Yousuf Karsh
I have been quite fascinated by the work of this world renown photographer,his portraits are in a league of their own and are second to none.They reveal everything about a true expert. He has captured everything in a photograph, expression, mood and ambiance, clarity and extreme detail using subtle lighting techniques making these truly remarkable portraits.
I Think these images work really well taken in monochrome and very much doubt whether they would have the same impact shot in colour. To capture a bygone era with so many famous faces which would be virtually impossible to emulate these days. hich makes this photogrphers
Some of these images have inspired me and given me food for thought. I have converted some of my images to monochrome to emulate some these techniques from this photographer,some of these are shown below:
Shown below are my 4 favorite images from this photographer.
The image on the right particularly appeals to me, I love the way the photographer has lit this model, possibly using lighting from the front left and right
This portrait of winston Churchill has been well lit again with obvious back lighting which has created a type of 3d effect. This has the effect of making the model stand out from it's background. Subtle lighting from the front has also been used in the shot.
Yousuf Karsh Biography
Yousuf Karsh (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002 was born in Madin, Armenia and became one of the world’s most renowned portrait photographers.
Karsh was a master in the use of studio lights. One aspect of Karsh's portrait is the emphasis on the lighting the subject's hands separately. He photographed many of the great and celebrated personalities of his generation. Journalist George Perry wrote in London's Sunday Times that "…when the famous start thinking of immortality, they call for Karsh of Ottawa."Karsh had a gift for capturing the essence of his subject in the instant of his portrait. As Karsh wrote of his own work in Karsh Portfolio in 1967, "Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can. The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world. In that fleeting interval of opportunity the photographer must act or lose his prize.
Early Years
Karsh grew up when Armenia was under Ottoman rule and he witnessed the genocide of Christian Armenians by the new Turk government. At the age of 14, he fled with his family to the safety of Syria. Two years later, young Yousuf was sent to live with his uncle George Nakash, a photographer in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Karsh attended school there briefly and assisted in his uncle’s studio. Nakash saw great potential in his nephew and, in 1928, arranged for Karsh to apprentice with portrait photographer John Garo of Boston.Karsh returned to Canada four years later, eager to make his mark. He established a studio on Sparks Street in Ottawa, close to Canada’s seat of government. Eventually, the Canadian Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, discovered the yet unknown Karsh and took a liking to him. The Prime Minister arranged introductions for Karsh with visiting dignitaries, whom he convinced to sit for portraits. His work was attracting the attention of varied celebrities, but Karsh’s own place in history was sealed in 1941 when Winston Churchill came to Ottawa.The image of Churchill that he created then brought the photographer to international prominence, and is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. Of the 100 people named by the 2000 International “Who’s Who” as the most notable people of the century, Karsh had photographed 51. Karsh himself was the only Canadian to make the list.
The image on the right particularly appeals to me, I love the way the photographer has lit this model, possibly using lighting from the front left and right
This portrait of winston Churchill has been well lit again with obvious back lighting which has created a type of 3d effect. This has the effect of making the model stand out from it's background. Subtle lighting from the front has also been used in the shot.
Yousuf Karsh Biography
Yousuf Karsh (December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002 was born in Madin, Armenia and became one of the world’s most renowned portrait photographers.
Karsh was a master in the use of studio lights. One aspect of Karsh's portrait is the emphasis on the lighting the subject's hands separately. He photographed many of the great and celebrated personalities of his generation. Journalist George Perry wrote in London's Sunday Times that "…when the famous start thinking of immortality, they call for Karsh of Ottawa."Karsh had a gift for capturing the essence of his subject in the instant of his portrait. As Karsh wrote of his own work in Karsh Portfolio in 1967, "Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can. The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world. In that fleeting interval of opportunity the photographer must act or lose his prize.
Early Years
Karsh grew up when Armenia was under Ottoman rule and he witnessed the genocide of Christian Armenians by the new Turk government. At the age of 14, he fled with his family to the safety of Syria. Two years later, young Yousuf was sent to live with his uncle George Nakash, a photographer in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Karsh attended school there briefly and assisted in his uncle’s studio. Nakash saw great potential in his nephew and, in 1928, arranged for Karsh to apprentice with portrait photographer John Garo of Boston.Karsh returned to Canada four years later, eager to make his mark. He established a studio on Sparks Street in Ottawa, close to Canada’s seat of government. Eventually, the Canadian Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, discovered the yet unknown Karsh and took a liking to him. The Prime Minister arranged introductions for Karsh with visiting dignitaries, whom he convinced to sit for portraits. His work was attracting the attention of varied celebrities, but Karsh’s own place in history was sealed in 1941 when Winston Churchill came to Ottawa.The image of Churchill that he created then brought the photographer to international prominence, and is claimed to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. Of the 100 people named by the 2000 International “Who’s Who” as the most notable people of the century, Karsh had photographed 51. Karsh himself was the only Canadian to make the list.
Hey Dude, this is one of the photographers I am looking at, and agree with your comments. Some outstanding stuff.
ReplyDeleteBefore you publish your work to the blog - what I do is delete the spaces between all the articles and pictures, and then you do not get the big gaps. You will not get the layout when in preview, but this due to the size of the images and the space available on the blog page.The image size needs to be quite small, but this also keeps your free Picasa file small enough to take all the images we need for research(limit is 1024mb). Hope this helps, just chat on Saturdays.
Cheers Buddy thanks for the info :-)))
ReplyDelete