Take a cigar and take a quick photo: the secret of one of the most famous pictures of Churchill

"The portrait of Winston Churchill changed my life. I understood that this was an important photo, but I could not even dream that it would become one of the most replicated in history."

Photographer Yusuf Karsh's picture brought a hundred dollars and world fame. But behind this photo there is an interesting story and an unconventional approach.

In 1941, Winston Churchill visited Washington first, and then went to Ottawa. Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King invited photographer Yusuf Karsh to take a portrait of the guest after his speech to the Canadian Parliament. After the speech, Churchill was taken to the office, where Karsh had previously installed a camera and lighting equipment.

Later, Karsh recalled that Churchill was not in a good mood. The shooting was an unpleasant surprise for the politician.

Churchill sat down in an armchair, lit a cigar and gave the photographer two minutes to shoot. The smoke from the cigar interfered with the photographer, besides, it did not fit into the concept of the picture.

While Churchill was in a dazed state, Karsh managed to run to the camera and take a picture.

Recovering from the shock, Churchill broke into a smile.

The photographer called this picture that way: "The Roaring Lion". Karsh took another shot just a few seconds after the first one. In the photo, Churchill is smiling good-naturedly. So we got two diametrically opposite frames. The first picture in 1945 got on the cover of LIFE and became the most recognizable picture of a politician. Well, the second photo became Karsh's favorite.