TITLE: Self-Portrait Channeling Karsh's Hemingway Portrait

Like many, I have long admired Yousuf Karsh's masterful use of studio lighting, especially his iconic portrait of Ernest Hemingway. I wanted a self-portrait that would be striking and memorable for a new personal photography web site and wondered if I could come close to what Karsh did with Hemingway using only household lighting in my small condo. Even if I failed completely, it would be a great learning experience.
I used only what I had at hand: one cheap clamp-on reflector light, two household floor lamps and an old black bedsheet for a backdrop. The only pro-level gear was the camera, a Fuji GFX 50 R with a remote shutter release on a tripod. Needless to say, it was challenging, and I had many rejects. Image candidates were selected and modified based on extensive (mostly positive) feedback from members of the FRAMES Magazine Facebook group. This image is the one I finally settled on.
Not only was I forced to study Karsh's work carefully and repeatedly, I had to try to reproduce what I saw without a proper studio and studio lighting, I also had to decide where copying needed to end in order to depict more of who I am. The jury is still out on how I did on that last point. While it isn't a look my girlfriend likes, the seriousness and intensity reflects who I am when doing what I consider serious photography. In any case, the various versions gathered more comments and reactions than any other image I have ever posted in the FRAMES group (and I'm a "Top Contributor").
I hope the Monovision jury finds it a winner.

AUTHOR: George Phillips (United States)

Our family album shows me at age four using a Brownie camera. Little did I know it was the beginning of a life of photography. Whether it was hauling a view camera up the side of a steep canyon or leaning out the door of a helicopter shooting while my boss held my belt, the camera was always there. I progressed from being the photographer for my high school yearbook to getting one of the first MFA's in photography from Claremont Graduate School. An MA in Communications led to a broader career, but one in which writing, photography, film or video always played a part. I earned a blackbelt in Aikido. I spent three years sailing in Mexico and documenting my travels in a weekly blog.
Although my early serious photography garnered some significant recognition, it wasn't enough to ensure the kind of livelihood that allowed marriage and family. Now that I can pursue serious work without career constraints, the broader skills I had acquired have become surprisingly important. During my career I transformed traditional film and darkroom expertise into equivalent digital skills. At United Way, working with people who are hurting taught me to quickly gain trust and weave stories and images together. Aikido allowed me to relax and confidently pursue stories and intimate images of people who can be intimidating. I am now putting all my experience into a portfolio of photographs that I hope to publish in a book as meaningful to readers as producing it was for me.