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Andrea Monti

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  • 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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    Red Dot

    January 21, 2015

    So long and thank you for the fish

    February 6, 2014

    A Skater

    February 23, 2021
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Milan,  Photography,  Street Photography

    How Privacy Hysteria Killed Street-Photography

    October 22, 2023 /

    At other times I would have dismissed this image as ‘out of focus’ and unusable. Just another missed shot caused by poor focusing technique on a fully manual film camera. Nowadays, however, I have begun to change my attitude towards these kinds of blurred images because of the privacy hysteria affecting the practice of street photography. There have been cases where people have been found guilty of harassment for covertly taking pictures in public spaces, but street photography has nothing to do with criminal behaviour. There is a huge difference between taking sneaky, random, meaningless pictures of people on the street and trying to freeze sketches of life to tell…

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    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Silver Pottery

    November 4, 2014

    The Lost Hotel

    September 5, 2014

    The 365th Shot: Between Sacred and Profane

    December 14, 2013
  • Daily photo,  Portfolio,  Street Photography,  Travels,  Urban Landscape

    Hidden in Plain Sight. A Japanese Journey

    August 3, 2023 /

    Although I have a lot of pictures from my various trips to Japan, organising them into a book is a challenge. The photos themselves are good enough to deserve publication. However, most of them are affected by a ‘déjà-vu’ effect. People on the subway, crowded crossroads, striking contrasts between modernity and the past, or between rural areas and highly urbanised ones, pop culture vs. business culture… no matter how hard I try, every single photo gives the feeling that someone has already done it. I am neither an anthropologist nor an expert on Japanese society, so I have no reasonable explanation for this feeling. Perhaps it is simply a matter…

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    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Switch

    December 18, 2014

    Right before the gig

    September 14, 2018

    The Lost Battle

    January 11, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Street Photography,  Summer

    In the Rain, A Helping Hand

    July 10, 2019 /

    The rain hit fast and hard. Streets turned to rivers in minutes. I was sheltering under a bus stop roof, camera still strapped around my shoulder, when I saw the man go down. Not dramatically—just a slow, heavy fall as he misjudged the kerb under the surge of water. Then came the officer. No hesitation. No fuss. Just a clean, instinctive move to lift him. The Leica didn’t leave my eye. I shot quickly—no time to compose in a traditional sense, but sometimes the moment doesn’t wait for your geometry. The turquoise pole on the left anchors the frame almost by accident. The crossing lines in the background help balance…

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    Andrea Monti

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    What Lasts of a Saturday Night Party

    January 24, 2014

    On Tips’n Tricks to ‘take you photos to the next level’

    May 29, 2025

    Feuer

    July 10, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Street Photography

    Caught In The Act… Almost

    October 4, 2018 /

    One of the unspoken truths of street photography is that the act itself is a balancing game between invisibility and intrusion. You work quietly, melting into the scene, but sometimes the veil slips. This frame captures that instant—when the subject’s eyes meet yours and the candid moment becomes a negotiation. I was mid-frame when the man on the right turned, fixing me with a look that could be read as curiosity or suspicion. The keys in his hand, his stance, and the faint tightening of his jaw all freeze into a moment that could unfold in multiple ways. The man in the background remains unaware, his more relaxed posture offering…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Single(‘s) Call

    September 24, 2016

    A lighter

    February 14, 2013

    Breakfast at Rue Brisemiche

    March 25, 2014
  • 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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    Claws of Fire

    September 27, 2017

    Traffic Jam in Rome

    December 14, 2015

    Fancy a beer?

    November 3, 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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    Line Of Fire

    July 6, 2014

    Horizon Bending, Again

    April 28, 2014

    Plenty of Chairs in Via Veneto

    December 2, 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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    A pouch for the Fuji XF 150-600

    May 16, 2023

    A Spanish Long Jumper

    September 11, 2022

    Nittele Tower

    April 25, 2022
  • 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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    Catching the Tube in Paris

    June 11, 2014

    The 365th Shot: Between Sacred and Profane

    December 14, 2013

    Portrait with Skewers

    December 6, 2014
  • 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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    Who The Hell Killed the Light Off?

