His professional career began in the early 1950’s developing his craft of portraiture into his own authoritative style which captures his subject’s style with elegance and timeless grace. Charis was convinced from the start that the technique of photographic portraiture was a dynamic field, accordingly he found inspiration in the masters of the Renaissance like Raphael, Rembrandt, Sit Joshua Reynolds and Jon Singer Sargent. Thus from these legends, he drew upon their technique; from the Renaissance, he appropriated pleasing compositions; dramatic lighting from the Baroque period; from the British 18th century, the stately decorum; and from the Edwardian era, a fashionable stylishness.
