harry benson

Scottish born photojournalist, Harry Benson, who began his career at The Hamilton Advertiser, moved to The Sketch and then The Daily Express on Fleer Street, arrived in America with the Beatles in 1964. He knew then he would stay.
His 60-year career as a photojournalist included a contract with LIFE Magazine and photographs on the covers and inside major magazines worldwide, including: Life, Time, Newsweek, Town & Country, Vanity Fair, Quest, Paris Match, G.Q., Esquire, W, The London Sunday Times Magazine, People, Vogue, Architectural Digest and Vice Magazine.
Benson has photographed eleven US president from Eisenhower to Obama, has photographed Sir Winston Churchill at Harrow, HRH Queen Elizabeth II in Holyrood Palace, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the Civil Rights movement, covered wars in the Gulf, the Falklands, Bosnia, Afghanistan, among others. He was next to Senator Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated and next to President Richard Nixon when he resigned. Harry has photographed an amazing range of subjects including The King of Spain, Princess Diana, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess Grace, Prince Philip, and including entertainers The Rolling Stones, Greta Garbo, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Fred Astaire, Amy Winehouse and Brad Pitt.
Benson was twice named NPPA Magazine Photographer of the Year and was also twice awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence. In 2009, Benson was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire, (CBE) by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, for his service to photography. He received a Doctor of Letters from Glasgow University and the Glasgow School of Art, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
Benson's photographs are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.; Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow and the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. He has enjoyed 40 solo exhibitions and published 17 books including the just published by Taschen in three languages: The Beatles On the Road: 1964-1966. Other books include: New York New York, President and Mrs. Reagan: an AmerIcan Love Story, Harry Benson’s Glasgow, Harry Benson’s America , RFK, and Bobby Fischer.
Benson states, “As a photojournalist, over the last 60 years I have been lucky enough to photograph world events and world leaders who have made an impact on recent history, an impact on the world we live in.”
Benson works with wife, Gigi, on his book and exhibition projects. They live in Wellington, Fla. and New York City. Their two daughters live and work in Los Angeles.