This is a modified version of an article I had done for the former Olympus VisionAge website.

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 The black & white image is an homage to the famous Armenian-born Canadian portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh, who lived and worked in the Château Laurier Hotel, Ottawa, with his wife Estrellita from 1972 to 1992.  

 

I think I first became aware of Karsh’s photography in my pre-teen years. I love his portraits of Ernest Hemingway and Audrey Hepburn: they’re simple but very effective. One of his most famous portraits, of Winston Churchill, was widely published. In the portrait Churchill looks tough and determined, making it a statement about the man and his times.

 

As Karsh tells it, though, the image was serendipitous. Just before the shot Karsh determinedly removed a cigar from Churchill's mouth which brought the famous scowl.  

 

The hotel suite is a large, elegant space with a few of Karsh’s prints on the walls. My wife Lis and I stayed there on a Saturday night, and to make it an extra-special stay, we ordered room service, as the Karshes might have done. I was amazed when our waiter, Tulshi Prasad, said he had also served the Karshes when they lived there. He was proud of his past service, telling us that Karsh had a fondness for the hotel’s barbecued ribs.

 

When I asked to make a portrait, he beamed and was delighted a photographer would ask him to pose in that very suite.   Mr. Prasad draped his hands in a relaxed manner. His occupation and elemental dignity are accentuated by the position of his hands (repeated in the shape of the tablecloth), the elegant room, his formal attire and upright posture. I placed him prominently in the foreground, using a low camera angle to acknowledge his pride and sense of duty.  

 

I don’t think I could ever be Karsh. My photographic style is more journalistic. His was deliberate and classical; I would even say theatrical due to his lighting.

 

I did, however, replicate Karsh again at a couple of group venues where I  photographed attendees in the Karsh style. I brought photocopies of Karsh portraits --- Prince Charles, Marian Anderson and others, and asked each person to select their favourite pose.

 

Those sessions were a hit.  Purposeful lighting and confident poses are for everyone, not just the great and famous. Personalities come through when given the opportunity, as with Tulshi. There is a grace to every stage and station of our lives. Portraits can bring that out.