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How to (Unconventionally) Shoot Track and Field Competitions
Having been given a LOC pass for the European Athletics Championships currently taking place in Rome, I was able to practice unusual compositions in sports photography – Initially published on 35mmc.com Usually, the pictures taken by professional photographers working for media companies, broadcasters or magazines inevitably focus on the umpteenth iteration of the same actions (the concentration before the start, the relay change, the exertion after a fast or long run, etc.). Add to this the fact that the photographers are all in the same part of the venue, the results are very similar, at least in terms of perspective and field of view. This is an example: I don’t…
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Hidden in Plain Sight. A Japanese Journey
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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Floating
This image was born out of a fascination with stillness in the midst of implied movement. The mannequin — suspended, curled, caught in an almost foetal position — seems to drift within a capsule that looks as though it could be orbiting somewhere far beyond Earth. The large, circular light behind it could be a porthole, a hatch, or simply a stage light; its blinding white obscures what might be beyond, giving the scene a surreal, detached quality. Technically, the biggest challenge was exposure. The extreme contrast between the brilliant backlight and the darker figure risked losing detail on both ends. I chose to protect the highlights, letting the shadows…
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Cleaning the Tabernacle
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Stadio Olimpico, seen from Tribuna Monte Mario
The Stadio Olimpico is not an easy subject to photograph, especially when seen from the lofty and privileged perch of the Tribuna Monte Mario. The vantage point offers grandeur, but grandeur doesn’t always translate easily into pixels—especially under the kind of merciless lighting that the stadium seems to favour at night. From this spot, the sweeping geometry of the roof dominates the composition. Its repeating, honeycomb-like pattern glows under the sodium vapour lights, casting a heavy golden hue that floods the upper half of the frame. Below, the seating—empty and rendered in cool blues—acts as a counterweight, both in tone and texture. The effect is a split visual dialogue between…
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A Vessel Moored on the Pier
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Cultural Variety In Helsinki
Walking through Helsinki, I came across this street corner turned makeshift cultural diary. A column of posters, each one shouting louder than the next, all layered in a beautiful visual chaos. Music, theatre, design, protests — everything stuck side-by-side like a democratic collage of intent. No hierarchy, no curatorship — just pure public messaging. I framed this image straight on, keeping the grid of posters as symmetrical as the structure allowed. What interested me wasn’t just the content, but the juxtaposition — a sleek Ed Sheeran ad beside a hand-designed experimental flyer, a musical next to a political slogan. It’s a visual argument, but a peaceful one. Technically, this shot…
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Red Fan
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Technogym Milan@Night
I photographed this storefront in Milan after dark, intrigued by the way its illuminated windows cut through the night. The architecture itself is not the subject so much as the grid of glowing rectangles, each acting like a screen against the blackness of the street. The strong yellow framing lines draw the eye, repeating rhythmically across the facade, while the deep shadows surrounding them emphasise their intensity. Compositionally, I chose a wide perspective to capture the full stretch of the facade. This decision places emphasis on repetition and geometry rather than on any single detail. The asymmetry of the right side, where a bright advertisement interrupts the rhythm, creates a…
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Late Night@Piazza San Babila
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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Forza Italia
I took this frame in the middle of a warm evening on a busy shopping street. The crowd flowed by—quick glances, weekend chatter, the usual rhythm of a city centre. But what caught my eye was this man, sitting quietly on the kerb, Italian flags resting against a tree, another in his hands, waving lightly in the breeze. He wore a mask, a straw cap, and sandals. Behind him, mannequins lit up glossy storefronts. In front of him, passers-by moved without pause. For a second, I stood still with the camera. Then I saw it. The flag, mid-motion—green, white, red. The symbol of a nation, fluttering not from a balcony,…
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A ‘Trabocco’ on the Adriatic Sea
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A Lockheed C-130 Hercules
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Hope after the Storm
The sea hadn’t quite calmed when I made this frame—the wind still cut the crests sharp, and the noise of the waves clashing against the pilings of the trabocco was thick, physical. I waited for a break in the light, not hoping for much, and then the rainbow broke into view—just briefly—and gave the scene a tension it was missing. Not the kitsch kind of rainbow, but the kind that appears in defiance of ruin. The trabocco—an ancient fishing machine precariously perched on stilts—has always struck me as the embodiment of resilience. I framed it slightly to the left to leave space for the arc, letting the rainbow anchor the…
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Old Rolls, Immortal Style
When I stepped into the Toyota Museum in Nagoya I wasn’t there to chase a vintage V12 roar – I was after a photograph that could make the steel of those hatchbacks sing. I set the camera, took a breath, and aimed at the gleaming 2000‑series Corolla perched beneath that cathedral‑like skylight. The result is a picture that feels like a high‑octane sprint through a showroom, but let’s not pretend it’s flawless; let’s break it down the way a proper car reviewer would.
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A Street Dancer In Sakae
The figure cuts across the frame in mid-motion, blurred by the long exposure into a streak of speed and rhythm. What might have been a simple step in the street becomes here a dance, arms and legs stretched in dynamic diagonals. The city’s lights smear into horizontal bands, a stage built of glass and neon for a fleeting performance. Composition thrives on movement. The dancer is placed almost centrally but leans into the right side of the frame, suggesting continuation beyond what we see. The motion blur is not a flaw but the subject itself: it transforms a person into gesture, a body into energy. Behind, the fractured colours of…
