It was like the circus came to town and I was right smack in the middle of it @ a little park in Delray beach~

Today after many too many hours of working non stop for the past few days~

I was invited down to Anchor Park in Delray beach to chill play, watch join what ever with a few friends ~ It turned out to be  a great bunch of cool gumby types that could not stop climbing, sharing or swapping partners, tops ( Flyers) became bottoms ( bases) and bases became flyers. 

The changes came fast and swift, under the middays sun about 90 degree sweat poured and smiles shone. Coming together were acro yogis from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and from Delray Beach.

It was like the circus came to town and I was right smack in the middle of it.

Thanks guys for the invite~

The blog, My blog the return after a few weeks of island hoping, state jumping my return to South Florida has been a ride! ¬

Trying to find time to play catch up, follow up and maintain a online and off line social presence    while going through images, emails, phone messages and contracts for up coming assignments has been harder then a juggler, juggling chainsaws on top of ship in the in the great baring sea during an ice storm~

Nah that is just fluff it just takes good time management~ It is life and it is my life and it is exactly how I like it~ No sleep, lots of coffee going through images as I am shooting it live again right before my eyes.

    (Get off the bus & see the world~ De Palm Tours Aruba )

As I am going through images of Aruba I find myself squinting as I remember being perched on the bow of the yacht sailing over the white caps of Caribbean waters shooting this amazing port when we ran into a wave head on cutting right through it instead of on top of it…  The wave hit my face. It felt like someone was holding my eyelids open while sucking down gallons of seawater and being soaked from head to toe. The stinging in my eyes I was sliding, I was falling I was...

 (We are not sheep we are zebras)

I was searching for the railing with my hand, my camera was in my other hand, I almost fell off the freaking yacht, with or with out my camera, I don’t even remember smacking myself in the head with it, it happened that fast and that quick. I heard the captain in the background laughing at me as I rubbed the welt with my hand.  I love returning home just so I am able to digest all the stories, digest all the moments that lead me here, in front of my computer immersed and lost in images and smiling as the memories come floating in one after another~


Well that brings me back, back to sitting here at 10:19 PM as I am going through my recent images. Have a great night as mine has just begun, and the coffee is starting to brew…….

Cheers you my friends for making life so special~

(After a long day on the yacht it was good to get off of it and on to the beach~ With Capt. Freeman)

And Yes I know that these images have nothing to do with what I wrote... but that is the point, it made you close your eyes it made you think about what it felt like......... Because again it is all about IMAGES..........................GO~ SEE~ DO~

Island hopping and landing first on the island of Saint Lucia!

 St Lucia is the perfect destination~


When I first heard I was going to be headed to St. Lucia all I could do was smile! My excitement grew to where I was ready to do a back flip! St Lucia is the perfect backdrop for any adventurer: from mountains to climb, natural waterfalls,  breath-taking views,  forests to explore, underwater exploring and most important is the people of St Lucia. The people, the welcoming reception I received was awesome, the dancing, the food, the spirits, the vibe this island had it all...... There is St. Lucia and there are other islands.... With that being said I will let the images speak for themselves...


To friendships that I've made, to my new mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and elders who made this trip truly a one of a kind experience. You opened your hands, you shared your story with me, you gave me the opportunity to get inside your head and see life through your eyes.... For that I will be forever grateful......... Names are irrelevant! but your firm hand shake or your soft voice or your glowing eyes will forever be etched into my heart.  

Then came the foods, the spas, the views and so much more! More time is what I kept hearing in my head More time is what I kept repeating, more time is what I was told to me many times. Island life is island life~ Island life is what follows..... 

More to come, more islands more Island Life........