    August 2, 2015

    Coffee at Caffè Nero

    July 16, 2023

    Interpreti Veneziani – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Live@San Vidal

    September 1, 2017
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  People,  Street Photography

    Street-Photographer’s eye side effect

    April 8, 2014 /

    Seeing the world through the Street-Photographer’s eye makes you more aware of your surroundings both at a conscious and unconscious, Zen-like, level. A side-effect of this state is that you can exploit-it for personal safety when traveling in risky places, like big stations where pickpockets are doing their tricks.

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Way Out

    October 20, 2013

    Portrait of a Politician – 2

    June 15, 2014

    Remainders in Prati

    December 4, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Paris,  Spring,  Street Photography

    Tour Saint-Jacques, Standby

    March 27, 2014 /

    Paris, the city of light, reflects off the polished chrome helmets of the sapeurs-pompiers. The firemen stand poised, immobile but ready. Their posture does not betray fatigue, nor doubt—it’s the stance of trained patience, of focused anticipation. This image captures a moment between action and calm. The fire hoses lie coiled with potential energy, valves shut, mechanisms still untouched. Behind them, the urban rhythm carries on: buses glide, pedestrians move, the sirens wait. The presence of the firefighters, framed by the bustle of Haussmannian façades and traffic, signals that something mighthave happened—or almost did. The mirrored helmets become metaphors themselves. They do not just shield: they reflect the world around them. Their function is…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Stairway to nothing

    September 18, 2013

    Evolution in Red

    November 20, 2019

    Light Dance in Hamburg

    April 6, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Street Photography,  Winter

    Is This Photo Illegal?

    March 20, 2014 /

    Yes, if it were taken in Hungary. Against the European Convention of Human Rights, Hungary passed a law that by next March 15 will require any photographer shooting in public space to obtain a signed “model release form”. This provision will be bashed by either the EU Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights (for the very same reasons I explained here), but it will take time and – first of all – a photographer that sacrifices himself on the altar of freedom.  

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    Andrea Monti

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    Avid Readers

    August 17, 2013

    Square One

    June 17, 2014

    Still Together

    April 20, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Street Photography

    Meaningless

    November 9, 2013 /

    Sometimes it’s easier to tell what a photograph is not than to explain what it is. This frame, taken outside a small tabaccheria, is a case in point. It’s not sharp — the slight blur suggests either a slow shutter speed with handheld movement or an unintentional misfocus. It’s not correctly exposed either — the bright areas, particularly the pavement and parts of the foliage, are overexposed, washing out detail and flattening the scene. Compositionally, it struggles to find an anchor. The woman in the doorway and the man at the vending machine might form the core of a story, but the foreground foliage, tilted horizon, and lack of depth…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Skating on Avenue Louise

    April 1, 2014

    Clandestine Seagull

    November 24, 2013

    Should I Seat?

    December 15, 2021
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Photo Journalism,  Street Photography,  Thoughts

    Italy, Street-Photography and the Law

    October 29, 2013 /

    Update – 2 On July 2014 the Polizia Municipale of Rome seized a street-photographer ‘s camera, but the Court bashed the seizure. Update – 1 Here is an A4 leaflet useful to stand your ground if your street-photography work is questioned by somebody else. Introduction* As there are few texts in English dealing with (street) photography and Italian laws, I’ve decided to put my lawyer‘s hat and sketch some toughts on the two main topics involving the Street-Photography: shooting candid and publishing them online. To cut a long story short, Italian law follows a similar approach to other Western jurisdictions and – in particular – of Articles 8 and 10…

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    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Poetry Still Survives

    June 7, 2014

    Under The Bridge

    June 27, 2016

    Hanging

    May 29, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photography,  Street Photography

    Never Trust the Autofocus (not only) in Street-Photography

    July 20, 2013 /

    The more I practice the street-photography, the more I find myself more at ease with zone-focusing instead of trusting the camera auto-focus. This is, in my case, particularly true with hip-shooting where I can only “guess” what the camera is actually focusing. Though not a candid, this photo explains what I mean: the idea was to have the flowers and the small lamp in focus, but the actualization has been the exact opposite. My fault, of course, because I would have given a look at the viewfinder, but the point is that I didn’t feel like I had to since the AF will cares. Another skill I need, Kime apart,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Get Ready for The Duty

