Above and Beyond: Howard Schatz in Graphis Journal #364

Happy New Years to our lovely Graphis members! As we look towards a new year and the release of a new issue of the Graphis Journal, we look back at one of our best issues featuring one of our best contributors.

American photographer and Graphis Master Howard Schatz has received international acclaim for his work and is one of the most sought-after photographers working today. Before picking up the camera, his first career was in medicine; he was a world-renowned retina specialist. He began working seriously as a photographer in 1987 and left his medical practice in 1995 to pursue photography full time. In the thirty-two years since, his work has been published in twenty-two books and countless magazines, has won virtually every photography award, and has had over 100 museum and gallery exhibitions all over the world. He has shot advertising images for big clients such as Ralph Lauren RLX, Escada, Sergio Tacchini, Nike, Reebok, Wolford, Sony, Adidas, MGM Grand Hotel, Virgin Records, and Mercedes-Benz, while his fine art work is represented in galleries in both the U.S. and abroad.

When it comes to photographic style, Schatz is a chameleon, able to easily change between them. This is made perfectly clear throughout his images (above), which range from simple shots against black or white backgrounds to portraits using colorful light and Photoshop-like manipulation, showing Schatz’s range and artistry.

In issue #365, we take a specific look at one of Schatz’s more recent series that is still ongoing. In 2018, Howard Schatz undertook a new project called “Above & Beyond: Interviews and Photographic Portraits of Extraordinary People in Our Time”. For this collection, he started with twenty-five creative individuals that he both photographed and conducted interviews with, then eventually decided to expand the project to meet with all with all sorts of people. Among those already in the project are designer Phillippe Starck (above, left), founder of the Children’s Defense Fund Marion Wright Edelman (above, right) architect Maya Lin, typography master Matthew Carter, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and author Michael Pollan. On his website, you can find the entire project, including a two part feature for nthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Funny enough, Howard Schatz himself in not included in this project, which is a shame; he’s a phenomenon and should be featured in this gallery of icons.

To see more of Howard Schatz’s work, check out his portfolio at graphis.com. And if you want to purchase your own copy of Graphis Journal #364, click here.