Andrea Monti

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  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Milan,  Streets&Squares,  Winter

    Late Night@Piazza San Babila

    March 9, 2022 /

    Working with a compact camera like the Panasonic TZ-100 at night is a reminder that you don’t always need a full-frame monster to tell a story — but you do need to understand and embrace the camera’s limitations. The TZ-100’s one-inch sensor is not built for clean, clinical low-light work. Push the ISO and it will show noise quickly; underexpose, and shadow recovery will fall apart. But here, those very traits help carry the mood. The composition rests on a central axis — the illuminated corridor pulling the viewer inward, flanked by the Binova and Ivano Redaelli showrooms. Their glowing interiors act like bookends, framing the pathway and setting a…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Love is like a flower

    May 18, 2013

    Reflexes

    December 30, 2015

    A Zen Garden?

    February 22, 2014
  • Actors,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Winter

    Giorgio Pasotti – Racconti disumani@Teatro Marrucino

    February 28, 2022 /

    The stage is almost bare, yet dense with implication. A man in a deep red suit leans forward over a small stepped platform, his body angled as if straining toward something invisible. The light catches the side of his face, leaving the rest of the space in heavy shadow. To his right, suspended in the darkness, an image of a bottle looms, projected larger than life—its glass skin ghostly, its presence more oppressive than inanimate. This is Kafka territory. The stripped set, the exaggerated scale, the isolation of the figure—they all speak the language of unease. The microphone at centre stage stands unused, a silent witness, or perhaps a channel…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Call On The Docks

    August 4, 2014

    Thirsty

    June 10, 2014

    Friends

    August 3, 2014
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Portraits,  Winter

    Kristina Miller live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Much Too Powerful a Knock…

    June 3, 2014

    Some odd outcomes from a photo recovering attempt using an AI

    July 13, 2025

    Rush Hours

    March 10, 2014
  • Artists,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Sergey Krylov live@Teatro Marrucino

    February 21, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Behind The Shaft

    June 1, 2013

    A Street-Skater

    March 17, 2021

    Money Doesn’t Smell

    April 2, 2015
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    She Died Alone

    February 15, 2022 /

    She was a drug addict —a “junk” some righteous zealot would have called her— and died in the indifference of everybody but one. A flower and a rainbow unicorn are what keep her memory alive. The memory of a human being left alone also in her final moment.

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    Andrea Monti

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    No Tablet, No Problem

    April 12, 2013

    Sun Worshipers

    January 3, 2022

    Elishéva live@Faneuil Hall

    July 8, 2023
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics,  Rome,  Winter

    Still Ruling The Empire

    February 5, 2022 /

    The statue in this image has its back turned to the camera, but it commands the frame entirely. Shot in Rome, with the dome of Santi Luca e Martina on the left and the Torre delle Milizie rising in the distance, this bronze figure—likely an emperor or general—stands as if still governing the landscape before him. I didn’t photograph the face on purpose. The power of this moment lies in presence, not identity. The shot is about line, volume, and the compression of history into layers. The trunk of the umbrella pine rises behind him like a sceptre made of wood and air, while the palatial facades blend architectural periods…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Lorenzo negli stadi

    July 11, 2013

    Very British

    October 29, 2016

    Pizza Maker@Ueno’s Park

    June 6, 2018
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Rome,  Winter

    Get Ready, Set, Go

    February 2, 2022 /

    I’ve always enjoyed the way a single moment in the street can hold multiple narratives at once. In this frame, taken in Piazza Venezia with the Vittoriano looming behind, the cyclist seems caught between pause and motion — a split-second where the decision to push forward hasn’t yet been made. The backlighting was a gamble. Shooting into the sun with the Fuji X-T3 and the XF 16-80 meant dealing with inevitable flare, lowered contrast, and the risk of losing detail in the shadows. But I wanted that shaft of light breaking through, almost theatrical in how it picks out the rider against the cobblestones. Exposure was a compromise: holding the…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Skull

    August 18, 2015

    A Skateboarder

    November 23, 2021

    The Abused Balcony

    February 17, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  People,  Winter

    So Long, and Thank You for the Fish

    January 26, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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

