Diary | Michele Annunziata

date » 23-02-2026 10:58

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tags » still life, urban life, daylight, abstraction in blue, olympus camedia point and shoot,

© archive manunzio

This image conveys as almost tactile texture. The sharp horizon dividing the dense blue weave feels like a boundary between what is submerged and what is visible. In that ordinary, damp existence, the light does not illuminate so much as it saturates the fibers, making the fabric heavy, as if it carries the weight of a daily routine that never quite dries out.

There is the precision of an archaeological excavation in this shot: I not just photographing an object, but the top layer: of a habit. The grain of the fabric, enhanced between analog (my life) and digital, emerges with a sharpness that makes the dampness almost perceptible on the skin. It is the portrait of a silent moment, a fragment of reality that does not seek to be anything other than what it is.

date » 15-02-2026 11:08

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tags » alternative to a classic matte box, diy mat box, diy frenc flag mat box, digicamere panasonic fz 300, still life,

© archive manunzio

The "France Flag" Economy
This setup serves as a simple and effective alternative to a classic Matte Box, using a basic A4-sized flag to shade the lens. The components are either personal tools or items repurposed from still life accessories.
Technical Components and Assembly:

- The core structure uses an L-shaped bracket connected to the camera, such as a Panasonic FZ 300 or S1.
- A SmallRig "Swiss knife" multi-tool is used for the assembly.
- An articulated arm is fixed to the base of the bracket.
The "flag" itself is a cheap piece of cardboard, appropriately punctured so it can be held firmly by the arm's screw on its pivot.
To ensure the assembly is a single solid unit with the bracket, a "button" and a rubber band are used to secure the upper clamp.

date » 08-01-2026 08:38

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tags » savoir-vivre italian, italian tast coffe, italian bar coffe, rite italian coffe, cafe italiano, unesco italian life style food, wine, about coffe, italian way of life, still life food and drink, mood photography still life, my way italian coffe,

The Silent Pulse of the Morning

There is a specific kind of magic in the steam of a lever machine that no Yankee technology will ever replicate. It is not about the caffeine; it is about the gravity of the moment. Look at that gauge—the needle resting near the seven is a silent witness to the start of the world. It is the first breath of the day, cold and sharp, before the sun really takes hold.

But the true soul of the ritual emerges when the clock hits nine. That is when the bar stops being a shop and becomes a sanctuary. It is the apotheosis—the climax of our social fabric. You stand there, leaning against the counter, and in the space of a few sips, the world is rearranged. We trade family dramas for football rivalries, and whispers of gossip for genuine affection, all under the rhythmic hiss of the My Way group.

It is a Monday morning theater where everyone has a role. Between the North-South Derby debates and the secrets shared in low voices, the coffee is the glue that holds our community together. It is the letter D of devotion, of destiny, of a daily bread that is not made of flour, but of shared glances and steam. This is our heritage—not a polished image for a commercial, but a lived, breathing, slightly worn-out reality. It is the beauty of a habit that never gets old, a restricted shot of life that carries us through the week, one Tuesday and Wednesday at a time.

Yankee go Home!

date » 20-12-2025 19:32

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tags » pietrapertosa, landscape with snow, still life, food photography, land of the soul, shakespeare dream, merry christmas,

I don't no...

Combined Christmas image: a landscape (the window sill above it) sourced from the web, placed beneath a soup tureen with a ladle on a wooden board, reconstructed in the studio to test composition, lighting, and props. A shot from many years ago, left in the archives…

It is difficult—or perhaps more accurate to say that there are no words—to describe this still life. Now, whenever I “stumble” upon it, I feel a lump in my throat, a deep and distant melancholy. So perhaps Shakespeare was right… we are made of the same stuff as dreams.

