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How Studying Karsh, Man and Artist, can make us better portrait photographers


Yousef Karsh is widely regarded as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the twentieth century. In this essay, I discuss five ways that studying Karsh’s life and photographs can impact our work as portrait artists.

At the height of his career, Karsh was so popular that to be photographed by him was simply “beloved by Karshed”.and he is fondly known as the “Karsh of Ottawa.” This is quite an achievement for someone with such humble beginnings, who spent his childhood in a war-torn country and immigrated to Canada to escape the Armenian Genocide. But the path begins as an immigrant with little understanding of the language or customs of his new home to an iconic figure teeming with stories – and photographs – that have can teach us valuable lessons as photographers and artists. While there are countless lessons to be learned, here are five that have influenced me and that I hope inspire you.

1. Karsh had definite goals and pursued them intensely

At a young age, Karsh had the opportunity to apprentice with John Garo, a famous portrait photographer in Boston. What was originally supposed to be six months turned into three years, when Garo recognized the talent in his young apprentice, and Karsh realized that he not only had a lot to learn about photography, but that he had to continue. There are many things in the company of Garo and his respected friends, which include many famous figures in music and the arts. After the daylight (and ability to create natural light portraits) ended, Garo’s studio became an informal food and cultural hub, complete with young Yousef as a bartender. During these formative years, Karsh recalls, “Even as a young man, I was aware that these glorious afternoons and evenings were my college.”

Early on, and not surprisingly, Karsh decided that he would photograph the greatest people of his time. When his time with Garo ended, he immediately moved to Ottawa and opened a photo studio of his own. Karsh said of her bold move, “In Canada’s capital, the crossroads of world tourism, I hope I will have the opportunity to photograph top figures and many foreign international visitors.”

We learned from this that from the very beginning of his career, Karsh had specific goals as an artist and photographer. Instead of waiting for famous faces to come to him, he deliberately and thoughtfully places himself where he knows he will find growth and opportunities to collaborate with leading artists, politicians and actors. beginning of the same time. Karsh knows that no matter how brilliant his art is, it doesn’t matter if no one knows who he is, and his goals make it necessary for him to relocate in order to fulfill his dream. .

2. Karsh learns from his failures

There is a great story about Karsh as a young portrait photographer that can remind us of the importance of failure and how it often teaches us the most valuable lessons. Soon after moving to Ottawa, Karsh was asked to join the Ottawa Little Theatre, an amateur group that not only profoundly impacted his understanding of artificial light but also opened invaluable doors to his career. older brother.

One of the players in this group was the Governor’s son, and he and Karsh became friends so quickly that the young man convinced his lofty parents to sit down for a portrait with Karsh. However, the scene was a complete disaster, as young and inexperienced Karsh nervously played the beautiful couple, “in full military attire with swords and ornaments”. , and she was “decently adorned” and “beautiful as a statue”, as Karsh described them. He was so confused by the event that the result was, in his words, “catastrophic.”

This profound and potentially soul-breaking failure, however, was transformed by Karsh into his first major success. Amazingly, Karsh prevailed over lord and lady to seat him for a second time, and the results were so brilliant and so well received that they were printed in many publications around the country.

While that’s never welcome, the lessons we learn from failure always outweigh the lessons we learn from success. Consider how Karsh certainly replayed every detail of that first failed session in his mind, not only learning many lessons from his mistakes, but also effectively ensuring that he He will never repeat the same mistakes again. It should also be considered that Karsh did not let this rather heavy defeat cause him to give up, or assume that he himself, is a failure. He has failed, but he is not a failure. In fact, his belief in himself remains so strong that he welcomed the kind (and patient) couple back for a second session, with excellent results.

3. Karsh is always prepared

Karsh’s most famous portrait is the iconic photograph of Winston Churchill, looking rather confused. And although the story of how Karsh created this portrait is legendary, there are many important details in the retelling of the events that led to his infamous cigar-jacking that can teach us. many things about the art of creating a successful portrait. .

In short, Karsh is always prepared, and absolutely does not let any chance happen. He describes the part leading up to his portrait of Churchill, saying

I waited in the Speaker’s Room, where, the evening before, I had installed my lights and camera. But it was quite a feat to get the giant to walk reluctantly from his corner to where my lights and camera were positioned a great distance away! I went back to my camera and made sure that everything was technically fine.

The lesser known, but vitally important, parts of the story can teach us a lot as photographers. Consider if Karsh didn’t spend a lot of time setting up his camera and lights, or if, in a hurry and anxiety, he didn’t double-check the settings when Churchill was there to take the photo. His preparation and attention to detail, ensure that nothing is left to chance. Certainly, his lessons from taking photos of the Governor-General were well learned.

All in all, Karsh’s work ethic also portrays a man who is a perfectionist, and who doesn’t shun the idea of ​​spending countless hours in the studio learning more than just how to create portraits using artificial light. creation, but also using the multitude of printing techniques he has painstakingly developed. through countless hours of testing. Karsh got ready.

4. Karsh did his homework on every person he photographed

Perhaps more than any other portrait photographer of his time, Karsh was able to capture the essence of his subjects, allowing viewers a glimpse into their personalities and souls. Take, for example, his image of cellist Pablo Casals, alone in a large room with his cello, with his back to the camera. This image depicts Casal’s dedication to his art, as well as his legendary devotion to practicing his beloved instrument. Or, consider his portrait of Pablo Picasso, where the artist has become a part of his work, with a slightly aloof expression that reminds the viewer of his art and greatness. as an artist.

Karsh credits his ability to capture subjects so faithfully to a process he calls “making [his] homework”, in which he will try to learn as much as possible about a person before photographing them. Learning about his subject not only provides a glimpse into a person’s unique personality. them but also serve a practical purpose.Karsh has made the act of connecting with the subject much easier, as he is armed with information that bridges the gap between the photographer and the person being photographed.

In Karsh’s day, this process involved a lot more work than we do today. A simple Google search can reveal a lot about a person, and if, as photographers, we are fortunate enough to be placed in a position to photograph a remarkable person, do our homework on the subject. Our home is an important step towards success.

5. Karsh didn’t bury his head behind his camera

Perhaps the biggest lesson we can learn from Karsh is how he interacts with his subject right before taking the photo. According to Jerry Fielder’s book, “Karsh, Beyond the Camera”,

Once the lighting and composition are satisfied, he will carefreely leave the camera with the shutter in hand and engage his subject, ready to squeeze the bulb, capture the real moment and share it with us .

We, as portrait photographers, often find ourselves buried in the camera, constantly adjusting settings and increasing the barrier between us and the subject. Our attention is focused on shutter speed and aperture as a single human stands just a few feet away from us, a one-of-a-kind story waiting to be told. Karsh knew that it was the camera that was the biggest obstacle between him and his subject, so he effectively removed it as much as possible.

Removing the barrier of technology is a remarkable goal that we all must strive for, especially when using modern mirrorless cameras, which do an admirable job of tracking the subject’s eyes and achieve important focus without looking through the viewfinder.

Some final thoughts

I was inspired to write this article after visiting the library and found a great book titled, Karsh: Fifty Years Reminiscence. I chose this book and several others because at the time I was feeling quite depressed and hoped that studying some of the great works would spark a spark of creativity. Besides learning the valuable lessons above, I was reminded of the joy that can be found in a physical book, especially a wonderfully printed picture book, in which care contributed to image reconstruction.

Finally, I would like to thank Julie Grahame, Senior Representative of Karsh Estate, for allowing me to use the images in this article.

All images used with permission, © Yousuf Karsh, http://karsh.org





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