto in the Tokyo subway. Admittedly, the Orto is not the film of choice for street photography due to its harsh contrast and blue sensitivity. But then, rules are made to be broken, aren’t they?

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    José Ignacio Franco – Live@Auditorium Petruzzi

    July 31, 2022

    Saving the Boat

    December 11, 2013

    Stinky Shoes

    June 3, 2015
  • 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…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Guarding Democracy

    June 14, 2023

    Mario Asks for it!

    April 9, 2014

    Waiting for the Fish

    December 18, 2021
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks

    Red Beam

    October 24, 2023 /

    The Viltrox XF 85 F1.8 II is a very capable lens. Here is a shot taken with a Fuji X-T4 in difficult lighting conditions.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015

    Strategy

    September 20, 2018

    Snorkeling

    August 24, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  Photography,  Street Photography

    How Privacy Hysteria Killed Street-Photography

    October 22, 2023 /

    At other times I would have dismissed this image as ‘out of focus’ and unusable. Just another missed shot caused by poor focusing technique on a fully manual film camera. Nowadays, however, I have begun to change my attitude towards these kinds of blurred images because of the privacy hysteria affecting the practice of street photography. There have been cases where people have been found guilty of harassment for covertly taking pictures in public spaces, but street photography has nothing to do with criminal behaviour. There is a huge difference between taking sneaky, random, meaningless pictures of people on the street and trying to freeze sketches of life to tell…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Los niños y el tocaor

    October 30, 2017

    Footprint

    April 24, 2014

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    August 10, 2014
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People

    Where to?

    October 21, 2023 /

    Unlike my previous shots, this is a ‘normal’ analogue image. The film – Ferrania P30 – was not expired and the camera was fully manual – a Voigtländer Bessa R2A with a Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35 1.4.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Still Standing

    March 15, 2014

    Out-of-Focus Once Again

    February 28, 2015

    A Fishnet – 1

    October 28, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks

    A Lighthouse

    October 11, 2023 /

    Another example of how the Viltrox XF 56/1.4 performs in very low light.To be honest, the Fuji X-T4’s X-Trans sensor played its part.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Waiting For The Patrons – 2

    June 19, 2015

    Belgian Ghosts

    May 2, 2014

    Inside the Palaces of Power – Bruxelles

    November 8, 2015
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks

    Modern Moai?

    October 10, 2023 /

    Still pushing the Viltrox AF 56/1,4 XF on a Fuji X-T4.The limit has not been reached just yet.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Kudos to Ricoh

    February 8, 2013

    Nightlife

    June 20, 2013

    Silent Reader

    July 17, 2016
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighting Disciplines,  Sport

    Questioning the Referee

    October 8, 2023 /

    Sports photography is all about the moment. Freezing the moments of success – a win, a comeback or a try – as well as failure – a miss, a fall or an injury – is what usually attracts photographers’ attention. But there are many other stories to be told during a competition, and the complex relationship between coaches and referees is one of the most interesting – and overlooked. In this picture, taken during a national judo tournament, I captured the moment when a referee decided to stop talking to a complaining coach. Technical note: I took this picture with a Pentax K-3 II and a Pentax DA* 80-200/2.8. Maybe…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Suit

    July 15, 2013

    HeadButt

    August 5, 2023

    The dilemma

    January 11, 2013
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Bridges,  Daily photo

    Floating

    October 7, 2023 /

    Another shot taken with the Viltrox 56/1,4 XF and a Fuji X-T4.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Should I Seat?

    December 15, 2021

    @Rome Maker Faire – 5. Pensive

    October 18, 2014

    Trespassed

    May 3, 2015
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks

    Sailing Home

    October 4, 2023 /

    The quality of the Viltrox 56 1/4 XF never ceases to amaze me.This image was taken with an X-T4 at ISO1600, so the quality of the sensor plays a significant role in the overall result. However, as the lens is not supported in Affinity Photo 2, the image is wysiwyg in the sense that no profile-based corrections have been applied.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Will The iPhone Kill Traditional Cameras? Not Very

    October 15, 2019

    Chitchat under the rain

    March 10, 2013

    Bent

    July 13, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Observer Bias,  Photography

    AI or not AI?

