Masters of Photography - Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh was a Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer. He was born in Mardin, Tukery on December 23, 1908. He died in Boston, Massachusetts on July 13, 2002. During his career he held 15,312, during which Karsh captured the semblance of the men and women who shaped the twentieth century. 

We originally tried to replicate Karsh's portraits exactly. We tried Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly, Jim Henson, Nelson Mandela, and Susan Strasborg. However, this was incredibly time consuming, so instead we decided to emanate his style. 

We chose Karsh because his photographs portrayed some of our rules (simplify and aspect ratio). Karsh's simple, black and white portraits inspired me. I learned the best ways to take a portrait. I also figured out exactly how to make my subjects laugh.

I edited all of these photos in the same manner. I cropped the picture because Karsh's portraits focused entirely on the subject, with no background distractions. I turned down the saturation completely, which turned the picture black and white. I increased the vibrancy and exposure in certain places by using the brush tool. I also increased the clarity around the subject's eyes. 

Before

After

Before

After

Kaitlyn Shih

Before

After

Before

After

M.C. Mendonca

Before

After

Second Portrait

Valerie, walking back to the E-wing
Edits: changed aspect ratio by cropping, minimized brightness of sidewalk

Cropping - Three Rules of Composition

Before

After

1. Simplify

2. Aspect Ratio

3. Depth 

Lens - Three Rules of Composition

I chose photo 8 because it demonstrates simplicity. The subject of the picture is rather ordinary, just a ramshackle house. Because of the dramatic effect of the simplicity of the photo, the subject matter is easily grasped by the viewer. Additionally, this photo shows depth. In the background of the picture, one can see all the other houses, of similar design to the one of focus. This shows a repetitive parallel of sorts. The photo also displays a well developed aspect ratio. The photo contains just the necessary details, with nothing more.

First Portrait

Conversation

Haroon, fondling the plants by the benches by the snack bar. 
Edits: Increased exposure. Minimized brightness of bench. Increased color saturation. 

Self Portrait

Picture taken using self timer. My team members helped make sure I stayed in the frame.

Shallow Depth of Field

Use of the shallow depth of field allows the viewer to focus entirely on the subject of the photograph. The subject is in focus, and the background is blurred.

Edits: Intensified the focus on the hand and minimized the brightness of the hot pink shoes 

Third Photo Assignment, My Third Rule

Third Rule: Depth

The rule of depth gives a two dimensional picture a better, more detailed composition, allowing the viewer to see what the photographer actually saw. The human eye naturally picks out the layers and then mentally separates them out. This gives the photography a more in-depth composition. 

Three Rules of Photography:
1. Simplify
2. Aspect Ratio
3. Depth

Second Photo Assignment, My Second Rule

Aspect Ratio

First Photo Assignment, My First Rule

Simplify