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  • 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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    The Fighter

    June 2, 2013

    Run Like Hell, Pinocchio!

    February 24, 2015

    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015
  • 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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    Life Within the Post Office

    November 24, 2014

    When Venus meets the Moon

    October 2, 2023

    Don’t They Drink Tea, Instead?

    December 27, 2016
  • 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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    An Inside Irongate

    February 26, 2014

    Yet Another Dawn

    December 30, 2012

    In-Eye

    February 2, 2014
  • Artists,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Winter

    Gigi Cifarelli Guitar Solo (feat. Michele Di Toro) – Live@Florian Espace Pescara

    March 7, 2016 /

    This the reportage I did on behalf of Rockol.it with a Canon 5d Mk III and the venerable Canon EF 70-200/2,8. The theater was small and few were the angles to be exploited. Thus I’ve decided to focus on close-ups and american shots.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Three of a Kind

    July 6, 2013

    Luggages

    April 20, 2019

    Lamp

    April 2, 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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    Portrait of a young scholar

    October 28, 2013

    As Deep As The Ocean

    April 15, 2016

    A Cello’s Player

    February 8, 2015
  • 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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    Waiting to Go Home

    December 21, 2013

    Action! (beware of Fuji X-Pro 2)

    February 2, 2016

    From Waltham to Boston

    August 4, 2023
  • 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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    Outdoor Aperitif

    April 7, 2017

    Footprints

    May 19, 2013

    Modern Times

    January 6, 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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    Lightblade

    September 6, 2013

    Old Rolls, Immortal Style

    August 12, 2019

    London Panning

    December 30, 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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    Cold Stuff

    November 28, 2015

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

    December 8, 2015

    Humannequin

    January 10, 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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    Pipeline

    February 13, 2014

    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015

    Avid Readers

    August 17, 2013
  • 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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    Elishéva live@Faneuil Hall

    July 8, 2023

    The Bodyguard

    April 13, 2014

    The Bell Ringer of Nikko

    August 6, 2018
  • 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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    LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella

    July 22, 2022

    Out for a While

    September 26, 2013

    Rush Hours

    March 10, 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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    Do Not Disturb the News Reader

    February 24, 2014

    People

    December 21, 2012

    Love is like a flower

    May 18, 2013
  • 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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    Late Night Arrival at Bertinoro’s Castle

    January 15, 2014

    The Eye

    April 25, 2014

    Garbage Collection

    August 26, 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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    Learning to Fly

    August 23, 2018

    The Stupidity of Being Stubborn

    August 31, 2024

    A useless photo

    July 23, 2013
  • 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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    A Puff of Smoke

    August 29, 2013

    Americana Skating – Italian National Championship 2019

    February 4, 2019

    Pensive

    June 13, 2015
  • 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…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Eye

    April 25, 2014

    Phone Call – 1

    February 18, 2015

    Forgotten bike

    April 3, 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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    Coats

    March 19, 2023

    Mind The Step

    August 28, 2015

    Street Compass Rose

    September 25, 2013
  • Autumn,  Cities,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Past&Relics,  Rome

    An Old Camera

    October 14, 2014 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Scarf’s Meeting

    March 5, 2014

    Sales Force

    January 28, 2016

    @Rome Maker Faire – 2

    October 10, 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.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Bent

    April 21, 2014

    Modern Moai?

    October 10, 2023

    Roots On The Roof

    September 6, 2015
  • 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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    The Restorer’s Nest

    June 27, 2013

    Plenty of Chairs in Via Veneto

    December 2, 2013

    Buying Chocolate

    October 31, 2015
  • Colour,  Court,  Daily photo,  Photo Journalism,  Photography,  Rome,  Street Photography,  Thoughts

    The Street Photographer Rights In Italy. The Leaflet

    July 10, 2014 /

    Here is an easy-to-carry A4 leaflet to be used in case you are confronted by a law enforcement agent of officer that question your Street Photography activity. Legal issues apart, please remember to always be polite and to help the officer not to look goofy or ignorant (as he actually would) in front of the public. Q. Does taking people’s photography in public spaces infringes sec. 615 bis of the criminal code? A. NO. Under the Corte di cassazione ruling n. 47165/2010 outdoor there is no reasonable privacy expectation, as there is no reasonable privacy expectation in case of tacit – while non equivocal – withdrawal of this right, as…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Fujifilm X-T3 Video Cheat Sheet

    September 5, 2021

    Careful With That Bike, Eugene!

    July 29, 2013

    Gloves

    October 19, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Spring

    Who Needs A Wedding Photographer Anymore?

    May 29, 2014 /

    I took this picture at a friend’s wedding. Though there was an “official” photographer, almost all of the attendees did their own “service”. They spent the majority of their time (and of their mobiles’ batteries) by obstructing the professionals on duty to get mostly irrelevant and low quality pictures. This is the main reason I chose not do weddings and – in general – ceremonies.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Supporter or Photographer?

    March 21, 2013

    Get Ready, Set, Go

    February 2, 2022

    Milan

    March 19, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear

    60×40 Borderless Printing with a HP Z3200ps 24

    May 11, 2014 /

    Printing a 60by40cm image on a A1 roll (61cm wide) should be a pretty straightforward task: well, not on a printer like the HP Z3200. To cut the story, here are the settings: set your image landscape, and size it 60 by 40 cm, set your CANVAS size to 61,8 by 41 cm with a white background (highlighted in red, in the picture) so that the final image size is, indeed, 61,8 by 41, In the Print Settings menu select the Paper Size option and set a custom page size of 61 by 40,5, Again, in the Print Settings menu select the Margins/Layout menu and check the  Borderless radio button,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A

    March 30, 2014

    Stairway to Nothing

    March 9, 2014

    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014
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