crush.

I fell in love with a man today.

A historian, artist, foreigner, romantic, and peacemaker are only a few of the wonderful traits that belong to Yousuf Karsh.

I've been asked to study about him in my photography course. I'd like to say, first of all, that my educational experience so far has never ceased to be a blessing to me because of the many doors professors place in my way that I eventually find to be just what I was looking for all along. I've seen the world through different eyes multiple times, each time so uniquely beautiful from other times past. I've read about Chinese families making new lives for themselves in The Joy Luck Club. I've been in the shoes of a young girl as her Mexican family adjusted to America in The House on Mango Street. Fahrenheit 451 projected to me the importance of cherishing the classical and human part of society and ourselves. I never would have found any of these stories without the guidance of the educational system.

Today, I discovered another man's story. Karsh is a famous photographer who immigrated to the Americas from Armenia at 17. He began as a landscape photographer but eventually moved on to photograph portraits of the most famous and talented names in history. His photos are still iconic.

Told ya so.

What impressed me most about this man was not his photographs, but the stories behind each photo itself. I'm not talking about a short little biography about who each person he photographed is, either. There always seemed to be a pleasant get-to-know-you before each photo session, coupled with creating an environment in which the subject would portray their true inner selves for the camera.

For example, in the instance of Albert Einstein, Karsh asked Einstein what would happen if another atomic bomb was released onto the world. Einstein replied by saying, "Alas, we will no longer be able to hear the music of Mozart." Now, repeat that phrase as you view the picture above of Einstein. Can't you see the wisdom and simplicity in his demeanor? The sad look in his eyes that he is responsible for the most deadly weapon on Earth, and yet contentment that the world around him is a beautiful divine creation worth exploring?

As Karsh photographed a woman named Marian Anderson (a famous singer), he felt as though he couldn't quite capture the image of her that he had envisioned. One of Marian's accompanists entered the room for a rehearsal, and Karsh had the idea of having him play Marian's favorite song. As the accompanist played, Marian hummed along, and captured this image.

Karsh wasn't just a photographer. He was a storyteller with the goal of capturing his subject in their most ideal state of mind, creating extremely personable and emotional works of art.

This guy is so cool~