* Pietrapertosa means “pierced stone” and derives from the ancient name Petraperciata, referring to a large rock with a hole through it, visible at the highest point of the village, which gave it its name. It is a municipality in the province of Potenza, in Basilicata Italy, famous for being the highest in the region and for its charming historic center of Saracen origin, the Arabata, carved into the rock.

date » 19-12-2025 12:03

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tags » follow-focus, panasonic S1, panasonic L-mount adapter, yashica 55mm analog macro lens, android tablet, digital still life, digital photography, digital sensor,

Top view close-up of my Panasonic camera S1, fitted with a superb 55mm macro lens by Yashica (1970s) adapted for digital use and capable of rendering extremely sharp detail. Attached to the focus mechanism (the left side of the lens) is a follow-focus system, which eliminates the need to touch the lens directly. The lens is wrapped with a special silicon knurled ring that interfaces perfectly with the follow-focus, enabling micro-adjustments that would be nearly impossible to achieve by free-hand. An excellent solution—one that literally came to me in a dream. Yes, sometimes I dream, because I know how to imagine solutions that turn out to be exactly right.

The follow-focus or not follow-focus...

Let’s be clear: certain tools genuinely help us. What are they? Simply put, they are devices that assist with manual focusing, especially when working with non-autofocus lenses. They become even more valuable— as shown in the image—when analog-era lenses are reused on digital camera bodies via the appropriate adapter. And if a lens was already excellent in the Analog Era (as discussed earlier), you can be confident it won’t disappoint in a digital context.
The entire setup is supported not by a full rig, but simply by an L-shaped bracket, with multiple mounting holes. A small rod attached to it holds everything securely and works flawlessly. Even the USB-C cable, which transfers images to an Android tablet used as an external monitor, passes cleanly through the bracket.

Ps. I used a macro lenses Yashica (on S1 Panasonic Lumix) because I need sharpnes in still life images tout court, hovewer procedure is not recommended for making a videos. Vice versa attached (via adapter) the old Four Third Macro 35 mm equivalent on M43 Lumix GH4, an big piece of lenses.

date » 22-11-2025 08:48

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tags » zeiss optics, zeiss 60 mm analog macro, analog-digital adapters, leica brand, sony brand, rangerfinder, leica rangefinder, history of photography, panasonic s 1, L-mount consortium sigma leica panasonic, analog era, yashica 55 mm macro, yashica contax mount, still life, reprodia, kodachrome, modern times movie chaplin, vintage or not vintage,

Two eras compared: on the left, the legendary Contax RTS, here SLR version rather than rangefinder, or the alter ego of the Leica, the rangefinder of photographic history; on the right, Panasonic's Lumix (part of the consortium with Leica & Sigma, or the famous, or infamous, depending on your point of view, L-Mount attachment) therefore essentially Leica (many Panasonic lenses, no less than Zeiss for Sony, for example, bear the Germanic name Elmarit, etc., and when absent rest assured that it is still the “same” optical recipe by Solms-Germany) the "rivalry" no longer so. In fact, with the advent of mirrorless cameras (once called Evil-Devil, not by chance), it is possible to "mix" things up with mechanical adapters, sometimes even optical ones, so that the two analog-digital systems communicate well with each other. In fact, on the left, cover, with its fiery red T, the Zeiss Macro 60 f.2.8, a marvel, thanks to a simple tube (in the case L-Mount) allows mounting on the Panasonic-Leica for exquisitely sharp frames, even though the optical formula was created for the analog Contax Rts, and in digital: chapeau. On the far right, ‘small’ only in appearance, another legendary analog lens, the Macro 55 mm f. 2.8, but from Yashica, which in the early 1970s Brand had a joint venture with Contax/Zeiss, as times of a well-orchestrated oil crisis, like the current standoff between Russia and the West, forced German manufacturers to land in Japan; even Leica signed a deal with the famous Minolta, which was later absorbed by Sony. Gears, in other words, all mechanical and manual wonders, not only to reproduce the legendary Kodachrome slides from the Manunzio archive, along with tons of 120 format slides, but also every still life, perhaps in combination with Helicon focus, no less powerful than aforementioned, which allows, among other things, a pan-focus (everything in focus) of the objects on the set or tresette, a fine game.