    October 9, 2015

    Zebra Crossing in Oslo… With Red Light

    October 12, 2014

    Seeing What Isn’t There

    October 27, 2015
  • B&W,  Beach&Shores,  Daily photo,  Winter

    Beach Party

    January 22, 2022 /

    Shot just after dawn, this image came together in seconds but tells a layered story of rivalry and instinct. The beach, in its usual emptiness, became a stage for the coarsely choreographed interaction between gulls and crows. I didn’t plan for a composition — I reacted to it. And yet, the result balances tension, motion, and rhythm better than many calculated frames. Technically, I leaned into softness rather than clarity. The overcast light pushed the colours into a muted palette, verging on monochrome. I let the flatness be, resisting contrast boosts in post, allowing the wet sand to mirror just enough detail without pulling the eye from the birds. Their…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The El Prat’s Lounge

    June 5, 2014

    Crowd Control

    July 16, 2013

    A Stop in Reggio Emilia

    February 21, 2024
  • Bridges,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Odds,  Winter

    Stairway to Hell

    January 9, 2022 /

    This photograph emerged from a fascination with how architecture shifts once stripped of its context. What the lens captured here is, in essence, a flight of stairs. Yet under the harsh saturation of artificial red light and the obliteration of all surrounding detail into deep black, it becomes a surreal passage, one that feels less like a functional structure and more like an allegorical descent—or ascent, depending on how one reads it. The title, of course, plays on that ambiguity. From a compositional standpoint, the image relies heavily on abstraction. The staircase cuts diagonally across the frame, its curve creating a dynamic tension with the void beside it. Negative space…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Conversations, Silences, and Street Life

    August 5, 2014

    A Fisherman

    August 29, 2014

    Parallels & Diagonals

    December 21, 2012
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Winter

    Sun Worshipers

    January 3, 2022 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red Moon at the end of August

    September 1, 2023

    Washed

    November 22, 2015

    Cold Night, Hot Drink

    January 13, 2014
  • B&W,  Daily photo,  Landscape,  Winter

    Dark Omen

    December 31, 2021 /

    I photographed this scene in late winter, when the bare trees carried no leaves and the sky pressed low with heavy clouds. The flock of birds, startled into flight, scattered across the frame in uneven patterns. Their silhouettes against the pale backdrop gave the scene a sense of unease, as though the moment was charged with something more than simple movement. Compositionally, I placed the trees as anchors, their skeletal branches reaching upward and outward, filling much of the lower frame. They serve as both structure and stage, while the birds provide rhythm and unpredictability. The flock is not evenly distributed—clusters form and break apart, guiding the eye from one…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Out-of-Focus Once Again

    February 28, 2015

    London Panning

    December 30, 2013

    Zebra Crossing

    March 14, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Gliding Away

    December 21, 2021 /

    I caught this shot as the gull moved past me, wings stretched in an elegant curve, pulling away from the frame almost as quickly as I brought the camera to my eye. Tracking birds in flight with the DA* 50-135 on the K-3 II is always a test of reflexes and technique, especially when the background is a shifting plane of textured water. The lens handled the contrast well, keeping the bird distinct enough from the muted greens and greys of the sea, though the fine detail in the wingtips fell just short of crisp — a reminder that a fractionally faster shutter speed might have been the better choice.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Partner in Glam

    May 3, 2023

    Portrait of a Fin Swimmer

    June 5, 2021

    Urban Scavenger

    June 28, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Winter

    Waiting for the Fish

    December 18, 2021 /

    There’s a particular kind of pleasure in using the Pentax K-3 II paired with the DA* 50-135mm f/2.8—a combination that rewards patience much like the fisherman in this frame. The lens’s rendering and microcontrast gave me exactly what I wanted here: a clean separation between subject and background without the look feeling forced. The weather was brooding, the horizon hazy, and the colours naturally muted, so the camera’s sensor, with its well-known dynamic range, had plenty of tonal nuance to work with. The man in the red hoodie became my obvious focal point—a striking colour contrast against the cooler palette of sea and sky. His posture, hands clasped behind his…

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    Andrea Monti

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    On Composition. Or: the eye sees what the mind is prepared to comprehend

    September 11, 2023

    Urban Totem

    April 29, 2014

    Lost in mumbling

    September 22, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Winter

    Should I Seat?

    December 15, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Suit

    July 15, 2013

    On the Edge of the World

    April 22, 2014

    Light as Meaning Shifter

    December 11, 2019
  • Airport,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Lines,  Winter

    Landing

    December 4, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Three Lamposts

    June 11, 2022

    Restaurant or Killing House?

