Wishing you all the best in 2009 !
December 17, 2008
December 13, 2008
December 2008 Skin Inc Magazine Cover
Our December cover with Skin Inc. Magazine. A publication dedicated to the professionals in the spa industry.
November 10, 2008
October 28, 2008
FDNY NYC Firemen
While heading back home from a meeting, my cab which was blowing red lights and speeding through the streets, came to a sudden halt on Park Ave. where sirens were loudly blaring... Firemen were running past my cab in full gear while cops were trying to close off the Park Ave. and 38th street intersection. One townhouse was up in flames....
The blaze was on the back side of the building.. I ran chasing behind the men of Rescue 1 FDNY, with camera in tow. Yellow caution tape was blocking all the onlookers... After all was under control, I followed Brian, of Rescue 1 FDNY, back to his truck and met the rest of the boys from the W43 street station for a quick photo opp.
Just another NY minute …
September 22, 2008
September 18, 2008
Have Camera, Will Travel, May Earn
Trying to keep you up to date on our happenings and our whereabouts: So here we go!
Iris and I were contacted about 2 months ago to give advice about our photography and our past adventures...
The http://blogs.photopreneur.com has many stories about not just surviving but succeeding in the industry. Iris and I are very lucky to be selected to contribute.
Below is the link and the story.
Here is a link:
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/travelphotography9#more-710
Here is the story:
Have Camera, Will Travel, May Earn
Posted 09/18/08 by Dean
Photography: Steady 70
There’s a reason they call photography a dream job. It’s creative, it’s rewarding and best of all, it’s paying work that doesn’t have a boss. Sure, you’ll have deadlines and clients, but you’ll also have the freedom to decide how you arrange your working life. You could, in theory at least, grab a suitcase, pack a camera and spend some time shooting from the open road.
That’s something that Steve Levine and Iris Bachman did shortly after the couple met in 2004. Steve had been an amateur photographer for about four years then and he was about to have his first exhibition – or rather exhibitions, because his photos, images of models bodypainted so that their feelings became the subjects of the photos, were going to be shown at three different New York galleries over the space of four weeks.
“It was exciting but extremely stressful at the same time,” he recalled. “I had no idea what, who, how or even why I was doing this… the only thing that saved me was Iris, and her presence… [H]er most encouraging words were always, ‘When these shows are finished we are going to take a trip.’”
The exhibitions over, the couple left in June 2004, heading southwest with Iris’s truck, Steve’s camera, his dog and a portfolio of 16 x 20 fiber prints, some of which they were able to sell on the road. Over the next sixteen months, they traveled through South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, California, headed back to New York, and ended up in Miami where they set up a professional photography company called Steady 70.
Cracked Skin
There was no plan when they left other than to get away, but traveling with a camera meant that the couple had options, both for personal work and to meet their expenses. Just outside of Albuquerque, for example, Steve and Iris met up with another photographer who had gained access to the Santa Fe train maintenance park, a 300 acre industrial site that had been vacant for 20 years. Even though the temperature was so cold that the paint cracked as soon as it was applied to the model’s skin, the park provided a perfect opportunity for Steve to explore his series further.
Paying their way though was harder. The couple shot anything and everything they could. They found that jobs posted on free websites tended to pay very little if anything at all, but offering to shoot a bed and breakfast could be enough land them a free hotel room and a place to rest even for several weeks until the next leg of their journey. Travel magazines provided another option but without a contact or an established connection, the publication usually preferred to see results than pay for commissions, Steve told us.
“[I]t’s good to keep track of where you shot each image even, if you can, write stories to go along with them,” he recommends. ” [T]ake notes on everything, save those images on dvds/externals, and if the timing is right, who knows?”
Professional and Personal Growth
The biggest benefit of spending almost a year and a half on the road together was always going to be personal though — few things can destroy or cement a relationship faster than a road trip. The journey had plenty of ups and downs, Steve recalled, but it was the experiences that contributed to the happiness the couple has now.
