Andrea Monti

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  • B&W,  Boulevards,  Bruxelles,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    5 (random) frames of Bruxelles with a MIR-1B, a Pentax ME Super and a Kodak TMax400

    March 19, 2025 /

    The late hours of a day are dangerous times, because this is when the mind, lacking tasks, begins to look for a way to keep itself busy. To make a long story short, this is why, against what the common sense would have suggested, I decided to take a stroll in a (very) cold winter evening along and around Avenue Louise in Bruxelles to test a MIR-1B 37/2.8 mounted on a TMAX 400 loaded Pentax ME Super with an M42 adapter. Initially published on 35mmc.com. As much as this is not a ‘field test’, I was unfair to the lens because I used it in challenging conditions, starting with the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Calm Person

    January 8, 2014

    School of Mathematics@Sapienza University of Rome

    November 10, 2018

    Servicing a Sig Sauer P226

    December 16, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    One Shot Story: Behind the Fence

    January 3, 2025 /

    There is nothing special about this photo in itself, but when placed in context, it changes the way we may look at it – Initially published on 35mmc.com The photo was taken in the fishing neighbourhood of my home town. Behind the fence erected by the developers were the fishermen’s small one-storey houses. Once a testament to the hard life they endured, over time the neighbourhood was abandoned and the houses gradually fell into disrepair. Now, for security reasons, it is not possible to look through the fence and see what the developers are planning to build in place of this small part of the neighbourhood. I could ask the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Pipeline

    February 13, 2014

    Shooting Italian 5 birilli

    May 18, 2025

    Let’s get the party started…

    January 20, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Nagasaki,  Osaka,  Photography,  Streets&Squares,  Thoughts,  Tokyo,  Travels,  Yokohama

    Why You Should Only Shoot in Your Backyard (or ‘The Art of Belonging’)

    December 19, 2024 /

    What do these pictures have in common (apart from having been taken in various places in Japan)? No, they don’t have the same look and feel, composition or use of light, nor they convey a particular meaning. What they have in common is that they’re just dull and boring —meaningless, indeed. This picture of the Yokohama’s Chinatown Dragon is hardly different than the others available on the Internet. Initially published on 35mmc.com It shares a similar fate with this one, taken last Mid November in Osaka, and, as Google Lens mercylessly shows, with this one, shot in Omura, near Nagasaki. One can hardly say that this is a never-seen-before view of Tokyo’s Kyu-Shiba-rikyū Gardens, or of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    My camera’s early test shots

    December 20, 2012

    The Ghost

    February 15, 2013

    Snaps of a Flamenco recital…

    April 26, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    5 frames with the (much awaited) Ferrania P33, a Nikon F3 and a Nikkor 50 F2

    April 30, 2024 /

    I managed to grab a few rolls of the very first batch of Ferrania’s brand new P33 film, so I wasted no time in putting it to work with a Nikon F3 and the glorious Nikkor 50 f2. I won’t go into the technical details of this film, firstly because I can’t claim to be an authority on the subject, and secondly because Ferrania’s website has plenty of information. There is only one thing to know: the canister is not DX-coded, so shooting is only possible in full manual mode. This may change in the future, but for now this is the state of the art. Finally, a transparency note:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Open Window

    February 4, 2015

    Il barbiere di Siviglia – Don Bartolo mad at Rosina

    November 28, 2020

    Hard Stare

    April 26, 2016
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Last Puff Before the Ride

    December 26, 2015

    Shaken

    October 1, 2015

    Harley-Davidson: Chrome And Presence

    December 24, 2018
  • 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Behind the News

    June 25, 2013

    Skating on the streets of Milan

    October 4, 2013

    George Braque

    October 11, 2013
  • B&W,  Boston,  Buildings,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Downtown,  Parks,  Streets&Squares,  Summer,  Travels

    From Waltham to Boston

    August 4, 2023 /

    ‘From Waltham to Boston’, an offshoot of a bigger project on documenting Boston’s pulse, is now available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Italy, Landscape Photography and the Law

    January 23, 2014

    The Seagull’s Rest

    December 18, 2013

    Singers

    February 19, 2014
  • B&W,  Boston,  Cars&Bikes,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    UnortORTOdox (Ferrania)

    July 22, 2023 /

    This is an unorthodox use of an orthochromatic film (namely, Ferrania Orto.) It is not supposed to be the first choice for reportage or travel photography, but rules are made to be broken, aren’t they? As per the photo, it was taken in North End, Boston’s Little Italy.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Relaxed Call at Boulevard du Palais

    March 19, 2014

    The Alchoolist’s garbage

    March 5, 2013

    Too Young to Spend Time Watching the Ducks in the Pond

    October 22, 2013
  • Boston,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    A Maserati GranTurismo

    July 15, 2023 /

    Another piece of Italy in Boston…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Sting of the Vespa

    March 7, 2025

    Toxic Waste in Open Air

    August 31, 2021

    Line Of Fire

    July 6, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Late Night@Piazza San Babila

