Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Garages&Labs,  Photography,  Spring

    Leica Shop @ Strada Maggiore

    May 11, 2017 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Let’s get the party started…

    January 20, 2014

    Mussels Underwater…

    August 23, 2014

    Das Feuerwehr

    April 17, 2018
  • 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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    Poetry Still Survives

    June 7, 2014

    Wasted Shot Because iPhone 7 Poor Low-Light Handling

    January 22, 2019

    From Camera to Print…

    March 17, 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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    Outside the Courthall

    April 15, 2015

    A Great Marketing Stunt

    May 27, 2014

    Against the Tide

    January 30, 2014
  • 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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    The Penguin’s Feeder

    July 25, 2014

    John De Leo’s Grande Abarasse Orchestra – Live

    February 10, 2015

    The Waiting

    December 23, 2012
  • 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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    Late for Lunch

    March 26, 2014

    Good Idea

    January 31, 2014

    Beach Party

    January 22, 2022
  • 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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    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 2013

    The Changer — Glass Walls, Paper Smiles, and Currency Drained

    October 12, 2013

    A (Soon) Lost Banner

    November 1, 2018
  • 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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    Who Said That Music Is Relaxing?

    August 14, 2013

    Lost Cigarettes at Piazza Affari

    January 22, 2014

    In a yellowtone…

    September 17, 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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    Just A Phone Call – 1

    February 18, 2015

    The Road To Justice

    August 31, 2014

    When Venus Meets the Moon

    October 2, 2023
  • 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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    Street Compass Rose

    September 25, 2013

    A Street Dancer@Sakae

    August 9, 2019

    The Audience (Not a Rock Concert, Indeed)

    September 23, 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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    A Casual Walk

    March 6, 2015

    Upcoming Call

    June 3, 2013

    Antonio Onorato

    August 20, 2016
  • 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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    After Heat, Structure

    November 12, 2021

    The Sinking Giant

    December 6, 2013

    Alessandro Blasioli – L’ultima notte di Bonfiglio Liborio@Teatro Marrucino

    May 9, 2022
  • 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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    Shopping in Bruxelles

    December 20, 2013

    An Attentive Listener

    July 18, 2014

    The Stare of a T800

    August 4, 2015
  • 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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    A Street-Skater

    March 17, 2021

    Indifference

    July 5, 2015

    A Skateboarder

    November 23, 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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    Hands of a Steward

    November 22, 2019

    Staring At The Infinite (While Waiting For The Fishes)

    August 1, 2014

    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014
  • 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 Lifeguard’s Tools

    August 24, 2013

    The Sinking Giant

    December 6, 2013

    Ray-Ban in Milan

    October 5, 2015
  • 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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    In Hoc Signo

    August 20, 2015

    A Hellish Look

    March 26, 2024

    The Boat That Never Left

    September 26, 2019
  • 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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    Waiting To Board

    February 4, 2013

    Ni

    January 26, 2014

    Audience

    February 20, 2014
  • 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 Taste Master

    March 2, 2014

    Against the Tide

    January 30, 2014

    A Lonely Table

    March 8, 2015
  • 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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    Seats

    September 11, 2017

    A perfect match

    February 1, 2013

    Red Beam

    October 24, 2023
  • 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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    Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    November 29, 2013

    Paths of Life

    January 20, 2013

    Is The Sky Falling On Their Heads?

    August 1, 2013
  • 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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    Multitasking

    February 10, 2013

    Blow Up

    November 13, 2014

    Abstract

    May 9, 2023
  • 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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    Stantsted Lounge’s Chairs

    December 31, 2013

    Stop

    December 6, 2018

    The Unconvinced Listener

    June 25, 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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    A

    March 30, 2014

    God of the Sea or Restaurant Banner?

    July 15, 2014

    A Fix for the Wikipedia Photos’ Copyright Scams?

    December 19, 2020
  • 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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    Life is a bitch

    May 22, 2013

    Dark Cloud Over San Pietro

    August 27, 2021

    A Bitter Sweet

    March 23, 2013
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