Chris Lund

Yousuf Karsh

Photographer

Armenian-Canadian·b. 1908

Known for:

formal portrait photography of world leaders and cultural figures

Education:

Apprenticed under John H. Garo in Boston (1928-1931)

Yousuf Karsh arrived in Canada as a refugee in 1924 and became one of the most sought-after portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill, taken after Karsh removed the Prime Minister's cigar from his mouth without permission, became one of the most widely published photographs in history. Over his career he photographed nearly every significant public figure of the postwar era.

Yousuf Karsh's Gear List(2)

Hasselblad 500C/M

Hasselblad

Connection note

Karsh used the Hasselblad 500C/M alongside his large-format cameras for location and travel portraiture where a view camera was impractical. His use of Hasselblad equipment is documented in multiple interviews and in the collection of the Karsh estate.

Product description

Produced from 1970 to 1994, the 500C/M is a modular medium format SLR using 120 or 220 film. Its interchangeable magazines, focusing screens, and Carl Zeiss lenses made it the standard camera in professional studio and location photography for three decades.

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Calumet C-1 8x10

Calumet

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Connection note

Primary camera was the 8x10 bellows Calumet; used for his iconic portrait sessions

Product description

Monorail 8x10 view camera produced from the early 1960s to around 1984, with its design rooted in the Ansco Commercial flatbed. Early models used magnesium alloy castings weighing about 14 pounds, while later versions switched to aluminum. Offers over 34 inches of bellows extension using inner and outer rail pairs, with friction-based movements rather than geared controls.