    July 18, 2017

    The Guardian

    January 19, 2014
  • Daily photo,  Gear,  Winter

    Bronine Volkit Camera Hub. Mixed feelings

    November 30, 2021 /

    The picture is self-eplaining. Patona batteries show odd parameters, while a Nikon original battery is more in line with the declared specs. This is by no way a reliable experiment, as the batteries’ state is not comparable. I will continue experimenting with different models because these results are pretty odd. However I can not blame Patona for the outcomes, for the bromine volkit itself might be defective and a fair comparison should be based upon batteries handled similarly.

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    Andrea Monti

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    Three Sprouts

    May 22, 2022

    Bus Driver

    September 16, 2016

    In praise of ‘cheap’ lenses for ‘pro’ works

    April 4, 2021
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Lines,  People,  Winter

    A Skateboarder

    November 23, 2021 /

    I took this shot with a long lens, standing just far enough back to flatten the scene and compress the zig-zag of the bike lane into a graphic, winding ribbon. What drew me to the moment was the contrast between the physical tension of the skateboarder’s posture and the rigid lines of the urban environment. He’s caught mid-shift — arms out, knees bent, entirely present in his balance. No theatricality, no posing. Just rhythm and gravity. The geometry of the path worked as an unintentional compositional gift. The white lines, curved rails, and signage almost funnel the viewer’s attention into the skater’s hunched figure. A classic leading-lines scenario, but more…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Protezione Civile

    November 12, 2013

    No Tablet, No Problem

    April 12, 2013

    High-Tech Elder Care Tool

    April 2, 2013
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People

    Man in Trenchcoat

    November 20, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Shooting Italian 5 birilli

    May 18, 2025

    A useless photo

    July 23, 2013

    Street Food in Via Salaria

    March 13, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Past&Relics,  Winter

    After Heat, Structure

    November 12, 2021 /

    I made this photograph  handheld, late afternoon. The car was still warm. Fire had done what fire does: reduced all function to form, all value to surface. What remained was metal, glass, ash—and light. I chose a shallow angle, head-on through the front windscreen, to confront the wreckage as directly as possible. The lens was at roughly 60mm, allowing a slight compression of space. I focused on the mid-depth—the charred dashboard—so the frame reads in layers: foreground (rust and blistered bonnet), middle (molten plastic and exposed seat frames), background (burned upholstery, collapsed interior geometry). Each plane tells a different part of the story. The light was flat, which helped. No…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Dreaming of a Lancia Delta Martini…

    March 24, 2013

    Footprints

    March 27, 2021

    Same Seats, Different Lifes

    April 14, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  People

    Soldering

    November 8, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Who Can It Be Now?

    February 18, 2016

    Parisian’s Bags

    April 6, 2014

    Red Bag, Black Shoes

    November 27, 2014
  • Bottles&Cups,  Colour,  Daily photo

    Fancy a beer?

    November 3, 2021 /

    I caught this Peroni bottle resting on a worn wooden post at the marina, the kind of accidental still life you don’t stage — you simply recognise and frame. The Pentax K-5, paired with the DA* 50-135 f/2.8, made the job effortless. That lens has a way of pulling a subject into sharp relief while letting the world behind it dissolve into painterly abstraction. Here, the background of masts, ropes, and blurred hulls becomes more a wash of colour than a setting, yet it still whispers the story of where we are. I shot wide open, wanting the bokeh to take the harsh edges off the busy scene. The glass…

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Bodyguard in Red

    April 13, 2014

    High-Tech Elder Care Tool

    April 2, 2013

    Nico Cilli Band@Chiostro Comunale – Città S.Angelo

    September 9, 2013
  • Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Social Control

    Imitation of Banksi

    November 1, 2021 /

    Some photographs happen because you spot them at the right time; others, because the right lens lets you see them from a distance before they disappear. This was the latter. Walking past a construction site, I noticed a splash of red against the pale, textured hoarding — a painted figure in a hat and long coat, back turned, hands behind him, staring through a broken window. The text alongside reads: “Segui il cantiere – Un omaggio ai pensionati, risorsa del quartiere” (“Follow the construction site – A tribute to pensioners, the neighbourhood’s resource”). It’s part humour, part homage, a knowing wink to the archetypal retiree who spends his days watching…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Tired or Fascinated?

    October 21, 2013

    Italian Track&Field Championship 2018 – The reportage

    September 12, 2018

    Snaps of a Flamenco recital…

    April 26, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  Winter

    Black Cat

    October 31, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Skating on the streets of Milan

    October 4, 2013

    The Chicken

    September 10, 2014

    An Inside Irongate

    February 26, 2014
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