Palm Beach Photographic Centre is Hosts 23rd Annual FOTOfusion

Fatima NeJame, president and chief executive officer of the world-renowned Palm Beach Photographic Centre (PBPC), is getting ready for the nonprofit organization's 23rd annual FOTOfusion, which will spotlight legendary photographer Howard Schatz, whose iconic advertising images and celebrity portraits have been exhibited in museums and photography galleries internationally and are included in innumerable private collections.

A special exhibition of pictures by Howard Schatz, covering a quarter-century of photographic projects, will open at the Photo Centre on Wednesday, January 24, and run through Sunday, March 10, 2018. The public is invited to the FREE Opening Night Reception on Thursday, January 25, from 6 to 8 pm.

FOTOfusion, the popular cultural festival "where creativity and technology fuse," attracts hundreds of professional and hobbyist photographers to West Palm Beach for five days of workshops, lectures, panel discussions, multimedia presentations, portfolio reviews, hands-on computer classes, demonstrations, and photo shoots taught by more than 60 world renowned photographers, digital imaging artists and picture editors - all of whom donate their time and expertise to educate, mentor and encourage creativity among participants of all levels and ages.

FOTOMentor Award

Each year, the PBPC Awards Committee selects a photographer to receive the FOTOmentor Award in honor of his/her lifetime achievements in the world of photography. Among the previous recipients of this prestigious award are Albert Watson, Walter Ioos, Jr., Joyce Tenneson, Bill Eppridge, Ralph Gibson, Gordon Parks, Sebastiao Salgado, Arnold Newman, Ruth Bernhard, David Hume Kennerly, Duane Michaels and David Rubinger.

The annual FOTOmentor Award 2018 will be presented to Howard Schatz, the American ophthalmologist and photographer, a celebrated retina specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area, who turned his photographic hobby into a successful second career.

Photos by Howard Schatz have been published in Time, Sports Illustrated, Vogue, Vogue Italia, GQ Italia, The New Yorker, Stern, Life, Black/White, American Photo, Photo France and Photo Italia. His work has been featured on NBC's The Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, NPR, Fox Sports Network and the Discovery Channel. In addition, Schatz has made underwater images for such advertising clients as Brizo, Sensei, Coca Cola/Sprite, Ralph Lauren RLX, Escada, Nike, Reebok, Sony, Adidas, Finlandia Vodka, MGM Grand Hotel, Virgin Records and Mercedes Benz, among others.

The FOTOmentor Award will be presented to Howard Schatz at the FOTOfusion Awards Dinner on Wednesday, January 24, at 6 pm. It will be held in the Lakeside Pavilion on the Waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach. The cost to attend is $200 per person ($100 for FOTOfusion passport holders) and tickets are available by calling the Photo Centre at 561.253.2600.

About the Palm Beach Photographic Centre:

A registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Palm Beach Photographic Centre is dedicated to the enrichment of life through photographic exhibitions, workshops, community programs, and other educational and cultural events that promote the photographic arts. Located in the City Center municipal complex at 415 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach, the Photo Centre's hours are 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Thursday; 10 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, please call 561.253.2600 or visit www.workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.

Photo by Howard Schatz: John Malkovich

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