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Photography and the Importance of a Proper Training
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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Daniele Silvestri – Teatri 2022 – Live@Teatro Massimo, Pescara
This is the Daniele Silvestri’s Teatri 2022 coverage I did on behalf of Rockol.it using good old Nikons (a D610 with the Sigma 150-600 contemporary and a D750 with a Nikkor 24-120). As a matter of personal taste, I still like a reflex more than a mirrorless camera. The possibility offered by the latter to shoot in total silence with the Electronic Shutter is invaluable in specific contexts such as classical concerts or theatrical plays, nowthistanding the downfalls (banding and distorted images). However (and, once again, this is a matter of personal opinion), a reflex still allow a better connection with the environment at least thanks to the optical viewfinder.…
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A Step Ahead
In competition, the smallest margins can mean the difference between victory and second place. This photograph freezes that idea into a single frame: two hurdlers mid-air, their bodies taut with focus and speed, the Italian athlete just one step — or perhaps half a stride — ahead. From a compositional standpoint, the image works because of its precision in timing. Both athletes are caught in almost identical positions, their arms sweeping forward, their knees high, their gazes locked beyond the hurdle. The staggered alignment creates a natural depth and tension — our eyes move from the trailing runner to the leader, feeling the implied movement and urgency. Technically, the exposure…
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A Spanish Long Jumper
This is one of the photos from the reportage on the Track & Field Mediterranean Championships – Pescara 2022. The Sigma 150-600 Contemporary proved to be a good lens, sufficiently versatile and with effective stabilization. However, used with the 1.4 teleconverter and full extension, it does not allow for high-speed focusing. In some cases, the Nikon D610 failed to lock onto the subject. This makes the lens/teleconverter pair somewhat inconvenient in sports photography. At that focal length, it is probably worth using prefocus. If you do not want to give up automatism, you can try to anticipate the moment of focusing by framing something close to where the athlete should…
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Venditti&DeGregori – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella
Here is the link at the gallery of the 10 August Antonello Venditti and Francesco De Gregori concert. A rather unpleasant experience, indeed. Photographers have been confined on the extreme left of the stage and not allowed to move. Of course the show comes first and any annoyance imperiling the performance must be prevented. A tad of flexibility for people who is there to work, though, would have been much appreciated.
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LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella
More pictures available on Rockol’s Gallery section.
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LP – Live@Anfiteatro La Civitella – The photogallery
This is the full photogallery of July 22 LP’s concert at the Anfiteatro La Civitella. I was covering the event on behalf of Rockol.it.
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Sky Patrol
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Wonder… Wall
The ball hangs in that fleeting, decisive moment — neither fully blocked nor cleanly smashed — suspended in a fraction of time that speaks volumes about the tension of beach volleyball. I took this with the Nikon D750 paired with Sigma’s 150-600 Contemporary, a combination that offers both reach and flexibility for sports work, though it demands a steady hand and a keen eye to keep subjects sharp. Compositionally, I opted for a tight crop that puts the net and players right into the viewer’s space. There’s no room here for context or the comfort of distance; you’re practically part of the rally. The branding and banners in the background…
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Fancy a beer?
Portrait of a Professional Pugilist. Davide De Lellis
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Portrait of a Fin Swimmer
Some portraits happen in a studio, under measured light and with deliberate poses. Others — like this one — are pulled from the water, quite literally, in the midst of motion and adrenaline. I caught her just after she emerged from the sea, hair dripping and muscles tense, her expression still riding the wave of effort and triumph. The Nikon D750 paired with the Sigma 150–600 Contemporary gave me the reach to stay back and let the moment unfold naturally, while still pulling in the details — the salt-speckled skin, the flushed cheeks, the tension in her arm as she grips the swimming cap. From a technical perspective, the challenge…
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A Seagull
Handheld.
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Moon, hand-held
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Kite Surfer Under Duress
The wind was already rising when I reached the beach. Grey sky, hard light, the kind of day most people read from behind a window. But the kitesurfers were already out—lines taut, boards skipping through the chop. What always strikes me about this scene isn’t just the colour of the kites against a flat sky, or the sharp angles they carve into the wind—it’s the resolve. They know what they’re getting into. The cold. The salt in their eyes. The bruises. And they do it anyway. Because this is when it’s real. That’s what drew me to raise the camera. The same drive, maybe. You don’t wait for golden hour.…