    March 9, 2022 /

    Working with a compact camera like the Panasonic TZ-100 at night is a reminder that you don’t always need a full-frame monster to tell a story — but you do need to understand and embrace the camera’s limitations. The TZ-100’s one-inch sensor is not built for clean, clinical low-light work. Push the ISO and it will show noise quickly; underexpose, and shadow recovery will fall apart. But here, those very traits help carry the mood. The composition rests on a central axis — the illuminated corridor pulling the viewer inward, flanked by the Binova and Ivano Redaelli showrooms. Their glowing interiors act like bookends, framing the pathway and setting a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    How to (Unconventionally) Shoot Track and Field Competitions

    July 30, 2024

    A lighter

    February 14, 2013

    A cigarette

    September 28, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Social Control,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    Dark Cloud Over San Pietro

    August 27, 2021 /

    The tension wasn’t subtle. I framed this on a humid Roman afternoon, the kind where the air sticks and light flattens the facades. At the vanishing point: San Pietro, serene and untouchable, a facade that’s absorbed centuries of ceremony and conflict. But in the foreground—armoured steel, automatic rifles, and red-striped barricades—modern anxieties assert themselves. This is what occupation looks like when dressed as precaution. The symmetry of the shot exaggerates the contrast. The axis from the dome to the vehicle is mathematically clean, unnerving in its balance. You can’t not look down the middle, and once your eyes reach the Iveco Lince, you realise you’re not a tourist anymore. You’re…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Seagull’s Rest

    December 18, 2013

    StreetPizza@Ueno Park

    August 4, 2018

    Light Dance in Hamburg

    April 6, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    Technological Memento

    June 26, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Mirror

    January 17, 2013

    A Smoker

    September 2, 2015

    Next Time, Maybe…

    January 12, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    Taking-Off

    April 15, 2021 /

    This is a test for the Viltrox AF 56/1,4 XF’s autofocus. The pidgeon took-off suddenly and I just had to point and shoot. The lens behave fairly. I didn’t plan this shot—I reacted. The pigeon launched off the cobbles just ahead of me, wings outstretched, backlit by the fragmented morning light reflecting off the street. I tracked it instinctively and pressed the shutter a fraction before it left the frame. For a moment, everything aligned: subject, motion, light, and a surprising stillness in the middle of movement. The composition isn’t textbook. The bird isn’t centred—more like hovering toward the bottom third, wings drawing a wide V across the soft texture…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 1

    June 25, 2017

    A lighter

    February 14, 2013

    Lost in mumbling

    September 22, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    The Last Journey Of An Hero of Italian Motoring

    March 7, 2021 /

    Behold, the Fiat 500. Not the modern one that’s all airbags and Bluetooth and makes you feel like a fashion blogger. No, this is the real thing. The original. The glorious, underpowered, unapologetically tinny Italian shoebox. And look at it now—strapped to the back of a truck like a pensioner wheeled out of the bingo hall for the last time. Rusted. Flat-tyred. Beaten. Magnificent. I spotted it being hauled away through a southern Italian town, and frankly, I nearly wept. This was once the car that got a nation moving. The people’s Ferrari. The automotive embodiment of an espresso shot. And now? A hunk of oxidised metal destined for the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fujifilm X-E1 Annoyance

    April 15, 2014

    The True Ironman

    March 4, 2015

    The Hasselblad Way

    January 2, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares,  Technique,  Winter

    A Skater

    February 23, 2021 /

    Framing the whole statue would have made this photo better. The mistake was caused by the necessity to shoot fast, the lens’ field of view and the distance between the subject and the focal plane.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Calm Newsreader

    July 4, 2013

    The Traveler’s Dilemma: Where To?

    October 21, 2023

    PizzaPizza

    January 12, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Busker and Covid-19

    January 26, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Avid Readers

    November 19, 2014
    Copyright Foto AFP / Issouf Sanogo - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    A stupid quarrell

    April 7, 2013

    Moon, hand-held

    April 30, 2021
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    Garbage As Usual – Pantheon’s Nearby

    October 4, 2019 /

    Rome has an unrivalled way of holding beauty and decay in the same frame, and this street is no exception. The cobblestones, slick from a recent rain, mirror the ochre façades and Renaissance windows in a way that almost disguises the litter piled quietly along the curb. Almost. A man in a crisp shirt walks down the centre, back straight, seemingly immune to the refuse that flanks his path. It’s not that he doesn’t see it—it’s that he’s learned to live with it, as many Romans have. On the right, another figure leans against a doorway, absorbed in his phone, framed by stacked crates and plastic bags. Life continues unbothered.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Thirthy years behind…

    April 6, 2013

    Norwegian Suits

    October 15, 2014

    Servicing a Sig Sauer P226

    December 16, 2017
  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Sport,  Streets&Squares

    Weight Training @ Rome’s Stadio Olimpico

    October 9, 2018 /

    I shot this in harsh midday light, the kind most photographers dread. But the mosaic didn’t care. Its story is laid in stone — or more precisely, tesserae — and midday is when shadows become honest. The ancient-modern figure caught mid-lift, exaggerated anatomy and all, stood out like a silhouette against cracked mortar, telling a tale of strength far older than gym culture. The composition was dictated by the subject’s posture — hunched, determined — anchoring the frame and leading the eye to the barbell below. I shot from slightly above, keeping the symmetry broken just enough to feel real. The top of the frame includes fragments of the inscription…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A HDR Experiment

    December 9, 2013

    Smile!