    October 3, 2023 /

    The original title of this photograph was ‘When the wait to see the doctor is too long’, and it was intended to illustrate how the ‘framing’ of an image into a particular concept changes – or creates from scratch – its overall meaning.However, when a friend of mine saw it, he commented, ‘Is this made by AI?’ Making a pun with my initials, I replied ‘No, it is not AI, it is AM’.Joking aside, what made me think is that this image could not have been further from being AI-generated: it was shot on film, with a twenty-year-old point-and-shoot camera loaded with a fifteen-year-old Ilford HP5 400 roll, yet it…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 2 – Ilford XP2Super 400 – Nov. 2017 shot in May 2023

    July 25, 2023

    Kristina Miller live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italy Beach Soccer Team’s Goalkeeper (and a primer on sport photography, part 2)

    September 24, 2015
12345

Projects

  • Daily photo (1,390)
    • B&W (272)
    • Colour (1,102)
  • Daily Video (15)
  • Portfolio (2)
  • Projects (1,302)
    • Airport (15)
    • Bottles&Cups (12)
    • Cars&Bikes (42)
    • Chairs&Seats (19)
    • Cities (454)
      • Barcelona (16)
      • Boston (11)
      • Bruxelles (65)
      • Hamburg (3)
      • Helsinki (2)
      • Kyoto (2)
      • London (27)
      • Milan (50)
      • Nagasaki (2)
      • Nagoya (8)
      • New York (9)
      • Nikko (1)
      • Osaka (3)
      • Oslo (17)
      • Padua (1)
      • Paris (31)
      • Rome (146)
      • Stockholm (11)
      • Tokyo (29)
      • Tsukuba (2)
      • Venice (22)
      • Yokohama (1)
    • Court (23)
    • Landscape (99)
      • Beach&Shores (78)
    • Lines (19)
    • Marketing (5)
    • Moon (7)
    • Observer Bias (14)
    • Odds (21)
    • OutOfFocus (13)
    • Parks (6)
    • Past&Relics (55)
    • People (622)
      • Actors (14)
      • Artists (84)
      • Fighters (29)
      • Portraits (41)
    • Seasons (913)
      • Autumn (142)
      • Spring (180)
      • Summer (260)
      • Winter (345)
    • Shops (164)
      • Barber&HairStylist (1)
      • Bookstores (10)
      • Brand Stores (1)
      • Fashion Shops (15)
      • Garages&Labs (11)
      • Groceries (3)
      • Jewelry (3)
      • Patisserie (11)
      • Restaurants&Bar (92)
      • Street Markets (14)
      • Tobacconists (2)
    • Social Control (50)
    • Travels (18)
    • Urban Landscape (292)
      • Boulevards (12)
      • Bridges (7)
      • Buildings (23)
      • Docks (74)
      • Doors&Windows (26)
      • Downtown (30)
      • Exhibitions (11)
      • Fountains (6)
      • Garbage (18)
      • Gates&Fences (12)
      • Parks (20)
      • Streets&Squares (65)
      • Works (2)
    • Visual (67)
    • WideAngle (13)
  • Reportage (16)
  • Sport (72)
    • Beach Handball (1)
    • Beach Volley (5)
    • Billiard (1)
    • Body Builiding (1)
    • Cycling (1)
    • Fighting Disciplines (24)
    • Handball (2)
    • Kite Surf (4)
    • Road Running (1)
    • Roller Derby (1)
    • Rowing (2)
    • Shooting (12)
    • Skating (4)
    • Soccer (6)
    • Swimming (Fin) (1)
    • Track&Field (5)
  • Thoughts (226)
    • Gear (68)
    • Photo Journalism (6)
    • PhotoCritics (19)
    • Photography (63)
    • Street Photography (83)
    • Technique (29)
Dear anonymous visitor, you may enjoy this web site’s contents with all the ease of not being tracked.

I do not know your identity and will do nothing to figure out who you are.

This explains why I do not ask for your consent: it is not possible to abide by the law if one’s counterpart is unknown.

I do not have social network’s ‘share buttons’, comments are disabled, as are user registration features.

I only use those cookies and pieces of code that make Google Analytics work and that will eventually be dismissed as soon as I am sure that Matomo (also installed) works as advertised.

If you check this website with some online tool you may find two cookies ‘_utmz’ and ‘_utma’. The former tracks your sessions, the latter your location. You may find more information in the Legalia and Cookie Policy page

Compulsory Information

  • Legalia
© 2025 Andrea Monti - all rights reserved