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Andrea Monti

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  • Autumn,  B&W,  Daily photo,  Gear,  Photography,  Spring,  Summer,  Winter

    Personal Musing On Monochrome Digital Cameras

    September 11, 2025 /

    I was thinking of exploring the world of black-and-white digital photography so I started looking into the available options. Currently, only the Leica Monochrom and the Pentax K-3 III Monochrom are still the only native monochrome digital cameras availble, targeting photographers interested in maximising the potential for ‘true’ black-and-white photography compared to converted colour images. Many experts in the field justify the existence of this particular camera by citing the same manufacturers’ marketing claims, such as better overall image quality and the superior performance of a custom-built sensor. However, I am a photographer, not an electronics engineer or software programmer, so I care more about the final results than the technicalities.…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Red Tears

    June 7, 2013

    Street Of New York… Possibly

    March 21, 2017

    The Expired Film Series – Episode 3 – Ilford HP5 400 – Dec. 2010 shot in August 2023

    August 30, 2023
  • 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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    Safe Living (?)

    July 28, 2016

    Last Puff Before the Ride

    December 26, 2015

    So what?

    April 9, 2013
  • 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 Smoker

    September 2, 2015

    Guess who’s happier?

    May 27, 2013

    A Few Shots with the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 in X-Mount

    October 24, 2024
  • 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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    Do Not Disturb the News Reader

    February 24, 2014

    An Inside Irongate

    February 26, 2014

    Las Ramblas’ Lifestyle

    April 18, 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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    Smoke is everywhere…

    February 21, 2013

    A

    March 30, 2014

    The Racers

    December 7, 2014
  • Beach&Shores,  Colour,  Daily photo,  Seasons,  Spring

    Footprints

    March 27, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    A Waiter in via Sardegna

    September 26, 2015

    The EOS-M just sucks

    July 18, 2013

    Red Wine Makes Good Blood…

    April 27, 2014
  • Cars&Bikes,  Colour,  Daily photo,  People,  Seasons,  Winter

    Deserved Rest

    March 21, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    HeadButt

    August 5, 2023

    @Rome Maker Faire – 5. Pensive

    October 18, 2014

    A coffee at Saint Eustachio’s

    February 4, 2016
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Docks,  People,  Skating,  Winter

    A Street-Skater

    March 17, 2021 /

    I came across him by the harbour on a day when the wind carried the smell of salt and diesel from the moored fishing boats. He wasn’t performing for an audience—just skating alone, immersed in his own rhythm. His movements were sharp but fluid, somewhere between dance and martial art. I wanted to capture that moment when the body leans into balance, teetering on the edge of a fall but never crossing it. The setting presented an immediate visual contrast: the fluidity of his posture against the static, almost heavy backdrop of the docked ships. I framed him to the left, letting the background breathe, so that the masts, ropes,…

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    Andrea Monti

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    Conversation

    November 27, 2013

    What (or Who) Are These Hangs For?

    May 21, 2013

    Will The iPhone Kill Traditional Cameras? Not Very

    October 15, 2019
  • Colour,  Daily photo,  Fountains,  Winter

    Splinter

    March 13, 2021 /

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    Andrea Monti

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    Under the Bridge

    November 6, 2013

    The Chess Players

    October 10, 2013

    The Hands of a Drummer (Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez)

    April 24, 2013
  • 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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    Welcome in the Twilight Zone

    January 3, 2014

    Waiting for the Shinkansen – 2

    June 30, 2017

    Just a soccer field… Part 3

    February 5, 2014

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