Born in the UK but of Welsh descent, David Hurn is a self-taught photographer who began his career in 1955 as an assistant at the Reflex Agency. While a freelance photographer, he gained his reputation with his reportage of the 1956 Hungarian revolution and was invited to become a full member of Magnum Photos in 1967. In 1973 he set up the famous School of Documentary Photography in Newport, Wales, and has been in demand throughout the world to teach workshops. He has written: “Life as it unfolds in front of the camera is full of such complexity, wonder and surprise that I find it unnecessary to create new realities. There is more pleasure, for me, in things as they are.” He suggests that two of his major influences for attempting to be a better photographer are good shoes and looking at other peoples pictures. At the Festival he will chat about both. David Hurn has a longstanding international reputation as one of Britain’s leading reportage photographers. He continues to live and work in Wales.
