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Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Visual,  Winter

    Accidental Precision

    February 12, 2016 /

      This wasn’t a technical success. It was a mistake. I had just raised the camera when I accidentally twisted the zoom ring mid-exposure. The result: a vortex of distortion with a woman at the centre, walking straight into it. And yet, it worked. Not in spite of the blur—but because of it. The composition wasn’t planned, but it landed with an unexpected balance. The vanishing point draws backward, while the red coat blasts forward—like pigment dragged across the frame by a restless brush. The background—palm trees, streetlights, suburban geometry—melts into curves, turning realism into gesture. This image violates every rule of clarity. It’s not sharp. Her face is unreadable,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting for the hearing

    February 19, 2013

    Iphone 15 Billboard in Via XX Settembre

    February 14, 2024

    Shooting an Outdoor Volleyball Match

    June 19, 2025
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  OutOfFocus,  People,  Rome,  Visual,  Winter

    Multiple Peripheral Visions

    February 10, 2016 /

    This frame was shot instinctively—no time to refocus, no second attempt. What emerged is less a photograph than a study in misdirection. Every figure in this image is out of focus, yet the meaning is sharper than most high-resolution portraits. The scene plays like theatre. A soldier, heavily armed, stands at ease in the foreground. A woman in heels walks away, blurred into silhouette. In the background, people sit, smoke, talk, check phones. The corridor and its black door—dead centre, unnerving in its neutrality—stares back like a question. The sign reads “BALCONE DIPLOMATICO,” almost comical in its contrast to the ordinariness of what surrounds it. Technically, it’s a failure by…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Yellow

    December 15, 2014

    Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

    January 14, 2013

    When Colour Helps Composition

    February 7, 2020
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Carabinieri:To Serve And Protect

    February 8, 2016 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Two-Masted Schooner

    October 25, 2014

    So Long, and Thank You for the Fish

    January 26, 2022

    Emanuele Cavallucci. The New Italian Pro Boxing Welterweight Champion

    March 9, 2019
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Art Auction at Piazza Navona

    February 6, 2016 /

    Piazza Navona, with its fountains, baroque facades, and endless hum of voices, has always been more than a square—it’s a theatre. In this scene, the performance is one of persuasion. An artist, dressed for the chill in a beanie and heavy jacket, holds up a framed painting. His expression is animated, hand gesturing as he speaks, the stance of a man who knows he has only a few minutes to turn curiosity into commitment. Across from him, a young couple listens. The woman’s hand hovers near her mouth—hesitation, calculation, or perhaps simply the reflex of someone considering a purchase that’s more about emotion than necessity. The man, in his blue…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Kiss In The Shade

    March 17, 2013

    The Stare of a T800

    August 4, 2015

    The Wild Bunch

    September 30, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Rome,  Winter

    A coffee at Saint Eustachio’s

    February 4, 2016 /

      Saint Eustachio is not a place for rushed photography. Between the crush of customers, the warm glare off the coffee machines, and the tight spaces, you’ve got to work with precision — and patience. Using the Fuji X-E2 with a Zeiss Planar 50mm f/1.5, I knew this would be a manual focus game. Autofocus would have been hunting in the low light, and besides, the Planar has a way of rewarding the slowness it demands. I focused carefully on the barista’s eyes, knowing that at f/1.5 depth of field would be razor thin. He was completely absorbed in his work, and I wanted that concentration to be the anchor…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Phone Call – 2

    February 20, 2015

    Landed

    December 19, 2013

    Stylish

    March 16, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Action! (beware of Fuji X-Pro 2)

    February 2, 2016 /

    I’ve shot this picture with a Fujifilm X-E2 and a Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1,5/50 ZM. The split-image manual focus confirmation worked properly (though with a strong light it’s more difficult to handle it) and the resulting file in term of size and quality is fairly satisfying. Enter the X-Pro2 with a bigger resolution and new RAW format. While a 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor creates file that can be handled by most of the computer currently in place, the new RAW format will require the latest Photoshop CC/Lightroom update. So, if you chose not to enter into the mud of a subscription-based software licensing model, all of a sudden you…

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    Andrea Monti

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    What Lasts of A Workbench

    February 22, 2015

    Handling the Fishnet

    October 28, 2014

    Imitation of Banksi

    November 1, 2021
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Reportage,  Winter

    Max Gazzè Tour 2016 Live @Pescara

    February 1, 2016 /

    For this reportage I’ve borrowed a Canon 5D Mk III coupled with a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM and my Fuji X-E2 with the XF 18-55 f/2.8-4R LM OIS. Of course, I got no operational problems with the 5D (if you know how to overcome its limits) and the lens performed very good, but I must admit that I’ve been surprised by the quality of the X-E2 images, taken at ISO 3200. Does this means that is time to trash the Canon and go for a “Fuji-only” setup? I don’t think so, in particular if telephotos are a recurring presence in the jobs. True, now Fujifilm too has a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Who Is The Machine?

