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Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Rome,  Streets&Squares,  Technique

    A Missed Opportunity

    May 3, 2026 /

    Seen from the outside the scene was too perfect to be true. A truck stuck in a narrow street near Trevi’s Fountain, in Rome, trying to negotiate its way out, and the ad on the backdoor claiming that ‘sometimes being bottled is a pleasure’ —in Italian, ‘bottled’ is also a synonym for ‘stuck’ or ‘trapped’. This is what defines ‘the moment’: the ability to recognise a peculiar combination of shapes, light and meaning that gives rise to unique photography. Unfortunately, or better, because of my poor composition, I failed to convey the double entendre I meant to capture with this photo. In fact, it did not include the left part of the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Outside the Nobel Museum

    June 30, 2016

    A Fountain

    May 17, 2014

    Inside the Elevator

    May 9, 2014
  • Artists,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    A Juggler in Bruxelles

    April 28, 2026 /

    Bruxelles, late afternoon of a spring day. The Gare du Midi is just a few hundred metres away. The traffic flows dully, green is a go, red is a stop. Cars halt at pedestrian crossings when someone approaches. Nobody tries to go through the junction stealing the few fractions of a second between the lights. The only moment of life —or chaos to some— in this ordinary end of an ordinary day equal to countless others in the past and future, is a street performer: a juggler trying to earn a few euros by showing off his prowness at bouncing a soccer ball. Sometimes he indulges too long on his…

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    Andrea Monti

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    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 2013

    Behind a Shop Window in Oslo

    October 1, 2014

    Three of a Kind

    July 6, 2013
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Spring,  Streets&Squares

    A Composition’s Dilemma in Black and White

    February 18, 2026 /

    This photo, taken in the centre of Padua, shows a composition’s dilemma. The idea was to explore the usual technique of ‘framing’ a subject within an architectural structure to make it resemble a painting. Actually, though, the main subject, the biker and his vehicle, is more of a disturbance than something worth including in the picture. He runs from right to left, an unnatural direction. Indeed, since we are accustomed to look from left to right and not vice versa, the bikes seems to go outside the frame rather than into it. Furthermore, I should have waited for the subject to be right in the centre of the image. Had…

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    Andrea Monti

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    TKO

    May 8, 2019

    A Lamppost

    November 26, 2014

    The Businessman…

    February 9, 2013
  • Daily photo,  Downtown,  Gear,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar 85/4 and Nikon Z5 – An Empirical Field Test

    January 28, 2026 /

    This empirical field test of a fairly well-preserved CZJ Triotar 85/4 lens confirms its well-known performance, although a final judgement needs to wait the lens to be serviced by master Adriano Lolli in order to clean veiled glasses. At F4, central sharpness is moderate yet usable, with a lack of microcontrast. By contrast, the corners are softer. Flare resistance is suboptimal by modern standards, while colour rendition is accurate enough, although robust tweaks are needed in post-production. This photo of the Leica store display in Via dei Due Macelli, Rome, is a flare torture test. The bright, emissive Leica sign against a dark background, plus additional reflections and obstructions, creates…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Carabinieri:To Serve And Protect

    February 8, 2016

    Pipeline

    February 13, 2014

    Is This My Breakfast? (Kirobo, the new Pinocchio)

    December 14, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Rome,  Streets&Squares

    Behind the Quirinale: Order After Dark

    January 23, 2026 /

    I took this photo behind the Quirinale Palace, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Italy while one night I was taking a casual walk along Via XX Settembre, heading towards Piazza Navona, passing through Quirinale Hill, Montecitorio (the Parliament building) and then the Senate. Instead of using the main streets, I often like to venture off the beaten track. In this case, there is nothing actually ‘hidden’ or ‘mysterious’ about what can be seen. This is why nobody thinks of cutting through these streets and venturing into these small alleys. However, to the eyes of a photographer, the lack of crowds offers many opportunities. In this…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Portrait of a Professional Pugilist. Davide De Lellis

    March 8, 2019

    Panning the Police

    November 17, 2016

    Different Life

    June 24, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Downtown,  Fountains,  Gear,  Streets&Squares,  Urban Landscape

    Minolta MC W Rokkor-HG 35/2.8 and Nikon Z5 – An Empirical Field-Test

    January 8, 2026 /

    This is another episode featuring a Nikon Z camera and a vintage lens. This time, I’m using the Minolta MC Rokkor-HG 35/2.8, which I recently took out of the cupboard where I keep my old manual lenses. The following shots have all been taken wide open, in no particular order and are intended to demonstrate how the lens performs in different conditions. The Z5 was instructed to use a flat picture profile and the photos were post-processed to the final results should not be considered as a true ‘rough’ example of the lens’ character.

