Below are four portraits by the famous Yousuf Karsh, one of my new favorite photographers. His photos are a true testament of what it is to be a photographer. He was able to capture the essance of an individuals personality in one photo. My favorite on of these photos is the one of Pable Casals, one of the only photos I've seen where the subject having their back to the camera is a good thing. It's very simple but that's what makes it interesting. It makes you wonder why he's sitting in a chair in what looks like a cell playing his cello. I think its simplicity is also what gives it depth. What do you all think?
George Bernard Shaw- Irish Playwright
Pablo Casals- Cellist
Audrey Hepburn- Actress
Humphrey Bogart- Actor
George Bernard Shaw- Irish Playwright
Pablo Casals- Cellist
Audrey Hepburn- Actress
Humphrey Bogart- Actor
My favorites are the first two but the Pablo photo is the best. I bet that corner, against the wall provided some great sound for that cello so for me, as a former musician, I think that is a very realistic portrayal that I, as a photographer, would not have considered because I would have tried to include Pablo's face. This makes me thing of Jerome telling us to look at our subject from 10 different perspectives which I tried to do during my portrait shoot. Seeing this portrait makes me realize I should have gone for a few more angles. Thanks for posting these!
ReplyDeleteKarsh is a master of portraits. The Hepburn shot shows a lot of skill in working with a subject and that's all. The shapes, tones, perspective, body language, comfortability all make for an awesome and iconic photo. The George Bernard Shaw portrait goes to show what facial features and a charismatic subject can do for an image. You can't go wrong by studying these photos and tearing them apart to find out what makes them great images.
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