Learning Resources
Activity 1
Freeze Frame
Yousuf Karsh got his big break while volunteering at the Ottawa Little Theatre (OLT) in Ottawa, Canada. Karsh learned many tricks of the trade while photographing theatre productions. Much of what he learned stemmed from the nature of working in the theatre – the use artificial lighting, props, and the creation of character through costume. Many of the tools and techniques he learned in the theatre stayed with him throughout his career and became part of his signature style.
An important element of Karsh’s work at the OLT was choosing dramatic moments in the plays to capture. These photographic ‘stills’ appeared in advertisements and magazine reviews and were designed to create curiosity about the play in potential ticket buyers.
Although the photographs look like they were taken during a live performance of the play, Karsh’s theatre photos were actually scenes he had the actors re-enact specifically for his camera. Karsh would sit in as the cast rehearsed and would pick a specific line in the script as his cue. What was created was a ‘tableau”, or a moment frozen in time, ripe with potential narratives.
In this image of the play Waiting for Lefty (1936), Karsh selected to shoot a moment full of drama: Why is the young man reaching forward, and why is there a line of uniformed men behind him? By learning to stop the action at a moment full of storytelling possibilities, Karsh created powerful images that continue to captivate his viewers.
Karsh in the Classroom
- If this is a dramatic moment something must be about to happen, or perhaps already has. Look at the image and think about what happened before and/or after it was taken. Who are the men with the hats? What is the man in the middle saying or trying to do? Is he reaching out to someone or something? Think about the name of the play Waiting for Lefty -- what could it mean? Have students write the story of what happened before or after this scene. Once the stories have been written, students can act them out.
- Look through magazines for advertisements or photo-shoots that set up a narrative through a tableau. What is the story being told and what are the clues given? Reading a photograph or a painting is much like reading a book – there are visual clues that tell the story or at least give a starting point for piecing it together.
Waiting for Lefty (1936)
Yousuf Karsh
Ottawa, Canada
Library and Archives Canada,
Yousuf Karsh Fonds,
e010752218