    August 5, 2019

    Masters of Propaganda

    July 18, 2023

    A useless photo

    July 23, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Milan,  People,  Winter

    After a Tough Day

    January 30, 2016 /

    I  took this photo with a Fujifilm X-E2 and a Leica Elmarit 90/2,8. Manual focusing with the split-image option has been fairly easy.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Pizza’s Journey

    June 12, 2013

    A Different Passion…

    June 12, 2016

    A Couch in the Yard

    November 18, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fashion Shops,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

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

    January 23, 2016 /

    …but actually with a 23mm (35mm equivalent, cropped.) It’s not just a shopping street. It’s a stage. Look closer: this frame holds a silent performance — a subtle interplay of desire, decision, and doubt. Three women stand just outside the warmth of the boutique, their eyes fixed on mannequins who, ironically, seem far more confident than the living observers. The mannequin inside strikes a bold pose, clad in red and certainty. The women outside? Bundled in coats, their body language somewhere between ambivalence and negotiation. On the far left, another kind of window. A glowing child’s fantasy, plastered with Disney’s “Frozen” — a reminder of simpler times, when wanting something…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Kissaten – One Shot Story

    December 5, 2025

    Glancing Books In A Brussels’Night

    November 12, 2015

    Autumn Leaves

    September 8, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  People,  Photography,  Rome,  Street Photography,  Winter

    The Watchman (Street-Photography Shortcuts)

    January 21, 2016 /

    As every thing under the sun, Street-Photography too has its own shortcuts: freaky street-portraits are one of those. It’s easy to have your pictures noticed when your subject is a 60-years old Brit-Punk, an implausible-color dressed man or whatever alike: these subjects do the work on your behalf and it is very hard to obtain such kind of picture AND conveying actual meaning. Personally I like photos that – alone or made meaningful by a title – can tell a story. This way I can try to (pretend to) make “unique” shots, that stand with dignity in front of the zillions of 500px/Instagram/Flickr’s  great images that are often perfect but…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Who Dares Wins

    February 7, 2013

    Waiting for the goal

    April 28, 2013

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    November 26, 2020
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    True Leather (Saved by Photoshop’s Crop)

    January 18, 2016 /

    A 35mm focal length is definitely much too wide for my kind of street-photography, but I must admit that the advantages of using a Fujifilm X100s in terms of efficiency and portability, beat any other issue related to the wideness of the lens. And the X100s’ resolution is good enough to obtain a good composition through Photoshop’s crop feature.

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    Yet Another WDISF Post

    May 5, 2024

    Vasa’s Ghost

    July 11, 2016

    Dreaming of a Lancia Delta Martini…

    March 24, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Rome,  Thoughts

    Fujifilm X-Pro 2: Does It Worth It? (Lost In Via Del Corso)

    January 16, 2016 /

    As a Fujifilm camera early adopter (during time I got the X-pro 1, X100, X100s, X-E1 and X-E2) I was waiting for the X-Pro 2 to come and when that finally happened I didn’t feel so compelled to trash my (now) old cameras to do the switch. Long gone are the days of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome),  so I shall not buy this new piece of electronics because it doesn’t do anything that I can’t do with my actual set up (in particular, with the X100s and the X-E2.) The only actual point of interest, to me, are the dual-slot card and the weather sealed body: but I never needed…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Counter-intuitive Focus

    February 9, 2020

    Real Time Update

    February 20, 2016

    As Seen on Ferrania Film’ Stories section…

    December 4, 2023
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Winter

    Last Puff Before the Ride

    December 26, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Alone, Together…

    June 19, 2013

    RedLight

    November 6, 2015

    A Bookstore in the Gallery

    December 22, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Busy

    December 24, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    National Security

    April 4, 2014

    Lorenzo negli stadi

    July 11, 2013

    Still Together

    April 20, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Winter

    Earbuds

    December 22, 2015 /

    A man crosses the street in mid-stride, headphones enclosing him in his own private world. Behind him, a line of people stands at the tram stop, their stillness a counterpoint to his movement. The tram, painted in tired colours, seems almost fixed in place, its presence dwarfed by the weathered façade of the building above. The sign EgyptAir—faded, peeling—hangs over the scene like an echo from another time, hinting at journeys and destinations that have little to do with this grey urban moment. The building’s windows are uneven in tone, some dark, some reflecting a pale sky, all framed by streaks of wear from decades of weather. What draws the eye…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Uninterested

    March 2, 2021

    Action shot

    January 7, 2013

    Cold Stuff

    November 28, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Streets&Squares

    One Coffee

    December 20, 2015 /

    The man was seated comfortably in the outdoor café, not in a hurry, holding a small cup of espresso with the ease of someone for whom this ritual is long-established. His posture—leg crossed, coat unbuttoned just enough, scarf tucked in with care—suggested familiarity rather than performance. What interested me most was the way he occupied the space. He wasn’t watching the street or waiting for company; he was simply present. The café terrace around him was active—people talking, a stroller being adjusted, the waitress passing through in mid-step—but his stillness formed the quiet centre of the frame. It’s not stillness as in isolation, but stillness within movement.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Fishermen in Rome, Again

