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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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    Square Two

    June 18, 2014

    Nature gets its space back…

    November 7, 2018

    Which One?

    April 16, 2014
  • 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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    Empty Chairs in the Tuileries

    October 19, 2013

    Zebra Crossing, Again…

    June 22, 2014

    Light Dance in Hamburg

    April 6, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Carabinieri:To Serve And Protect

    February 8, 2016 /

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    Andrea Monti

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

    January 16, 2016

    Autumn Leaves

    September 8, 2014

    Who The Hell Killed the Light Off?

    August 2, 2015
  • 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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    Il barbiere di Siviglia – Don Bartolo mad at Rosina

    November 28, 2020

    The Hands of a Drummer (Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez)

    April 24, 2013

    Killing Santa? Really?

    January 25, 2013
  • 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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    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014

    The Calm Newsreader

    July 4, 2013

    Splinter

    March 13, 2021
  • 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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    National Road Running Championships 2023 – Portraits

    June 28, 2024

    A moment of break…

    February 22, 2013

    Pentax – In Praise of Usability of Cameras and Lenses

    March 3, 2024
  • 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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    On Photography and Self-Delusion

    September 4, 2022

    Boat Maintenance At Genova’s Porto Antico

    July 30, 2014

    @Rome Maker Faire – 6. A Statue(?)

    October 21, 2014
  • 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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    When Colour Helps Composition

    February 7, 2020

    Coffee at Caffè Nero

    July 16, 2023

    After the Rain

    April 6, 2026
  • 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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    5 frames with a Canon R6 Mk II and its RF 50/1,2 L USM

    September 28, 2024

    The battle of the accordion and the violin

    July 24, 2026

    Hanging Bottle

    October 11, 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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    A Few Shots with the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 in X-Mount

    October 24, 2024

    Servicing a Beretta 98FS

    October 13, 2019

    A Special Dress for a Special Party

    July 6, 2016
  • 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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    Andrea Monti

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    Interior Design at Aurum

    May 26, 2013

    A Street-Skater on the Waterfront

    March 17, 2021

    Boat Dock Bumpers

    October 26, 2014
  • 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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    A Silohuette on the Bridge

    March 3, 2014

    Who Is The Machine?

    August 5, 2019

    Pure Joy. An Essay in Street-Photography

    May 25, 2014
  • 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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    A party that shall never come

    May 9, 2013

    A true cricket?

    September 16, 2013

    Let the Party Started

    May 31, 2026
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Winter

    Busy

    December 24, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Feuer

    July 10, 2021

    Stantsted Lounge’s Chairs

    December 31, 2013

    Half a Bridge

    October 16, 2016
  • 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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    How Privacy Hysteria Killed Street-Photography

    October 22, 2023

    Rest on the lake

    April 29, 2013

    Life, the Universe and Everything

    July 28, 2013
  • 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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    Content Creators

    July 20, 2023

    @Rome Maker Faire – 6. A Statue(?)

    October 21, 2014

    Staring At The Infinite

    August 22, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    The Coffin

    December 12, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Not A Photography Anymore

    September 22, 2014

    Dark Cloud Over San Pietro

    August 27, 2021

    @Rome Maker Faire – 7. Mobile Rest

    October 23, 2014
  • 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 Handball Female Team (and a primer on sport photography, part 3)

    September 30, 2015

    Right before the gig

    September 14, 2018

    Forza Italia

    July 12, 2021
  • 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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    Nagoya’s reportage featured in The Good Life

    October 29, 2020

    Audience

    February 20, 2014

    Bikers

    July 14, 2014
  • 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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    Saturday Night’s Ice Cream

    August 19, 2013

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

    January 16, 2016

    Friendship is Forever

    March 6, 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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    Iphone 15 Billboard in Via XX Settembre

    February 14, 2024

    Alex Britti – Live@Cinema teatro Massimo – Pescara

    April 3, 2016

    Even Venice Is Powerless Against A Smartphone

    April 21, 2026
  • Autumn,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Patisserie,  People

    Belgian Chocolate – Godiva

    November 20, 2015 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Intelligence Contest

    April 15, 2017

    Evolution of a Guitar Player

    July 5, 2013

    Pre Colombian Artwork

    September 27, 2013
  • 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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    A solitary journey

    December 24, 2012

    Italy, Landscape Photography and the Law – Part Two

    February 23, 2014

    PI Room At Palais de la Découverte

    June 7, 2015
  • 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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    Now You See It…Street Juggler at a Red Light in Barcelona

    June 16, 2014

    Yellow

    December 15, 2014

    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 2013
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