They also contributed to the success they have now. By the time Steve and Iris reached Miami, they had built up a large bank of commercial images which they were able to put on their website and use to win more jobs. Iris, who had started as a photographer’s assistant and photo retoucher had learnt enough to contribute to the company as a photographer as well, and every spring and summer, the couple now spend two weeks each month shooting for travel magazines, hotels and resorts. Through Steady 70, they have completed assignments in Cancun, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St Martin, Saint Barths, Aruba and New York.
“One of the best things about working as a photographer is that we get to see, taste, feel, and explore new places and cultures,” says Steve. “Because of the adventures we had in our past, we have begun another adventure that keeps us doing what we love to do: shooting and traveling.”
Who says photography has to be a tough job?
Steve and Iris
Steady 70
http://steady70.blogspot.com/
http://www.steady70.com
646-241-5982
786-444-5235
Iris and I were contacted about 2 months ago to give advice about our photography and our past adventures...
The http://blogs.photopreneur.com has many stories about not just surviving but succeeding in the industry. Iris and I are very lucky to be selected to contribute.
Below is the link and the story.
Here is a link:
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/travelphotography9#more-710
Here is the story:
Have Camera, Will Travel, May Earn
Posted 09/18/08 by Dean
Photography: Steady 70
There’s a reason they call photography a dream job. It’s creative, it’s rewarding and best of all, it’s paying work that doesn’t have a boss. Sure, you’ll have deadlines and clients, but you’ll also have the freedom to decide how you arrange your working life. You could, in theory at least, grab a suitcase, pack a camera and spend some time shooting from the open road.
That’s something that Steve Levine and Iris Bachman did shortly after the couple met in 2004. Steve had been an amateur photographer for about four years then and he was about to have his first exhibition – or rather exhibitions, because his photos, images of models bodypainted so that their feelings became the subjects of the photos, were going to be shown at three different New York galleries over the space of four weeks.
“It was exciting but extremely stressful at the same time,” he recalled. “I had no idea what, who, how or even why I was doing this… the only thing that saved me was Iris, and her presence… [H]er most encouraging words were always, ‘When these shows are finished we are going to take a trip.’”
The exhibitions over, the couple left in June 2004, heading southwest with Iris’s truck, Steve’s camera, his dog and a portfolio of 16 x 20 fiber prints, some of which they were able to sell on the road. Over the next sixteen months, they traveled through South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, California, headed back to New York, and ended up in Miami where they set up a professional photography company called Steady 70.
Cracked Skin
There was no plan when they left other than to get away, but traveling with a camera meant that the couple had options, both for personal work and to meet their expenses. Just outside of Albuquerque, for example, Steve and Iris met up with another photographer who had gained access to the Santa Fe train maintenance park, a 300 acre industrial site that had been vacant for 20 years. Even though the temperature was so cold that the paint cracked as soon as it was applied to the model’s skin, the park provided a perfect opportunity for Steve to explore his series further.
Paying their way though was harder. The couple shot anything and everything they could. They found that jobs posted on free websites tended to pay very little if anything at all, but offering to shoot a bed and breakfast could be enough land them a free hotel room and a place to rest even for several weeks until the next leg of their journey. Travel magazines provided another option but without a contact or an established connection, the publication usually preferred to see results than pay for commissions, Steve told us.
“[I]t’s good to keep track of where you shot each image even, if you can, write stories to go along with them,” he recommends. ” [T]ake notes on everything, save those images on dvds/externals, and if the timing is right, who knows?”
Professional and Personal Growth
The biggest benefit of spending almost a year and a half on the road together was always going to be personal though — few things can destroy or cement a relationship faster than a road trip. The journey had plenty of ups and downs, Steve recalled, but it was the experiences that contributed to the happiness the couple has now.
