Photography
Yousuf Karsh, portrait photographer
Yousuf Karsh (1908 - 2002) is recognized as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century; he built a worldwide reputation photographing famous people.
Throughout his career, Karsh photographed over 15,312 people, produced over 150,000 negatives, and left an undeniable artistic influence. He documented many of the 20th century's most influential figures, often providing the definitive image that captures each person's unique personality.
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Karsh was born in Turkey to a Christian Armenian community. His family left the country to escape the Armenian Genocide. The young Karsh emigrated alone to Canada in 1924 to join his uncle Georges Nakash, a renowned portrait photographer who lived in Sherbrooke.
It was there that he developed his interest in photography. He later moved to Boston to work as an apprentice with John Garo (1875–1939) , a well-known and prominent photographer in American bourgeois society. His training was based on 19th-century photographic practices, offering an idealized romantic vision, soft focus, and a 'cloudy' style environment. The studio was unaffected by the influence of modernist movements such as Steichen , Stieglitz, Sander, and others.
By 1919, Garo was known as an artist who could bring out the sitter's personality through the subtlety and effectiveness of his photographic creations. Garo taught Karsh how to observe the sitter in terms of light, shadows, and shapes. According to Garo, light is the key component in creating a portrait.
He returned to Canada in 1932, settling in Ottawa and working at John Powis's studio on Spark Street. During the Imperial Economic Conference in Ottawa, Karsh convinced his employer to set up shop there and take advantage of the opportunity to photograph big names. With Powis's limited resources, the resulting images are uninteresting.
Karsh quickly decided to open his own studio in Ottawa. There, he began his career as a stage photographer and quickly became a high-society photographer whose fame would extend far beyond the confines of the Canadian capital.
He began experimenting with artificial light, working with theater lighting, and was impressed by the creativity of directors. From 1935 onward, Karsh demonstrated more confident mastery of light. Light became the inspiration for his creativity in photography.
When war broke out in 1939, Ottawa became a center of Allied coalition activity, and "Karsh of Ottawa" became the photographer of the most important Allied leaders visiting Ottawa. He was thus naturally chosen to photograph Winston Churchill when he visited Canada in 1941, as part of Canada's war effort.
Photo of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh, 1941
A turning point in his career, in 1941: his most famous photograph. From his apprenticeship with Garo, he was exposed to a constant stream of celebrities and creatives, and he loved the atmosphere. Early on, he set himself the goal of evolving within this context.
His photo of Churchill is his greatest success, due to:
his technical competence,
the chance to have already worked with big names and
a clear vision of its objectives.
Churchill is invited to address Parliament as part of the Canadian war effort: electrifying evening speech.
Karsh places his equipment at the exit for Churchill to borrow. He seeks to capture the image of intellectual strength, heroic force, and a leader's vision. He uses background lighting to reinforce the symbol of power.
As they leave Parliament, he invites her to take her picture. Despite resistance from those around him, Churchill's humor saves the day.
Churchill agrees for a photo: Karsh snatches his cigar and captures this unique expression in a flash of genius.
Portrait is published in numerous newspapers and magazines, including the cover of Life.
This photo had a global impact. It was even used as propaganda against the Germans: tens of thousands of them were dropped on German cities to frighten the population by demonstrating Churchill's determination to win the war.
Karsh's candid photograph immortalizes a strong-willed, determined Winston Churchill, ready to face the challenges of war. The photograph would make its author famous throughout the world.
Churchill's taciturn expression in this portrait was due to the fact that he never parted with his cigar and intended to keep it in his mouth for the duration of the session, despite the photographer's repeated requests to remove it for a photo. After ensuring that everything was ready, Yousuf Karsh quickly removed the cigar from Churchill's mouth and then took the photo of the outraged Churchill, who only agreed to this one shot. This unique candid photo would become famous around the world and would be one of the most reproduced in the history of photography.
Compare with Edward Steichen 's (1879-1973) 1932 photograph in a similar pose. Karsh's photograph shows direct, intense eye contact and shadow play on the face, cut out from the background.
Face of Destiny, 1946
In 1943, Karsh traveled to London with a letter of reference from his friend Mackenzi King, Prime Minister, and an advance from 'Saturday Night'. All the leading politicians and scientists had left Europe to take refuge in London, under the protection of England. Between September and November, he photographed 42 celebrities, including King George VI.
In 1946, 'Face of Destiny' was published, the book that would immortalize his career.
Discussion
Deconstructing Albert Schweitzer image
Discussion by Tim Lewis
References by Yousef Karsh
Yousef Karsh Website
The greatest portraits ever taken by Yousuf Karsh
7 Things Yousuf Karsh Can Teach You About Photography , Stephanie Simpson
Aziz George Nakash , Armenian photographer in Beauceville, Sherbrooke and Montreal (1892-1976)