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Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    Fujifilm XF 100-400: a quick test

    January 12, 2018 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Bulbs

    January 12, 2015

    Different Life

    June 24, 2016

    Settled in the wrong place

    January 11, 2017
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Rome,  Visual

    An Essay on Light

    October 13, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Friends

    August 3, 2014

    W Verdi

    January 29, 2014

    Lightspeed

    August 6, 2015
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Rome,  Technique,  Visual

    An Essay in Composition

    October 11, 2017 /

    I made this image out of defiance. The street was a mess of cars, headlights flaring, bodies moving — and instead of chasing sharpness or narrative, I stripped it down to pure visual rhythm. Defocused on purpose. Not by mistake, not due to speed, but as a choice to let form take over function. What remains is balance. The white beam on the right anchors the frame, violent in intensity, flaring just enough to fracture the blacks. On the left, the warmer tones — yellows, reds, soft reflections in polished metal — counterbalance with weight and curve. The centre dissolves into suggestion. Light, motion, nothing literal. The street disappears. Technically,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Shaken

    October 1, 2015

    Personal Musing On Monochrome Digital Cameras

    September 11, 2025

    The Way Out

    October 20, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Garages&Labs,  Photography,  Spring

    Leica Shop @ Strada Maggiore

    May 11, 2017 /

    The red Leica circle glows against the darkness, a beacon above a shuttered storefront. Below, the metal grate closes the shop to the street, yet faint reflections and hints of light bleed through—an illuminated mask on one side, a small display on the other. The brand’s prestige is reduced to fragments, glimpsed through barriers. Composition is strict and minimal. The glowing round sign sits high in the frame, commanding attention as the only strong colour against black. The shutter’s horizontal lines dominate the lower half, flattening depth and insisting on closure. Within that darkness, however, faint details emerge—faces, objects, light—making the viewer lean closer, as if to pry open the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Coffee at Caffè Nero

    July 16, 2023

    Photography and the dangers of ethics

    April 17, 2013

    Romeo’s Hideout

    December 16, 2015
  • Photography,  Technique,  Thoughts

    Becoming a Human Tripod

    January 9, 2017 /

    An often forgotten topic in the photography schools and courses is the physical (I would say, physiological) side of the game. True, a Leica Noctilux and a Leica M can deliver exceptionally sharp images, but if your hands tremble or your body wobbles, no gear, no matter the cost,  can save your shot from being shaken. Ideally, a perfectly steady shot would require a tripod. Yes you can tweak the ISOs and/or the aperture but this is a trade off with image quality , so we’re back to the opening statement: a steady shot needs a tripod. But the truth is that none of us – pros included – can…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Fix for the Wikipedia Photos’ Copyright Scams?

    December 19, 2020

    Guarding Democracy

    June 14, 2023

    Out-of-Focus

    September 24, 2013
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photo Journalism,  Summer,  Thoughts

    A Bad Experiment

    August 26, 2016 /

    I had to cover “in emergency” a date of the musical Notre-Dame de Paris and found myself “unarmed” (no camera available whatsoever), so I have been forced to fall back on my mobile. While, at the end of the day and with great difficulty, I have been able to shoot something vaguely useful, this experience blew away any possible plan to use a mobile’s camera to handle an assignment. Simply put, mobile’s cameras suck, unless you go for (very)close or cheap shots. This should have been pretty obvious without the need of looking for hard evidence. Nevertheless, out of necessity, I have been able to test and learn on my…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stripes in B&W

    April 29, 2015

    A Relaxed Call

    February 12, 2014

    Alessandro Valle – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella

    August 11, 2022
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Reportage,  Thoughts,  Winter

    Daniele Silvestri – Live@Cinema teatro Massimo – Pescara

    March 21, 2016 /

    Be Canon, Nikon or whatever, when the assignment is demanding, there is no substitute for a DSLR. I kept taking with me a Fuji (mainly, an X-E2 with the 18-55 and sometimes an X100s) as a wide-angle camera. The results are very good but, in a scenario like a theater, can’t possibly match the versatility of a 5D Mk III with the mighty Canon EF 100-400. Enjoy the pictures!