Vintage or not vintage this is question...
Integrations or syncretism? There was a time when, perhaps somewhat Manichean, categories tout court did not dialogue with each other, quite unlike the current scene where, on the contrary, they do.Technology as a domain (let's not forget) rather than “liberation” in the broad sense. The subject is difficult and lends itself to a thousand conjunctures, if not enormous contradictions. However, if we look at it critically, there are situations that make us exclaim: oh, the invention of hot water, as if the liquid had always been made possible. Yet we need the liquid, then wood and fire, a boiler to contain it, a tub to bathe in, but also suitable public baths for ‘washing’. And even Therme and their Calidarium... as we can see, it's much complex than just saying ‘hot water’. And so we come to the point. Lenses, crucibles, glass melting and... Zeiss on one side and Leica on the other, above all, incompatible. Optical marvels and excellence, no doubt. Then someone (clever minds?) ‘stirs up’ the fan bases, the worst thing for those who have nothing else to do but idolize, regardless, the mere ‘mechanics & optics’ lines per millimeter, abreactions...Modern times, which is not the Charlotte/Chaplin film, but perhaps a little infamous, as we are currently experiencing. Is this the brief return of the reviled analog vs. digital? Not quite. Syncretism is the magic word that allows the industry to continue to survive while waiting for the final collapse as iPhone Android in the broader sense...let's be clear, but let's stop here.

date » 14-11-2025 10:46

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tags » still life, tilt and shift ttartisan 1.4, day light, s1 panasonic full frame, le qoc artisan, paris,

I use Le coq because is a pretty craftsman object, and own texture help my for exactly focus. The image on set shoot with S 1 Panasonic full frame on Manfrotto tripod, and TTArtisan 50mm f. 1.4 Tilt Shift to aperture f 16 (dangerous around diffraction!) and some adjust.

Paris...Saint German

I wrote that is arrived...from Paris and bought on-line to a vendor: lens 50mm f. 14 TTArtisan Tilt&Shif L- Mount. But I slogged my guts out for "understand" it, oh my God. However Manunzio is different..
Well the lens made a god material and no plastic. But one problems: first the ring for aperture, above all, not click step and tourn from max aperture to f 16! And this is a big problem if not pay attention when operate with it. Hovewer the secondy the ring, for focus, is a pretty job, run that more fluide manner, thanks rack and pinion, and with a fallow-focus tool is a pleasure, perfect. And positive thing? A discret resolution, but a low f 8-11-16 aperture, and thanks a mechanism "tilt & shift" for example to "help us" make “all in focus” the objects on set. Good in the end if you remeber the limit of lens.

Ps. The thiny knobs (Tilt & Shift) if they were a little more oversized it would be better

date » 09-11-2025 18:18

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tags » helicon focus stack, stack photography, still life stack photos, food photography, artificial light food photography, medium format, view camera, micro 43, full frame camera, tilt and shift lens, point and shot camera compà,

The set however banal it may seem, is anything but. Test taken with a Panasonic FZ 300 camera with a Lilliputian sensor, which has a considerable advantage of being a “small” 2/3 inch that already provides unparalleled depth of field, hovewer thanks in part to Helicon Focus software, much more the classic “swiss knife”. Please note Helicon Focus is not fooled by typical specular reflections, spigots near the le coq and the yellow cutter, of metallic objects.

Helicon Focus and more...
Helicon Focus a great program (for stack phototo) that take us out of an awkward, when it comes to “equalize” the focal planes. In fact, because camera bodies, including current digital camera, respond to geometric laws of optics, any to be photographed that are not lying on a plane parallel to sensor, but rather on a diagonal, inclined plane, etc.it will be partially or poorly focused, even with closed aperture as f. 16 or f 22 and optical diffraction to complement: a bad remedy vs disease. However exists, in fact, alternatives software (in this cas no Tilt & shift lens or named field camera) that solve the problem described above. Sur not as Photoshop as a Mamooth, but a “simple” and reliable program, which has been developed for many years, that solves problem, if you pay attention, images that are in no way inferior to those produced, again, view camera, medium format, which is slightly larger than already excellent full-frame. Of course, even in the smaller APS-C format, and why not Micro 43, and even point-and-shoots, as the cover image clearly demonstrates. That's all for now...to be continued.