They also contributed to the success they have now. By the time Steve and Iris reached Miami, they had built up a large bank of commercial images which they were able to put on their website and use to win more jobs. Iris, who had started as a photographer’s assistant and photo retoucher had learnt enough to contribute to the company as a photographer as well, and every spring and summer, the couple now spend two weeks each month shooting for travel magazines, hotels and resorts. Through Steady 70, they have completed assignments in Cancun, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St Martin, Saint Barths, Aruba and New York.
“One of the best things about working as a photographer is that we get to see, taste, feel, and explore new places and cultures,” says Steve. “Because of the adventures we had in our past, we have begun another adventure that keeps us doing what we love to do: shooting and traveling.”
Who says photography has to be a tough job?
Steve and Iris
Steady 70
http://steady70.blogspot.com/
http://www.steady70.com
646-241-5982
786-444-5235
August 3, 2008
Costa Rica ~ Pura Vida
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" Unknown…………………
Where cattle and cowboys still roam the country side, where tourists, and motor homes criss-cross, where horses graze the country side, and where crocodiles lay in the waters and wild flowers grow everywhere.
This is Pura Vida……..The land of life………This is Costa Rica………
Where the only sunrise I saw for the week that I was there was shared with a bunch of howling monkeys that owned the land that we were traveling through.
The adventure continues as it has taken me to Costa Rica. I was assigned to shoot for the Escapes Group, and the images will appear in the new oversized coffee table book that will only feature the best resorts and villas in Costa Rica. Along with the book, a TV series was being produced and filmed as well. It is about traveling with a celebrity to exotic destinations like Costa Rica. On this trip, we started out flying into Liberia, Costa Rica.
We came across a bull riding tournament in the town just outside of Guanacaste Costa Rica… and driving south to Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort in Santa. Cruz Guanacaste, Costa Rica. http://www.paradisusplayaconchal.travel where we fought the rain and the clouds to get some great images of the spa, pool, and zip line over the pool and golf course at Paradisus Resort.
After a long day of shooting we wrapped up at Paradisus
We then drove to the hotel called Punta Islita (http://www.hotelpuntaislita.com/)
at three plus hours of driving in the rain at night where at anytime we could have driven off one of the mountains… the constant bounce of my body that wriggled in the seat trying to maintain a non-awkward position lasted the entire trip waking up or nodding off from a comatose state. It was either at 12am or 1am where our driver comes to a halt at a small river that was once was a stream, coming back to reality in the seat I saw our driver throwing rocks into the water trying to gauge the waters depths. I see Glenn in the corner of my eye as he walks along the bank and with his slow sleep-walking kind of step as he walks up to the waters edge. Feet, ankles, shins the water ends just below his knees. Roberto, our driver, says we go, it's not that deep, and we are only minutes from the gates at Punta Islita and what will be our first oasis. Our drive ends at 2am in the Nicoya Peninsula at the doors of Hotel Punta Islita. The villa……… the view and sounds I awoke to were of the birds that chirped and sang which caused me to turn over to look out my window only to focus on the colors of the sky the water and then bammmmmm I finally notice the rainbow glowing over them. Perched on the hand carved railing surrounding my very own infinity pool overlooking this huge valley and sitting high on a mountainside where only a few miles below is the beach it is encased by rocks and smaller mountains... I am transfixed and my gaze lingers which seems to have been an eternity and my thoughts and focus come back ….. ..………………. I put the coffee down and run for the camera............................
The morning started with this and ended after 12 hours of shooting then ………..
