Photographer Harry Benson Captured Iconic Moments in Time

At 93, little about famed photographer Harry Benson has faded.

Certainly not his quick wit, nor his sharp eye. Not the Scottish lilt in his voice, nor his opinions about what makes a good photograph — and a good photographer.

The man is as vibrant and dynamic as the stellar images he has created over the last 75 years or so, a retrospective of which is now on display at the Southampton Arts Center (SAC).

“A Moment in Time: Iconic Images by Harry Benson” debuted earlier this month and will be celebrated with an opening reception Friday, May 26, featuring an appearance by the main character himself. The exhibition was curated by Sally Martin Katz and includes dozens of Benson’s photographs — some instantly recognizable, others less well-known.

Familiar or not, the works all have the signature Benson perspective of offering an intimate glimpse of history and history makers.

“I’ve done it all. That’s mainly because I’m an old man now and I’ve lived a long time,” Benson joked during a recent interview about the show. “There are millions more people I would have liked to photograph, but I will say that I always moved quickly, I never kept a distance and never ignored the situation I was in because, you know, it might never happen again.”

Among the most infamous situations he found himself in was being with Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968 when the presidential hopeful was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Benson’s images of Kennedy lying on the floor surrounded by chaos in the seconds after he was shot and the tumultuous scene that ensued — one of which are included in the Southampton exhibit — have served as part of the historical record of that tragic event.

Benson went on to write a book about the experience, “RFK: A Photographer’s Journal,” in 2018.

“What sets him apart from so many others is that he was ubiquitous, capturing world events with almost unparalleled access to the people participating in them spanning the vast period in which he has worked — from the early 1960s through work that was made into

the 2000s,” the show’s curator, Katz, said recently. “He, himself, is an iconic figure whose work has permeated our popular culture, whether most people realize it or not.”

That is to say, even those who think they don’t know who Harry Benson is will likely recognize some of his work.

Katz, a curator who works with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, took on the challenge of distilling more than seven decades worth of Benson’s work into a single exhibition at the request of the International Center of Photography, she said. The offer was too good to pass up, having met and spent some time with Benson through mutual friends in the years prior.

“It lent an element of familiarity that maybe helped to inform the choices and I was delighted to do it,” she said.

The show is organized into four sections. “Events that Changed the World,” which includes the Kennedy photo, highlights Benson’s photojournalism work, much of which took place during a 30-year run working for Life magazine.

“What you see in these works is that he’s really in it, absorbed in the action and that’s a really important point about Harry,” Katz said. “He’s not just a documentarian or a bystander. He’s part of the scene so much so that when you view his photos you feel the intimacy and the urgency as if you are there.”

“People Who Changed the World,” the second part, explores the way Benson was drawn to the individuals who have had an impact on American history and society. That includes the last 13 presidents, world leaders, royal families and others. And in Benson’s works you see not just the public face, but the private seldom seen side of these larger-than-life players. For instance, Katz points to an image in the exhibit of President Gerald Ford doing the dishes.

The third section, “Icons of Style,” touches on Benson’s work with style makers and fashion figures like Halston, Giorgio Armani and Yves Saint Laurent.

Lastly, “Music Makers” showcases Benson’s well-known work with musicians, which began when he was invited to follow the Beatles on their first tour in the U.S. His images of the band, including capturing the four members having a pillow fight, are among the most recognizable. In the years that followed, Benson often returned to the world of music, taking memorable photographs of everyone from James Brown to Bon Jovi to Amy Winehouse.

“He was never simply documenting, he’s encapsulating the culture and transforming these well-known performers into the visual icons we know today,” Katz said. “And in turn, to many of his subjects, he’s not just a photographer behind the lens, he’s Harry Benson!”

For his part, Benson believes no matter how famous his photographs might be, he still sees room for improvement.

“There is not a single one that I could not have made better and that’s the truth,” he lamented recently.

“A lot of those photographs were made in a stressful situation, with a touch of violence or while a threat was in the air, and you have to penetrate an unfriendly situation. That is press photography,” he explained. “You’re taking it with unfriendly eyes looking back at you and that’s your business, and if you don’t do it, you feel ashamed of yourself on the drive back to the office.”

Benson spoke about the exhibition from his home near Palm Beach, Florida last week. He will travel to Southampton for the opening reception and again on July7 for a screening of his 2016 documentary, “Harry Benson: Shoot First,” also at the SAC.

Asked what moves him to take a photograph now, Benson was quick to make a joke.

“I’m getting old and I’ve got to fight this age thing, so I’ve got to take a picture when I see something that informs me,” he explained. Most recently, that included philanthropist Hillie Mahoney (for the cover of Quest magazine) and his dachshund, he said.

“Right now, I’m sitting beside a camera. The dog is further away, but the camera is here by me, if you know what I mean,” he said. “I’ve always considered a camera a friend, a very good friend and that’s never going to change.”

“A Moment in Time: Iconic Images by Harry Benson” exhibition opening is Friday, May 26, at 6 p.m. The documentary “Harry Benson: Shoot First,” directed by Justin Bare and Matthew Miele, will be screened on Friday, July 7, at 6 p.m. Curated by Sally Martin Katz, the show runs through July 15 at Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton.