When Mr. Powis moved from Sparks Street, Yousuf borrowed money from a relative and took over the studio.
His business was launched—Karsh of Ottawa.
He was determined to see it succeed, even though inside his studio, the “furniture” was mostly wooden crates covered with rough fabric. The young businessman sometimes had to borrow back some of the money he paid his secretary. He could not send a lot to his family, or repay much of his debt, but he would work hard to change this.
In 1932, there were already twelve photographers in Ottawa. To get ahead, Yousuf sent out letters inviting people to come to the studio and advertised his “Modern Photographic Studio” in the newspaper. The 1930s was a period of economic hard times known as the Depression. People had no money for extras, but the studio’s clever ads informed them that “good photographs are not expensive.”
The Karsh studio welcomed many young photographers through its doors from the first days it opened to the day it closed. Yousuf always tried to find time to look at their work and give helpful comments. Once, when he was talking to a budding teen photographer in an airport, Yousuf postponed his flight. The reason? He was busy talking to his “young colleague”.
The young man wanted to quit school to become a photographer, but Yousuf convinced him to finish school first and learn more about art and life in order to become a better photographer. The fifteen-year-old followed the advice and later became a photographer.
One of Yousuf’s 1934 theatre photos labelled Ottawa Ladies College: Miss Currie’s Group”