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    Andrea Monti

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    When Venus Meets the Moon

    October 2, 2023

    Humannequin

    January 10, 2013

    Selling Italian Ice in Boston

    March 11, 2025
  • 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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    A Lockheed C-130 Hercules

    January 31, 2021

    The Aperitif

    October 5, 2017

    A Curious Bystander

    December 24, 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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    A moment of break…

    February 22, 2013

    Just In Case

    June 9, 2014

    One Shot Story – Soulless Places

    April 17, 2025
  • 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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    Have fun…

    July 12, 2013

    Stop

    December 6, 2018

    Reminiscenses From The Past

    September 7, 2013
  • 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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    José Ignacio Franco – Live@Auditorium Petruzzi

    July 31, 2022

    Leaving Home

    December 5, 2014

    The Double Helix

    October 13, 2013
  • 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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    Sailing Home

    October 4, 2023

    Not Sure I Would Like The Feel

    November 22, 2014

    Fujifilm XF 100-400: a quick test

    January 12, 2018
  • 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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    Street Crossing

    September 17, 2014

    Handling the Fishnet

    October 28, 2014

    In Hoc Signo

    August 20, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighting Disciplines,  People,  Photography,  Sport,  Summer,  Thoughts

    @ Mediterranean Beach Games 2015 – Wrestling, Italy vs France (And a primer on sport photography – Part 5)

    October 9, 2015 /

    Part 1 – Intro, Before the event, getting your media pass Part 2 – Before the event, having your media pass working for you Part 3 – During the event, get ready for the show Part 4 – During the event, how to choose which event attend to 3 – Shooting the game As I said before, the chances of getting a good exposure greatly improve if you are (or have become) comfortable with the game. But knowing how the ball rolls worth nothing if you’re not in the right position to take the shot. a – Reclaiming your space from other photographers Event (and thus sport) photography is a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Business people in Rome

    February 23, 2013

    Ghosts of Ginza

    November 14, 2023

    Fancy a beer?

    November 3, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Thoughts

    Money Doesn’t Smell

    April 2, 2015 /

    The main photo depicts a Syrian kid surrending to a photographer, whose camera she thought was a weapon, while the side pictures are automatically displayed by the advertising engine of the online newspaper. There is a contrast between the brutal reality where the kid lives and the luxury aura implied by the two fashion shot that shows how insensitive magazine editors can be. I understand the need to monetize every click or content, but I’m not sure that this is the right way to do it. Why don’t chose, for instance, to advertise a fund raising campaign supporting UNICEF or Doctors Without Borders? And, by the way, I don’t understand…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Mailbox

    May 5, 2013

    An Exercise in Composition (was: Rowing Boats)

    February 18, 2024

    Bent

    April 21, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Winter

    YANE – Yet Another Nepal Exhibit

    March 23, 2015 /

    This the poster of Yet Another Nepal Exhibit. It is hard to see the point in going to the other end of the world  to take pictures that, as a Google Image Search shows, have already been shot zillions of time. In other words: taking original photos in Nepal is very hard. This teach a simple lesson: going overseas in the belief that the place makes the photo is wrong.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Taste Master

    March 2, 2014

    The Spanish Sense of Flesh – 1

    June 26, 2014

    Black Cat

    October 31, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  OutOfFocus,  People,  Restaurants&Bar,  Street Photography,  Winter

    The Street Photographer Dilemma: Film or Digital

    March 21, 2015 /

    To me Street-Photography is digital. I missed this shot because I wasn’t able to properly focus my full-manual kit, as I would have do with an average digital camera. There is no point in wasting film in an highly fault-rate activity such as Street Photography.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Man Behind The Croissant

    December 13, 2014

    The dilemma

    January 11, 2013

    It’s always the right time

    February 17, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Travels

    From Camera to Print…

    March 17, 2015 /

    This is what happens when a shot is not taken thinking of its final destination (or when a graphic editor doesn’t consider what the outcome would be once printed): a poor rendition.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The El Prat’s Lounge

