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Karsh?

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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Doc, thought you might find this interesting. Until today I'd never heard of the photographer Yousuf Karsh.

karsh.org

Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh, master photographer of the 20th century. Photo © Yousuf Karsh.
karsh.org karsh.org

A notable example of his work:

Yousuf-Karsh-Winston-Churchill-1941-1557x1960.jpg


Photograph made in 1941 - does this show stubborn refusal to yield, or what?!

Or as WSC said himself, the Harrow speech, also in 1941:

" ... this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."


Tom M.
 
NutmegCT said:
Doc, thought you might find this interesting. Until today I'd never heard of the photographer Yousuf Karsh.
Click to expand...

Funny how much context matters. He came to Canada as a refugee and had his studio in Ottawa. His name (and work) is as familiar here -at least to my generation - as Annie Leibovitz is south of the border.

PS one of his last (his last?) portrait was Bill & Hilary Clinton - he also photographed Reagan and other presidents.
 
NutmegCT said:
Photograph made in 1941 - does this show stubborn refusal to yield, or what?!
Click to expand...
It really shows impatience and irritation, if you know the story behind the image.

As a young teen I'd read the books on Karsh, his Chirchill portrait story was amusing and instructive. Others of influence were Alfred "Izzy" Eisenstaedt, Arthur Fellig, Ansel Adams, Dorthea Lange, Gordon Parks to name a few...

Later, Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White, Dickie Chappelle and others.

Leibovitz got her reputation in NYC very early in life. Mary Ellen as well, but they weren't as influential with me.
 
Found this somewhat informative for the aspirant... I took the traditional approach.

comcam2.jpg


Edit: More illustrative of my stint:
Langley.jpg
 
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Welp, I'm some kind of hick. I just had to look up who Annie Leibovitz is. In my own defense, I don't like celebrities.
 
waltesefalcon said:
Welp, I'm some kind of hick. I just had to look up who Annie Leibovitz is. In my own defense, I don't like celebrities.
Click to expand...

You've likely seen her work, just didn't know who made the images. She shot the "Who's who" from the mid-sixties onward. I'm not a fan either.

Have a look-up of Mary Ellen Mark. Her story and fleeting fame/career is interesting. Weird, but interesting.
 
Mary Ellen Mark's work seems more intriguing to me. Leibovitz's work just seems to scream generic magazine photos. Ansel Adams remains me favorite photographer, I also rather like Edward Curtis and William Henry Jackson.
 
Curtis and Jackson were intrepid bastages! Unrivaled images, too.

If you've not read it, find Gordon Parks' "The Learning Tree." A real success story, worth the time.

And do you know how Karsh got that scowl on Winnie's mug? That's a great tale.
 
DrEntropy said:
Curtis and Jackson were intrepid bastages! Unrivaled images, too.
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I admit that for the most part I'm not up on photographers but I grew up with both of those men's images. I lived in Colorado as a kid and distinctly remember the book, William Henry Jackson's Colorado on my grandma's coffee table alongside one of her Ansel Adams books. As for Curtis, it's hard to be an Indian and not ar least be passably familiar with his work.
 
waltesefalcon said:
After looking her up, I'd say that you've summed her up perfectly.
Click to expand...

When she was first getting attention in the mid and late '60's, I'd the impression she was opportunistic, had the "right time, right place" going for her. The images weren't all that impressive but she managed to get "ink" a lot; Pop Photography and Modern Photo seemed impressed.<shrug>
 
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GregW said:
Annie is a hack. My opinion.
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I had heard the name and, after looking her up, I realize I've seen her on many YouTube ads for the "Master Class" series. From here portfolio she seems to have garnered a lot of "celebrity" photo ops (John Lennon, Bill Gates, Michael Jackson, etc). Don't know enough about her or her work to characterize her one way of the other, but from reading her Wiki page she seems like she was into pop culture similar to Andy Warhol. (Speaking of whom, I read that a painting of his of a stupid can of soup sold for over $11 million!!)
 
One other of the influential photographers' images in my early days was Edward Steichen. Poured over his published works, found him to be fascinating as an accomplished individual as well.
 
Doc, if you don't know it, check out Steichen at War (1981).

Also, Don McCullin (Hearts of Darkness), and Arthur Rothstein.
TM
 
Yup, Tom. Steichen was a Naval Commander during WW-II. My "library" of photojournalists who covered conflict is fairly comprehensive, the ones I'd listed previously are by no means the only ones to have had influence.

McCullin's shots seemed to me to emulate M. Brady's pics, but with the advantage of modern gear, so no need of manipulating his "subjects." He's traded on horror. Darkness indeed. Diane Arbus had nothin' on him.

Rothstein, Lange and Parks came out of Depression Era government programs and did some astounding work. The "magazine era" solidified their careers.

And I listed Arthur Fellig earlier. Know his story?
 
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