About the photographer . . .

Specializing in fashion and celebrity photography, New York based photographer Steve Landis, shoots covers and editorial pages for leading international magazines.
Creating stylish, powerful images are trademarks of Landis' work.

Early on, even as a teenager, photographing beautiful young women became a common theme for Steve Landis.

Encouraged at age 16 by the photo editor of POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY, Landis was told that he had a "particular knack for photographing women and making them look beautiful."  "When Charles Reynolds told me this I thought maybe he was putting me on, but he assured me he that he was serious and that most photographers have a hard time making women look beautiful.  I felt very flattered but still wasn't sure it just wasn't flattery," relates Landis.  The young high school student, (who frequently played hooky in order to travel by bus for 2 hours into the city to show his portfolio) was encouraged by this and became even more mesmerized by his hobby, which soon would become his profession, his passion and his life.  During those early years, his friends and classmates were his models, and his heroes were the great fashion photographers Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton.

Early work . . .

While studying business and film production in college, Landis was given one of his first major assignments by NEWSWEEK, to photograph the poet/singer Patti Smith, coinciding with the release of her debut album.  A photograph of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin was published by NEWSWEEK shortly thereafter, while Landis was still 18.  A portrait session with Pulitzer prize winning author James A. Michener, shot at Michener's Bucks County farm published in TIME and later on in the NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW was another highlight in this early period.  The following spring, Paul Newman made a particularly strong impression on Landis.  "When confronted with someone of Newman's stature you suddenly understand the difference between greatness and everyone else.  Newman is humble, interested in the world around him and still a very private person.  If you don't invade his space, he will respect you.  I was fortunate to photograph Paul a number of times over a period of six months.   He was always the gentleman, even to a young kid like me.”

Rock stars, entertainers and politicians were mostly what Landis found himself photographing for the next couple of years, for an array of well known national publications including; PEOPLE, US and DANCE Magazine. While finding photojournalistic work interesting and challenging, his real interest lay in photographing fashion and working with models. And that's exactly what he set out to do by moving to New York.  Early fashion clients included designer Norma Kamali, with her sweats campaign launch, GLAMOUR, COSMOPOLITAN and W magazines. "I love what I do.  I have been blessed to be able to do such challenging and interesting work," says Landis.

More bio, page 2.

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