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  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  PhotoCritics,  Technique

    Counter-intuitive Focus

    February 9, 2020 /

    This photo I took during a reportage for a theatre hosting a concert of Uto Ughi shows a counter-intuitive use of focusing. Rather than go for the obvious option, the attention is shifted on the two musicians in the background capturing their concentration, with the leading violin blurred and conceptually, thus, ‘left behind’. The global effect is reinforced by a neat separation between the dark and light parts of the frame.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Different Loads

    June 23, 2015

    Spectral Lotus

    July 19, 2015

    Fuji X-T2 records audio at 16bit/48Khz

    October 11, 2020
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Technique,  Winter

    When Colour Helps Composition

    February 7, 2020 /

    This photo I took during a reportage of Miseria e nobiltà – a classic of the Neapolitan comedy by Eduardo Scarpetta – in the mise en scene of Lello Arena e Luciano Melchionna gives a lot of insights on how composition works. The triangle designed by the two actors on the sides and the taller actress in the centre is reinforced by the colours of the costumes: black in the centre, white in the sides. Finally, the purple background behind the black figure enhances the eye-driving effect toward the centre.

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    Andrea Monti

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    When the Rubbish Basket is full…

    December 13, 2013

    A Sad Afternoon

    October 7, 2013

    Floating

    October 7, 2023
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  PhotoCritics,  Portraits,  Technique,  Winter

    The Power of Underexposing

    December 25, 2019 /

    This portrait was built in the shadows. Underexposing by design meant letting darkness dominate the frame, allowing only the essentials — the face, the glint of an earring, the folds of the dress — to emerge. The result is a scene stripped of distraction, where every visible element has earned its place. The composition is weighted to the left, pulling the viewer into the subject’s gaze and leaving negative space to amplify the drama. The rich crimson of the gown benefits from the controlled exposure: under normal lighting, its details might have flattened into uniform red; here, the fabric’s texture and the embroidery’s sparkle gain depth from the way light…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Breakfast at Rue Brisemiche

    March 25, 2014

    A Few More Shots From An Urban Exploration Trip

    September 20, 2025

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 1 – Kodak BW400CN – Dec. 2014 shot in June 2023

    July 21, 2023
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique,  Thoughts

    Will The iPhone Kill Traditional Cameras? Not Very

    October 15, 2019 /

    This isn’t a critique of smartphones in general—it’s a direct response to the overconfident marketing myth that an iPhone can replace a dedicated camera in every scenario. I took this photo to illustrate the limitations, and it delivered. Overprocessed, hyper-smooth, plasticky where it should have texture, and clinically shallow in all the wrong ways. Technically, the iPhone did what it was programmed to do: expose for the highlights, boost saturation, fake depth of field with computational blur, and call it “smart.” The result is a scene that looks like a rendering rather than a photograph. The contrast between the dead leaves and the healthy ones is crushed into flatness. No…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Should I Buy It? (Best Taken With an 85mm)

    January 23, 2016

    Tired or Fascinated?

    October 21, 2013

    Inside an Old Gym

    February 16, 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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    Fuji X-T2 records audio at 16bit/48Khz

    October 11, 2020

    5 frames with the (much awaited) Ferrania P33, a Nikon F3 and a Nikkor 50 F2

    April 30, 2024

    Inside the Elevator

    May 9, 2014
  • 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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    How to Shoot an Handball Match with a Film Camera

    May 25, 2024

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 1 – Kodak BW400CN – Dec. 2014 shot in June 2023

    July 21, 2023

    A Smoker

    September 2, 2015
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