                           ALL NEW IMAGES FROM ST LUCIA~ Antigua~ Barbados~Moscow


                                              http://steady70.com/destinations.php
Photographer Steve Levine,steve levine Photographer, food photographer in Miami, steady70 foodphotographer, gourmet food photographer, New York City food photographer,steady 70,  photo by steve levine, photo by steady70, photo by steve levine steady70, Steady70,www.steady70.com Steve Levine global assignment , getty travel photographer, steve levine getty photographer, images by stevelevine,images by steady70, image by steve levine steady70,photo by stevelevine steady70,photo by steve levine,photos by steve levine, photos by steady70, steady70.blogspot.com,facebook.com/Steady70,twitter.com/Steady70, twitter,Elite island resorts, eliteislandresorts.com, travel to St Lucia,travel to Saint Lucia, resorts in St Lucia, Saint Lucia resorts,The Saint James Morgans Bay, The St James Morgans Bay, The St james Morganbay St lucia,http://www.sjcstlucia.com,www.sjcstlucia.com, St james Morgans Bay Resort,Mark Grebby, General Manager,gm@sjcstlucia.com,Steady 70 2013 Steve Levine photographer ~ St Lucia 

Nothing is more pleasurable after a good meal than...... Chocolate cake! ~Bon Appétit

I mean a thick slice of fresh chocolate cake! A 5'' inch high slice of cake, a fat thick 5 inch layered slice of chocolate cake topped off with chocolate flakes.

                                         Enter the star of this shoot:  BindiUSA Desserts!

                                                 Next up was the Red Velvet cake:

Heaven's and the powers that be managed to fill up two (2) refrigerators with there new selections for the Summer of 2013....  All I can say is stay away if you have a problem with sweets, stay away if you have no control.  I spent 12 hours working with chef Michael Giletto * (my food stylist on and great friend) where he had to re-create the most perfect cuts of cake, making sure that every morsel of the chocolate flakes were perfectly laid out, double checking that each and every pistachio nut or sugar was positioned correctly to balance out our feature cover image while our client eagerly watched as we worked on each aspect of sets to get what we all needed. 

To be drooling from the lip, deciding in our minds where to cut the chocolate cake and how large of a slice we want…. Some of the images are posted here and others can be viewed at: 

http://bindiusa.com/home.asp As of today the images are live on the Bindi USA ( Desserts ) website

The Cover for Bindi Desserts Summer edition 2013-2014 

Th

Pistachio Cheesecake: A creamy pistachio cheesecake with pistachio pieces, topped with a light pistachio mousse and sprinkled with pistachios, on a cookie crumb base.

Many thanks to BindiUSA,

http://bindiusa.com/home.asp

Chef Michael Giletto food Stylist,

(http://www.michaelgiletto.com) 

Rhiana Hritz Art Director (http://www.rhiana.com), 

Studio space provided by Taina A Studio 

(http://www.qnycreative.com/category/clients/bindi)

~ fino alla sucesiva~

Gluttony at it's best: Behind the Curtain at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival Miami Beach

~ Behind the Curtain at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival~

The movers and shakers, the powers that be and me... Inside all the chefs where still prepping, still organizing, up until the final seconds...Then the first of the doors opened then 4 doors opened, then 8 doors opened in the middle resessed in the ceter of the grand ballroom was the softest voice that greeted everyone joining in with a welcomed sound of a piano playing in the back round..

The mood was set by the pianist as he stroked the keys lightly enough to complement mood and low enough to hear bottles popping and chinging of glass's coming together. As freely as the wine flowed the aroma of sweet and savory, spice and citrus quickly took over the air ... This is South Beach Food and Wine Event Best of the Best at Fontainebleau hotel. 

This is where 47 of the nation's best chef's presented a tasters menu of the finest foods. .

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, Chef Anita Lo, Chef Anne Burell, Chef Nubo Matsuhisa, Chef, Aaron Brooks, Chef, Francios Payard, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Chaf Guy Fieri, Chef Heddy Goldsmith. Chef Johnny Iuzzini, Chef Todd Erickson, Chef Marc Forgione, Chef Marc Murphy, Chef Michael Mina, Chef Norman Van Aken, Chef, Pascal Oudin, Chef Scott Conart, Chef Sunny Anderson, Chef Daniel Boulud, Chefs Art Smith, Chef Lorena Garcia, Chef Andrew Carmellini, Chef Duff Goldman, Chef Andrew Zimmern,Chef Timon Balloo, Lee Schrager, and many other food network icons.

Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator's Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America,

Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village featuring MasterCard® Grand Tasting Tents,

The Big G

gay Social

Wine Spectator Wine Seminar Kosta Browne 

Best of the Best at Fontainebleau hotel

Chicken Coupe hosted by Andrew Carmellini  

A Red Hot Night: Presented by Target: Hosted by Ingrid Hoffmann

Then there was the grand tent and major parties, food throw downs, and lots and lots of Food events.Then there were the after parties.. of which I can't show images, because I was asked to leave my camera's behind and allowed to enterbehind curtain.........

"Unify, Simply and Amplify" ~ The vibe of life is the rhythm of life!

"Unify, Simply and Amplify"



A quote shared to by my assistant Louis Fisher, by way of his friend by Judy Herrmann! (Partner in Herrmann + Starke photography - www.HSstudio.com • recipient of the United Nations' IPC Leadership Award, past president of ASMP and Olympus Visionary)






It is what I kept hearing play in my head over the past 35 days... "Unify, Simply and Amplify"

Arriving in paradise where the vibe of life is the rhythm of life!  For 23 days in I worked in St Lucia, Antigua and Barbados. What I kept hearing countless times by locals, resort guest, resort employees and random individuals that I encountered. With the phase "you are so lucky you have a hard life". "Thank you", I would respond no life is great, you are here on holiday or vacation and I am here working... I am very fortunate to have met you.

What follow over the past 3 weeks was laughter, sincere candidness from all, whether sharing a view of a sunset at dinner at a restaurant's million dollar view or a chance meeting on flight state side!

Moments were created, moments were shared, moments were fueled by the people around us! Bring a few chairs to a table and you have everything! Fill it with people with accents from all around and you have a worldly bunch and wicked tales!  You always find your own no mater where you are ... you always find your own! Stories flowed as fast as the food and drinks (* faster then food and drinks –remember this is island time)  it is the start of some new great friendships! Thank you!  

Nights turned into days into weeks and everyone offered to change jobs, hand over the keys to the their home, their boat, their life off of the island and back home.



The vibe of life is the rhythm of life, a smile, a hand shake, an opened mind: it is that simple: it never ceases to amaze me about how inviting and eager people are to share, to speak, to learn.


Inspiration is everywhere~  All I would like to continue doing is "Unify, Simply and Amplify"

I am not just a photographer, I am your 24 hour-a-day/365 days-a-week billboard!

I am not just a photographer,  I am your 24 hour-a-day/365 days-a-week billboard. I am raw data, I am your marketing partner, I am your advertisement to the millions that view our images on your website, your blog, your Twitter page, your LinkedIn, your Facebook page...everyday, every week, every year.

I sell and resell you and your restaurant, your resort, your magazine, your cruise line, your food products, your persona... It is because of all my hard work and passion that goes into creating the perfect image, the perfect destination, the perfect mood, the perfect dish, to create the perfect advertisement. I'm the one who you hire to create the images that captures that thought, that dream, that experience, that moment - that made you stop, see, think, taste and hold!

It was that memory, that thought which brought you from here to there. It's what made you book those reservations, it's why you are where you are or where you will be traveling to...

On a beach in the Caribbean, walking down a cobblestone street in London on a chilly day, dining at your favorite establishment overlooking the most magical sunset you have ever seen. It's that special spot that you found off the beaten path on some random road. It's why you are mixing with locals in a remote village in Latin American. You just started to dream - to think where you had your best piece of steak or the fattiest tuna or the best caviar.... perhaps it started with a recommendation, or a review, but it all comes back to an image.

As a photographer, my job is to create one thing: a cover image! An image that stands out, an image that says "wow", an image that resonates internally, an image that causes you in conversation to recall or describe, an image that makes you say "Yes, I WANT THIS!" That is a job of a photographer, that is My job. 

I am your voice to the masses. I come long before the PR and Advertising companies. I am the start of your new beginning. I am as important as the ingredients that you look for. I am someone that works only for one purpose: I am hired to fill seats, to be used like a stamp - sent all over the world to capture that perfect image for one purpose: to create sales. I am not just a photographer, I am your 24 hour-a-day/365 days-a-week billboard. I am your advertisement! 

We make people Go-See-Do.~