Ps. When Manunzio talks about gear tout court, he does so without sponsored by anyone brand, why? Simply: la class n'est pas l'eau

Zenzaburo SQ-A

Zenza Bronica* via, ripiego economico diciamo così alla stratosferica Hasselblad che come Leica si paga il solo nome. Ma non di solo mito germanico vive(va) il fotografo analogico. Anzi, senza ricordare che proprio Leica era andata a bussare negli Anni Settanta, crisi petrolifera etoridetta ieri e oggi con il cattivissimo, dicono, Putin, in casa Minolta e il resto per l’appunto è storia marchiata, sì, Leica ma con occhi a mandorla. Shhh non ditelo ai puristi (danarosi) della pur sempre mitica M telemetro by Germany. E non ricordate loro la “perla” M 8. 1 2 3! E' gente danarosa, sì, ma molto molto permalosa. Shhh.
Zenza Bronica seisei che per i very nice (idioti è meglio?) nella Milano da bere (il seisette era appannaggio della Mamya Rz, macchinone da studio e cavalletto per moda e affini still life compreso senza necessità di arrivare ai banchi ottici, che avevano comunque gran parte montato a scamotaggio dorsi seisette**) era schifata via, non tanto i modelli tutti a “mano” tipo S2 quanto e come la SQ-A ibrida con pila, ahi. A parte il fatto di non aver mai e poi mai avuto problema di alimentazione che, in caso di défaillance, contava pur sempre, se memoria non falla, sul meccanico d’emergenza cinquecentesimo di secondo. Insomma dalla serie: questa sì ma questa no dei notabili prezzolati dell’allora riviste (non esisteva affatto Internet & Co.) soprattutto Progresso Fotografico a firma di tale Tommesani patron di Tau Visual se ancora esiste lui e sua creatura, che ecumenico una botta al cerchio un’altra al tumpagn’/botte se ne usciva con un: ni. E per noi bastò fino a Roma alla Comaf, in discesa, negozio che dal piano imperiale dei fori (o era vicino a Vaticano Spa?) qualche metro più giù via passerella mostrava ogni ben di Iddio fotografico. E ne uscimmo con quattro-milioni(non c'era Europa & Euro money) di pezzi Zenza: corpo macchina, maniglia laterale simil leva avanzamento reflex analogiche, duje magazzini 120 (uno per B&W l’altro slide) il pentaprisma non con esposimetro CdS, poi l’ottanta millimetri standard una vera bontà; il centocinquanta che su formato sei-per-sei somiglia a un settanta-ottanta millimetri su passo universale venti-quattro-trentasei d’epoca, full-frame odierno. E lui, sì, il padellone quaranta millimetri Zenzanon (una volta impacchettati così da Komura e Nikon). Ottica che faceva e tutt’ora il verso all’equivalente Zeiss però per SL-66 Rolleiflex, ein panzer de facto, no Hassel con più aggraziato e very stilish argenteo quaranta; anche se era più usuale vedere fotografi con il cinquanta millimetri sorta di “ventotto millimetri” in formato 135, codice del formato Leica e affini. Mancava dell'arsenale Zenza il dorso Polaroid, indispensabile per gli scatti “posati” come si vedevano negli studi à la page di Milano (la versione Pola bianconero Type 55 era un babbà di negativo, infatti, staccato lo scatto di carta e lasciato in una soluzione più adeguata di fissaggio, sodio-solfito al 18%, la Polaroid aveva al riguardo un secchiello bianco non da spiaggia, dove conservare al momento i negativi, che poi lavati e asciugati in camera oscura sotto ingranditore...forse Gerardo Bonomo*** ne sa qualcosa) E la scusa era che il Polaroid “mostrava” le disposizioni delle luci sul set e che questi...fosse fedele (molto riferito all'EPR 64 di Kodak standard per dia) e visto dai rompicoglioni di art-director che infestavano gli studi con improbabili layout (un conto è disegnare il prodotto altro è fare lo scatto!). Peggio ancora le gonnelle artistiche: e questo così e quest'altro cosà che una volta un pezzo da Novanta della italica fotografia, sbottò: “E fattela tu!”.
Zenza Bronica, va. L'archivio analogico Manunzio porta la sua firma, in seisei, e che firma a dir vero alla faccia degli eterodiretti prezzolati carogne. Parentesi. Una volta portai i plasticoni (si dicono così in formato più o meno A4 fogli la plastica con retro opalino e davanti trasparente, dove in tasche come su le chiappe dei jeans si inserivano le slide per la visone su banchi retroilluminati da basso) ad una agenzia di Roma che ne aveva anche a Milano: Panda. Il cretino di turno che visionò i plasticoni/slide esclamò: “Hasselblad, vero?” Me lo sarei mangiato vivo, ma me ne usci con “Siii”. Archivio fotografico Manunzio: storia in immagine quella in cover si capisce. Lavatoio pubblico nella terra di Orazio, Venosa. Edifico coperto ma pur sempre di acque fredde, provatevi a lavare panni d’inverno! Luoghi della memoria e vissuto delle donne di quando le mamme, le nostre per i minchiapixellista e la “vestale” che non nominiamo sinnò s’incazza "padre guardiano" di Scampia-Photoportal, le nonne se non addirittura le bisnonne! Noi le abbiamo viste alla fonte coperta o meno, vaghi ricordi di quando andavano al fiume, si, a lavare panni!
Cosa s’intende dire alla fine? Semplice che la historiola dei moderni tempi, venuto giù tutto e Trumptiello lo dimostra per i suoi c...alcoli da imprenditore (un altro Silvio Berlusconi, eh) non le manda a dire generando un casino in quei europoide di Brsuell alla pronuncia De Luca!
Tempi che ora hanno la lavatrice (un tempo si sarebbe detta comodità) e per quei scassa c...di Yankee pure la centrifuga ché sta male spandere i panni tranne negli spot del Mugnaio bianco: spaventato?
E se poi si dice tutta: ecco cos’è lo scrollatore di telefonino. Scrollatore onanista compulsivo che a fine scroll se gli chiedi “cosa hai visto” te lo vedi tutto affranto “e che ne so” sono uno scrollatore e più scrollo e primo arrivo...Umm immagino da Belzebù. E anche oggi è fatta!

