Portrait Photography Vs.

Landscape photography

By Jade Leacock

Portrait Photography

• Portrait photography is a type of

photography that displays the expression,

personality and mood of the subject. The

focus of the photography is usually the

persons face, although the entire body &

background may be included.

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002)

• Karsh was born in Mardin, turkey on 23rd

December 1908. At 6 he went to live with

his uncle George Nakash, who was also a

photographer at the time and that’s were

Karsh’s photography career took place.

George NakashYousuf Karsh

Earlier Life

• Karsh started an apprenticeship with

portrait photographer John Garo in 1928 &

in 1931 he then began working alongside

John Powis (who was also a

photographer) at his studio The Hardy

Arcade.

• In 1993 Powis retired and Karsh took over

the studio. His first solo exhibition took

place in 1936 at the Chateau laurier.

Karsh and Garo

The Hardy Arcade

Where does his work come

from?• The Canadian Prime Minster at the time

Mackenzie King discovered Karsh and

arranged introductions with visiting

dignitaries for portrait settings. Karsh also

attracted the attention of various

celebrities including Winston Churchill &

Grace Kelly.

Mackenzie KingGrace Kelly Churchill

How did he make his money?

• Karsh was a freelance

photographer, as he set up his

studio and exhibitions himself. He

made money by selling 15 portrait

books earning commission from

them, printing pictures and doing

sessions on how to do portrait

photography. Also one of the first

to commission Karsh was B.K.

Sandwell of Saturday Night

Magazine.

The purpose of his

photography?• The purpose of his photography was to

capture his subjects in surprisingly

intimate or pensive moments. A quote from

Yousuf says ” My chief joy is to photograph

the great in heart, in mind, and in spirit,

whether they be famous or humble”.

Who used his photography?

• Many of his portraits were printed in Life

Magazine. His photos were also used in

Montreal’s museum of fine arts, London’s

National Portrait Gallery of Australia,

National Gallery of Canada and many

more places. His work has also been

reproduced in books such as faces of

destiny (1959) & this is home (1959).

Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts

Nation gallery of Canada

How does his photography affect

viewers?

• The subjects used within Yousuf Karsh’s

photography's are people within an image.

Each subject is portrayed in there natural

forms, allowing us as viewers to uncover

them as individual people and see them in

there most natural forms. The majority of

his backgrounds are black allowing the

subject to therefore standout and show

intricate details of the subjects current

emotion.

Two portrait photos by Yousuf

Karsh

Landscape Photography

• Landscape photography shows

spaces within the world,

sometimes vast and unending,

but other times microscopic.

Landscape photographs typically

capture the presence of nature

but can also focus on man-made

features or disturbances of

landscape.

Maria Kaimaki aka Mary Kay

• Born and raised on a little Greek island, Mary recalls that her earliest and most precious memories are of carefree days on rocky, isolated beaches, roaming through narrow village roads and adventurous expeditions into the woods. in the summer of 2008, when KonstantinosVasilakis, a dedicated landscape photographer, gave her an intense crash course in everything from f-stops to neutral density filters

Where does her work come

from?• Kay’s work came from the help of her mentor

Konstantinos Vasilakis, who came into her life

with a huge bag full of photographic equipment, a

vast knowledge of all aspects of landscape

photography and a willingness to share his.

experiences.

Work by Konstantinos Vasilakis

How does she make her

money?• Kay is also a freelance photographer who

has made money by creating and selling her

first ever book called LightScapes. She has

also set up a website also named

LightScapes, where here work is displayed

in which costumers can purchase them as

fine arts prints.

What is the purpose of her

photography?

• The purpose of Kay’s photography according to her, is that “it’s not just a genuine love and respect for nature that makes a great landscape photographer, but also an ability to pass on this feeling to others, drag them into the scene and make them feel humble and grateful for all the beauty and wonder that surrounds us. At the same time, the picture should convey the reality that we are a tiny particle in the big picture and an integral part of it at the same time”.

How does her photography effect

viewers?

• Her photography effects us as viewers by

the way she has the surreal ability to

photograph our world in vivid color and

tones. The natural light dances across her

images, transforming each photograph

into a splendid visual show that transports

you to another moment in time; creating a

surreal effect within the picture as a whole.

She also includes a spacious

Photos by Maria Kaimaki

Which one do I prefer?

• Yousuf Karsh and Maria Kaimaki’s photos both represent purity in their chosen subjects whilst also in there natural forms. YousufKarsh carefully portrays his subjects in a care free format, allowing us as the viewers to see them in their deepest elements; Where as Maria Kaimaki incorporates high contrasted images almost making her photos look unrealistic as well as adding high saturation to define her photos. I prefer Kaimaki’simages more because I love the way she incorporates bright and bold colors in order to give her images that futuristic feeling.

• Images make you feel happy as the

vibrant colors she chooses suit so well

with the different landscapes she visits.

Karsh’s images are also good but because

they are black and white you almost

wonder how differently they could look if

he chose to include color within them.

Bibliography

• http://www.bellisland.net/no2mine/Yousuf%20Karsh_files/karsh2.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yousuf_Karsh

• http://justeline.daportfolio.com

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_photography

• http://mariakaimaki.com/blog/

• http://konstantinosvasilakis.com