We drive to Arenal, and we are staying at the Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort, (http://www.tabacon.com/) With a 5 hour drive it would be the longest and hardest drive with no time to stop .our driver hauls us there…… Arenal and its volcano wonders, its huge mass that heats and refreshes the lands that have grown at her feet… This resort is built around and on top of her... her breath it pours water though the 10 plus water pools… The rooms, the spa, the gourmet food are all top shelf…
Our ending point is no where to be found on our drive to El Silencio (http://www.elsilenciolodge.com/) set back in the mountains, hidden by clouds, we are over 1500 feet above water ... the clouds break through the mountain tops as we speed towards nowhere. A road cuts out between two giant hills, green lush grass grows as high and as far as your eyes can see…… I notice a white horse squarely in the middle of this hillside. …………. We come to a white gate and I open the door and step out… covering my camera with a towel and a plastic bag to shelter it from rain, I walk slowly towards this horse, as I get closer I start to whistle and make sounds with my mouth…. The horse reacts rearing to a trot, trotting to a gallop, galloping until he is at full stride. I click away my camera and does its best to keep up… click, click, click, click… I hear a horn……… The illusion is over… and I have the images………We are now in Bajos Del Toro Costa Rica. The dirt roads end at the base of the lodge and scattered in the adjacent hills lies 15 or so villas……. Each set back from the other has its own jacuzzi, each has its own view of the main lodge, and the mountains that surround it. In the distance, I hear fresh water, we are in the middle of a valley, we are immersed in nature and other than momma nature there is silence. Birds, water, a slight breeze mingle with only my foot steps in the crunchy earth beneath.
We go to our villas……….. We each take in our own view in our own villa….. bright and early... waking to the sound of the rain and a golf cart, I walk to the terrace and stare. Through the clouds, trees peak, through the air I notice a guy driving a cart... he is wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. He comes to a stop at the base of the lodge, and gets out and reaches for a few baskets in the back. I turn and wander inside back into silence; I turn on the shower and turn it off. I get dressed and head out for a walk, headed on a trail I walk towards one of the mountains. I hear the golf cart again getting close to me ... I see driving towards me in the golf cart in the orange jumpsuit is Marco, the chef of the El Silencio which he tells me he was just picking veggies, flowers, and other edible herbs for today's menu. He mentions that they are fully organic and they grow almost all of the food that is served, and what is not grown here they get from local farmers…….
Waterfalls (3) nature trails unlimited, peace and quiet priceless… Here everything stops including time……. Shooting all day while the sun was fighting with the clouds who was fighting with the rain to see who would prevail… We made it to the waterfalls, we made it to the outside yoga area. We made it inside just quick enough before the powers that be brought in the rain. We set up a romance shot in the main lodge with a couple who was also guest's of the resort. Our dinner being served at 10pm, our day is over
Time to relax under the clouds and sit in my jacuzzi and listen to the silence. Goodnight……………
Villa Caletas http://www.hotelvillacaletas.com/
Set in the hills of Jaco… Perched atop several mountain tops and overlooking the pacific, the villa is recessed into this countryside. It is clearly one of Costa Rica’s best resorts. A palace that was hand built piece by piece it was hauled up overlooking the coast, and has one of the largest art collections that spans the world and for centuries only a select few were able to harness some of these works. We are here to shoot the countries only master chef’s gourmet dishes, we are working throughout the resort shooting their 5 star villas, with private infinity pools, sheltered and hidden rock walls, hundred plus year old trees, where vultures float on the wind and where privacy can't be disturbed by other guests. I find myself getting lost in one of the may areas where only a few guests go. Unnoticed, unbothered, what I found was too many subjects to shoot, too many details that can not be lost in this walk, too many ways to travel in and out of these giant rooms.
The week comes to an end… many more miles ahead is Costa Rica's Pacific coastland Papagayo…………… long days, long drives, and almost no sleep. We are at the Four Seasons in Peninsula Papagayo .http://www.fourseasons.com/costarica/
We are here showing up under the black rain clouds that have followed and beat us to every destination on this trip and today is no different. We are here to shoot the spa, their golf course, and one over-the-top spectacular 3 bedroom villas and it is 4 pm. The sun can barely be seen through the clouds, the crew is hungry, sweaty, and on 3 hours of sleep we unpack the truck with all of our gear... oh no we are not sleeping here, we are not getting whisked away to our 5 star villa over looking the pacific ocean.. we are here to work we get boxed lunches while we are hauling our gear and our meals down the steps into the marble cut stairs, past the reception desk where guests wait to be guided to there private spa rooms for the best massages and treatments in Costa Rica..