* https://www.nocsensei.com/camera/storia/massimilianoterzi/zenza-bronica-ovvero-la-macchina-di-zenzaburo/

** https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/AmXg2d2JOh4

**+https://www.gerardobonomo.it/2021/11/05/polaroid-polapan-type-55-p-n-sviluppare-e-stampare-un-4x5-in-30-secondi/#polapan-type-55-positive/negative

Ps. Cosa sono le mani delle donne a lavà panni è nell’espressione che uso “mani da lavandaia” nel guardare con certo ribrezzo le odierne mani da “signore” che padroneggia ben altri affari! Sì ancor prima di zizze, culo e quant’altro di nascosto, gli occhi corrono alle mani dell’altra metà del cielo, si vabbè buonanotte, che anche di certi livelli sociali, ecco, si mostrano tipicamente screpolate e rosse. Rosso come le mani della piccola e minuta lavandaia...

Pss. La riproduzione in cover è dell'iPhone vetero qualcosa, roba vecchia, senza togliere la slide dalla tasca/plasticone

date » 23-01-2025 10:23

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tags » occhio come mestiere, fotografia digitale, olympus point & shoot, pipì lontano, retrocucina ballatoio balcone panni, nati non foste, thumerwald,

Pipì

Chissà dove le ossa riposeranno. Era così il nickname, poi dice mio figlio che non conosco l’inglese, figlio di un ciabattino aulico vocabolo per scarpar’ con tanto d’ironia locale dentro. O meglio pipì il suo cane per estensione “logica” appunto Pipì che non ricordiamo più il patronimico, ho la scusante dell’essere avanti con gli anni (vecchio è meglio?). Ma è solo guardando l’immagine in cover che richiama così e a volte (solo?) le immagine d'archivio fanno male al cuore: sic transit gloria mundi.

Ma cambio registro sebbene la pipì centri eccome. Vale a dire che un giorno nell'entrare nella toilette, bathroom a prescindere dal suono di Batman suona pure maledettamente male in inglese che mancano pure del bidet: popolo igienico!
Sia come sia ancor prima di adempiere l’atto mi pare di minzione o più pesante cosa l’occhio becca la sagoma di un, boh: umano umanoide? No lo smeriglio vetro riflette di là d’essi i panni del retrocucina, dove s’affaccia un’altro balcone ballatoio della casa del coniuge: si roba sua per contratto e noi ospiti siam, fossimo scappati via a tempo debito…
Insomma il solito occhio di Manunzio non ne perde una anche quando fa la pipì...roba da matti!

Ps. La fotocamera Olympus la Wz 5060 era a porta di mano in livingroom per scattare still life che sta bene com'è scritto ché non è...morto nessuno natura compresa, ecco