The man who portrayed the Beatles, the Queen and the death of B. Kennedy

Four years earlier, a job changed his life: he was sent to Paris for a report on a Liverpool band whose fame was growing. Yes, The Beatles, when the planet was just discovering that they would be the greatest songwriters of all time. Some of the most iconic photographs of the Fab Four remained from that meeting, as well as a close relationship with Paul McCartney, whom he refers to as “the most famous star that ever lived”. In addition, Benson was the only person to have private access to Bobby Fischer, the world chess champion, in his Cold War battle against the Russian Boris Spassky, a dispute labeled by the media as 'the match of the century'.He has captured the faces of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Truman Capote, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Amy Winehouse, Muhammad Ali, among thousands more; He has delved into dangerous and important social phenomena: he documented the Civil Rights movement in the US together with Martin Luther King until his assassination, traveled to a refugee camp in Somalia to denounce the world the devastating famine in which they lived, was present during the fall of the Berlin Wall, portrayed the imperial assistant of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist hate terrorist organization in the US, and the list goes on.

(We also suggest: 15 species of hummingbirds inhabit Bogotá. BOCAS presents photos of these beautiful inhabitants)

I would like to do more photography in Latin America. I would like to do a photo essay in Colombia... It is a fascinating country.

You have obtained photographs that give the idea that they were taken in a very intimate moment. How do you get the confidence of your characters behind the camera?I work very fast... For example, the photograph of President and Mrs. Reagan dancing in the White House was taken in just 7 minutes. I didn't want to bore my characters with small talk. I am there to take your photo for any reason. I like to photograph people in their own environment. It puts them at ease.When he was asked by the London Daily Express to go to Paris to do a report on a group from Liverpool (The Beatles), he was not enthusiastic about the idea. At that time I wanted to go to Africa to do other work. What did you think when you met the band?Yes, that's correct; but once i heard the music i knew i was in the right activity... very quickly it changed from a music assignment to a news assignment. ‘Beatlemania’ changed the whole world.At what point did you realize that they were the great composers? Do you have a favorite song?Yes, when I heard their music, I was completely convinced that the group was extraordinary. My favorite song is one of the first I heard, I Want to Hold Your Hand; but I also like later songs like Imagine.Why did he get closer to Paul McCartney?Paul continued to work after the group broke up and I kept getting assignments to photograph Wings, the band with his wife Beautiful. Paul was easy to work with and always gave me good photography.You've said that you don't just photograph famous people, but also people you admire. Who have you enjoyed working with the most? Do you have any anecdote about it?I have the privilege of having photographed Sir Winston Churchill, and I found Bobby Fischer, the chess champion, a genius. With Bobby Fischer I didn't pretend to know about chess... and he liked the fact that I was photographing President Nixon at the same time and I was photographing a lot of athletes. Fischer considered himself an athlete. I am happy to have met and photographed him... He was a genius.It has been said that you have cold blood to portray shocking moments in history such as the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. What did you feel that day?I was photographing the story in the process and that's very important. I don't have cold blood. He had a job to do and he didn't want to fail. He was an important part of history...What do you remember of your experience in the refugee camp in Somalia in the 1980s?I wanted to show the world the devastation of the Somali people in the hope that it would help improve your situation.

(Read also: BOCAS Magazine presents a photographic selection by photojournalist Alfonso Ángel Naranjo)

You have had dangerous experiences. What did you have in mind when you spoke to the Ku Klux Klan or the IRA (Irish Republican Army)?I knew you wanted to document the KKK and the IRA for history. I feel like that's why I'm a photojournalist.Nowadays everyone has access to a camera with the gadgets, what do you think of that?I think everyone is a photographer now and that's a good thing.< b>Your photos in the Dominican Republic are also recognized, do you know other places in Latin America? What do you know about Colombia?I would like to do more photography in Latin America. I'd like to do a photo essay in Colombia... It's a fascinating country.What do you enjoy doing when you're not photographing?I love watching Scottish football and the World Cup on TV with my dachshund. Tilly on my lap. My wife, Gigi, and I like to go to the movies, except during the covid lockdown.What is the role your wife, Gigi, has had in your work?Gigi works with me, edit my books and plan my exhibitions. Manage Instagram for me. We have been married for 54 years... and we are a team.How was your experience in the pandemic considering that you have been a man of much outside activity?Like everyone else, the pandemic has affected you. All changed. Gigi and I didn't travel or see many people for a year. We are vaccinated now, but we are still very careful. It's hard to believe this has happened to the world.After all these years, what are you still most passionate about in photography and journalism?I still want to take pictures that tell an important story and that document history. I also hope to continue photographing people doing important things.

1. 2.

Pillow Fight Paris. The 'Fab Four' celebrate their recent No. 1 hit on the US charts with a pillow fight at the George V Hotel, Paris. January 18, 1964.

Photo:

© Harry Benson

Pillow Fight Paris. The 'Fab Four' celebrate their recent No. 1 hit on the US charts with a pillow fight at the George V Hotel, Paris. January 18, 1964.

Photo:

© Harry Benson

3.

Muhammad Ali holding Ringo Starr at the Fifth Street Gym. Miami 1964.

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

Muhammad Ali holding Ringo Starr at the Fifth Street Gym. Miami 1964.

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

4.

Paul shaves. The band prepares for their first visit to New York on February 7, 1964.

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

Paul shaves. The band prepares for their first visit to New York on February 7, 1964.

@AskPS_UK Hi,Have spoken to the publisher and its a PSN issue and not with there servers or them. Can i have a c… https://t.co/ain3BdzZn5

— David Longstaff Thu May 31 15:05:13 +0000 2018

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

5.

(We suggest this graphic chronicle: The terrible journey of Haitians in Colombia)

6. 7. 8.

Queen Elizabeth II greets her hosts during her two-month tour of the Commonwealth. 1966.

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

Queen Elizabeth II greets her hosts during her two-month tour of the Commonwealth. 1966.

Photo:

TASCHEN. ©Harry Benson

9. 10.

(Read also: The enigmatic celebrity Tilda Swinton spoke in BOCAS about her artistic career, the film and her relationship with Colombia)

Other interviews by BOCASGermán Tellez: 'Architecture is an art in full decline'Gina Parody: 'Homosexual relationships are more honest'Alirio Barrera: the cowboy from the Democratic Center

Thanks to TASCHEN for giving in Some published photographs of the following works: 'Harry Benson. The Beatles' Her Majesty. Vivienne Westwood Edition No. 1–500. Harry Benson 'Royal Greeting' Her Majesty. Vivienne Westwood Edition No. 501–1,000. Harry Benson 'Royal Departure'. Editor Reuel Golden, TASCHEN photo editor.

Thank you for reading.We would like to recommend other BOCAS content: Clint Eastwood, the last great Hollywood cowboy, spoke in BOCAS about his new film and his career. BY: Gabriela Herrera Gómez/ Magazine Editor MOUTHS.PHOTOS: © Harry Benson. TASCHEN. ISSUE 112. NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021

GH November 30, 2021, 08:09 AM GHGabriela Herrera Gomez November 30, 2021, 08:09 AM Related:

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