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Shooter

    December 8, 2017

    A Virtual Glance Dance

    December 28, 2019

    Busy In A Call

    December 16, 2014
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Portraits,  Streets&Squares,  Tokyo

    Relentless – A One Shot Story

    November 27, 2025 /

    When in Tokyo, I don’t go to Shibuya unless I have a specific errand to run. Least of the usual ‘things are not what they used to be’ lament, the place never struck me as it deserved more than a cursory glance. This time, however, I had a specific photographic objective: to capture the Shibuya backdrop, i.e. things and people that keep the place running ‘smoothly’ which are in plain sight but go unnoticed by tourists, residents and passers-by. Crowd management and safety control are two such things.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Getting In The Zone Before the Shot

    November 28, 2016

    A Calm Person

    January 8, 2014

    A Missed Pricetag?

    January 29, 2013
  • Artists,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Street Photography,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    A Few More Shots From An Urban Exploration Trip

    September 20, 2025 /

    Hip-hoppers and skateboarders are often seen together in many urban landscapes. Actually, these performing arts come from different US social and geographical milieus. However, in a world where different paths of life, cultures and traditions matter less and less, and everything is a ‘fusion’, this doesn’t look like an issue. So, while wandering around in search of some subject to test a 50mm Summicron M mounted on a Fuji X-T4, I was fortunate enough to kill two birds with one stone.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Traffic Controller

    November 20, 2013

    Branches On The Wall

    December 10, 2014

    Steve Hackett – Live@Teatro d’Annunzio

    July 8, 2017
  • 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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    We Make Cars, Not Videogames – An independent proof-of-concept in AI-made advertising

    February 21, 2026

    An attempt at DSLR-made film digitization

    January 14, 2023

    Under The Rocks

    August 14, 2014
  • 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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    Ready For Lunch

    November 1, 2014

    Final Arrangements Before the Hearing

    April 19, 2015

    The Lost Church

    July 16, 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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    Kissaten – One Shot Story

    December 5, 2025

    Seeking Directions – Where Do I Go From Here?

    September 10, 2013

    Norina shouts at Don Pasquale

    December 12, 2022
  • 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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    A Pensive Nun

    December 14, 2016

    Watch My Back

    January 15, 2013

    So what?

    April 9, 2013
  • 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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    On Air

    July 22, 2014

    The Fisherman’s Knots

    February 11, 2014

    Shoes’ Meeting in Corso Vittorio

    March 12, 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Very British

    October 29, 2016

    Horizon Bending, Again

    April 28, 2014

    A Fashion Shop in Milan

    January 21, 2014
  • 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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    A Juggler in Bruxelles

    April 28, 2026

    Fisherman’s Fatigues

    December 19, 2022

    Last Wing Down

    February 26, 2015
  • 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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    Boat Dock Bumpers

    October 26, 2014

    Waiting For The Patrons – 2

    June 19, 2015

    As Seen on Ferrania Film’ Stories section…

    December 4, 2023
  • Boston,  Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    A Maserati GranTurismo

    July 15, 2023 /

    Another piece of Italy in Boston…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Processing DSLR-digitized film with and without Pentax K-1 Monochrome Custom Image profile

    April 30, 2023

    Portrait of The Alfa Romeo Guru

    September 25, 2014

    Merleria Livia

    February 14, 2015
  • 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…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Red Beam

    October 24, 2023

    How Privacy Hysteria Killed Street-Photography

    October 22, 2023

    An experiment with Dall-E, ChatGPT and a Nissan S8

    November 4, 2023
  • 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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    Yet Another WDISF Post

    May 5, 2024

    Generations – I

    August 6, 2014

    Life, the Universe and Everything

    July 28, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Streets&Squares,  Summer

    Technological Memento

    June 26, 2021 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Dai Shodo@Kyoto

    December 2, 2020

    Welcome in the New (?) Year

    January 1, 2014

    Half a Bridge

    October 16, 2016
  • 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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    A Fence

    November 6, 2014

    Longtime Abandoned

    May 30, 2014

    Italy, Landscape Photography and the Law

    January 23, 2014
  • 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 Fisherman

    December 25, 2014

    The Coffin

    December 12, 2015

    A Roller Coaster… A Kind Of

    April 3, 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.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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

    March 19, 2025

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

    September 11, 2023

    None of my business…

    March 3, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Busker and Covid-19

    January 26, 2021 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Just Another Times Square View

    July 9, 2014

    Hanging Clothes Waiting to Dry

    February 18, 2014

    Quis Custodiet…

    January 26, 2013
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