Yousuf Karsh and Nadav Kander

Yousuf Karsh was an Armenian-Canadian photographer in the 20th century, and he was best known for his portraits. Yousuf Karsh photographs were majorly in black and white, and they were portraits of famous individuals. After seeing Karsh’s work, I notice that his style of pictures wasn’t having famous individuals smile at the camera. His style was to photographed them neither them looking at the camera without smiling or looking away. His photos made the famous individuals look neither powerful, wise or artistic. Each of the portraits showed the individuals just how remarkable they are. One of the Karsh’s portraits I liked was Fidel Castro 1971 portrait. The image is just a close up of Castro’s face. However, his expression shows us how big, and powerful he is. He isn’t someone we shouldn’t mess with. I like how is Castro directly at the camera, and the lighting makes Castro’s eyes stand out.  Overall, the portrait is something similar I want to try to learn, me trying to learn my subject to create a sharp image.

Nadav Kander born in 1961 and he’s currently an active photographer, he’s known for his landscapes and portraits. Similar to Karsh, Kander photographs famous individuals, however, his style is very different than Karsh. Kander work shows artistic pictures, and his work is either in black and white or color. The method he creates is both art and design, he creates unforgettable portraits. One of the Kander’s portraits I like was Brad Pitt Vll, 2011 picture. I like this portrait because of lighting. There is a strong contrast between light and shadows because of this it makes Brad Pitt look like a big movie star. I also like how Brad Pitt isn’t looking directly looking at the camera but away. Brad Pitt looks very pretty and I would like to try to create something artistic.

2 thoughts on “Yousuf Karsh and Nadav Kander

  1. rmichals

    Of Karsh’s work, I too think the portrait of Castro is a knock out. Framing him tightly, having him look directly at the camera, and adding a kicker on each side of his face all add drama.

    If you mean the Brad Pitt photo where he is holding a notebook, that photo is so interesting because there is absolutely no fill, meaning the shadows are very dark. And yet the background is light and bright.This is an unusual contrast.

    Reply
  2. rmichals

    Of Karsh’s work, I too think the portrait of Castro is a knock out. Framing him tightly, having him look directly at the camera, and adding a kicker on each side of his face all add drama.

    If you mean the Brad Pitt photo where he is holding a notebook, that photo is so interesting because there is absolutely no fill, meaning the shadows are very dark. And yet the background is light and bright.This is an unusual contrast.

    Reply

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