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  • Artists,  Autumn,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Spring,  Summer,  Technique,  Winter

    Photography and the Importance of a Proper Training

    April 23, 2024 /

    In photography, among the various activities falling under the ‘preparation’ label, training is oftend underevaluated. Just as many newcomers to the world of guns think that buying expensive equipment will make them better shooters, many photographers think that mastering a bunch of exoteric camera settings will be enough to get decent pictures. This is summed up in a common piece of advice to novice shooters (of both guns and cameras): get out there and shoot. Results will just happen. I have nothing against a ‘Zen’ approach to things, based on instinct and intuition, but my Western, Benthamite mind does not allow me to forget that preparation is necessary to achieve…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Zebra Crossing, Again…

    June 22, 2014

    Emanuele Cavallucci. The New Italian Pro Boxing Welterweight Champion

    March 9, 2019

    Inside a Master Luthier’s Workshop

    July 24, 2025
  • Actors,  Autumn,  B&W,  Bruxelles,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Fighters,  Fighting Disciplines,  Photography,  Spring,  Summer,  Winter

    What Does ‘Professional’ Mean in Photography?

    March 19, 2024 /

    Pro’ is the photographer’s blessing and curse. It is the status we all – well, many of us – aspire to. It is the marketing gimmick created by the exploiters of the Gear Acquisition Syndrome to make people believe that tools make the craftsman. ‘Amateur’, on the other hand, is a word associated with casual photographers, ‘wannabe’ artists, and people who want to make you believe that tools make the craftsman. I have always been unconvinced that such a difference exists, at least in the general meaning associated with the words ‘pro’ and ‘amateur’, and in relation to the idea that the equipment used or the quality of the shots…

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Hellish Look

    March 26, 2024

    Noon on the Beach

    May 1, 2014

    The Power of Underexposing

    December 25, 2019
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  People,  Technique

    Using a 1960 Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 on a Fuji X-T3

    April 5, 2021 /

    In short The Leica Elmarit 90/2,8 works flawlessly on a Fujifilm X-T3, also with third-party adapters having no electronic connection with the camera. It provides excellent results, notwithstanding its age. Using this lens for street photography requires using focus-peaking or zone focus. In this latter case, proper training is necessary to correctly assess the distance from the subject. Image quality On the X-T3 the lens preserves its unique identity. Its colour rendering gives pictures a distinctive ‘retro’ character. The Elmarit shows an excellent resolving power: thin lines are visible and well defined. Chromatic aberration is visible at F2,8. It disappears from F4 and ahead. Anyway, the lens profile is well…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Portrait of The Alfa Romeo Guru

    September 25, 2014

    Padua, a photographer’s goldmine

    October 31, 2024

    Las Ramblas’s Talk

    June 4, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Technique

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

    April 4, 2021 /

    Full disclosure: I have no relationship with Viltrox. I purchased the lenses with my own money and did not receive any request to write this post. I have recently discovered Viltrox, a Chinese manufacturer of lenses for the Fujifilm X-system. I am using the AF 85/1,8 II XF and the AF 56/1,4 XF and I am very satisfied by their performance. They are very good for ‘professional’ sessions, however, there are many online reviews that snobbishly rate these lenses as ‘amateur’, ‘non-professional’ or ‘first time portrait photography enthusiasts’ grade. I think that these reviews are unfair and here is why: What does ‘better’ mean? It is a known fact that…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Seeing What Isn’t There

    October 27, 2015

    The Driver

    August 8, 2015

    Pizza Maker@Ueno’s Park

    June 6, 2018
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring

    Footprints

    March 27, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Splinter

    March 13, 2021

    Killing Santa

    January 25, 2013

    Renovating Milan

    November 18, 2017
  • Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Winter

    Deserved Rest

    March 21, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Buying Chocolate

    October 31, 2015

    Las Ramblas’s Talk

    June 4, 2014

    Sunny Afternoon

    January 22, 2013
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  People,  Skating,  Winter

    A Street-Skater

    March 17, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    The Straycat

    December 3, 2013

    Real Time Update

    February 20, 2016

    Yellow

    December 15, 2014
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fountains,  Winter

    Splinter

    March 13, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    DSLR film scanning: episode three

    January 24, 2023

    Wasubot. A Stiff Organ Player@Tsukuba

    June 21, 2018

    Full Moon

    May 9, 2017
  • Actors,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  PhotoCritics,  Portraits,  Technique,  Winter

    Easy To Shoot?

    December 12, 2020 /

    This picture might look “ordinary” but for the fact that I shot it with a rangefinder film camera (guess which?) during the scene change between to acts of a theatre play. Scene assistants were placing the furnitures, actors were trying to focus on their parts, there was no time (and place) to design a proper composition and set the camera. No autofocus, no real-time exposure and white-balance setting. Maybe I have been lucky capturing the match flame close to the cigar, maybe it was because of “muscle memory”, but I did it nonetheless. Problem is that I could not be sure if I succeeded until, one week later, I saw…

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    Andrea Monti

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    @Rome Maker Faire – 4. The Hands Controller

    October 16, 2014

    Call On The Docks

    August 4, 2014

    A Lamp

    November 14, 2015

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