Yousuf Karsh is a legendary photographer of the 20th century. More than twenty of his portraits appeared on the cover of Life magazine — an extraordinary honor for any photographer. Since I’ve been starting to practice professional studio portraits, I find his work especially inspiring.

The most iconic is, of course, his portrait of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. What makes Karsh so unique is not only the timing or posing, but also the way he captured personality with extraordinary clarity. He had an incredible ability to direct his sitters, sometimes even disarming them in unexpected ways, so their authentic expressions emerged.

Technically, his approach was classic but powerful. He often used dramatic lighting to sculpt the face, separating the subject from the background while emphasizing texture and depth. His compositions were straightforward, yet his control of light and presence made the results unforgettable.

The result was portraits that feel both timeless and larger than life. Even with such traditional techniques, his work stands apart, reminding me that great portraiture is less about inventing something new, and more about mastering the tools to reveal the truth of a person.

中文版本：

他有接近二十多张作品曾登上《Life》杂志的封面，这在整个摄影史上都算得上是极高的荣誉。最近，我也开始尝试更专业的studio portraits，因此Karsh的作品对我来说格外有启发。

Karsh所有作品中最具代表性的，肯定还是那张他为英国首相丘吉尔的经典肖像。Karsh的拍摄的独特之处，不仅在于对于模特姿势的安排或拍摄的时机，更在于他似乎有一种与生俱来的能力，可以精准捕捉到人物的气质和个性。他往往能通过引导甚至一些出其不意的小动作，让被拍摄者流露出真实的神情。

技术上，他使用的技巧并不能说非常复杂，虽然Karsh也有非常强大的暗房技巧，但他更倾向于用戏剧性的布光来突出面部轮廓，把人物从背景中剥离，同时强化画面的质感与深度。画面构图看似传统，但在他的控制下，却以外的与众不同。