Yousuf Karsh Quotes

• Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Inspirational, Photography, Heart

  97 Copy quote

• Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can. The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world. In that fleeting interval of opportunity the photographer must act or lose his prize.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Eye, Opportunity, Men

  Yousuf Karsh, David Travis (2009). “Regarding Heroes”, David R. Godine Publisher

  61 Copy quote

• There is a brief moment when all there is in a man's mind and soul and spirit is reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude. This is the moment to record

  Yousuf Karsh

  Attitude, Eye, Men

  Yousuf Karsh (1962). “In Search of Greatness: Reflections of Yousuf Karsh”, University of Toronto Press

  42 Copy quote

• Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Inspirational, Photography, Character

  40 Copy quote

• My chief joy is to photograph the great in heart, in mind, and in spirit, whether they be famous or humble.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Heart, Humble, Joy

  Yousuf Karsh (1969). “Yousuf Karsh”

  38 Copy quote

• I try to photograph people's spirits and thoughts. As to the soul-taking by the photographer, I don't feel I take away, but rather that the sitter and I give to each other. It becomes an act of mutual participation.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Photography, People, Giving

  36 Copy quote

• The trouble with photographing beautiful women is that you never get into the dark room until after they've gone.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Beautiful, Dark, Gone

  66 Copy quote

• Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Photography, Men, Secret

  Yousuf Karsh, David Travis (2009). “Regarding Heroes”, David R. Godine Publisher

  29 Copy quote

• It should be the aim of every photographer to make a single exposure that shows everything about the subject. I have been told that my portrait of Churchill is an example of this.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Portraits, Example, Photographer

  29 Copy quote

• My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Greatness, People, Challenges

  Yousuf Karsh (1962). “In Search of Greatness: Reflections of Yousuf Karsh”, University of Toronto Press

  21 Copy quote

• I've also seen that great men are often lonely. This is understandable, because they have built such high standards for themselves that they often feel alone. But that same loneliness is part of their ability to create.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Lonely, Loneliness, Being Alone

  63 Copy quote

• The art is the challenge which you must meet every day: the technique you should learn to control with time. The science and the art of photography are really one, and not opposed to each other.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Photography, Art, Challenges

  26 Copy quote

• If it's a likeness, alone, it's not a success. If, through my portraits, you can come to know the subjects more meaningfully, if it synthesizes your feelings toward someone whose work has imprinted itself on your mind--if you see a photograph and say, 'Yes, this is the person,' with a little new insight--that is a beautiful experience.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Beautiful, Photography, Feelings

  26 Copy quote

• I have found that great people do have in common. . .an immense belief in themselves and in their mission. They also have gerat determination as well as an ability to work hard. At the crucial moment of decision, they draw on their accumulated wisdom. Above all, they have integrity.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Determination, Integrity, Hard Work

  19 Copy quote

• We may never be able to pay directly for the gifts of true friendship - but pay we must, even though we make our payment to someone who owes us nothing, in some other place and at some other time.

  Yousuf Karsh

  True Friend, May, Pay

  Yousuf Karsh (2003). “Karsh: A Biography in Images”, Museum of Fine Arts Boston

  22 Copy quote

• If there is a single quality that is shared by all great men, it is vanity. But I mean by vanity only that they appreciate their own worth. Without this kind of vanity they would not be great. And with vanity alone, of course, a man is nothing.

  Yousuf Karsh

  Mean, Men, Vanity

  24 Copy quote

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