    November 5, 2013

    Stairway to Hell

    January 9, 2022

    A Little Of Thailand In Rome

    August 3, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    The Coffin

    December 12, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Carl Zeiss T* 50 1,5 Sonnar and EOS EF-M 18-55

    August 4, 2013

    When Faith Is Gone

    June 20, 2026

    Humannequin

    January 10, 2013
  • Colour,  Milan,  OutOfFocus,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Summer

    A (Out-of-Focus) Break Between Lunch and Supper

    December 8, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Beach Volley Team – Marco Caminati (and a primer on sport photography, part 6)

    October 13, 2015

    The Man Behind The Croissant

    December 13, 2014

    The Lifeguard’s Tools

    August 24, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Shooting,  Winter

    On the Range

    December 6, 2015 /

    Some photographs work because of what they don’t show. This one places us directly behind the central figure, hands clasped loosely at the back, body framed squarely in the centre of the image. The ear protection, branded shooting vest, and steady stance make it clear we’re at a firing range, but the subject’s face — and therefore any emotional cue — is withheld. We are instead invited to take in the scene from their perspective, sharing their field of vision, yet also remaining an observer of them. Compositionally, the image uses depth effectively. The open car boot in the middle ground, with its blurred figure in white, provides a counterpoint…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Suspicious

    September 8, 2013

    The Lost Garage

    July 8, 2013

    The Sinking Giant

    December 6, 2013
  • Autumn,  Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Perfectly Framed

    November 26, 2015 /

    Shot mid-morning, full sun. The geometry did the work before I raised the camera—white steel structure aligned perfectly with the vanishing line of the tiled path. I didn’t move to exaggerate it. I centred and waited. The figure stepped into place on her own. No staging, no instruction. The image hinges on alignment. Horizon dead flat. Frame edges square. The walkway pulls the eye through sand to sea, leading to the human anchor: black silhouette, back turned, red scarf cutting the blue. She’s secondary in scale but critical in balance. Focus was locked on the frame structure. Aperture at f/8 gave enough depth to keep the figure and horizon legible…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A coffee at Saint Eustachio’s

    February 4, 2016

    The Rise of the Mutant Spiders?

    November 4, 2013

    The Crew’s Rest

    July 20, 2014
  • Artists,  Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares

    A Modern Orpheus

    November 24, 2015 /

    Shot in a southern Italian city on a humid evening, this frame owes as much to the ambient noise as it does to light. The man with the guitar wasn’t playing to be heard. He was playing because he had to—sitting on his amp, cables like roots spilling out beneath him. What I saw through the viewfinder was not a performer, but a figure entirely absorbed, distanced from the crowd that had only half noticed he was even there. The Orphic analogy came naturally—not out of romanticism, but necessity. Like the myth, he’s turned away from the world, pleading into the void for something irretrievable. His face is hidden, not…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Out for a ride…

    January 2, 2013

    Justice measured as the distance between Words and Facts

    July 10, 2023

    Over There!

    May 29, 2022
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Belgian Chocolate – Godiva

    November 20, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting for the goal

    April 28, 2013

    An Intense Conversation

    October 9, 2013

    Waiting To Board At Santa Margherita Ligure

    August 16, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Jewellery,  People

    The Jewels Sale

    November 18, 2015 /

    Photographing through glass is always a test of patience. Here, I wanted to capture not just the jewellery but the human presence behind it—the quiet choreography of selling and browsing. The glass served as both barrier and canvas, introducing subtle reflections that blend the sparkle of the display with the blurred outlines of the people behind it. Compositionally, the image leans on the central placement of the black necklace bust. Its matte surface contrasts with the glint of gold and the shimmer of stones around it, giving the frame a clear focal point. The surrounding watches and earrings fill the edges without overwhelming the centre, leading the viewer’s gaze in…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Seeing What Isn’t There

    October 27, 2015

    Tiles

    October 31, 2014

    Handling the Fishnet

    October 28, 2014
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Belgian Chocolate – Neuhaus

    November 16, 2015 /

    Photographing in a place like this Neuhaus boutique is always an exercise in restraint. The scene is a sensory overload: gold, red, pastel blues, mirrored surfaces, and the intricate geometry of countless chocolate boxes. It’s easy for the camera to drown in the details, and the trick is to find an anchor point—the human presence that gives context and focus. Here, that anchor is the shop assistant, absorbed in her task, the bend of her head drawing the viewer into the very centre of the composition. The overhead golden arc with the reversed “1970” is not accidental—it creates a frame within the frame, hinting at the brand’s heritage while subtly…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Urgent Calls Only

    May 15, 2017

    On Prizes and Awards (a Long and Tiring Musing)

    October 31, 2025

    Leitz Summicron 50/2 and Nikon Z5 – An empirical field test

    January 3, 2026
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