I recently had the pleasure of interviewing accomplished photographer Howard Schatz, known well to the boxing community for his amazing, in-depth shots of some of boxing’s finest stars. While Schatz’s work is extraordinary on many fronts his demeanor was completely modest, making our nearly-thirty minute conversation all the more worthwhile.
Schatz grew up in Chicago and took up an interest in sports as a youth before venturing to San Francisco and later New York, where he currently resides. He recalls his father and uncles carrying cameras with them while he was a youth and it was only natural for him to follow in their footsteps while still blazing his own trail.
<--- Slideshow: Check out the amazing images of Photographer Howard Schatz as he captures the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Lucia Bute, and countless others
While shooting his book Athlete in 2002, Schatz took up a particular interest in the sport of boxing, fully becoming aware of the dire yet fulfilling nature of the sport, and began pursuing endeavors related to the sweet science. Along the way he has been able to chronicle the lives of Many Pacquiao, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Paul Williams, and countless other stars.
But, for as interesting as an individual as I found Schatz to be, words don’t fully do his story justice. It is only through seeing his photographs closer that you understand his vision and get a deeper sense of the artist he is.
As Schatz himself closed out during our talk, ‘You can tell who I am through the pictures. That’s what I wanted.’
To view Schatz’s amazing photos please visit the slideshow on the left. Expect an in-depth interview with him in the coming days as well.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