    June 5, 2014

    Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    November 29, 2013

    Perfect Strangers

    April 5, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Photography,  Winter

    Dress Different

    March 15, 2015 /

    According to the fashion-photography standards this is a perfectly usable shot. To me, that’s simply a missed photo.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Street Photographer Rights In Italy. The Leaflet

    July 10, 2014

    Shooting a Roller Derby Bout

    November 19, 2024

    Alien Veins

    December 3, 2014
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Summer

    The Leica M9 CCDgate Outrageous Case

    December 11, 2014 /

    This is not “new” news, but is getting momentum: Leica M9′ sensors (including those fitted into the more than expensive “special” models) are plagued. The repair cost is 1.800,00 Euros plus VAT and shipping, not to mention the time needed to get the camera back (weeks? months?) Leica claims to offer paid support to the older, out-of-warranty customers but just doing a few math shows that it doesn’t worth it: if you own a between-three-and-five-years old M9 you’re supposed to pay 600,00 Euros (plus VAT etc.) while more-than-five-years old M9 owner will pay 1.200 Euros (plus VAT etc.) to get an old and outdated camera new sensor, affected by the…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    StreetPizza@Ueno Park

    August 4, 2018

    The Spanish Sense of Flesh – 1

    June 26, 2014

    Wrecked Ship

    November 23, 2013
  • B&W,  Cities,  Daily photo,  Oslo,  People,  Street Photography,  Thoughts

    Norwegian Suits

    October 15, 2014 /

    A missed opportunity for a good photo. I shot too early and failed to frame the guy with the bicycle whose look would have been a nice “counterpart” with the serious attire of the businessmen he was crossing.

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    Andrea Monti

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

    January 11, 2024

    WTF Are They Looking At?

    May 7, 2014

    Kudos to Ricoh

    February 8, 2013
  • Autumn,  Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Past&Relics,  Rome

    An Old Portable Camera

    October 14, 2014 /

    I didn’t stage this. The camera was already set up for a workshop in the park, a portable wooden box on a tripod, complete with focusing cloth and a ground glass screen. What drew me wasn’t the device itself—it was the reaction it triggered. The boy shielding his eyes, squinting into the past through a lens designed long before smartphones flattened photography into a gesture. The composition is dense in its centre, almost chaotic with overlapping limbs and sneakers. But the tripod anchors it. The machine, primitive and precise, holds its ground in a circle of discovery. I kept the perspective low and frontal to emphasise its presence as a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red

    December 17, 2014

    Meaningless

    November 9, 2013

    Hurry up and shut down the $%&? call!

    March 1, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Photo Journalism,  Photography,  Street Photography,  Thoughts

    Italy, Street-Photography and The Law – A Real Case

    October 3, 2014 /

    Last July, members of the Polizia municipale of Rome seized the camera of a British-Brazilian street-photographer, Simon Griffee, while he was documenting the way they dealt with an immigrant. As Simon’s lawyer I’ve filed an appeal and a week ago the Court of Rome revoked the seizure. The battle is not over, yet, but hopefully Simon’s camera will be back on his hands pretty soon. As soon as possible I will release a thorough analysis of the case matched with what the law says, in theory.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    The Lifeguard’s Tools

    August 24, 2013

    Last Wing Down

    February 26, 2015

    Inside the Nazario Sauro

    November 26, 2020
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Landscape

    Pentax k-5 And The Aquapack 458

    August 15, 2014 /

    Like the other two previous pictures, this one too has been taken by a Pentax K-5 housed into an Aquapack 458. This underwater housing, at least for APS-C dSLR, is a cheaper alternative to the more expensive, though bigger and better engineered, Ewa Marine. It fairly easy accommodates the camera and the DA* 16-50, but using this lens that has a 77mm filter thread forces the use a focal lenght of at least than 40-45 mm, otherwise the border of the external cap fills-in the picture. A DA* 16-50 at 16mm (I repeat: with a 77mm filter thread) is the bigger lens that can be accommodated into the housing, but…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Skater

    February 23, 2021

    Cornermen

    June 4, 2013

    Streetlight Duet

    June 30, 2014
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