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Doing research on the Internet I came across this stunning piece of work, which I believe is brilliant. Have a look at this video and feel free to comment on this. I think initiatives like this rise our awareness, and strangely enough at the end we all ask the same questions…

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After 2 weeks of preparation and two days of shooting my Team and I have now finished shooting with RED 4K camera in a blue-screen studio in Cologne my first image advertisement spot. The client is a network of Medical Doctors. Thanks to all of my Team for their  fantastic work! I could not wish a better team. Special thanks to Luisa, Rainer and Jan who did an Awesome job also in the preparation phase and spent long hours making sure to minimize my mistakes. I’m now very curious to see the final result after post production in the coming weeks.

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I wake up. It’s dark. No watch on my wrest. I can barely hold my eyes open, apparently something woke me up. It’s one of those times where for few seconds you don’t remember where you actually are. Where am I? What time is it? I guess all this traveling during the last 6 months confuses me. Then, the noise, again. I freeze. A cold shiver goes down my spine, and it takes me a fraction of a second to remember I am on a Tented Safari at the Eastern border of the Okavango Delta and what I am hearing is undoubtedly the deep roar of a lion. Close, very very close. Then here comes a second one, further away, at least 100 meters and in the opposite direction. I know I’m perfectly safe in my tent, but still the primeval memory of my cells remember that what I just heard is a predator. A pride of lions is just passing very close to our tented camp. The concert of deep moans and roars the lions use to communicate with the other pride members increases in volume. They are approaching. It’s now at least four distinct individuals I am hearing. I sit on my camp bed now, in silence trying to see through the mosquito net if I can spot them. No visual. I quickly find the spotlight, I collect my watch. It’s 4:30 am, 30 minutes before wake-up call. The lions are probably moving in search of prey. I then close my eye and keep listening to the concert of the bush slowly fading as the pride walks away . This is the start of another day into the wild. An experience away from civilization. In a place where we can feel how small and vulnerable we – Homo Sapiens Sapiens -  are after all. I’m in Botswana, hunting for images, taking only photos and leaving only footprints. Our crew passes by my tent at 5:15 to wake me up. The indistinguishable “knock knock” pronounced with a deep African voice makes me smile once more. It’s Jonas, part of our support crew of three. Jonas, KB and Mike had already prepared our fresh coffee.  Toasted bread is being prepared on the fire. It’s amazing what these guys can cook on a camp fire. How lovely this heat against the cold breeze of an African Fall morning. There’s nothing better to start off your day. It’s only 5:30 am, I’m already  overwhelmed with impressions and emotions and yet, it’s only the very beginning of another day in the bush, hunting for wildlife, working hard  to get the exceptional image, peeking in everyday life of untouched Nature. Not much time to catch the perfect morning light. Maybe today I will be lucky – I think – while Grant Reed, my experienced guide and talented photographer prepares his Canon camera loaded with a 300 mm f2,8 and shouts: “5 minutes to go!”. The quest for flying images of the Lilac Breated Roller is on also today!

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Promotional trailer for the Italian Smile Train NGO, operating worldwide to help cleft lip and cleft palate syndrome.

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I’m heading to Botswana tomorrow for my first Botswana Photo Safari with a very small group of clients. I’m very excited about it as it will be my first time in those regions which are considered the last untouched wonder of nature on earth. This time I will set myself the goal of focusing on elephants and water as a focus for my own work I would like to bring home. This time I promised myself not to bring my professional video equipment with me, in order to fully concentrate on photography and mentoring! I will carry the minimum indispensable equipment and bring along my two Nikon bodies D3 and D300s. I don’t really like the D300s for filming as I find it extremely limited compared to the way I am used to with professional video equipment. You would need to buy loads of stuff to make it easier working. I really wonder what Nikon developers had in mind when limiting the frame rate to 24p only… Canon developers (please forgive me I have to say this) have solved this much better offering more video features in 1080p and different frame rates…

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Nepal 2010, originally uploaded by stefanolevi.

Luca and Rosalie at work in Pahkribas, while a elderly lady dances for happyness after she realizes her sight had been completely restored.

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Dr. Sanduk Ruit returns to the Temple of Gola, after more than 30 years absence.

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The remote village of Olangchun Gola in Eastern Nepal, close to the Tibetan border.

