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Yousef Karsh

 

            
            
             In 1908, a Yousuf Karsh was born in Madrin, Armenia, Turkey. Growing up he remembers the Turks when they uprooted Armenians in 1915. When Yousuf turned 15, his parents and two younger brothers were allowed to leave Turkey and settle in Syria if they took nothing with them. Yousuf's parents decided to send him to Canada, where his uncle volunteered to sponsor him. His uncle, George Nakash, was a successful photographer in Quebec and this is where Yousuf got his start in photography.
             When Yousuf was attending high school, he intended to become a doctor. But he still had love for the art of photography. John Garo was arranged for Yousuf to be apprenticed in learning the technical processes of photography. After the six-month apprenticeship was over, Yousuf decided to stay to stay for three more years. He decided in 1934, that he was going to open his own studio in Ottawa. He thought that Ottawa was the best place for a studio for reasons such as Ottawa being his first home in Canada and because he knew that with Ottawa being the capital many important people would be in the area.
             As Yousuf was getting a bigger and better reputation in the world of photography, he got the opportunities to photograph famous prime ministers, presidents, and politicians. But the picture that really got Yousuf noticed was of Winston Churchill in 1941. .
             Some time later Life magazine "offered $100 which I accepted being then very native about the value of anything - all I wanted was the photograph to be published" says Yousuf about selling his Winston Churchill photography. He also happily admits that it was " one of the most frequently published photographic portraits of any person in history". (www.bellisland.net) .
             In early 1943 Yousuf was arranged to by the Canadian government to sail overseas to photograph wartime leaders and others in England. These pictures were later featured in Yousuf's first book in 1946. Afterwards, Yousuf got many different assignments handed to him.


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