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Underwater Study #2461, Amanda Cobb, photographed in Sherman, CT, October 2005
This image became the cover of Howard Schatz’s book, H2O
Looking at Howard Schatz’s underwater images, you might be surprised how long it takes you to notice the obvious—that they were actually taken through the medium of water.
For Schatz, water is just another photographic tool in his arsenal, used to subtly evoke an emotion from the viewer or delicately manipulate the lighting and texture in an image. It’s this extreme attention to the minute and the fine use of water as a medium that has helped earn this seasoned photographer acclaim in the underwater imaging world—and beyond.
The Last Supper (underwater), photographed in Sherman, CT, August 2005
Underwater Study #980, Shawnee Free Jones, photographed in Fairfax, CA, September 1995
On the Water, Rolana Brumley, photographed in Fairfax, CA, 1998
Howard’s images have appeared in 20 monographs as well as innumerable galleries and museum exhibitions worldwide. You can also see his work on almost any newsstand, with his images appearing regularly in the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Time, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker.
Among this plethora of publications, Howard is perhaps best known in the underwater realm for his third underwater book, H2O, in 2007. His new 25-year retrospective, an anthology of all his work edited from over four million frames, is soon to be released. Schatz Images: 25 Years is a two-volume collection of his most-iconic images and projects.
Underwater Study #3239, Lauren McFall, photographed in Sherman, CT, October 2005
Underwater Study #3200, Jennifer Kulz-Smith, photographed for MGM Grand Spa in Fairfax, CA, August 1998
Given the bounty of photo books released, we often find ourselves turning away the majority when asked to publish a review. But when it comes to a Howard Schatz book, we’ll drop what we’re doing immediately—and you can see why just from the images in this article. About his latest book, Schatz Images: 25 Years, we wrote:
“It seems an understatement to say that Schatz’s photographic anthology is the granddaddy of coffee-table books: running to more than 1000 pages, the pair of hard-cover books are more apt to be featured in a gallery of images in a fine art museum than light reading on your dentist’s table.”
Underwater Study #3223, Kristina, photographed for Marie Claire (UK) in Sherman, CT, March 2011
Atlantis #1, Julie Montgomery, photographed for BlackBook fashion editorial in Fairfax, CA, November 1998
Underwater Study #3222, Lolita, photographed for Marie Claire (UK) in Sherman, CT, March 2011
Please visit SchatzImages25Years-Glitterati.com for more on Howard’s 25-year retrospective, a luxurious two-volume boxed set with a total of 832 pages and 1083 photographs. The publisher is offering a special 30 percent discount on their website until December 31, 2014. For more of Howard’s work, see his official website.