The Welsh photographer David Hurn first established his name as a prominent photojournalist when he undertook the assignment to report on the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. During the 1960s, Hurn was a frequently sought-after resource for Hollywood filmmakers and producers, where his expertise was used to create marketing images for well-known projects such as Barbarella, A Hard Day's Night, and James Bond: From Russia with Love. David Hurn's impressive photographic collection includes portraits of iconic figures from both film and music, such as The Beatles, Jane Fonda, and Sean Connery.

In 1967, he reached a significant milestone in his career by becoming an associate member of the Magnum Photo agency. David Hurn is considered one of the UK's most influential photojournalists, and in 1973, he founded the renowned School of Documentary Photography in Newport, Wales.