Howard Schatz

Howard Schatz started experimenting with underwater photography in 1992 when he was offered the use of an indoor pool. He became inspired to photograph ballet dancers after his friend, who happened to be dancer posed in his underwater studio. "Here was a physically trained professional, with a beautiful, honed body, in a weightless environment," he recalls. "Classical dancers are taught to look like feathers. Underwater, they are feathers." Schatz was fascinated by the way the body moves in water, he was also intrigued by how light interacts with water. "there's a point at which the light won't exit the water-in other words, the underside of the surface of the water acts like a mirror." The underwater images are languid and elusive, the dancers graceful poses draw the viewer into a dreamlike world. The photographs of Howard Schatz are included in many museum collections internationally.