From The Beatles to Trump, Harry Benson has shot them all

HE toured America with The Beatles in 1964, documenting their ground-breaking tour and today, at the age of 86 is still going strong. The work of renowned Scottish photographer and self-confessed workaholic Harry Benson is celebrated in the film Shoot First, being screened at the Filmhouse tonight and tomorrow.

Harry Benson: Shoot First screens at the Filmhouse

Harry Benson: Shoot First charts the illustrious career of Benson who initially rose to fame alongside The Beatles, having been assigned to cover their inaugural trip to the United States.

With unprecedented ‘behind the scenes’ access, Benson captured some of the most vibrant and intimate portraits ever taken of the most popular band in history.

Shoot First features interviews with politicians, actors, film-makers and sports stars, including Sharon Stone, Alec Baldwin, Dan Rather, James L Brooks, Henry Kissinger and Donald Trump, in the days before he was President.

In total Benson has photographed 11 US presidents (unknowingly at the time 12) from Eisenhower to Obama; world leaders including Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Conrad Adenauer, Leonid Brezhnev, Ariel Sharon, and Boris Yeltsin.

Royals captured by his lens include Princess Grace, Prince Rainier, Princess Caroline, the Royal Family of Spain and The British Royal Family including a private sitting with Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in 2014.

His work has appeared in dozens of publications including The Mail On Sunday, The Sunday Times Magazine, Life, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

Now 86, workaholic Benson has no intention of stopping!

Harry Benson: Shoot First, The Filmhouse, Lothian Road, tonight & tomorrow, various times, £8-£10, 0131-228 2688