    August 7, 2013

    Sea Anemones Shot With A Cheap Kit

    August 20, 2014
  • Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    Moistmaker@Piazza della Rotonda

    July 12, 2018 /

    I took this photograph at a crowded café terrace in the height of summer, when heat presses down on both locals and tourists. The focus is not on the crowd itself but on the industrial fan in the foreground, misting the air with a fine spray. Its utilitarian presence dominates the frame, turning into an unlikely protagonist against the backdrop of awnings, chatter, and bodies seeking shade. Compositionally, I placed the fan off-centre but close enough that its metallic grid commands attention. The yellow canopies lead the eye deeper into the scene, pulling focus towards the throng of people blurred in the background. That separation between sharp foreground and hazy…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Photo I Didn’t Shoot

    June 8, 2013

    Partner in Glam

    May 3, 2023

    The Misplaced Buoy

    April 26, 2014
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    The Bystander

    February 5, 2018 /

    Standing in the Grand-Place at night, I waited for something—anything—to break the near-perfect symmetry. Then he arrived. The man didn’t pose. He just paused in the middle of the cobbles, framed squarely between the elegant baroque façades and the soft reflection of lamplight on wet stone. His silhouette gave scale and narrative to the grandeur behind him. Alone but not lonely, motionless yet in transit—he became the photograph’s axis. I shot handheld at high ISO. Noise was a concern, but the Nikon sensor held up. I retained the grain because it added texture to the shadows without crushing the blacks. Technically, this is a symmetrical composition, but it’s also layered:…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Just a soccer field… Part 2

    February 4, 2014

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Italian Beach Volley Female Team – Laura Giombini, Giulia Toti

    October 17, 2015

    Too Noisy

    May 24, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Lines,  Restaurants&Bar,  Streets&Squares,  Summer,  Venice,  Visual

    Seats

    September 11, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Behind The Shaft

    June 1, 2013

    Action shot

    January 7, 2013

    Nico Cilli Band@Chiostro Comunale – Città S.Angelo

    September 9, 2013
  • Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    Outdoor Aperitif

    April 7, 2017 /

    I shot this on a cool evening in Brussels, with the last of the daylight just beginning to retreat behind slate rooftops. The city was shifting gears—post-work fatigue blending with the early stirrings of nocturnal energy. I had the Leica M9 slung across my shoulder, a camera that’s more than a tool—it forces you to see with intent, to commit before pressing the shutter. Paired with the Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2.8, it draws sharpness out of corners and translates contrast with a crisp, unfussy tone that suited the moment perfectly. The scene was already composed for me: clustered chairs, half-filled glasses, side conversations in mid-stream. No one posed. No one…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Free Shoes On A Hot Day

    October 8, 2014

    Fixing the ship

    August 18, 2021

    Free Ride

    October 2, 2014
  • Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  People,  Seasons,  Streets&Squares,  Summer,  Urban Landscape

    Very British

    October 29, 2016 /

    Taken in London, this photograph distils a handful of instantly recognisable motifs into a single frame — the black cab, adorned with a Union Jack roof, easing forward past a red telephone box, with “Look Left” painted on the asphalt as a quiet instruction to visitors. The two women waiting at the kerb, one in tights and flats, the other in sandals and jeans, are caught mid-interaction, their body language suggesting either anticipation of crossing or casual conversation. From a compositional standpoint, the cab takes command of the foreground, placed fractionally off-centre to allow the eye to travel backwards along the street. The depth is reinforced by the layering of…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Inside a Lost Building

    February 16, 2014

    The Lost Garage

    July 8, 2013

    When the Rubbish Basket is full…

    December 13, 2013
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  London,  Seasons,  Streets&Squares

    Just Another Piccadilly Circus’ View

    September 20, 2016 /

    There’s a temptation, when standing in the middle of London’s Piccadilly Circus, to think that you’ve seen it all before. And in a way, you have. This is one of the most photographed corners of the city—neon-lit, traffic-heavy, forever brimming with tourists. Which is precisely why I wanted to make this frame. Not to reinvent the wheel, but to quietly acknowledge its inevitability. I chose a slightly elevated position, letting the sweep of Regent Street’s curve pull the viewer’s eye into the frame. The red double-decker is exactly where it should be—almost a cliché—but here it works as a punctuation mark in the composition, tying in with the bold McDonald’s…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Still Standing

    March 15, 2014

    Hanging News

    June 18, 2013

    Damned Autofocus

    April 20, 2014
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