Schatz has assembled one of the most spectacular tributes to women's beauty. This collection dedicates itself to impending mothers at their most impending moments - and then, usually, in the moment just after. Most two-page spreads feature the young women at her most gravid moment on one page, then her child (or children) on the next.
Drama inheres in the pregnant body. Her form transforms in the most obvious way. Subtler changes tranform her too. Her breasts prepare themselves to nourish. Her hormones tranform her skin. Her navel tranforms in ways that remind me (forgive me, please) of the popup thermometer that says "it's done." And, through all that, the woman remains herself - just herself with more.
Photographing these women and infants brings out all the best in Schatz's abilities. I never realized that he had medical training, but his attention to bodies' details shows that. And, his impartial delight in all of a woman's tranformations comes through, too. Changes in her skin, body hair, coloring, and other details all appear with clinical appreciation and artistic precision.
I've enjoyed other of Schatz's photo collections before. I enjoy this more than any other.
-- wiredweird