    July 13, 2013

    Pipes in Colour

    May 1, 2015

    Turiddu repeals Santuzza

    November 19, 2022
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Photo Journalism,  Street Photography,  Thoughts

    The Photo I Didn’t Shoot

    June 8, 2013 /

    Every amateur photographer (and maybe a few professionals) has a shot he chose not to fire. In my case it is a brutal knock-out on a Mixed Martial Arts match. As official photographer of the event I was allowed to wander around the venue with no restriction (but jumping on the ring). During the second round I sensed that something was going to happen: the fighters started trading heavy punches at close distance and the temperature of the match raised suddenly hot. The crowd went mad, inciting the two men to hit harder and harder. All of a sudden, a hook at the jaw shut down the light of one…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Getting In The Zone Before the Shot

    November 28, 2016

    A Cornhole Board – Independence Day Edition

    July 8, 2023

    Black Cat

    October 31, 2021
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Street Photography

    When the day is gone

    April 4, 2013 /

    … there are plenty of ways to still make a newspaper useful.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    A Sailor

    July 28, 2014

    Waiting For The Elections

    June 24, 2014

    Stand-up, Sugar!

    March 8, 2014
  • B&W,  Cars&Bikes,  Daily photo,  Street Photography

    Forgotten Bike In A Forgotten House

    April 3, 2013 /

    I found the bike in a room whose doors had not been opened in years. Paint flaked from the plaster. Light slipped through a broken pane and laid a clean rectangle across the floor. The bike stood where someone once left it mid-errand, an everyday object promoted by neglect into relic. I built the frame around planes and diagonals. The window sits high and left to keep the eye moving across the shaft of light to the handlebars, then down the front wheel to the scuffed tiles. Floorboards and wall seams act as guides, converging behind the saddle to hold the gaze. I kept a little headroom above the bars…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Behind the News

    June 25, 2013

    Barbarians At the Beach

    August 30, 2021

    Waiting To Board At Santa Margherita Ligure

    August 16, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Street Photography

    Don’t Forget!

    March 27, 2013 /

    It’s the moment between words that makes this picture. You can almost hear the shop owner’s voice, half command, half reminder, as the young man in the doorway glances back. The raised hand, the turned head, the slight lean forward — everything about his body language says, “You’ve got this, but don’t mess it up.” The frame itself is tight, almost conspiratorial. We’re standing just behind another figure — smart jacket, cigarette in hand — as if we’ve stumbled into a private exchange. That foreground figure acts as an anchor and a barrier at the same time: we’re part of the scene, yet removed from it, observing through a filter…

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    W Verdi

    January 29, 2014

    After a Tough Day

    January 30, 2016

    Brain vs Camera

    April 19, 2014
  • Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Street Photography

    Dreaming of a Lancia Delta Martini…

    March 24, 2013 /

    … while driving a Nissan.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

    You May Also Like

    Evolution in Red

    November 20, 2019

    Restaurant or Killing House?

    July 18, 2017

    Caparezza – Live@Palamaggetti Roseto degli Abruzzi

    February 12, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Street Photography

    The Power of Music

    March 22, 2013 /

    The story is all in the child’s eyes

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    The Stupidity of Being Stubborn

    August 31, 2024

    Conversation

    November 27, 2013

    Frank Gambale All Stars – Live@Teatro Marrucino

    November 22, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Street Photography

    Supporter or Photographer?

    March 21, 2013 /

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    A Skateboarder

    November 23, 2021

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 2 – Ilford XP2Super 400 – Nov. 2017 shot in May 2023

    July 25, 2023

    A Casual Walk

    March 6, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Street Photography

    Foto-Grafo featured on Yanidel.net

    March 20, 2013 /

    The (temporarily now) Argentina-based street-photographer Yanick Delaforge kindly published a couple of shots from Foto-Grafo, Quis Custodies and The Last Waltz, in his “Sho(r)t Stories” series.

    Read More
    Andrea Monti

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    Las Ramblas’ Lifestyle

    April 18, 2014

    The Nightmare

    August 23, 2013

    Unattainable 1:1 magnification with the JJC FDA S-1 and Micro Nikkor 60 2,8

    January 29, 2023
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