Barrie Schwortz was the Official Documenting Photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Project, the team that conducted the first in-depth scientific examination of the Shroud in 1978. Today, he plays an influential role in Shroud research as the editor and publisher of the internationally recognized Shroud of Turin Website (www.shroud.com), the largest and most extensive Shroud resource on the Internet, with visitors from more than 160 countries. Schwortz has conducted Shroud lectures around the world and is frequently called upon as a leading imaging expert. He has participated in programs on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, CNN, CBS, NBC, PBS, the BBC and Vatican Radio. His photographs have appeared in hundreds of books and publications including Time, Life, Newsweek and National Geographic and in countless television documentaries. At the invitation of the Organizing Committee of the Third International Shroud of Turin Symposium, Schwortz presented his paper titled, “The Role of the Internet in the Future of Shroud Research” in June 1998, in Turin, Italy, and an updated version in June 1999 at the International Shroud Symposium held in Richmond, Virginia. He presented a new paper titled “Is the Shroud of Turin a Medieval Photograph?” at the Sindone 2000 International Symposium in Orvieto, Italy, in August 2000. He co-authored a book with Ian Wilson titled, The Turin Shroud: The Illustrated Evidence published in August 2000 by Michael O’Mara Books, Ltd., London, and Barnes & Noble in the U.S.
Schwortz began his professional photographic career upon graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in 1971. He operated an award winning commercial photographic studio specializing in product, food, advertising, technical and editorial illustration for fifteen years and founded his first video production company, Educational Video, Inc., in May of 1978.
After moving to Los Angeles, Schwortz became more involved in the entertainment field. He was the editor and post-production supervisor for the best-selling 17 episode “Rocky and Bullwinkle” home video series for Buena Vista Home Video (Disney), which garnered a Silver Medal for Best Children’s Video at the 1992 International Film and Video Festival. He co-produced, directed and edited “Money, History In Your Hands,” a home video program starring James Earl Jones, which won the Parent’s Choice Video of the Year award in 1995 as well as two Silver Screen Awards at the International Film and Video Festival in 1996. The program was broadcast on PBS in 1999.
From 1987 to 2001, Schwortz was an independent imaging consultant to the Laser Research and Technology Development Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He consulted and participated in imaging research projects with major universities, hospitals and medical device manufacturers and produced presentations for the medical field, including slide and video programs that teach new surgical techniques to surgeons. In 1998, he developed two digital imaging protocols that were accepted and approved for use in clinical trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. His company served as Core Laboratory and provided all digital imaging services for one of these trials. His clients include many of the largest corporations in the world and his presentations have been shown at major medical and scientific conferences worldwide and to the FDA, U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.