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My film crew and I are finally back to base in Kathmandu after an overwhelming experience lasted more than three weeks, that has seen us witnesses of the exceptional work of the doctors of the Himalayan Cataract Project. With Dr. Jeff Tabin and Dr. Sanduk Ruit we photographed and filmed many stories along our way to Olanchungola, the incredibly remote village at one day walking from the Tibetan border, where Dr. Ruit was born. He returned after more than 30 years absence after a strenuous 9-days trek done in 6. An entire Eye-Care-Hospital was carried for three days walking in the very remote village of Siwa, where Dr. Ruit and Dr. Tabin operated hundred of cataract-blind patients. My team and I, worked in incredibly hard conditions, filming during 12-hours trek-days and managing exhaustion, stomach sickness and diarrhea (mostly mine….). Stay tuned for some preview-images about this incredible project that I hope to present soon to some international Film Festivals around the globe. We feel extremely privileged to have witnessed the work of the two most influential medical doctors on the planet and are extremely grateful to Dr. Tabin and Dr. Ruit for their very kind support from start to end. Lisa, Rosalie and I are still in Kathmandu now, preparing for an final interview with Dr. Ruit. I am also very grateful to our new friend David Oliver Relin – the author of the bestseller “Three Cups of Tea” – who was with us for most of the time and with tips and suggestions contributed to improve our work.

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Nepal 2010, originally uploaded by stefanolevi.

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While Luca is filming on the left, Paolo our Nepali speaking guide is entertaining three ladies who are buying groceries . The noises, colors and scents at a Nepali market are quite different what we are used to in the western world.

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Rosalie hunting for interesting sounds at the marketplace in Kathmandu.

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Nepal 2010, originally uploaded by stefanolevi.

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Rosalie Kubny, our sound engineer, is excited about the Stupa she just has seen, Paolo de Santis our Nepali speaking (Italian) guide and Luca Coltri, underwater filmmaker, dragged to the Himalaya mountains by me

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Lisa Wagner, assistant director, obviously has a good eye for images, and this is her shot of the day!

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Finally after months of preparation, my crew and I are sitting in the aircraft. Our first journey to Nepal starts today. We will be researching material for our planned documentary on the Himalaya region, and looking forward to work with our nepali friends.

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In order to prepare for our next documentary project in Nepal, I started exercising on the Italian Alps. What a magnificent place to do sports!
With a team of 4 we are looking forward for the next story to tell. This time it will have to do with Eye sight and living in remote areas of the Himalaya region. We will stay away for about one month and trek at more than 3000 m altitude for over 10 days with our film equipment.
This starts as an independent project co-produced by myself and Kubny-Schnell Filmproduktion.
It will be a poetic film researching about our very basic need to be complete as human being. Imagine losing your Eye sight and your hope, and then after few years regaining both. How does that feel?
Stay tuned for more info behind the scenes, and feel free to comment. Every encouragement makes us a bit stronger and helps us finishing our project.
Departure date: March 15, 2010.

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It is not uncommon that among low educated people there are murders because of small things… The Bugis are often known for their bad temper. Only after few days I decided not to go, and after talking to the relatives of Rabasia, we realized how dangerous this would have been for me.
These were his words: “I die or he dies”.
Not fun at all….

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Hi folks, just a short update about my project here in Borneo. I am following the very touching story of a girl named Rabasia. She was born with cleft lip and palate and had to live with this deformity until the age of 21. I started following her story already last year. Today Rabasia is being operated for the second time. Finally her deformity is gone. She has a smile on her face and people do not insult her anymore when she walks on the streets. Life has been very hard on her, but she is a survisor and a fighter. It’s just incredible what I am withnessing here.
I am confronted with a harsh reality here, but also with positive things such as compassion and many interesting aspects of life and indonesian culture I did not know before. I have wonderful friends here helping me out with the shooting and interviews. Thank you Aching and Andry. Quite difficult to make a Film in indonesian without help!

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First day of work in Indonesia helped by my friends Aching and Andry. Today we are in Nunukan, close to the family of Rabasia, the girl I am shooting a documentary about. Indonesian children are amazing. There is no way a photographer can ignore them Not only they are beautiful, they like to play with the camera a lot!

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