Photographer David Hurn on cracking Instagram in his 80s

On leaving Sandhurst he headed for London.

“I kind of learnt photography by sitting in the coffee bars and shooting a bit,” he said.

It was in a coffee bar that he met the politician Michael Foot, who at that time was working as a journalist.

Foot told him about the unfolding uprising in Hungary and suggested he go there and take pictures – and that is exactly what he did.

He got into Budapest in an ambulance after contacting the Red Cross.

He met journalists from Life magazine whose photographer had been unable to get into the city so he was asked to work for them.

“Little did they know that I was up in my room reading my book on how to put film in my camera,” laughed David.

“I learned very quickly that it’s better to start at the top than the bottom.

“If you start at the top you just cling on and learn very quickly.”

His first pictures appeared in Life Magazine and then the Observer.

He said: “Suddenly sort of at the age of 22 I had a name.”