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Eat, drink, man, woman - and camera By Haim Handwerker Tags: food, israel, photography NEW YORK - Many photographers would be overjoyed to work with Eric Ripert, the chef at Le Bernardin, the three-Michelin-star fish and seafood restaurant. The photographers he chose for his last two books were Shimon and Tamar, an Israeli couple who note this when signing their work. "They are the best," says Ripert. "I have worked with many photographers and none of them work like they do. They make the food talk." Shimon Rothstein and Tamar Shavit, who moved to the United States in 1999, have photographed 17 books, including those of leading chefs like Marcus Samuelson, Jean Louis Palladin and David Burke, and the Daniel Boulud catalogue. Advertisement "We do not try to stage the photos," says Rothstein, noting that their photos capture imperfections like brown spots on an apple and a ladle with a few drops of soup on it. Recently, they have been specializing in photographing liquids in motion. How do two people take a photograph? "There is no fixed division of labor," says Shavit. "We do everything together. Sometimes we quarrel, but we learn from our disagreements." Rothstein and Shavit began working with Ripert, a French expatriate who lives in the U.S., about eight years ago. They had arranged to meet with him at his restaurant, but when they arrived, they were told that Ripert was not expecting them - he had forgotten. The two photographers refused to leave. Ripert came out of the kitchen for a moment and took a peek at their portfolio, which contained just eight photos. They have been working together ever since. "Nowadays, it is common for dueling chefs to build towers of food," says Rothstein. "Eric makes everything much more low profile. His dishes are flat, minimalist and beautiful. We saw him using techniques we had not seen anywhere else, but without the ego trip or the showing off. We watched him make some 150 dishes - some did not make it onto the menu, while others are served at the restaurant. It is an amazing experience, watching this creative process." The three laugh when Ripert mentions the quantities of alcohol they drink during photo shoots. "We usually don't drink on the job, but with Eric we do," says Rothstein. Ripert, who also appears on many televised cooking shows, believes drinking stimulates creativity. He always provides the drinks. The first book featuring Rothstein and Shavit's work was published in 2002, while the second has just been completed and will be released in October. "In the new book, we explore movement," explains Shavit. "The fish will also be moving. It will be wet and dirty." Rothstein, 43, began his photography career at age 9. The son of an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic family in Bnei Brak, his hobby was very unusual for his surroundings. He studied at a yeshiva until age 14, when he stopped being religious. "I was a paparazzo child," he recalls. "My subjects were the Hasidic grand rabbis." Rothstein served in the Golani brigade in the Israel Defense Forces, and spent five years backpacking around the world after his discharge. Shavit, 40, his wife, grew up in Givatayim, studied painting at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem; photography at Wizo France high school in Tel Aviv; acting at Beit Zvi School of Stage Arts in Tel Aviv; and performed at the Library and Simta Theaters. They met one day in the early 1990s, at the Income Tax Commission offices in Ramat Gan. She needed a pen; he helped her fill out the forms, and they have been together ever since. For a while they worked in janitorial jobs. Later they decided to study photography, and enrolled in a six-month course at the Yotzer photography studio in Tel Aviv. Their earliest photography jobs included work for the At (You) women's magazine and its Gourmet supplement. They were sent to photograph Israeli chef Jonathan Roshfeld ("We were warned that he could be very difficult, but he turned out to be just the opposite"). He asked them to photograph his first book, and helped them network. "In 1999 we were among the busiest photographers in the country," says Shavit. "We had a lot of big commercial clients, our own studio and a house. We were doing great, but professionally we felt we were repeating ourselves, so we decided to go to America. Roshfeld helped us again, introducing us to Michael Ginor, who owns a company that produces foie gras and has connections with chefs in New York." Rothstein and Shavit set up a studio there, and Ginor supported them (this partnership ended recently on good terms). "We began calling the chefs," says Shavit. "We used Michael's name, and that opened doors for us." "We let the chef's personality speak," explains Rothstein. "We look for dynamics, light and composition in our photography, and try to surprise ourselves. We are not in love with comfort, but we need to make a living. We decided that we want to do one cookbook a year, and to make a living from advertising. It took us five years to get our first job in that field. Our first job was for Miller's Beer, and other clients followed, including Lipton Tea." Nowadays they devote their time to art photography. Their recent works include photos of dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company and visitors at the Museum of Modern Art. "We do not like to repeat ourselves," says Rothstein. "When we feel this is happening, we switch to something else. We do not copy, and our greatest honor is when people copy our style." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Pride of Shas Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct. In bad taste Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival.

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