Legendary photographer Harry Benson stopped by the Adorama Store in New York City this week for a live podcast hosted by the Photo Brigade. Discussing his new documentary, “Harry Benson: Shoot First,” which chronicles his epic career having shot everyone from the Beatles to Barack Obama, the octogenarian photographer took a look back at over 60 years of image making with history’s most famous (and infamous) personalities.
Speaking to a small room of amateur and professional photographers, (we even spotted Canon Explorer of Light and Bon Jovi photographer David Bergman in attendance), Benson shared incredible behind the scenes anecdotes from his photography adventures, including the assignment that started it all: traveling to Paris with the Beatles in 1964 at the height of French Beatlemania.
Benson never wanted to photograph The Beatles. “I was a serious journalist,” says the Glasgow-born photographer. “I didn’t want it…I was going to Africa to do a story on their independence.” Nonetheless, Benson ended up taking the assignment and what was to follow would be the creation of some of the most iconic images ever to be taken of the young band, including a group portrait with Muhammad Ali.
“I don’t go out of my way to make friends with my subjects because they may ask you not to use certain pictures. It’s a business.”
Despite having had his pictures published in major publications around the world, the humble photojournalist says he finds all the attention paid to him lately “embarrassing.” Afraid of sounding “pretentious,” he says it can be hard to explain how a picture was taken. Despite his humility, it’s hard to deny how much of an impact his photographs have had. Not many photographers can say they have photographed every living president since Eisenhower, traveled with the Beatles, and even captured a picture of a then reclusive Michael Jackson in his bedroom at Neverland Ranch.
“I don’t go out of my way to make friends with my subjects because they may ask you not to use certain pictures. It’s a business,” says Benson – who is still in contact with the remaining members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. He remembers getting on John Lennon’s bad side when he “tricked” the band into taking a group portrait with a young boxer named Cassius Clay (aka, the future Muhammad Ali).
Benson recalls proposing the portrait to the band, but quickly getting shot down by Lennon, who thought of Ali as “a big mouth guy.” At the time, the young boxing champion was training for a fight with Sonny Liston and tended to be boisterous in interviews. Instead, Lennon wanted to be photographed with Ali’s opponent, Liston. However, the admiration Lennon had for Liston was not mutual, as Liston quickly shot down the proposal saying he had no interest in meeting any of the Beatles. Benson, being the determined photojournalist that he was, decided to take matters into his own hands. “I go back to the Beatles, picked them up in this big car, they all pile in. They all think they’re going to see Sonny Liston, but I took them to see Cassius Clay!,” he says with a laugh. “They were a bit surprised. He completely dwarfed them. Afterward, Lennon confronted the photographer saying, “He made us look foolish, and it’s your fault, Benson.” But the young photographer was unphased, “ I didn’t care because the following day, I went to Jamaica to photograph Ian Fleming.”
It is this quiet determination that has been the driving force behind Benson’s most powerful photographs. It is what led him to eventually photograph John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman from his jailhouse in 1986. As Benson says, “I was interested in seeing the bastard.”
By that point in history, Benson’s lens had already captured some of the most crushing moments in American history. He was next to Bobby Kennedy when the young senator was shot and photographed the politician’s dying moments. He was also there in the moments after Martin Luther’s King Jr’s assassination.
When reviewing Benson’s body of work, it is hard to think of another photographer whose images have captured so many highs and lows in popular history over such an impressive span. It’s not hard to understand why so many have referred to him as a “legend.” Benson himself shies away from the label, and explains, “I don’t see myself in that position.” His genuine modesty is astounding considering his images have basically been a time capsule of the last 60 years of history.
Harry Benson: Shoot First is now screening in select theaters across the nation. For showtimes go to http://www.magpictures.com/harrybenson/home