This is just a taste of the trip.
I leave you with imagery of what lies in Costa Rica……….Steve July 2008
July 2, 2008
May 30, 2008
May 28, 2008
One Happy Island
Go See Do… on Island Time… Aruba is, as stated on each and every car or truck’s license plate, One Happy Island.
A fantastic voyage to Aruba:
This was my first trip on assignment without Iris and this will be my first solo entry on the blog… (As usual, she will be editing it down removing my profanity lol ). The lefty speaks, we are not going to plug any one specific company such as De Palm Tours nor are we going to provide their website http://www.depalm.com, BUT I will say this… how can you go wrong with tour guides that can speak three languages or more… that make you laugh all day, and that can provide you with great stories as you are taken to such great site seeing places as the natural pool in either jeeps or on atvs, or to the old gold mine or california lighthouse… ok ok ok ...enough about it. LoL..
Go See Do….. on Island Time… Aruba is one HAPPY place !
A fantastic voyage to Aruba:
This was my first trip on assignment without Iris and this will be my first solo entry on the blog… (As usual, she will be editing it down removing my profanity lol ). The lefty speaks, we are not going to plug any one specific company such as De Palm Tours nor are we going to provide their website http://www.depalm.com, BUT I will say this… how can you go wrong with tour guides that can speak three languages or more… that make you laugh all day, and that can provide you with great stories as you are taken to such great site seeing places as the natural pool in either jeeps or on atvs, or to the old gold mine or california lighthouse… ok ok ok ...enough about it. LoL..
Go See Do….. on Island Time… Aruba is one HAPPY place !
May 18, 2008
Kids
The subject of kids doesn't come up often with us whether for work or personally, however, kids are great to shoot because they are so open and honest in front of the camera.... not like most people that put on a persona of their choosing when you shoot them. Even though the majority of the time we don't work with kids, sometimes we come across some that are so amazing that we have to capture their essence on film.
They're a lot of fun and full of friendly smiles... here are examples of some of those great pint-sized people we've encountered along the way.
They're a lot of fun and full of friendly smiles... here are examples of some of those great pint-sized people we've encountered along the way.
May 17, 2008
NYC Rockette ~ Miss Corinne
While in NY Steve met a really cool and talented dancer named Corinne. She has been dancing for the Rockettes for over 6 years now, and loves what she does as you can see from the images... she's sweet, talented, full of life and energy, and cute as a button! Enjoy the mini series of Corinne.
May 9, 2008
Sunset Jamaica Grande & Sunset at the Palms
While on assignment working at Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios & Sunset at the Palms in Negril we got to meet some pretty cool people. Barbara Lulich, the Marketing Director at the Sunset, was one amazing woman. She is a strong, statuesque, blond woman that has many stories of the experiences she's had over the years she's spent living and working in Jamaica, and is well respected by her peers. They are a team that is more like a close knit family at The Sunset. We worked closely with them throughout the 13 days we were there. The schedule was a bit grueling... we had full 18 hour days with 6 models and two locations. It wasn't one of our easier assignments, but it was definitely quite an experience. We enjoyed it.. Steve in particular.. it seemed to be more his speed.
Sunset at the Palms in Negril was my favorite.. it's so beautiful there.. the sunsets, the treehouse style villas we stayed in, and the lush tropical atmosphere... really a tranquil little oasis. If you're headed to the west coast of Jamaica.. it's highly recommended.
Sunset at the Palms in Negril was my favorite.. it's so beautiful there.. the sunsets, the treehouse style villas we stayed in, and the lush tropical atmosphere... really a tranquil little oasis. If you're headed to the west coast of Jamaica.. it's highly recommended.
May 8, 2008
May 7, 2008
May 6, 2008
hmmmmm hmmm YUMMY !!!
One of our favorite things in the world to shoot is FOOD! Most of the time, the chefs we work with are super nice and let us taste test the goods after we shoot it (if it's edible! Some of the foods we shoot are for photo purposes only ~ not fully cooked, sprayed to keep from moving/falling apart, not all real/edible parts, etc.)and in those cases, understandably & unfortunately, we cannot try them........
Here's some tasty treats to get you salivating...
Here's some tasty treats to get you salivating...
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May 5, 2008
Viva Mexico !!
This is one of the reasons we love our job.. from the beauty of the place, to the extremely warm and friendly staff, and an assignment that was complication-free.... We entirely LOVED working in Cancun Mexico shooting at Le Meridien Resort & Spa. We got some of the most amazing images from this trip!
Still life when not traveling.....
It might not be as exciting as travel...but it beats waiting in line and dealing with security at the airport...
on occasion, we do shoot products.
here are some samples..
on occasion, we do shoot products.
here are some samples..
April 30, 2008
Morgan Freeman in NYC
Steve was strolling down 43rd Street and Broadway today in NY and saw Morgan Freeman in an SUV asking a cop to move so he can pass through to get to the theater. Steve luckily had his camera in tow and got a shot.. no we're not paparazzi!! LOL.. it was just an opportune moment... and we dig Morgan Freeman...
April 29, 2008
April 28, 2008
Author Jeff Rivera
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We met our good friend, Jeff Rivera, when we first moved to Miami... he's an extremely talented and warm-hearted independently published writer. He writes very heartfelt, beautiful, and touching stories about real characters, as well as sexy fun stories in his urban latina series. Here are images that we shot of him and for the cover of one of his new books, Pretty Brown.
April 19, 2008
Olympus 790 SW 7.1 MP Digital Camera
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one day Steve and I were at the beach, and there were some pretty big swells from so many storms we were having... we decided to play with our new Olympus digital camera that is supposed to be shock proof, water proof (up to about 10 ft.), freeze proof, and dust proof.. it's a cute little camera (we got it in green) and easy to carry around when you don't feel like lugging around the beast (what I call our Canon 1DS Mark 2).
anyways, here are some really cool pics we got that day with Steve playing in the water....
April 17, 2008
Wendy Klein Masks
I sooooo love Wendy Klein's mask designs that we decided to contact her to see if she would be interested in collaborating. She was up for it and sent us 3 of her beautifully hand crafted leather masks, and we began to play... it got so bad that whoever would come over we'd put into a mask... eventually they began to revolt and said no more so now we need fresh victims.. :)
thanks Wendy!
thanks Wendy!
April 15, 2008
Jamaica Jamaica 2007
uhmmm, everyone had a great time in Jamaica... but uhmmm, I don't think they remember any of it...........
Outtakes from our photo assignment in Jamaica shooting for Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios and Sunset at the Palms in Negril.
Outtakes from our photo assignment in Jamaica shooting for Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios and Sunset at the Palms in Negril.
Marjanne Kalf Designs
We first met Marjanne about a year ago when we moved to our apt. in Normandy Isles in Miami.. she was one of the first neighbors we met in the complex, and definitely the coolest! She'd come over with her cute little critter of a kid and try to pawn him off on us so she could go lock herself up in her room and design more clothes. She's very laid back and very Dutch! ... we liked her right off...:) and became close friends...
We eventually worked together to get some new imagery for her line and got some great shots with models Hana and Linda. Two very professional and very cool girls.
here's a taste of what we got that day.... Marjanne, we know you miss us, but mostly our cooking!! ;)
hehe.
We eventually worked together to get some new imagery for her line and got some great shots with models Hana and Linda. Two very professional and very cool girls.
here's a taste of what we got that day.... Marjanne, we know you miss us, but mostly our cooking!! ;)
hehe.
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